Nursery

Staff

All our staff have a current DBS check and have received up-to-date training on all Safeguarding Issues.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Our sessions are held from Monday to Friday inclusive from 9.00am to 12.00pm and 12:00pm to 3:00pm. Lunch will be taken from 12.30pm. We also offer a breakfast club from 7.45am till 8.45am (Includes breakfast ).

Our term dates for 2016/2017 are as follows: -

Autumn Term 2016	Monday 5th September 2016	Friday December 16^th 2016
Spring Term 2017	Tuesday 3^rd January 2017	Friday 31^st March 2017
Summer Term 2017	Tuesday 18^th April 2017	Friday 21^st July 2017

Half term holidays:

Autumn Term 2016	Monday 24^th October 2016	Friday 28^th October 2016
Spring Term 2017	Monday 13^th February 2017	Friday 17^th February 2017
Summer Term 2017	Monday 29^th May 2017	Friday 2^nd June 2017

Children receive 15 hours funded nursery education starting the term after their third birthday. You will receive a ‘Golden Ticket’ if your child is entitled to funded nursery hours before the age of 3. A £4 hourly rate per child over 3 years old and a £5 hourly rate per child under 3 years old is payable for those children who are not in receipt of funding or for additional hours. Due to overheads a full fee will be charged during absenteeism.

If you are withdrawing a child from the register, we require you to give 4 weeks’ notice.

The Early Years Funding Policy for children aged 3 and 4 allows a maximum of 15 funded hours per week for each full week of term. Therefore any further sessions are required to be paid for. These charges apply to all childcare providers throughout the country and we hope you can all appreciate our difficult position in this matter.

Bills will be distributed each term. Your child’s fees can be paid weekly or monthly. Your child’s fees are to be paid before the end of each term or your child’s hours for the following term will be revised by the management.

Parents may be eligible for 2 year old funding. You can find more information by clicking here.

If you/you and your partner work 16 hours, you may be able to receive help with up to 70% of your childcare costs. For more information call 0345 300 3900 or go to www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits

If you wish to register your child with us, please complete and return a registration form to the school office.

We aim to ensure that each child:

is in a safe and stimulating environment

is given generous care and attention, because of our ratio of qualified staff to children.

has the chance to join with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together

is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by being helped to build on what she/he already knows and can do

has a personal key person who makes sure each child makes satisfying progress

is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop

is in a setting in which parents help to shape the service it offers.

How parents take part in the setting

Our setting recognises parents as the first and most important educators of their children. All of the staff sees themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their child. There are many ways in which parents take part in making the setting a welcoming and stimulating place for children and parents, such as:

exchanging knowledge about their children's needs, activities, interests and progress with the staff

sharing their own special interests with the children

helping to provide, make and look after the equipment and materials used in the children's play activities

taking part in events and informal discussions about the activities and curriculum provided by the setting

joining in community activities in which the setting takes part

building friendships with other parents in the setting

Joining in

Parents can offer to take part in a session by sharing their own interests and skills with the children. We welcome parents to drop into the setting to see it at work or to speak with the staff.

Key persons and your child

Our setting uses a key person approach. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/he is particularly responsible. Your child's key person will be the person who works with you to make sure that the care and education we provide is right for your child's particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at the setting, she will help your child to settle and throughout your child's time at the setting, she will help your child to benefit from the setting's activities.

Records of achievement

The setting keeps a record of achievement for each child. Staff and parents working together on their children's records of achievement is one of the ways in which the key person and parents work in partnership. Your child's record of achievement helps us to celebrate together her/his achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for her/his well-being and to make progress.

Your child's key person will work with you to keep this record. To do this you and she will collect information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will enable the key person to identify your child's stage of progress. You and the key person will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage.

The setting's timetable and routines

Our setting believes that education and care are equally important in the experience which we offer children. The routines and activities that make up the session/day in the setting are provided in ways that:

help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the setting

ensure the safety of each child

help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group

provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning

The session

We organise our sessions so that the children can choose from - and work at - a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping them to learn to work with others.

Outdoor activities contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. The children have the opportunity - and are encouraged - to take part in outdoor child-chosen and adult-led activities, as well as those provided in the indoor playroom/s.

Starting at our setting

The first days

We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, the staff will work with you to decide on how to help your child to settle into the setting. The setting has a policy about helping children to settle in

Clothing

We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities. We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves. These include taking themselves to the toilet and taking off - and putting on - outdoor clothes. Clothing that is easy for them to manage will help them to do this.

Additional Information

We try to keep families up to date with all the happenings in Nursery but if there is anything you would like to know please do not hesitate in asking a member of staff.

PTFA

Bampton School has a very supportive and active PTFA who raise funds for our school. Please look out for their meetings and join them in supporting your children. Ask at the office to be put in touch with the PTFA, or check out their page on the website here.

We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our setting and that you both find taking part in our activities interesting and stimulating. The staff are always ready and willing to talk with you about your ideas, views or questions.