WELCOME TO
FOOTSTEPS NURSERY
Our telephone number is: 01344 425246
Morning 8.45 - 11.45
Afternoon11.45-2.45
Headteacher: Mrs J. Dunlop
Nursery Room Leader: Mrs. C. Smith
Nursery Assistant/ Deputy Room leader: Miss. K. Pritchard
Nursery Assistant: Deputy Room Leader; Mrs. C. Redondo
Nursery Assistant: MrsM.Marshall
Nursery Assistant: Mrs. M. Rogers
Nursery Assistant: Mrs. L. Monredondo
SENDCO; Mrs. C.Redondo
ADULT TO CHILD RATIO - 1 ADULT TO EVERY 8CHILDREN
Welcome to Footsteps Nursery, we hope that you and your child have a happy time here. Here are some of the ways in which you can help us.
Please:
Always tell a member of staff if your child is worried about anything which may have happened either at nursery or at home.
Make sure that we always have an up to date telephone number so that we can contact you immediately if your child is ill or has an accident.
Please do not let your child bring toys to the nursery as they may become upset if the toys are mislaid. Children may bring comforters and story books to school to read at story time.
We prefer children not to wear jewellery to nursery for safety reasons. Earrings are safer if they are studs or sleepers.
Encourage your child to be independent so that he/she is able to put shoes/socks on and off, put his/her coat on and off, and go to the toilet unaided and wash his/her hands afterwards.
What happens when my child starts in the nursery?
Before your child starts Nursery you will be offered a home visit to meet one of the Nursery teachers. This gives us a chance to talk about the nursery and you can tell us about your child.
Please see the room leader if you would like a copy of the policies and procedures.
A copy of your child’s birth certificate and a household utility bill is also required in order to apply for Government funding.
All parents and children about to start Nursery can ring the reception of the school to arrange a visit the term before they start. This is a short visit, and parents or carers must stay with the children. During this visit nursery staff will be present and you will have a chance to meet us and experience the nursery setting. The children will be able to play with activities and meet the staff. Children can start nursery when they are three years old. Funding becomes available the term after their third birthday.
On the day that your child starts Nursery we like you to settle your child during our welcome time and then say goodbye. Some children find it difficult to be left, especially if it is their first experience of being left and separated from their parents. For this reason we settle children into the class slowly and stagger the intake in September. Every child is different and we will work with you to ensure that all children settle well.
Key Person
Each child in the nursery is allocated a keyperson. The keyperson is a member of the nursery staff who acts as a link person between home and school. They will support your child, helping them to settle in, observe and assess their development, plan theirnext steps and liaise with the parents to ensure your child is happy and settled.
What should my child wear?
Children should wear clothes that are easy to undo and fasten, which are easy to wash, and ones that the child will not be to upset about should he/she either get them dirty or wet. Please ensure that your child always has a jacket or coat for outside play. Children will play outside in all weathers, so please make sure that appropriate clothing is always available. Please provide a change of clothes for your child.
Please wash and return clothes that belong to the Nursery.
Shoes that are flat, and rubber soled, make it safer for your child to climb.
Velcro shoes are preferred as children must take their shoes off to use the movement area.
What happens if my child is sick or absent
While your child is in the Nursery he/she will come into contact with a large number of children for the first time. This may put him/her in contact with infectious diseases. If your child does become ill, PLEASE keep him/her at home and take him/her to see the doctor. In cases of vomiting and diarrhoea please keep your child at home for 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared.
It is also important to let the school know about any illness or other reason for absence.
What happens if my child has head-lice?
Despite all that has been done to eradicate them, the problem of the common head lice still emerges from time to time.
If you find them or suspect they are in your child’s hair, don’t worry and carry out the following procedure:
Smother the hair in conditioner. Go through the hair very carefully with the special comb. Follow this procedure regularly for 2 weeks.
Please inform nursery staff so that other parents can be warned to be on the lookout. Your child’s identity will remain confidential.
How can I be involved with the nursery?
To give your child the best start at school, it is important that parents and staff work together, and share their knowledge of the child. Staff are always available for a brief word, or you can make an appointment to see the room leader or keyworker if you wish.
If at any other time you have concerns that you need to discuss with us, please let us know and we will make an appointment for a meeting.
You are welcome to stay with your child/ren during the session, this could be for welcome time, one hour or the whole session, and whatever suits you. We are not insured to have younger siblings on the premises. Please just let a member of staff know when you want to stay.
How can I help my child before they start nursery?
Some of the fun things you can do together include:
- Nursery rhymes
- Telling stories
- Drawing pictures
- Playing games
- Measuring things
- Telling the time
- Visiting places
- Singing songs
- Dressing up
- Growing things
- Making things
- Talking to them
What can I do to help the nursery?
Do your best to make sure that:
- Your child does not go to bed so late s/he has trouble getting up in the morning.
- Your child gets to nursery and is picked up from nursery on time every day.
- Your child does not miss nursery without a very good reason. If your child does have to miss nursery, you should write to or phone the school explaining why.
What school activities are there in the nursery?
Young children learn through play and we encourage them to be independent in their choice of activities. We believe that each child and their work should be valued. Our aim is to provide a safe, caring environment in which the child can be involved in stimulating activities, to enable them to develop socially, physically and academically.
We have listed, at the end of this booklet some of the things the children can learn by taking part in the activities.
The children are given a piece of fruit to eat every day. Crisps, sweets and biscuits are not permitted. If your child does bring fruit please ensure that it is prepared and that it is in a box/bag clearly labelled with the child’s name.
We provide water and milk and they are available throughout the nursery session. The children can take a drink of either when they are thirsty.
3 & 4-year-old funding explained
3-year-olds will be able to start a free nursery place following their third birthday.
All 3 and 4 year olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of free early education or childcare a year. Your child is entitled to a maximum of 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year.
The grant is only available until your child starts school.
A parent declaration form must be completed which is an agreement between a child’s parent/carer and nursery confirming the number of hours they would like to claim for free entitlement to early education.
How do children learn in the nursery?
In nursery the children learn through their play. All the activities in the nursery are planned to give the children opportunities to learn different skills and to discover more about the world in which they live. An adult leads 20% of the play and 80% is designed for the children to explore independently alongside other children.
What are the children learning?
In the nursery children learn foundation skills in seven areas – personal, social and emotional, mathematics, communication and language, literacy, expressive arts and design, understanding the world and physical development. Within these areas stepping-stones measure the children’s development so that the teachers can assess howthe children’s knowledge and skills are growing. Below you can read some of the ways in which children are helped to learn in nursery. There is not enough space to mention all the activities that go on, but if you ever wonder what is happening and why in nursery please ask. Each child’s individual development is discussed during the two parent’s evenings each year and in the termly report.
Personal, social and emotional:
Often when children come into nursery they find it hard to be left and difficult to share with other children. In nursery we help the children to develop independence (taking themselves to the toilet, tidying up) and to feel settled and secure in their new group. Many of the activities are designed to help children play alongside others happily and co-operatively, perhaps building a tower with bricks, or sharing the train set.
Mathematics:
In nursery children begin to learn to count and to recognize shapes and talk about where things are (on top of, underneath etc) they also begin to learn about measuring weighing and capacity. Children are encouraged to use counting in their play (for example counting the bricks in their towers. Sand and water play, puzzles, threading numbers, making patterns all help children to learn the first skills of mathematics.
Communication and Language:
Children are encouraged and given lots of opportunities to talk in the nursery and the environment is set up to encourage communication skills as they play.
Literacy:
Early skills in reading and writing begin with the child’s own name which is displayed in the nursery. Children are taught that making marks on paperis fun as they use a number of different mark making tools. Children will go into keyworker groups for phase 1 of letters and sounds daily.
Children are encouraged to read and enjoy books with a group time and activities based round favorite books, a regular story time, a book corner for their own reading.
Expressive arts and Design:
Children are helped to explore different ways of using and expressing their imaginations. There is always the chance to role play and paint or draw. Children regularly have the opportunity to explore different art techniques such as collage or printing.
Understanding the World:
Young children are interested in the world around them. In nursery they are helped to find out about their environment and learn to describe what they see. They may explore all sorts of textures in collage, talk about their families, find out about different food, celebrate different festivals, learn about other cultures and religions, use programmable toys and computers andexplore the environment and living things around them.
Physical:
In nursery children are helped to develop their physical co-ordination. This may be by having opportunities to climb, slide, use the movement area and ride in the playground or by learning how to use scissors, pouring, threading, handling small toys and puzzle pieces or rolling and kneading dough.
We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our Nursery and that you 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.
Regards
Mrs Caroline Smith
Room Leader