FAQ's

If your child is staying past 12.00 they will need to bring a healthy packed lunch in a named bag/container along with an icepack (also named!).

NB: We are a nut free nursery.

We provide a healthy snack consisting of a selection of different fruit together with a source of fibre, such as breadsticks, crackers, etc. The children are also offered milk (and water if they prefer). Snack times are at 10.00 and 2.30 each day.

When you register your child at the nursery, we ask about any special dietary requirements they may have. Please always ensure you keep us informed if these requirements change over time.

We do encourage the children to bring a named water bottle each day. We also provide milk and water at snack and lunch times so please don’t worry if it looks like your child hasn’t had anything to drink during the day – they have!

A small bag containing a change of clothes (including pants and socks) and nappies and wipes if appropriate.

We aim to go out and explore the wider grounds every day so wellies are very important when it is raining and also when the ground is wet. In the drier months, a sturdy pair of trainers are a good idea. We do love to climb at BEN!

We ask that children don’t bring in toys from home because they can get very upset if their treasures get lost or damaged. We occasionally ask that children bring in something special for a circle time but this is then kept in the office for safe keeping. Obviously if your child is settling into the nursery, they are allowed to bring a comforter.

Oh yes please! The children can often not remember what they were wearing or they may fancy something belonging to another child. Although they do have their own peg – they often move their belongings around.

We will work with you to accommodate your child’s own sleep routine when they are one of our little cubs. If a little bunny or badger needs a rest, we do have a quiet area and sleep mat.

We don’t encourage the use of dummies as they impact on speech and language development. However, we understand that some younger children need the comfort of a dummy at some point during the day and we will work with you to identify suitable times to allow for safe use.

We give lots of hugs and reassurance.

We encourage parents to start the process of toilet training at home during a holiday period. We will then work with you and the routines and processes you have in place to carry this forward at nursery.

We try to send invoices out at the start of each half-term.

We ask that parents do not use their phone or any other recording device when they are within the nursery room or nursery grounds. Please do not be offended if a member of staff asks you to end a call or take it outside. This is part of our statutory duty of care to help keep all our children safe.

We usually find that as the children get older they naturally want to join in with whole or small group activities. We encourage children from the age of three to join us on the carpet, however, we always adapt our practice to suit the needs of the individual child.

We have a behaviour policy but most importantly we will work with you and ensure we are following similar strategies to those employed at home.

We have a Medication Administration Record which is filled in by the parent prior to us being able to administer any medicines.

NB: We are not able to give Calpol unless prescribed by your child’s GP.

If your child is unwell during the session we will contact you immediately and ask that you pick them up.

If your child is unwell at home and unable to attend nursery, it is very important that you contact us and let us know that they will not be in that day. We have a duty of care to ensure we keep a record of absences and reasons for these.

Please see attached Government guidance and recommendations for illnesses and their excludable time
periods.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-
facilities/exclusion-table

If your child is a Cub, we encourage parents to bring their little one into the nursery room. This is the same procedure at pick-up time at 3.00 and any time afterwards. At 12.00 we do find it less unsettling for our group, however, if parents wait at the gate for a member of the nursery team to bring their little one to them.

For our Bunnies and Badgers, we strongly encourage parents to wait at the gate for a member of staff to let their children in at drop off time. We have found that the children settle much more readily when there are not lots of adults within the nursery room. At pick up time, a member of staff will greet parents at the gate and welcome you in to collect your child.

Again, if you are picking up at 12.00 or 1.00, we ask that parents wait at the gate for a member of staff to bring their child to them.

We offer a number of shorter, settling in sessions for each child. We will work with you to decide how well your child is settling into the nursery routine and discuss with you how best to meet their needs.

Please don’t send your child into nursery in their best clothes! We do like to be active and explore our lovely surroundings which sometimes might mean the children get a little dirty!

We use an online learning journal, Tapestry. Your child’s key person or one of the managers will post photos and observations onto the system for you to view at home.

We also work as a team to establish your child’s next steps for learning and development. We will keep you informed of these through regular parent consultations.

If you have any further questions, please let us know.