1. About our Nursery

Little Saints Nursery is a term time only nursery we open for 38 weeks of the year.

Here at Little Saints, we believe in learning through play.

Our staff have a range of qualifications from Level 2 to Level 6 and most have many years of experience of working with young children.

Information for parents/carers is posted on the windows, noticeboard, Tapestry and via email. All documents that do not need signing will be emailed (if you prefer a hard copy please ask)

The maximum number of children in the nursery is 24 with between 2-4 members of staff in each room.

Staff will always be available to chat to you but should this not be possible for you we are more than happy to make an appointment to meet with you and we are available on the phone or by email.

The playrooms are set out for role play and messy activities and are changed around or added to when the children develop new interests or something becomes topical i.e. the seasonal changes. There are certain activities that are favourites and stay out all the time.

Children are free to help themselves to toys and games from the open shelves within the playroom.

Children are encouraged to help tidy up and are prompted to do so by staff.

Please dress your child in clothes appropriate for nursery – in case they get paint or glue on them.

Items from home are welcome, including photographs of activities and family. We love to display these on the wall.

Your child may need a comforter to begin with and these are welcome at nursery until your child has settled (we try not to encourage children to bring their own toys in later on as they can get lost).

We use Tapestry to record a daily diary for the 2-3’s which is sent to you at the end of the nursery day informing you of activities that your child may have enjoyed, what they have eaten, sleep times and nappy changes.

We provide a light snack morning and afternoon, we sit as a small group and chat whilst sharing food. Your child will be encouraged to make choices and develop independence skills through pouring their own drinks and making food choices.

Nursery is still a play environment but staff will encourage the children that are ready to engage in activities that promote maths and literacy skills. As we are also a communication friendly setting, we have strategies in place that we use to support vocabulary development. Children are never forced to participate in activities but will take part because they see it as fun and rewarding.

We hold parent’s evenings and send reports home just like school and we welcome feedback from you about the nursery.
We plan for the children’s’ needs and interests and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage. Our observations records are shared with you and later forwarded to the child’s primary school.

The nursery range of policies and procedures are available for parents/carers to look at on our website www.littlesaintsnursery.org.uk

Outside
Please dress your child according to the weather conditions as we always play outside unless it is raining very heavily. We are unable to dry a lot of wet clothes in nursery.

Please send a change of clothes in your child’s bag. However, the nursery does keep a supply of clothes for emergencies

Children will not be prevented from getting dirty if it is part of normal play.

The outdoor area is treated as a third room and fully utilised.

2. The Role of Parents

We recognise that parents are the first educators of their children and our role is to support parents in doing this. We hope that children will be encouraged to enjoy books and stories at home.

Parents are welcome to visit our nursery, to assist with fund raising, to take part in the management of the nursery and to represent the nursery at meetings, activities, training courses and workshops organised by the Pre-School Learning Alliance or the local authority training organisation.

3. Management

The nursery is run by an elected committee which ensures that major decision making is in the hands of the parents who use the nursery. The parents are also invaluable to the staff in supporting their efforts to develop the environment of the children. The nursery is constantly evolving and progressing so new ideas and enthusiastic and willing helpers are vital.

The committee is responsible for reviewing policy and practice and for the employment and appraisal of staff. The AGM at which the committee for the following year is elected, is held in October. Parents will be informed in good time so they are able to attend.

4. Policies

Our policy statements are available to all parents either as a paper copy or under the policy and procedure tab. All policies are designed to offer the best possible experience for the children and families in nursery. The policies are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure the nursery complies with all relevant legislation. Comments and suggestions from parents are always welcome.

5. Record Keeping

We use an online management programme called Tapestry which is compliant with GDPR 2018. Records of observations and assessments are kept for each child. These records reflect the stage of learning the child has reached or observations of the stages of development in the seven areas of learning for the Early Years Foundation Stage. These records are shared with parents via their child’s online portal, comments and contributions are welcomed. If, as a result of these assessments, staff have a concern about a child, their parents/guardians will be consulted and a plan created collaboratively to support their learning.

An assessment is completed for 2-year-old children in line with health visitors and parents.

Records kept by the nursery are confidential and may be kept manually or on computer.

6. Children with Additional Educational Needs

Parents of children that staff have a concern about will have an opportunity to talk to staff. It may then be necessary for a professional agency to be involved with the nursery and family. No action will be taken without first consulting with the family. The high ratio of staff to children enables us to detect difficulties fairly promptly which gives the children a better chance of benefitting from specialist help.

7. Training

Our membership of the Pre-School Learning Alliance ensures that we are constantly in touch with new thinking in the field of child education and care. On-going training is available through the Pre-School Learning Alliance courses which welcome both staff and parents and informal training is available through local meetings and conferences.

The local authority runs training courses and national qualification courses for all staff. Attendance at these courses ensures staff are fully knowledgeable of all new practices and guidelines. Local meetings with representatives of different organisations keep the nursery up to date with developments in pre-school education.

8. Concerns Procedure

We believe children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. A parent who is unhappy about any aspect of the nursery’s provision or any other matter should first talk over any worries or anxieties with a Nursery Manager. If this is not satisfactory, or the problem re-occurs, the parent should put the concerns or complaint in writing and request a meeting with a Nursery Manager and Chair of the Committee. Ofsted would need to be informed of any major complaint: – Ofsted phone number is 0300 1231231.

A copy of any previous complaints may be found at the back of the policy folder in the downstairs playroom.

Fee & Times

The nursery is a non-profit making charity and is run by a committee of parents which we welcome and encourage you to join.

We have to raise funds to buy new equipment.

Hours

Breakfast Club: 7.45am – 8.50am
Morning Session: 8.50am – 11.50am
Lunchtime Session: 11.50am – 12.50pm
Afternoon Session: 12.50pm – 3.20pm
After School Club: 3.30pm – 5.30pm

Fees

£6.66 per hour for 2-year-old fee paying and 3-year-olds attending more than universal funded early learning entitlement, and 50p snack charge for children attending on the 30-hour working parent entitlement – between 15 and 30 hours. Please note you can provide your own snack if you do not want to pay the 50p snack charge.

Breakfast Club is £6.50 (7.45am start) and £5.00 (8.00am start) for the first child and £6.00 or £4.50 for siblings, this includes breakfast.

After School Club is £5.00 per hour

The nursery grant is available the term after your child’s third birthday, or second birthday if you are eligible and is claimed by the nursery on your behalf. We offer 15 hours grant and the extended 30 hours grant.

Please feel free to phone us if you have any questions at all, we will be happy to answer them for you. 0114 2352148/ 07957833611