Key Workers
We operate a ‘key person’ system. The Key Person role is to make the child feel safe, cherished and thought of by someone in particular while they are away from home. This has a powerful impact on a child’s well-being, their mental health and their opportunities to learn and think.
Each child is allocated a Key Person at the time of the settling in period. If after the settling in period the relationship preference of the child is different to the allocated Key Person, the parents and manager can discuss this and change the Key Person. The Key Person records information given by the parent during the settling in period of the child’s daily routine i.e. sleeping and eating habits.
The Key Person will provide regular observations upon their individual children; this information is used to set the child’s Next Step, which relates to the child’s individual development and tracked through the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Every child at the nursery will have a daily communication diary which is passed between parent and nursery each day your child attends; this includes activities, interests, food intake and sleep.
Opening Hours
Our opening hours are 8:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.
Please telephone the nursery before 10:00 am if your child is to be absent for any period of time. It is important we know how many children are going to be in the building at any given time.
Full-time children will not be accepted before 8:00 am. The latest time for collection is 6:00 pm.
Morning session: Children cannot be accepted before 8:00 am and must be collected by 1pm.
Afternoon session: Children cannot be accepted before 1:00 pm and must be collected by 6:00 pm.
The Nursery is open 51 weeks a year except for Statutory Bank holidays and two training days each year (dates will be given in advance on the Information Board). The Nursery will be closed over the Christmas week; depending on which day the holiday falls. The Nursery will close early on Christmas Eve. The nursery re-opens in January.
The Nursery may also close due to severe weather conditions.
If you need to pick up your child after the standard closing time (6pm) please let us know before 5.30pm at the latest.
There is a £10 charge for the first fifteen minutes and £1 per minute thereafter, for late collection of your child. Payment is added to your invoice.
Please note that Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School are obligated to inform OFSTED If persistent late collection occurs.
Safeguarding / Child protection
Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare is a large part of our statutory responsibilities and covers most of the requirements of our registration with OFSTED. Many of our policies fall under ‘safeguarding’ and child protection which include: the safe recruitment of staff, administering medicine, managing children’s behaviour and reporting accidents and incidents. All our policies can be viewed on request. Summaries of some of our key policies are displayed on the ‘Parents information board’.
Government agencies regulate the Nursery and inspect it under relevant childcare legislation. In addition to legislation mandates, the nursery reports any safeguarding/safety concerns to the relevant authorities.
Children can only be collected by those who have been authorised in writing and for whom the nursery has met or seen photo identification of. To change any details, you must update the ‘emergency contact details’. If there is a need at short notice, an authorised contact may be provided with a password from the parent and you must tell them to bring photo identification. Children cannot leave the premises unaccompanied or without authorised contact. All persons collecting a child must be over the age of 18 years. This requirement does not apply to parents under the age of 18.
If a child remains at the nursery after the specified closing time and you have not contacted us, we will first call you and then all emergency contacts. If however, the nursery has not been able to reach you or an emergency contact, we will follow our policy and inform the correct authorities – social services or OFSTED.
Permission Forms
The nursery aims to provide the best quality care, attention and treatment for your child. In case of an emergency or accident in the setting, authorisation for emergency situations comes in written consent. All parents must sign the Emergency Situations consent form on the back of the enrolment form. This will be asked of you once the child’s place is confirmed at the Nursery.
The nursery takes health and safety practice seriously. We will only give prescribed medication that is labelled for your child, including allergy medicines. We will offer emergency medicine only when it is needed and to help settle the child before the parent arrives.
The nursery will apply creams for your child, including sun cream, allergy and eczema creams. All parents will be asked to sign the Cream consent form when they confirm their child’s place at the Nursery.
The nursery carries out observations and takes photographs of the children. The observations will be used to plan activities, track each child to the EYFS and observe their learning. We will display the photos in the nursery and use them in the individual children’s progress and development records. The nursery retains the right to only use them as described above. Additional consent will be sought for photos to be used for any marketing materials. All parents should sign a Photo consent form when they confirm their child’s place at the Nursery.
Weather permitting and providing it is safe to do so, staff will take children out of the nursery on outings, trips and play sessions, such as going to the library, shops or a park. This offers learning opportunities and exploration. All parents should sign an Outings/trip consent form when they confirm their child’s place at the Nursery.
The nursery will only allow your child to be collected by you the parent or an emergency contact that you have authorised. All parents should sign the Emergency Contact consent form when they confirm their child’s place at the Nursery.
Sickness, Medicines and Accidents
Children should not attend the nursery if they are suffering from sickness or any contagious illness that can easily pass on infections. Any child suffering from a doubtful rash, a sore, discharge from the eyes or nose, sickness or diarrhoea or high temperature, should be kept at home until the symptoms have disappeared.
Should a child become sick at the Nursery, every effort will be made to contact the parents or guardians of the child. A child illness report will be filled in and the child will need to be symptom free for 48 hours before allowed to attend the Nursery. Please ensure that you indicate where you can be contacted during Nursery hours.
Medicines are not administered at the nursery unless prescribed by the General Practitioner and are clearly labelled with the child’s details from the doctor. The child has to be kept home for 24 hours if he or she has been prescribed new medication by the Doctor (this is due to any reactions not known at the time of administering). The child’s guardian is to complete written instructions for the drug, dose and timings required on the nursery medicine form.
We will administer basic first aid and treatment when necessary.
If a child has to be taken to hospital, a member of staff will accompany the child at all times. Another member of staff will notify the emergency services and the parents. The member of staff accompanying the child to the hospital will have an emergency card with them and the child will only be moved in an ambulance and not in a staff car.
We ask you to please inform us of any accidents that your child may have outside the Nursery on the nurseries ‘accident at home report’ as we will inform you of any accident your child may have whilst at the Nursery. You are required to sign the Accident form after the information has been passed on to you. We are obliged to inform The Local Safeguarding Board of any concerns we have about any child in our care this is a requirement of our registration.
Clothing and Personal Property
All belongings must be marked with your child’s name. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Children should be provided with slippers or indoor shoes labelled with the child’s name. Coats, bags, etc. should be hung on the hooks provided and footwear placed in the shoeboxes provided. Articles are left at the Nursery at the owner’s own risk.
Parents are asked to provide a change of clothing for their child while they attend Nursery. Children are involved in activities throughout the day, which can result in ‘getting messy’, and it is the responsibility of the parents to provide suitable clothing for their child. Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School will not be responsible for any damaged clothes.
Parents are asked to provide blankets and linens for their children during sleep times as we feel the children are more comfortable with familiar items. These must be collected at the end of your child’s nursery week and a clean set to be brought into the nursery on your child’s new week.
Parents must provide nappies, nappy cream, wipes, bottles and formula for their children as we do not provide these.
Equal Opportunities
Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School support equal opportunities. We believe that no child or adult should be disadvantaged or be subject to discrimination due to race, gender, age, disability, additional need or EAL. We encourage positive images through play and resource use.
Fire Drill
We have approximately one fire drill per month. We evacuate the premises by the safest route to our main assembly point at the front of the Nursery, in the courtyard. In the event of fire our place of safety is displayed in the Nursery and is located by the main nursery sign at the gate by the entrance. From there parents will be telephoned to collect their children.
Payment & Fees
A non-refundable registration fee of £50.00 is payable when submitting the registration form. This places your child on the waiting list. Submitting a registration form does not guarantee a place is available.
A deposit of £250.00 is to be paid once the verbal consent of start date has been confirmed. This will come off the final invoice, as long as we have had one calendar month written notice.
Fees may be paid by standing order/ bank transfer or childcare voucher (for part payments) to be cleared in our account by the 1st of the month. Monthly fees must be paid by the 1st of the Month in advance. If accounts are outstanding by more than 10 days from the 1st of the month, the nursery reserves the right to terminate your child’s place with immediate effect.
If payments are cancelled or returned by the bank, we reserve the right to apply a penalty charge of £35.00 to cover costs.
If your child is absent, full fees must still be paid, as the costs of staff, heating and lighting are still needed to be met. There will be no reduction for any ‘part weeks’ your child might be absent. As stated before, there is no refund for statutory (bank) holidays, training days and early closing. This also includes if the nursery has to closed due to unforeseen circumstances for example: adverse weather conditions, acts of God, terrorism, infectious diseases and unforeseeable repairs to the building.
If for any reason you wish to postpone your child’s start date, we reserve the right to charge from the original start date stated on the registration form.
We will review our fees annually. Each annual increase will be notified to you two months in advance.
If the fee rate is due to change because of your child’s age, the new fee rate will apply from the first day of the new calendar month.
There is a £10 charge for signing and filling any forms that are not related to Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School.
Dietary Requirements
You must complete our standard details on dietary requirements in the nursery enrolment form.
We serve breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snacks and a light tea. Any child requiring breakfast must be in the Nursery before 8:30am. Breakfast will be served between 8:00am to 8:30am. Children arriving after 8:30am must have breakfast prior to arriving at the nursery. The nursery offers a mid-morning snack of fresh fruit and beverages.
Full day care children will be provided with a homemade lunch. We do cater for special dietary requirements. Please check the menu board daily on the Parent Information Board.
The children take their meals with their peers in the Nursery rooms and ‘Thank you’ is said prior to eating to encourage good manners. Meal times are a social learning occasion so the children are allowed to eat at their own pace. We respect each child’s individual and cultural needs.
If at any time you feel that you would like your child to eat home-prepared food please provide it and the staff will be happy to heat it up and serve it to your child. If you have any queries, concerns or know your child has a dislike of certain foods please feel free to inform us and we will do what we can to accommodate.
We advise not to bring in any food containing nuts or bring sweets, chocolates, chewing gum or frizzy drinks. We supply water throughout the day and milk is given at snack times. We also like to celebrate the children’s birthdays whilst at Little Legs. If you would like to provide a cake or treat you are welcome to do so.
Behaviour Management
We focus on positive behaviour. We reinforce ‘Positive’ behaviour by praise, approval and support. We do not single out children or humiliate them in any way. Where children use unacceptable behaviour they will, wherever possible, be re-directed to alternative activities. Discussions with children will take place as to why their behaviour was not acceptable, respecting their level of understanding and maturity.
In any case of misbehaviour, we always make it clear to the child or children in question, that it is the behaviour and not the child that is unwelcome. We decide how to handle a particular type of behaviour depending on the child’s age, level of development and the circumstances surrounding the behaviour. This may involve asking the child to talk and think about what they have done. Children will be asked to apologise for the unwanted behaviour and explained to why saying sorry is appropriate.
Termination of Agreement
If for any reason Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School or the parents wish to terminate the agreement, either party may do so, giving one calendar month written notice.
In the case of the parents wishing to terminate the agreement of contract, they may do so by paying one month’s fees in lieu of notice.
In exceptional circumstances Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School may terminate the agreement immediately if you or any person who has responsibility for your child displays inappropriate or disruptive behaviour which endangers the safety or well-being of the other children or staff. This also applies if you persistently fail to comply with the Nursery Policies and Procedures.
Examples of such circumstances: Persistent late payment or if you fail to pay our fees within 10 days from the 1st of the month or where a child is deemed by the staff totally unsuited to the Nursery for whatever reason.
To reduce the number of sessions your child attends, one calendar month’s notice will be required.
Employment of Team Members
In an effort to maintain professional status we discourage babysitting by nursery staff to prevent any potential conflicts of interest. However, should you hire any staff it must be outside nursery premises and operating times. Any babysitting arrangements made are solely between you and the member of staff. These arrangements are not sanctioned by Little Legs Day Nursery & Pre-School and you agree not to hold Little Legs responsible for such arrangement.
Emergency Contact Details
You must immediately inform us of any changes to you and your authorised contacts’, contact details. You must keep us informed as to the identity of the person/persons who will be collecting your child. If the person collecting your child is not usually responsible for collecting them we will require photo proof of identity and a password. If we are not reasonably satisfied that an individual is allowed to collect your child, we will not release your child into their care.
You must not use any electronic devices (including mobile phones) on the Nursery premises. Parents are requested to adhere to these. If any person other than a parent is collecting a child we must be informed who that person is in writing on a consent form, and where possible, we ask to be introduced to the person before collection is made, if not a photograph is required to help us identify the person who will be collecting your child.
EYFS Curriculum
The healthy development of your child is the upmost importance to us at Little Legs. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through these 7 areas of learning and development.
The 3 prime areas are:
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
The 4 specific areas are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design.
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. It’s designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child’s unique needs and interests.
Children at Little Legs learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.