Week Commencing 15th June

Dear Parents and Carers

 

Father’s week

Next week (15^th) is Father’s week. We are looking forward to seeing all of our Daddies at the stay and play sessions during the week or at the Full English breakfast on Wednesday.

If you haven’t signed up yet for the stay and play sessions, ask the staff in your child’s room about the days and times. You can come to one of the sessions or all of them, it’s up to you!

 

Room books

I am currently updating the room books and I need your help. The room books are the booklets we give out when your child moves rooms or starts at the nursery along with your key person letter.

I am currently writing a parent information page, explaining to new parents or reminding old parents what we do at the nursery. This is what I have done so far, please let me know if you think these points are relevant or if you think I have missed anything:

 

If you would like to change your sessions or leave us, we require a month’s notice in writing.

Extra sessions/breakfast club can be booked 24 hours in advance but once booked will be charged.

 

We can only give prescribed medications, the exception to this is Calpol.

If your child is prescribed antibiotics they will need to be away from the nursery for the first 24 hours of taking the medication.

We are happy to administer prescribed eye drops but you will need to do the first dose at home.

We will contact you if your child needs Calpol. If they are still poorly one hour after having Calpol we will contact you again and ask you to collect.

 

We have a duty to record all accidents and bumps. This includes when the children come into nursery with a bump from home.

This is part of our practice and not us pointing the finger, so please don’t be offended!

 

If you run out of nappies or wipes at nursery we have to use our spare nappies.

These need to be replaced by you when you bring your new pack in. Please bear this in mind as you don’t want to run out again just after bringing a pack in!

 

As part of our observation system we will do an assessment on your child when they are two.

This works alongside the two year check the Health Visitor will do.

We will put this check on the ILD’S and print two copies, one for the Health Visitors records and one for your child’s red folder.

 

If your child is not going to be in on their regular day please let us know.

If we don’t hear from you, we will contact you to see if your child will be attending.

 

If you are ever unhappy with the nursery please talk to us. We have an open door policy and you can always talk to the manager or room leaders.

If you would like to arrange a meeting either over the phone or in person just ask.

If you are still unhappy you can also contact our operations manager Natalie Chrystie on 07789 268241.

 

I was also going to put information about the 15 hours funding in the Bluebells and Sunflowers books, would you want this information in the baby room book too?

 

Capital Expenditure

It’s the end of our financial year and as usual I have put in my (long) list for the 2015/2016 budgets.

Excitingly everything I have asked for has been approved!

Keep a watch out for the new garden shelter in the back garden, new equipment indoors and outdoors, a new front hedge as well as a six seater mega buggy!

 

Interactive Learning Diary

Don’t forget to check out all the exciting things your child has done this week, on their ILD profile.

We aim to put at least one observation up per week.

Follow the link below: http://www.interactivelearningdiary.co.uk/

 

Policy of the week

We will be displaying a different policy every week at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you would like to see this or any of our policies please ask Caroline.

Our Policy this week is:  Suitable People and Safer Recruitment

 

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 

www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fee
www.surreycc.gov.uk/feet

 

Menus

There are no planned changes to this week’s menu, except Father’s day Breakfast on Wednesday.

See attached document for the weekly menu. If you would like to see a copy of our allergens menu at any time please ask!

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/ 

 

This week’s planned activities are also now on the ILD’S.

 

Buttercups

Monday – Mel’s group will be looking at their photo cubes encouraging them to recognise themselves

Tuesday – Leanne’s group are pointing to their body parts in small groups  

Wednesday – Mel’s group are singing number songs

Thursday – Charlotte’s group will be singing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ encouraging children to join in with the actions

Friday – Charlotte’s group are looking at animal picture books seeing what animal sounds they can make

Charlotte is off Monday, Leanne is off Friday, Mel is off Tuesday and Nilem is off Monday

 

Bluebells

Monday – Donna’s group will be looking at the photo cubes and talking about their Dads for Father’s Day

Tuesday – Chloe’s group is practising their ICT skills while operating the cameras and laptops

Wednesday – Almu’s group are going to be finger painting creating pictures of their choice

Thursday – Donna’s group will be practicing their listening skills while looking at books together

Friday – Hannah’s group will be exploring media while flick painting

Donna is off Friday, Hannah and Almu are in all week and Chloe is on holiday

 

Sunflowers

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

This week’s activity is: Cooking for our Daddies!

We will be making delicious chocolate biscuits for Father’s Day. The children will be taking turns and talking about cooking rules!

 

The letter of the week is Ee

The Sunflowers will be:

Thinking about words that begin with E

Reading ‘Elma the Elephant’

Using E stencils

Stamping like Elephants

Making the letter E with play dough

Having egg and spoon races in the garden

Jess is off Friday, Megan and Becci are in all week

 

Policy of the week

 

Suitable People and Safer Recruitment

 

When potential staff apply for a position at the nursery, they are sent an application form, which clearly states that they will be required to disclose any criminal convictions and if successful in securing the position will be subject to a Disclosure and Baring Service Enhanced Disclosure DBS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New staff who have not yet obtained their Enhanced DBS will under no circumstances be left unattended with the children or be allowed to give intimate care such as toileting or changing children’s clothing, until their DBS has come through as expected.

 

DBS’s will not be kept by the nursery in accordance to Data protection, however DBS reference numbers and the dates the DBS’s were made will be recorded for each staff member.

 

Any person living on the premises, working directly with the children or who works on the premises when the children are present (such as regular maintenance workers) will also need to hold a DBS.

 

Students and volunteers may not need to apply for a DBS as they will under no circumstances be left unattended with the children or be allowed to give intimate care such as toileting or changing children’s clothing. This will be made clear to them during their induction.

 

All staff will be asked each year to certify that they have received no cautions, convictions or anything else that may change their DBS check.

 

All staff are also asked to inform their manager if they feel anything may affect their DBS, including living in the same household as another person who has been disqualified from looking after children.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework with regards to contacting Ofsted and other relevant bodies such as the Disclosure and Barring Service when a member of staff is dismissed due to a safeguarding issue.

 

If a person becomes disqualified their employment at Castle Daycare and Preschool will be terminated and Ofsted will be informed as soon as possible and within 14 days. The Nursery will give Ofsted the following details:

 

• Details of any order, determination, conviction or other ground for disqualification from registration under regulations made under section 75 of the Childcare Act 2006:
• The date of the order, determination or conviction or the date when the other ground for disqualification arose:
• The body or court which made the order, determination or conviction and the sentence (if any ) imposed and:
• A certified copy of the relevant order (in relation to any order or conviction)

 

 

If a staff member fails to disclose a conviction or caution disciplinary procedures will follow and their employment may be terminated.

 

So as to minimise the risk of employing or engaging an individual who poses a predictable risk to them, the Nursery should consider, with respect to candidates who will be working with children (either in a paid or unpaid capacity) a safer recruitment process.

 

This is done by advertising in relevant and suitable places, applying techniques that are helpful in identifying unsuitable people and analysing information and whenever possible verifying through references, the information is correct.

 

Kind regards,

 

Jess Smith

Third in Charge, SENCO

Castle Nursery Celebrating 20 years of care and education 1995-2015