Starting Nursery

It is fundamental to the child’s well-being that parents and staff co­operate during this time. Please speak to us if you have any specific needs and we will do our best to help.

Parental Responsibility

We ask that you endeavour to bring your child to nursery every day.  We reward 100% attendance and we believe it is good training for when the children go to primary school.  If you wish to read our attendance policy please access the following link: Attendance and Punctuality Policy

We ask that you support some of the initiatives of the nursery aimed to assist your child’s learning.  We introduced the Parent branch of the Evidence Me app for parents to keep us updated on the milestones and achievements of your children.  Evidence Me is also used to show us the type of things you do with your child at home which helps assist us in our planning the next steps for your child.

We also ask that you take advantage of the variety of courses we run for parents to help them to be parents such as Triple P Parenting Programme and our Early Years courses in Phonics and Maths.

We ask that you work in partnership with our staff so that, together, we can assist your child become the best that they can be and give them the most meaningful experiences that will help propel their learning.

Sickness

Due to the close contact the children have with each other, infection can spread through the centre very quickly. We ask you to keep your child at home for 48 hours after the final attack of vomiting or diarrhoea and to inform the Centre if they are diagnosed as having:

Measles Impetigo Mumps Dysentery Rubella Diphtheria Chicken pox Typhoid

T.B. Whooping cough Food poisoning Hepatitis A Meningitis Scarlet fever Foot and Mouth Disease

It is important that we are told about these infectious conditions. We have a duty to inform the Communicable Disease control team when ever we have any of these diseases and they advise is how to keep all children safe from infections.

We 

Click here to find out more about Infection Control.

We will advise other parents/carers of the situation by placing a notice outside the front office saying what the infection is.

Head lice are always a problem in any school and we are no exception. We ask you to check your child’s hair regularly and to use a head lice comb and hair conditioner to keep their hair clean. If you do spot the lice or the eggs, special shampoos can be obtained from your local chemist, so please talk to the pharmacist.

Medication

We welcome all children at our Centre regardless of medical need. If you have specific requirements for your child please inform us and we will endeavour to accommodate you.
We are only permitted to administer medication to children alongside a prescription only and without exceptions.  Please fill in a medication form with a  member of the front office.  We apologise in advance if this is an inconvenience.

Behaviour Policy

We are very proud of the way our children behave and we have high expectations of all our children.  We have some very simple rules that children should follow and we teach these to children through small group sessions.

As a whole school we all agree to:-

1. Listen to each other and respond appropriately.
2. To keep hands and feet to ourselves.
3. Be caring towards each others feelings.
4. Look after the school and all the things in it.

During the focus task sessions with the child’s key worker we follow these simple ideals: Good looking Good Listening Good sitting If you want to read our behaviour policy in full please find our Behaviour Policy here: Behaviour Policy

Early Years Outcomes; the statutory framework for Early Years Foundation Stage

We follow the guidance set out in Development Matters; we will spend time going through this during our Information Session. A link to the document is here: Development Matters.  We use this as a basis for our planning and assessment of your children, alongside other research based tools or our own internal progression goals. We maintain records (photos, written observations and children’s work) of your child’s development which is recorded in your child’s Special Book. We will also provide you with three key observation evaluations throughout the academic year to track your child's progress. Whilst the volume of information may be less than we previously would have offered, we are making sure that we are adhering to statutory government guidance; "Reducing unnecessary paperwork is a key aim of the new early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework. This is so you can spend more time engaging with children ... Understand the children currently at your setting, and the starting points for new children. Use conversations, observations, reflections and your professional knowledge to assess your children and their learning. This ongoing, formative assessment helps you make informed decisions about how to support children’s learning, as part of their wider development." We also need and value your observations to ensure that we have a whole picture of your child, both at nursery and home.  You will be able to upload your own thoughts and observations via the Evidence Me app. Parents are welcome to view your child’s Special Book at any time. Staff are happy to talk to you regarding your child’s development and daily routines. However, if you would like to talk about something confidential or something that is likely to take more than a couple of minutes then please arrange a suitable time. You will be given an update on your child’s progress both verbally and in a written report. All assessments will be passed on to your child’s primary school when they leave Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children’s Centre.

Eating at the Centre

We operate a policy of healthy eating throughout the Centre. This is reflected in the main meals as well as the snacks that are provided during the day. Breakfast and tea are provided for the children who access our Extended Day provision. All food is cooked on site. Lunch is served to all children who are with us at this time of day (Extended Day and Top-Ups).

There is a vegetarian option and fresh vegetables are on offer every day. If your child has any specific dietary requirements please let us know and we will discuss how we can best accommodate those needs.

Menus are displayed in each room. Details of the charges for lunch are available from the office. Snacks are provided in the classrooms for all children to help themselves when wanted.

Celebrations and Special Events

We celebrate a number of special events during the year. These will include religious festivals that reflect those followed by families attending the Centre. They include Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh faiths, amongst others. 

Educational Visits

When appropriate we try to take the children out on educational visits based on how relevant they are to the children’s learning and what value the visit will have in extending and broadening their knowledge.

We have taken the children on a variety of exciting trips over the years with some highlights being Stratford Circus Theatre, Woolwich Ferry, Newham City Farm, Princess Diana Memorial Garden.

Throughout the year occasional short visits are made to the local parks and shops or to deliver letters at the post office etc. You will be informed ahead of time regarding the details of the visit and there are always opportunities for parents/carers to join us.