The National Curriculum for children up to 5 years old is The Early Years Foundation Stage. We are a child led nursery and we follow ‘In The Moment Planning’. Children are given the freedom, time and space to play, make choices, test theories, repeat actions, use their initiative and develop their own thinking and ideas. They are supported by highly skilled practitioners who support their play and learning, who provoke interest and curiousity and challenge the children. Children are allowed to take risks and learn through trial and error. Quality interactions happen all of the time, with staff recognising the fine line of interacting and interfering. The very youngest of children in our care are exposed to a wealth of different experiences, where they can explore, practice and acquire the basic skills that underpin the rest of their development. As their inquisitive nature develops and they start to show more preferences and desires, practitioners are responsive to this. They are required to notice sparks in children’s play. Moments when children are engrossed or challenged and they help take that spark and develop it into an opportunity for exploring something further, for developing learning and challenging their critical thinking. Practitioners are always visually observing and waiting for a moment in which they feel they can make a difference.
Each time they interact with a child, they are observing, assessing, planning for, and responding to, that individual child. Such interactions are the most important and powerful teaching moments and are called our ‘Teachable Moments’. During these moments of good quality interaction and observation we can then identify areas of interest and create focuses. These focuses then influence the environment, so it becomes an enabling environment, tailored to the children’s interests.
When the children are fully engaged in play and exploration, is when our ‘In The Moment Planning’ opportunities and ‘Teachable Moments’ arise and staff can support children’s play and help escalate it to a higher level, they can provide support and challenge and develop these moments so the children get the most out of their experiences.
We use a secure, online based Learning Journal to share daily snippets of your child’s time with us. We like to share videos so you can see all the fun and exciting adventures your little ones are getting up to. Since the pandemic started we have had to restrict visitors to the nursery and we want all of our parents to be able to see what happens during the nursery day. Each video is completely varied, and we try and make sure that we share different aspects of nursery life with you. Our system also has the option for you to share home life with us. We love to see what the little ones get up to at home and on their holidays. It’s a great tool to then be able to extend your home life into the setting by discussing outings with the children and developing activities based on their experiences with you.
The Red House Day Nursery staff work very closely with our parents to provide quality care and education for their children. We aim to build professional relationships with all the families that attend, ensuring that we have regular two way contact. During the ongoing pandemic we have had to change the way in which we work with our parents to ensure you are seeing all the fun and exciting things that are happening within the nursery. We have decided to move our Learning Journals online to a secure system that allows you to view observations and stories. These are sent out regularly so you are still able to be part of daily life within the Nursery. There is also a feature for you to be able to share events from home.
Please feel free to visit the Nursery at any time and share any information with us about your child’s development and social life that may help us in their daily care. Continual assessment of children’s progress is made and regular parent consultations take place. Our full policy is available on request.
You are expected to supply your own disposable nappies for your baby and any special creams or lotions that you may prefer to be used. Toothbrushes are also required, for both our Junior Room and Pre-School children, to enable them to clean their teeth after lunch.
Formula must be brought to nursery in a sealed tin if powder form or in unopened ready mixed form, clearly marked with your baby’s name, fresh each day and placed in our milk fridge. Breast Milk must be provided daily. A child’s comforter or special toy is always welcomed, especially for their afternoon naptime, but we do not encourage children to bring expensive toys into the nursery.
The nursery has a duty to be aware that abuse does occur in our society. This statement lays out the procedures that will be followed if we have reason to believe that any child in our care is being subjected to either emotional, physical or sexual abuse or neglect.
Procedure:
The nursery has a duty to report any suspicions regarding abuse to the Local Authority. The Children Act 1989 (Section 47(1)) places a duty on the Local Authority to investigate such matters. The nursery will follow the procedures as set out in the Local Authority Child Protection Documents and as such will seek their advice on all steps to be taken.
