FAQ's

For the safety and safeguarding of all children, we ask that parents and carers follow a few important guidelines while on the premises.

When entering or leaving the nursery, please do not allow anyone else access to the building. If someone is waiting at the door, we kindly ask that you direct them to ring the bell or inform a member of staff, who will assist them accordingly. We also request that mobile phones are not used within the nursery. If you need to take or make a call, please use designated areas such as the office or kitchen, where children are not present. Taking photos or recording your children within the setting is not permitted.

If you are leaving due to unhappiness within the setting we urge you to talk to us about any issues as we strive to solve these. However, we understand that changes sometimes must be made when wishing to leave. We ask for four weeks notice.

We operate an open door policy and welcome you to speak with us at any time. Our management team is approachable and available to discuss any concerns you may have. We are committed to addressing any issues promptly, no matter how small, to prevent them from developing further. Your satisfaction, and your child’s happiness and wellbeing, are our highest priorities, and we are dedicated to supporting these as effectively as possible.

The nursery must be informed of any allergies or intolerances your child either prior to starting or if your child develops an allergy during their time with us. This ensures we can provide a safe environment and put plans in place to ensure your child is not in contact with any allergens. Our nursery cook, Hannah, will prepare suitable alternative meals to meet your child’s dietary requirements, taking into account any allergies or intolerances. All practitioners are trained in paediatric first aid and trained in the use of EpiPens for children who have severe allergies or are at risk of anaphylaxis.

We can administer medication that is prescribed by a doctor. Your child can attend the setting after they have received their first dose at home. You will be required to fill out a medicine form which gains signed parental permission. All our practitioners are qualified in Paediatric First Aid and have regular EPI Pen training. We are able to follow health care plans for re-occurring medicines.

If your child is unwell, please keep them off nursery to help prevent the spread of illness.

Children with a high temperature (38°C or above), especially if they require medication to reduce it, must remain at home until they are well enough to return.

We follow NHS guidance and advice from the Public Health Agency regarding exclusion periods for infectious illnesses. This includes conditions such as impetigo, chickenpox, diarrhoea, and vomiting. We have a strict policy on exclusion periods. For sickness and diarrhoea children must be away from nursery for 48 hours after their last symptom.

While we always aim to keep accidents to a minimum, we recognise that as children explore and develop their physical skills, minor accidents can happen as they challenge themselves. All accidents are carefully recorded and reported to parents. You will be provided with a detailed accident form outlining what happened and any first aid that was administered. Each form is signed by two practitioners and will also require a parent’s signature to confirm you have been informed.

In the case of any head injury, we will contact you immediately and closely monitor your child. Most minor accidents will be discussed with you at collection, unless we feel it is necessary to inform you earlier.

All practitioners are fully trained in first aid, to ensure your child receives appropriate care at all times.

If your child becomes unwell while at nursery, we will contact you promptly to let you know. Depending on their symptoms, we may monitor their condition, including checking their temperature. If your child has a temperature of 38°C or above, they will need to be collected and taken home.

We will keep you informed of any changes in your child’s condition throughout the day and may recommend early collection, along with seeking advice from a doctor if necessary. If your child is sick or has three loose nappies, they will also need to be collected. We are unable to administer unprescribed medication, unless it is an emergency and permission has been sought prior.

All practitioners, including apprentices, hold a valid Paediatric First Aid Certificate which is renewed every three years.

Children are supported through transitions in a gradual manner to ensure they feel safe and secure. Transitions to the next room begin approximately 12 weeks before the child’s birthday. During this time, children have planned visits to their new room, allowing them to become familiar with the new environment, routines, practitioners, and peers. A new key worker is introduced early in the process so that a secure relationship can begin to develop. The current key worker works closely with the new key worker to share important information about the child, including their development, interests, needs, and routines, ensuring continuity of care. Parents are also involved throughout the transition. They are introduced to the new key worker at the start of the transition period which helps ensure that both your child and you as parents feel well supported during the transition process.

We may occasionally take the children on short outings within the local community, such as visits to the churchyard, nearby parks, the market, and the library. At times, we also use local bus services to provide children with the opportunity to experience different forms of transport.

During all outings, children wear high-visibility jackets, and staff carry a first aid kit, essential supplies, and emergency contact details. Parents and carers have the option to withdraw their child from these outings if they prefer.

The children have access to the outdoor area every day. The outdoor space benefits from a shelter which means that children can use the outdoor area in all weathers. Outside is an extension to our provision and still offers lots of learning experiences. Please visit our page on our outdoor area.

We approach potty training in a child-centred and supportive way. We understand that every child develops at their own pace, so we follow each child’s individual readiness. We will work closely with parents to ensure a consistent approach between home and the nursery.

Your child’s ‘Learning Journey’ showcases your child’s achievements throughout their time with us. This will contain photographs, observations, links to the curriculum and next steps to extend learning and development. Parents are also able to share observations and pictures from home which enables your key worker to identify individual planning through home experiences and achievements. You are able to access your child’s learning journey through their Ovivio profile.

The child’s key person will keep an up-to-date record on your child’s progress and development, which will be shared with you regularly using our online Ovivio app. Each day you will receive a daily diary through Ovivo regarding meals, nappy changes, sleep and a snapshot of their day. At the end of each session a practitioner will talk you through your child’s day whilst also sharing important information such as what your child has eaten or if they have had a sleep.

We will hold parent evenings to discuss child’s progress twice per year however if you have any queries, worries or concerns we are available to discuss this at any time.

Your key worker will be allocated to you before your child starts nursery so that they can spend time getting to know you as a family and your child as an individual. Their role is essential in helping your child feel safe and secure in the setting, while building a close and trusting relationship. Your key worker will also get to know your child’s individual needs, interests, and development. They will use this knowledge to plan activities and support their learning. They also observe and assess your child’s progress and share this information with you.

Your Key Person will change throughout your child’s transition through nursery; this is to ensure their key person, who is always within their room, is able to meet your child’s needs and provide personal care and support throughout their day.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the statutory framework in England that sets the standards for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to age 5. It ensures that all children are supported to develop key skills, stay safe and healthy.

The EYFS is built around seven areas of learning, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design.

We will follow your child’s own individual routine as closely as possible to ensure their personal needs are met. Within the Sunbeams room the babies have access to a calm, cosy sleep area – with four main cots. Each child is allocated their own bed sheet and blanket for that week, which is washed on a weekly basis, unless required beforehand. We follow a strict Safe Sleep Policy, children are regularly monitored and checked at least every 10 minutes where sleep positions, room temperatures and times are recorded. (Please see our Safer Sleep Policy)

Our Moonbeams (Over 2 years) and Starbeams (Pre School) have a dedicated sleep area created after lunch where they have space to rest, relax and sleep in a calm, environment. Each child has their own fold out mattress and blanket.

Children are welcome to bring a comforter, such as a favourite teddy, blanket or dummy, into the nursery, as this can provide reassurance and support during transitions. While dummies may be used to comfort children during times of distress and at sleep times, we encourage that they are not used during play once a child is settled, to support communication, social interaction, and overall development. We generally discourage bringing toys from home, as the nursery has a wide range of resources for children to enjoy, and there is a risk that personal items may become misplaced.

We are able to apply sun cream with parental permission. You can store this at nursery with their name clearly labelled and the date it was provided. A new, unopened bottled is preferred. If you have forgotten to provide sun cream the nursery does provide sun cream Factor 50, suitable for sensitive skin.

While at nursery, it is important that your child is dressed in comfortable, practical clothing suitable for a range of activities. Although aprons are used for messy play, we strongly advise that children do not attend in their best clothes, as some activities may still result in marks or stains.

We encourage outdoor play in all seasons. We ask that you provide your child with their own wellies and waterproof clothing during the winter months, so they can fully enjoy activities such as puddle jumping and playing in the snow. During the summer months please provide a suitable sun hat and we may ask you to bring swim wear for paddling pool play on hot days. You may wish to provide slippers for your child to wear during their time with us.

Please provide change of clothing. Nappies, wipes and nappy cream can either be stored at the nursery or kept in their bag each day. For weather dependant clothing please provide a sun hat, wellies, woolly hat, scarf, coat/puddle suit and ensure these are named.

We understand how important the settling in period is for both you and your child. To support a smooth transition, we begin arranging settling in sessions around 3/4 weeks before your child’s start date, allowing plenty of time for them to become familiar with the new environment.

Our settling in sessions are flexible and tailored to each child and family. We begin with an initial one hour visit where parents stay with their child. During this session, you will be introduced to your child’s key worker. While your child plays and explores, you and the key worker will share important information about your child, including their routine, development, and interests. The next session will be up to one hour and will be your child’s first time attending without a parent or carer. This is planned so the key worker can spend quality one-to-one time building a relationship with your child.

We carefully schedule settling in sessions at times that suit your child best, for example, after they have had a nap or been fed, so they feel comfortable and ready to engage with their new surroundings and people. As your child becomes more confident, we gradually increase the length of sessions to around two hours. This allows them to experience different parts of the daily routine, such as mealtimes, sleep times, and play.

There is no set limit to the number of settling-in sessions we offer. Each child is unique, and we will continue to support the process for as long as needed. If we feel your child would benefit from additional sessions, or if you would like more, we are always happy to arrange these.

We warmly welcome families to visit the setting and see what we have to offer. Visits can be arranged at a convenient time by contacting us via phone or email to book an appointment. For safeguarding reasons, it is important that we are aware of all visitors on the premises at all times and that they are appropriately supervised, which is why pre-booked appointments are required. During your visit, you are encouraged to ask any questions you may have, and you are welcome to bring a friend or family member too.

No, we don’t charge anything additional for meals or other consumable items.

We offer funded places in line with the Government’s working parent entitlement, which provides up to 30 hours of funded childcare from the term after your child turns 9 months old, continuing through ages two and three, subject to eligibility criteria. For all funded places, we are required to obtain and verify proof of eligibility. Upon registration, you will be asked to provide your eligibility code along with supporting documentation. This will include seeing your child’s birth certificate to confirm their details when you register with us.

Fees are due on the 1st of each month. You will receive an invoice when you start with us, this will include your set monthly amount. This won’t change unless you change sessions or book a one-off additional session, which will be invoiced separately. You can pay for your childcare in different ways including cash, BACS, vouchers, standing order and Tax Free Childcare.

This is not a problem, although please inform us as soon as possible. A password system will be set up, if we have not met the person before.

We understand this can happen as sometimes things are out of your control such as traffic or appointments running over. We do ask for you to let us know if this is going to happen as soon as you are aware. If late pick up’s became regular you will be charged our late collection fee.

You are able to drop off and collect at any point during your child’s session, however it may be beneficial to let us know, especially if an early collection will impact on your child’s routine such as a sleep time or mealtime.

Please let us know as soon as you can about your holiday dates. This helps us organize our staff, which in turn enables us to keep to our ratios. You are still required to pay for sessions whilst on holiday.

The nursery is open all year round, except for bank holidays. We are also closed from 1pm Christmas Eve and reopen at 7.30am on the 2nd January. Nursery fees apply to the bank holidays however you do not pay for the week off at Christmas. If you only attend for term time only, you do not attend throughout the holidays. However, if we have space, you can come in. There will be an extra session charge in accordance with our prices.

We open from 7:30 am until 6:00 pm.  Our morning session runs from 7:30 am until 1:00 pm and our afternoon session runs from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

All practitioners and any volunteers and students hold a current DBS check that is carried out prior to them starting with us.

Our Ofsted Registration number for Little Stars is EY539761. Shooting Stars at the Cricket Club is EY539762 and Shooting Stars at the Scout Hut is EY557197.