Playdays Prospectus

Playdays Nursery Prospectus

Welcome to Playdays Nursery. The following information is intended to answer any questions you may have. If you have any other queries, or require further information, please phone Angie Ward [manager] on 07914 716765. We also now have a landline number which is operational during opening hours which is 01493 378330. You can also email us at angieward18@hotmail.co.uk. Alternatively you can contact us through the Playdays Nursery Facebook page, or call in to see us during opening hours.

Playdays is a private nursery, registered and inspected by OFSTED, we currently have a good rating from our last OFSTED inspection. We have recently moved into the old Caister Children’s Centre rooms that are situated at Caister Infant School.

Playdays aims to provide a happy, safe and secure environment within which the children can play, learn and develop. We provide a wide variety of equipment and activities to promote learning through play, both indoors and outside using the various School facilities, including their forest school area.

We follow the E.Y.F.S. [Early Years Foundation Stage] curriculum, and are able to provide government funded places for your child including the 30 hour funding (if you are eligible) and tax free childcare. Playdays is approved to provide funded 2 year old spaces if you qualify for the funding. You can check your eligibility on the Norfolk County website. This funding starts the term after the child’s second birthday. All 3 and 4 year olds are automatically entitled to 15 hours of funded education and childcare, but in some cases you may qualify for an extra 15 funded hours. To check whether you are eligible for the 30 hour funding you should visit the Norfolk County website. All funding will start the term after the child turns 3.

We are now registered to take some children below the age of two and these children along with some 2 year olds will be in our baby/toddler room – the Caterpillar Room. This room has space for a maximum of 8-10 children – depending on their ages. In time, and after discussions with the Parents/Carers, the children will move up to the Butterfly Room which is our pre-school room. This room caters for children up to five years old and has a maximum of 17 places depending on the ages of the children in the room. We will also have a separate sleep area for any children that require naps during the day. There will be sleep beds and sheets provided and this area will be closely monitored when in use. We will work closely alongside parents to carry out their wishes around sleeping arrangements for their child.

Session Times   –Wrap-Around Care is available between the hours 8am – 5.30pm

Breakfast Cub                 Monday – Friday             8.00am onwards

Morning:                          Monday – Friday             9.00am               –            12.00pm
Lunch club:                     Monday – Friday            12.00pm             –            12.30pm
Afternoon:                       Monday – Friday             12.30pm             –            3.30pm
After School club           Monday – Friday             available from 3.30.pm to finish any time up to 5.30pm

As long as spaces are available we can try to be as flexible as possible to fit in with your needs.

We operate a waiting list and parents/carers will be contacted when a place becomes available for their child. We will discuss the number of sessions required with you, as each child has different needs.

When your child begins at Playdays, we make every effort to settle them in happily. We gather information before they start from the parents about any likes or interests the children have in their home environment that may help them or us to settle them in at Playdays. We realise that all children are individuals and therefore have different needs. We encourage parents, where possible, to bring their child to a few sessions before they begin, so that the child, and adult, can get to know the surroundings and us. On their first enrolled session we are more than happy for parents to stay for a while, if they feel this will help their child to settle in. However we realise there may be certain circumstances that require a different enrolment approach, and will therefore accommodate each individual’s needs. During your child’s time with us at Playdays we will continue to work closely with the Parent’s and Carers as we value their input and opinions and understand the importance of their knowledge and experiences of their children, and that working together provides the best possible start to their child’s introduction to a new environment outside of their familiar home. These links will be through home/school link book sent home every week, providing the opportunity to communicate important information between the 2 settings, regular newsletters, updates via the Facebook page, opportunities to speak to the Manager or their child’s key worker any day and we try to hold open afternoons each term, where Parents are invited to come and share activities with their children.

Once your child starts at Playdays they will be assigned a Key Worker who will work closely with you the Parents and the child to ensure your child is happy, settled and progressing well. They will be responsible for writing observations for your child’s learning story and writing their home/school link book at the end of each week. All the staff at Playdays are suitably qualified and are DBS checked, and are dedicated to providing your child with the best possible care and learning opportunities throughout their time with us. We have a high adult to child ratio at every session allowing the children to have one to one times with the staff on a regular basis, to focus on their individual needs.

Plastic aprons are provided for messy activities, but parents/carers are asked to dress their children in clothing suitable for physical, practical activities and outside play. Playdays Nursery uniform is optional, but should you wish to get the polo shirts, jumpers or cardigans they are available at Harrisons Uniform shop in Great Yarmouth 01493 662214.

We are able to accommodate children who are still in nappies; however we do ask that you provide a spare nappy or pull-up at each session, in a named bag. We will work closely with the Parents to cater to all individual requests when it comes to toilet training their child.

We ask that only those people authorised to do so on their enrolment form collect children. If for any reason this is not possible, we must be informed in advance who is collecting them, as by law we are not allowed to let them go with anyone else. We are sure you realise this is in the child’s best interest, and ask for your cooperation. We will use the password you wrote on your child’s enrolment form.

In the event of a parent or named person failing to collect a child after a session, we will continue to reassure, and play with the child. After a suitable amount of time allowed for the child to have been picked up, we will start to phone every contact number on the child’s enrolment form, and make every effort to contact you. If we still are not able to, we then would follow the directives set out in the ‘collecting children’s policy.’

Each session offers a wide range of activities designed to encourage a child’s development. The following activities are available at all sessions:

Painting
Maths/Science activity table
Writing/Drawing activity table
Craft activity table, including cooking
Sand, water or dry pasta pit
Role play activity including Home Corner
Playdough table
ICT computer etc
Construction toys
Small world role play
Book corner, with a wide range of books
Outdoor activities – We have our own play area in the grounds of Caister Infant School offering lots of learning opportunities, but also occasionally we can access the school’s forest School area.

Each session includes singing, stories, discussion time, free play, one to one learning or craft activity. During the session time the children will be offered a snack, after washing their hands they will be able to choose toast and fruit and something to drink. All nursery children are entitled to a third of a pint of milk each day and this will be available for your child, if they prefer something else please let us know. A member of staff will sit with the children and encourage discussions about various topics. If your child is staying for lunch, please provide a packed lunch as we are not in a position to provide a cooked lunch, however we are able to heat up food in the microwave if they prefer this, like pasta or tins of beans etc.

At Playdays we encourage children to be creative and produce their own work, we have literacy and numeracy weeks each half term, we encourage them to write their own names as soon as they are able. As the children begin to make marks on paper they are encouraged to form letters and shapes. We have pictures of the children’s work on the walls for the Parents and children to see, and some work often posted on the Playdays Facebook page.

Curriculum and Learning

The curriculum within the Early Years Foundation Stage is organised into four themes:

  • The Unique Child
  • Positive Relationships
  • Enabling Environments
  • Learning and Development

These themes work alongside the seven areas of learning which are:

The 3 Prime areas:
1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development   –   Developing independence and confidence.
2. Communication and Language   –   Talking, listening and mark making/writing 
3. Physical Development  – Strength, skills and muscle development.

The 4 Specific areas:

1. Maths  –   Size, numbers, times and shapes.
2. Literacy – Books, reading, listening to stories.
3. Understanding the World – Learning about the world through discussion
4. Expressive Arts and Design  – Ways to represent feelings and experiences

Registration documents/ Funding forms and any paperwork regarding your children are kept on the premises, but are securely locked away and remain confidential. All personal information is stored securely as set out in the GDPR Legislation, and disposed of safely when the 6 years is up.

All staff and students are made aware of the central importance of confidentiality regarding the children, their families and those working at Playdays. Any personal, sensitive and confidential information parents tell the manager is logged and locked away in a secure mini cabinet, which only the manager has a key to.

We operate an Equal Opportunities Policy and all children whatever their class, ethnic origin, religion, disability or gender will not be turned away, and will all be treated equally.

We have a constantly updated Safeguarding and Child Protection policy in place ensuring we at Playdays Nursery take all necessary steps to safeguard children, to keep them safe and protect them. If a child is starting with us having left an old nursery we will contact the old setting for any relevant information. We as staff regularly attend new and revised training to keep up to date with all new procedures to ensure that we follow all guidelines and directives sent to us by Norfolk County Council, and these can be found either in the copies of our policies [safeguarding policy will be emailed to you once your child starts] or the procedures we carry out as professionals. If we have any concerns about a child we follow all the steps demonstrated on our flow charts on the Information Board located inside the corridor. The Safeguarding Lead Practitioner is Angie Ward, and the Deputy SLP is Sophie Ward.

During your child’s stay at nursery, we observe his/hers play and learning so we can plan the next steps for your child’s progress. Our planning is based around the children’s interests and ideas, and developed to extend their learning through play, craft activities, music etc. We record our observations of your children and put them in their learning stories, together with some of their work, and photos of their activities. We encourage parents to contribute any photos, or drawings by the children. These learning stories are available at all times for the parents to see, and are given to you to keep when your child leaves.

From the observations we identify the next step in the child’s learning and record this, together with the date of achieving it, and then set another next step, [e.g. playing alone, and then playing alongside, and then playing with. Or counting to 5, and then to 10.] Using this information we send out an annual report at the end of the summer term, regarding your child’s progress. We also now prepare a 2 year old progress check, soon after your child starts with us aged 2, so we gain a basic understanding of what your child can achieve. We share this information with you, and give you a copy.

 Each child develops socially and educationally at his/her own pace, and we are sensitive to each child’s needs. Each child is treated and valued as an individual.

We believe that any children, who have special needs, have a right to access all areas of the curriculum. If a child has additional needs we will endeavour to ensure he/she accesses the curriculum with appropriate help. We will work closely with the parents at all times, because their knowledge of their child is deep and informative. We will all work together for the benefit of the child, taking into account everything the child says. Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Angie Ward.

We believe that our children should be in a safe environment, and be encouraged to follow healthy practices, as outlined in our Health and Safety policy. Steps are taken to prevent the spread of infection by keeping the premises clean and safe. Children are encouraged to wash their hands. Children who are ill and waiting to be collected are comforted by staff. We have clear policies about children who are sick or who have infectious diseases and these are shared with the parents on the notice board. Children who have been sick should not return to Playdays until 48 hours have passed.

As a group we discuss being kind, caring and helping each other, and the adults provide good role models.

All members of staff are careful to use gloves and aprons when needed, and cleaning regularly takes place. All equipment is clean, and in good repair.

We whole-heartedly believe that praise for good behaviour encourages children to behave well in the future. Our aim is therefore to catch them being good, and praise them.

If the children behave in an unacceptable way [by unacceptable we mean spitting, swearing, biting or any other anti-social behaviour] we explain to them why their behaviour is unacceptable and encourage the child to say sorry if someone has been hurt, Angie Ward is in charge of Behaviour Management.

We maintain links with several other services including:
Caister Infant and Nursery School
Local community links [e.g. lifeboat]
Norfolk county advisors
Other local pre-school providers
OFSTED
Caister Library
Health Visitor

Fees are £4.50 per hour or £13.50 for the 3 hour session. These can be paid either daily, weekly or monthly or in advance. We have to charge even if your child is absent due to holidays or sickness, as the place is reserved for your child and is not transferable, and overheads still have to be met. We require one month’s notice if you require your child to leave and need payment up until that last day of the notice period.

Enclosed in the prospectus are extracts from some of our policies. Copies of all our policies are available on request. Permission for various things like applying sun cream or plasters will be required before we are able to do this, the permission will be asked for in the enrolment form.

All staff access training courses on a regular basis to update their knowledge of current practice, and all staff including the manager are available every day to discuss any issues parents may wish to share.

Staff Qualifications

Angie Ward [Manager]               –             Level 4 in Childcare and Early years
Sophie Ward                              –             Level 3 in Childcare and Early years
Cassie Stamp                             –             Level 3 in Childcare and Early years
Poppy Lake                                –              Level 2 in Childcare and Early years          

Bank Staff:
Melissa Warner                              –            Level 3 in Childcare and Early years
Sophie Hewitt                                –             Level 3 in Childcare and Early year
Katie Ward                                    –             Level 2 in Childcare and Early years
 

During the year staff also regularly attend training courses, to make sure we are up to date with all the latest information.

These courses include:
First Aid
Child Protection
Health and Safety
Fire Safety
Risk Assessment
Food Hygiene
Delivering the E.Y.F.S.
Data Protection
Safeguarding
Self Evaluation
Social and Emotional Aspects of Development
Various courses in Special Needs

Our main objective at Playdays Nursery is to ensure your child is well cared for, and has a very happy and enjoyable time with us while learning and developing, and that you as Parents feel that your input regarding your child is valued and respected, and that you know that you are always welcome to discuss any wishes or concerns you may have, with us at anytime.

We hope you enjoy your time with us at Playdays.