General Information

Starting Pre- School

At Bollington Pre-School we believe it is important that your child feels happy, safe and secure when they come to play.

  • When you register your child at Pre-School a stay and play session will be arranged. This will be an opportunity for you to meet your child’s key worker and discuss the needs of your child. It will also be an opportunity for your child to explore and become familiar with the environment and staff and other children.

We recognise that each child is different and your key person will work with you to ensure the settling in period meets the needs of your child.

Key Person

Our key worker system gives each member of staff particular responsibility for a group of children.  Each child in the group has one special adult to relate to which can make settling into the group much easier.

Your child’s key person will be responsible for getting to know your child’s interests and observe their play and from this they will be able to plan activities and resources to promote your child’s development.  They will also be your immediate contact at the setting and will liaise with you about your child’s time at Pre-School.

If you have any worries  or concerns about anything at all, please chat to your child’s key worker.  They will normally be available to talk to you about your child either first thing in the morning or at the end of a session alternatively you can arrange a mutually convenient time to meet.

Tapestry

We use Tapestry to communicate with parents and record a child’s experiences. Overtime Tapestry will tell a story about your child’s learning, development, friends and the activities they enjoy sharing with others.

Items that will be included:

  • Written observations
  • Photographs
  • Paintings and drawings
  • WOW moments from home or nursery
  • Parents comments and observations – we like to hear about special moments, photo’s from home and holidays etc
  • Summary Assessments and next steps

Parental Involvement

Bollington Pre-School is an inclusive setting where we recognise that parents are the first and most important educators of their young children, we aim to work with you to support your child’s learning and development.  Parents/carers are always welcome to work alongside staff with the children in the nursery – please ask a member of staff for more details.

As a charity we also like to encourage parents , family and friends to volunteer to help the Pre-School this can be anything from visiting the setting, helping with fundraising events to being a trustee. Please see the committee page for further details.

What to wear

In order for your child to feel free to explore and experiment with all kinds of materials, including very messy ones, it is best for  them to be dressed in clothes which are easily washable.

For children to gain self-care independence, clothing and footwear needs to be simple and easily managed by your child e.g leggings or jogging trousers and velcro fastening on shoes.

For safety reasons we prefer your child to wear good fitting shoes or trainers and not flip-flops or crocs shoes as these are unsuitable during physical and outside play activities.

What do you need to bring

  • Nappy changing bags containing spare nappies and wipes need to be clearly named.
  • Spare clothing.
  • Wellington boots – these need to be clearly named on the outside of the boots.
  • Named sun hats.
  • Named sun cream.
  • Comforters which are special to your child

Healthy Snacks and Lunch boxes

Children staying for lunch should bring a packed lunch  from home (it is advised a cool pack is enclosed) – lunch boxes and drink bottles must be clearly named on the outside.

For the safety of all children please avoid nuts and nut products in your child’s lunch box.

All foods that might form a plug in a child’s throat and might cause choking such as grapes or sausages must be cut length ways.

Please remember to include healthy items in your child’s lunch box – if you would like any ideas of healthy options please ask.   All children have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.

Snack Time

Snack time allows children to socialise  and chat to their friends.   The children take it in turns to serve their friends sat around the table.  We encourage the children to be polite and remain seated until everyone has finished.

We offer healthy snacks during the morning and after-school session such as:

  • A piece of fruit
  • Crackers and cheese
  • Fresh fruit
  • Fresh milk
  • Carrot and cucumber
  • On special occasions you are very welcome to bring in a birthday cake to share.

Please inform us at induction of any allergies or food intolerance that you child may have.

Illness

In the interest of the well being of other children please keep your child at home if they are unwell .

  • Children who have been prescribed medicines such as antibiotics, are recovering from an illness therefore please ensure your child has fully recovered before bringing them back to Pre-School.   Likewise if your child requires Calpol or similar,  then they are more than likely not well enough to attend.
  • If your child is suffering from a sickness bug it is vital that they stay at home for at least 48 hours clear of symptoms such as diarrhoea or sickness to prevent it spreading to others.
  • We display information on incubation periods for all childhood illnesses.
  • Headlice – check your child’s head regularly.  If you find any signs of head lice please treat your child’s hair and ensure all head lice have been removed before bringing your child to Pre-School.
  • Ear ache can be very painful  and should not be treated lightly as hearing can so easily be damaged if infections are not treated and so should be seen by a doctor and stay at home until they are feeling better.
  • Asthma – Nursery staff need to know if your child has asthma and if an inhaler has been prescribed.  The inhaler will need to be at Pre-School at all times your child attends, clearly labelled.

If you child becomes ill during Pre-School hours we will contact you on the numbers given on the registration form and ask you to collect your child promptly.

A copy of the setting sickness policy can be found within the policies and procedures tab.

Outings

The Pre-School enjoy taking the children to places within our local community such as The Park, the Library, the recreation ground, the fire station and local schools.

A copy of our outings policy can be found within the policy and procedures tab.

Complaints

We believe that most complaints are made constructively and can be sorted out at an early stage.  We also believe that it is in the best interests of the Pre-School and parents that complaints are taken seriously and dealt with fairly and in a way which respects confidentiality.

A copy of the Pre-School complaints policy is held within the policy and procedure tab