Below is a family-friendly introduction to our main policies and procedures. Full versions are available to read in Reception or printed copies are available on request.

Getting Ready and Settling In

Settling In

We recognise that all children and their families are different and appreciate that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates. We work with each family to agree the most appropriate way to settle their child.

Key Person

A key person is the member of staff assigned to your family whilst they attend The Nursery. This member of staff will be your point of contact during settling sessions and work with you as your child develops whilst in our care. 
Though key persons are a key element of the Early Years Foundation Stage it is important to remember that all our staff have responsibility for all the children in our care. As such a variety of staff will care and teach your child during their time with us. Key persons may change during the course of your time with The Nursery; however, you will always be informed when this happens.

During the day at the Nursery

Arrival and Collection

Children must be handed to a member of staff upon arrival and never left to enter The Nursery alone. Arrival and departure times are strictly recorded on attendance registers. Only parents/carers/guardians and authorised additional carers/child collectors will be permitted to collect a child from the nursery and must be over the age of 16. Written or verbal consent, received by a senior member of staff (Nursery Manager/Deputy/Room leader) is requested for any collector. Passwords are used for all additional carers collecting your child from Nursery, acknowledged on the Registration paperwork. Any additional Carers collecting must have the correct password and parents must have given either verbal or written permission first.

Late collection and non-collection

Parents/ Carers will collect their children on time, with an additional charge of £5 for every 5 mins for parents who repeatedly pick up late. It is imperative for children to be collected on time to ensure that we retain our legal ratios at all times. We all understand that unplanned situations can arise, and we will support all parents wherever possible.

If adults cannot be contacted after half an hour, local authority child services will be called to collect.

Self-care

Practitioners will offer cuddles and comfort when requested. This will happen in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy. Children will be supported in changing their clothes where required, and Practitioners will ensure that doors always remain open and/or other Practitioners are aware of changing taking place. Practitioners will position themselves, whenever possible, in view of others. More information can be found in our Practice and Self-care Policy

Nappy changing

Practitioners will ensure that they notify another member of staff prior to changing your child’s nappy. They will always change nappies in a discrete manner and follow our Nappy Changing Procedure. Cream will only be applied with prior permission and as a necessity/ requested. Students and other volunteers will not be allowed to change nappies unsupervised at any point. They will be DBS checked prior to entry.

Medication

Practitioners will administer medication in accordance with Pharmacist or Doctor's guidelines. Over-the-counter medication will be administered in accordance with the information leaflet. All other medications must be provided boxed and with the Doctor's instructions. Antibiotics should be given for at least 24 hours prior to return to the Setting. All medications will be stored in accordance with our guidelines. Practitioners have the right to refuse medication if not labelled appropriately. If your child has an asthma pump, this MUST be present at every session and can be left if required. If Calpol/ Paracetamol is given in the morning, we must be informed. Calpol/ Paracetamol will only be given on-site whilst waiting for a parent or carer to collect the child in an emergency. Calpol is not to be given prior to a child's session as this can mask symptoms. More information can be found in our Medication Policy.

Dietary Requirments

The Nursery provides all meals and snacks for children. Packed lunches are not permitted to ensure the safety of all the children in our care and manage allergens. We cater for all dietary requirements, including allergies and religious preferences and meals and snacks are nutritious and balanced. No nut or nut-based products are supplied by the setting to any child. 

Caring for babies and toddlers

We will prepare bottles in accordance with official bottle preparation guidelines. Breastfeeding will also be supported within the Setting and all milk will be stored in accordance with our guidelines. No juice/squash will be given to children. More information can be found in our Caring for Babies and Toddlers Policy.

Illness and Accidents

If a child has a temperature above 38 degrees, they will be required to be collected. Practitioners will wear full protection whilst awaiting collection, and the child must be collected immediately. Children who are sick or have diarrhoea will be sent home and will need to remain absent for 48 hours after the last bout of sickness/diarrhoea. There is no exception unless a Practitioner can confidently say sickness was a result of an underlying cause e.g. choked on their snack.

All accidents will be recorded, and all Practitioners will have Paediatric First Aid qualification. In line with the Statutory Guidelines, at a minimum, one member of staff who is fully trained will always remain on site. Parents will be asked to sign the accident form at the end of the session. In the case of a head injury, parents will be phoned/ emailed to inform. This is usually a courtesy call and will not require any immediate action.  Although First Aid trained, Practitioners are unable to offer appropriate advice in some situations and may suggest further investigation by another Professional e.g. Pharmacist, doctor visit. Practitioners will deal with all accidents in a sensitive manner and will ensure that all appropriate PPE is used. More information can be found in our Accident and First Aid Policy.

Sun care

Parents will ensure that children attend the setting wearing sun cream during the spring and summer months. Practitioners will ensure that children are supported in reapplying sun cream throughout the day. Parents will provide appropriate clothing and footwear to support outdoor weather, including a sun hat and light clothing with sleeves. The Nursery will ensure that additional sun cream is available within the Setting. Time outside will be managed and limited if appropriate.

Visits and outings

Risk assessments will be completed for all visits and outings. Full permissions will be sought prior to visits and outings outside of The Nursery building (and can include trips to the main College site).

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is at the forefront of everything we do within the Setting. Any concerns will be recorded and shared with parents as well as the Designated Safeguarding Lead of the Setting. If we have high concerns, additional services may be contacted for advice.

All staff are required to have a DBS check prior to working. If this is delayed for any reason, they will not be unsupervised at any time.

If we feel a parent or carer may be inebriated on collection, we will not allow the child to go with them and may result in the following of our child protection procedures.

All Practitioners have the right to be spoken to with respect. Any aggressive or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated at any time, towards any member of staff. If a parent or carer has any concerns, a private discussion can take place to aid the resolution. In extreme circumstances, advice from emergency services may be sought.

Other helpful information

Early learning opportunity policy

It is imperative to ensure that all children are supported individually based on their needs, abilities and interest. Practitioners will use this information to inform planning and observation children learn in different ways and we support them, monitoring development alongside the EYFS

SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and EAL (English as an Additional Language) and Looked After Children

The Nursery will aid in the recognition of additional Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) or Additional Educational Needs (AEN) and support children accordingly, adjusting planning and observations, discussing concerns with parents and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) and creating specific Target plans, Personalised Plans and referrals if necessary. Parents will be included within every step of the process, and consent will be sought prior to engagement.

Children with EAL will be supported and monitored, and fully included within each session, using a variety of tools to aid communication and language acquisition.

Children will be supported in accordance with Governmental Legislation and Guidance. – see SEND policy, EAL policy, Inclusion and Equality Policy and Dealing with Discriminatory Behaviour policy

Looked After Children will be supported and careful monitoring will be undertaken to ensure that we are fully meeting their needs. All meetings will be attended and plans supported wherever necessary.

Separation policy

Practitioners will remain impartial to any parental disputes or separations. Unless parental responsibility has been removed and appropriate evidence provided, parents are able to collect their children if they are named on the Registration paperwork. We will monitor children’s wellbeing, as always, and continue to update Parents on any changes to ensure that children remain the focus.

Visitors

Visitors will not be left unattended when entering the Setting. All visitors will be checked via their I.D – see visitors’ policy, supervision of visitors’ policy

Students will not be left unsupervised at any point with the children. They are not allowed to take photos for their coursework unless prior permission has been sought by the parent. They can take photos in the setting but must do so with the setting equipment.

Complaints procedure

Most nurseries receive complaints at one time or another. Most concerns and complaints can be sorted out early and quickly by speaking with the Nursery Manager (or Deputy).

All matters will be dealt with promptly and professionally and in accordance with our complaints policy:

1. Recieve an enquiry
2. Listen to and undertand the enquiry
3. Agree what we are going to do
4. Do what we said we'd do and confirm when we've done it
5. Learn from what has happened

Mutual respect and support is key and provides a very good role model for our children. Should you be dissatisfied with the response/actions taken you may elect to contact Ofsted.

Please be advised of the contact details; CIE@ofsted.gov.uk or Telephone: 0300 123 4666.

Nursery Curriculum by Summer Macer

The following Terms and Conditions 2023-24 form part of your registration agreement. Terms are reviewed at least annually and may be subject to change. In the event of a change, families will be notified in writing.

Registration:

ALL children must be registered with their Nursery prior to attendance.

Children will not be registered if permission for Practitioners to administer emergency first aid (e.g. Piriton) is not given. Please note: The Nursery also requires written consent from a parent/guardian to send a child to hospital in an emergency.

ALL parents and carers agree to follow our nursery policies - see 'How we care for your Child' section above. 

Our Nurseries are open all year round, save for bank holidays, 5 staff training days (based on one per term), Christmas holiday closure and a week’s summer leave. Session fees are not charged during Nursery closures.

Policies and procedures: 

All Nursery policies, procedures and working practices are in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’, (DFE, 2021). Please see the Nursery Manager if you would like to learn more.  

Free Early Education: 

If your child is entitled to Free Early Education you will be asked to sign a funding declaration form to confirm the hours that will be accessed. Failure to attend the hours agreed may result in Kent County Council recouping the monetary value of any loss and parents/carers will be required to make up the difference.

Fees and payments: 

Our 'Nursery Fees and Funding' page for our current Fees and the latest guidance on childcare funding. 

Childcare fees are calculated monthly, and parents/carers are issued with an invoice monthly. Invoices payments should be cleared within 7 days of issue and before the first working day of the month. Fees should be paid by:

• Bank transfer (see invoice for details for each Nursery) and include your child’s unique reference number (again – see invoice).
• Childcare Vouchers
• Student Bursary or
• Alternatively, card payment on-site (Broadstairs and Canterbury)
• If you wish to pay via another method please speak to a member of the management team for further advice.

Our fees are reviewed annually each year in Term 5 (April - May). Any changes in fees will take effect from September each year. Current families (including those due to join us) will be informed in June each year.

Late Collection fee: A late collection charge of £5 per 5 minutes will apply to unarranged care for parents who repeatedly pick up late

Non-attendance: The Nursery does not refund absences regardless of how they are caused, including sickness and holidays.

Notice to terminate or alter sessions

Four weeks’ notice must be given in writing to alter Nursery sessions or terminate your child’s place. This is not required if increasing sessions; (subject to availability).

Esafety at home

We believe that use of the internet is an essential part of children’s learning and our teaching. Within that remit, we are committed to educating our children to be safe internet users and in supporting parents with this very important skill at home too. Within the Nursery, we take positive steps to deal with risk. We have an internet safety code of conduct, which all children and staff are expected to adhere to and our internet provider operates a filtering system that restricts inappropriate material. If your child uses the internet, it is under supervision.

The best way to protect your children online, is to be informed yourself and make it part of your day-to-day life.  We spend years training our children to cross the road and stay away from strangers. Training them to be safe online should be an equal part of these safety messages; after all they can be out in the ‘world wide web’ from a very young age, unsupervised at times.

Here are some guidelines parents and carers might find helpful to discuss with children;

• We only use the internet when an adult is with us
• We can click on the buttons or links when we know what they do.
• We can search the Internet with an adult.
• We always ask if we get lost on the Internet.

Below are links to documents and useful websites that will give you more information.

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Ceop-Report/

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/

http://www.childnet.com/

https://www.iwf.org.uk/

Here's some advice from our EKC Schools Trust, part of our EKC family!