Need-to-Know Information for Nursery 1 Parents
Welcome to Nursery 1!
Our Nursery 1 room at Waverley offers excellent childcare for children from 3 months in a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment. In this room, we care for ‘rising one year olds’ ie. children turning one in that academic year.
In Nursery 1, our aim is to provide secure, warm and comforting care for your baby. Our Nursery 1 building is therefore located away from our other buildings, providing a nurturing environment for babies to develop, have fun and flourish. Our Babies in Nursery 1 also have their own separate dedicated outdoor space and garden which is away from the hustle and bustle of the main school and our older Nursery rooms.
Our Nursery 1 building benefits from several individual rooms for children to participate in and explore different learning objectives. Our children enjoy light boxes, relaxed bean-bag story-telling areas, messy and noisy play, and much more. We also have a separate sleeping room with individual cots.
What to provide
Your child will need a small bag of a few spare clothes; tops, bottoms, socks, dribble bibs and vests. We do use protective aprons and plastic bibs but we still can get messy! We also need spares in case we have any nappy leaks, food dribbles or mess from indoor/outdoor activities.
You will be informed when we need a top up and you are welcome to leave the bag on your child’s peg for the week.
For the colder weather you will need;
• A coat
• All-in-one waterproof
• Outdoor shoes/waterproof covers/wellies
• Mittens with no string, a hat and a snood (no scarfs allowed)
• Slippers or thick socks for indoors (not compulsory)
For the warmer weather you will need;
• A sun hat
• Sun cream (Please apply in the morning before drop off in the warmer weather. Educators will re-apply after sleep time in the afternoon).
*Please ensure every item is clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please do not use biro as this fades quickly.*
Daily Routine in Nursery 1
If your child is joining us for breakfast, this is served until 08:15hrs. We provide a selection of cereals that include; Weetabix, Shreddies and Rice Crispies.
Your child will participate in daily planned child led learning activities following our Reggio inspired approach to learning. They will explore their outdoor environment at least once a day. This may be in their independent garden/decking area or using our triple pushchairs to explore the surrounding areas on our Woodland Walks.
Meals and Snacks
We provide snacks at 10:00hrs and 14:00hrs, where your child will be offered fresh fruits/salad sticks and a carbohydrate. Lunch is served at 11:30hrs - 11:45hrs and tea at 15:45hrs, on a 3-week menu cycle.
Our in-house chefs serve a variety of delicious, nutritional meals. If your child is weaning, our meals can be pureed/mashed so they experience different tastes and textures.
See our menu here.
Allergies/Preferences
Should your child have any allergies, these will be recorded during your child’s pre-visit. Menus will be adapted to suit your child’s allergies or preferences.
Drinks
We provide water and milk cups for your child. The children are offered cow’s milk at morning and afternoon snack. If your child is on milk formula, we ask you to provide a couple of bottles to keep here, so these can be labelled and sterilised before use.
We provide milk formula so please discuss with the Educators what milk you use. If milk is prescribed, you will need to provide this for your child.
Nappies
We provide disposable nappies, wipes and creams. If your child has any allergies to products, then please provide your own nappies/wipes/cream.
Sleep
In Nursery 1, we work with your baby's normal routine which we will discuss with you when your baby has their settling-in sessions. We adapt as your baby gets older and as their sleep requirements change.
In Nursery 1, we have a cot sleep room providing your child with that home comfort feel. Our double bunk cot beds allow our younger sleepers to relax in the top cot, before transitioning to the under bunk bed with the choice of sides. This helps with your the transition for your child to move onto our low beds, ready for their transition to Nursery 2.
We provide sheets and blankets washed on a weekly basis. If your child uses a sleep bag or has any comforters, please provide us with these or a spare to keep here!
Drop off and pick up
Drop off for Nursery 1 is located via the decking area. (Entrance through the main school gate).
For pick-ups, please allow enough time before your child’s session ends, so we can maintain our staff to children ratios and to avoid a late charge. Likewise, this also applies if you have other children to pick up from Nursery or school - please allow plenty of time to avoid a late pick-up.
* If your session coincides with school drop off/pick-ups, please ensure you allow plenty of time as the car park becomes very busy*.
Tracking your child's progress
We use an online system ‘Parenta’ to record your child’s observations. Parenta is a secure online Learning Journal to document photos, videos, planning and observations in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. As observations are uploaded, you receive a notification to access the observations and see what your little one is up to! This system allows us to work alongside parents and carers to share information and record the children’s play and learning in our environment.
Care Diary
Our Parenta system also includes care diaries, where our Nursery Educators record daily information. Here you will be provided with information about your child’s day; what they have eaten, nappies and their sleep routine.
You can also send your child’s Key Educator messages.
Important messages will also be recorded on here.
Key Educators
Your child will be assigned a Key Educator who is responsible for carrying out observations and documenting your child’s progress into their Learning Journal. The Key Educator will learn your child’s individual interests and needs, and plan learning opportunities to support their next steps.
Security
Upon joining, all Waverley parents will be given a key fob which is individually coded for their family. This allows entry on to our site through the pedestrian gates. Please note that key fobs are programmed so that they will only work during our main drop off and pick up times. If you wish to gain entry at any other time, the fob will not release the gate. To gain entry, parents will need to buzz and the gate will be released by our office staff once they have verified your identity.
There is a £10 deposit due per key fob and a maximum of two per family are issued. If you lose or break the key fob, there is a £10 charge to replace it. Please contact our school office if you need any help with key fobs via info@waverleyschool.co.uk or visit our school office in person.
To gain entry to each individual Nursery room, we have a finger print system. Upon joining our Nursery, parents will be required to record their finger prints on our system so that they can then gain entry into the Nursery rooms in the future. Without your finger print, parents will not be able to gain entry into our Nursery rooms. Please contact our Nursery Manager, Mrs Fiona Harding, via fiona.harding@waverleyschool.co.uk.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (EYFS)
The EYFS is a framework that schools and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years.
The framework sets standards to ensure children learn and develop well, alongside staying healthy and safe. It also ensures children are prepared for school by having the knowledge and skills they need.
The purpose of tracking children’s development in the Early Years is to monitor your child’s progress and identify any areas for further support.
You can also upload your own observations from home, by adding photos and documenting what your child has achieved. Your child’s Key Educator will link the observations and discuss your child’s next steps with you.
What to do if your child is poorly
If your child is poorly and will not be attending Nursery, please message our Nursery Team on 07920 268735 or by email to fiona.harding@waverleyschool.co.uk by 09:00hrs. Please inform us each day that your child will be off.
To protect our Nursery children and staff, and the rest of our Waverley family, the following applies:
• For children who have suffered diarrhoea and vomiting, they must have had 48 clear of any episode before they can return to Nursery.
• We can offer Calpol if a child has a temperature of over 38 but this is only to keep the child comfortable until parents arrive, not so children can stay at Nursery.
• Please do not medicate your unwell child then bring them into Nursery as this can mask their symptoms. Once the medication wears off, dhildren can then become very unwell, very quickly.
• If your child is poorly and needs to go home, we will phone you. We follow all NHS guidelines for exclusions which means that parents are expected to collect their child within one hour.
• Please refer to the Nursery for further advice and consult our Nursery policies via our Nursery website https://www.waverleynursery.co.uk/Nursery/Policies-Nursery-Specific/
Who to contact if you have an issue or a question
In the first instance, please always speak to your child’s Key Educator. If you are not satisfied, please contact our Nursery Manager, Mrs Fiona Harding, via fiona.harding@waverleyschool.co.uk. Our Nursery mobile is 07920 268725.
For invoice queries, please email Mrs Carole Barke, our Bursar, via carole.barke@waverleyschool.co.uk.
Holidays / Extended Leave
If you are going on holiday or wish to take extended leave, in order to help our planning and to reduce food wastage, please tell us by clicking the QR on our outside noticeboard or visiting https://bit.ly/4de6nsF.
Fees are still due if a child is ill, goes on holiday or is away for a period of extended leave in order to guarantee a child’s place when they return. If fees are not paid while away, it is regarded that a child has left Nursery and Waverley reserves the right to offer the place to another family.
Ad Hoc Sessions / Swapping Days
If you wish to book ad hoc sessions, please email Mrs Helen Jenkins, Head of Admissions, via admissions@waverleyschool.co.uk and copy in our Nursery Manager, Mrs Fiona Harding, via fiona.harding@waverleyschool.co.uk. Ad hoc sessions can be booked depending on availability. We are regrettably unable to swap days if care is needed for a one-off occasion on a different day to your child’s normal attendance day.
Making Changes to a Booking / Giving Notice
If you wish to make changes to your child’s booking or wish to give notice, we require two full calendar months’ notice. This means that if you give notice mid-September, then the two full calendar months are considered as October and November. Parents would therefore be liable for fees until the end of November. Please email Mrs Jenkins, Head of Admissions, via admissions@waverleyschool.co.uk.
If you wish to increase the days your child attends Nursery, this does depend on availability. You should contact Mrs Helen Jenkins, Head of Admissions, via admissions@waverleyschool.co.uk
Fees
Fees are payable in full on a monthly basis in advance and are based on the number of days attended each month. For more information, visit our fees page on our Nursery website https://www.waverleynursery.co.uk/Admissions/Fees-Nursery/. Please note that your invoice can only be sent to one email address.
For invoice queries, please email Mrs Carole Barke, our Bursar, via carole.barke@waverleyschool.co.uk.
Where can I find out more information?
There is a wealth of information throughout this website. Please just ask if you don't find the information you are looking for.
