FAQs
How will you make sure my child settles into the Nursery well?
Starting a new nursery can present lots of new experiences which your child may not have come across before. This might be confusing to start with, especially if your child is accustomed to spending most of their time with you.
To overcome this, we offer free settling in visits a week before your child starts Nursery. These will be for short periods of time, until they are familiar with the Nursery and our routines. The first session will last for 30-45 minutes and will provide you and the key person with an opportunity to meet their key person and discuss relevant information with them. Your child will then be invited to attend a further second and third session each lasting 1-2 hours and increase the time the rest of the week. During these sessions, your child will have the opportunity to spend some timein their new room with their key person and meeting the other children and staff . For these sessions parents are unable to attend.
How does the Nursery tell us what our children have been doing?
As a parent, we appreciate that it is important for you to have a good understanding of how your child is developing emotionally, physically and socially. At North Harrow Nursery, we make a point of keeping you informed of your child’s progress on a regular basis. , This is through the electronic app called the ey log daily diary.
If during the day, you want to check that your child is getting on fine, you are welcome to give us a call. We will put you through to the staff in the same room as your child and they will be able to tell you exactly how they are. Parents sometimes choose to do this on the rare occasion their child was unhappy when they dropped them off. A simple phone call can reassure you that everything is fine and there is no need for concern.
When you come to pick your child up at the end of the day, you will be given a verbal update by a member of staff in your child’s room as to how they got on that day. They will tell you what they ate and how much, if they had a sleep and for how long and what activities they experienced during the day.
When children are very young, we understand how important it is for you to know exactly when your child was last fed and slept. For this reason, we keep a Daily Diary for children in our Baby Room. At the end of each day, parents get a verbal report and are on the app.
We also use the ey log app, to share the children’s weekly activities, learning and to keep you up to date with the latest nursery news and events.
How do I know my child will be safe and secure?
All our staff undergo enhanced DBS Police checks before they are allowed to be with the children.
All the toys and equipment in the Nursery are of a high quality and regular Risk Assessments on equipment and procedures are carried out to ensure everything is maintained to the highest standard.
We carry out regular Fire Drills with the children, so that they become familiar with the routine so we will be able to clear the building quickly and safely in the event of an emergency.
Children must be signed in and out each day by a designated person. If a child is to be collected by a different person (relative, friend etc.), staff must be notified at Registration. We will not release a child to anyone unless we have confirmation from the parent to do so.
Security is very important to us here at North Harrow Nursery – a key code and intercom system is in place to ensure security is always maintained. Parents and carers will be granted access to the external Nursery doors either by using the door buzzers (which can be released by the manager/staff) or by a member of staff manually. Anyone not known to the staff will be asked to identify themselves using a password. Only when satisfied of their identity will the receptionist allow them into the Nursery. All workmen are asked where possible for identification and will never be left unsupervised around the children.
Can my child take a comforter to Nursery?
Lots of children have a favourite comforter like a dummy, blanket or teddy. If parents wish, the child can have these in the room at all times or they can be brought to the nursery and left in the child’s personal peg in case needed
What happens when my child’s nappy needs changing?
We ask parents to bring in their own nappies, wipes and creams. These are put in an individual marked basket and are only used for your child. Nappies are changed on a 1 to 1 basis. This gives the added benefit of adult/ child interaction and encouraging language development.
How will my child’s individual needs be met?
Each child in the Nursery is assigned a Key Person. Your child’s key person is responsible for keeping records of your child’s progress on a day-to-day basis. They will also consider your child’s holistic developmental needs and ensure the activity plans and care routines reflect these needs. The Key Person will informally observe your child throughout the day and record their achievements.
How do you help children with additional needs?
We are happy to work with you to make the Nursery a great experience for your child.
The Nursery has disabled access throughout. If necessary, we will make every reasonable effort to make adaptations for access and inclusion to all activities undertaken within the nursery.
Discussions will take place between parents and relevant members of staff in order to look at ways to support you and your child. We have access to many different professionals who have expertise in many different areas to ensure we are meeting the individual needs of your child.
Our nursery SENCO supports staff in early recognition of additional needs. If necessary, an individual programme will be put together for your child. The Key Person in partnership with you will set your child a learning focus and will identify methods to meet this through play and care routines. The leaning focus is then used to inform the educational and care programme for your child.
Where necessary we can help parents to get advice from external agencies. We can also support parents with processes like gaining a statement from the Local Education Authority that will support your child’s education within our setting and in any future school they may attend.
What happens if my child becomes ill whilst at Nursery?
If your child becomes sick when in Nursery we will contact you . If you are unavailable, we will call the emergency contacts provided on your enrolment form.
The Nursery follows rigorous cleaning and hygiene procedures to keep exposure to infectious diseases at bay. If a child in the Nursery shows signs of having an infectious disease, or is not coping with the day, we will ask you to collect your child straight away. This will help us to ensure that it does not spread throughout the Nursery. This includes children vomiting or suffering from diarrhoea.
What happens if my child is ill before going to Nursery?
If your child is absent for any reason, and unable to attend Nursery, please get in touch with the Nursery to inform us on all occasions.
If your child has shown symptoms of any infectious disease, including vomiting and diarrhoea, the Health Standards state that a child cannot attend nursery for 48 hours after the symptoms have subsided. This helps us to stop infection being passed on to other children in the Nursery.
Any absences due to sickness must be paid in full and unfortunately, we are unable to provide refunds in such instances.
What happens if my child needs medicine during the day?
North Harrow Nursery will only administer prescribed medicine to children whilst at nursery and with the written consent of those with parental responsibility. The first dose must be given at home 12 hours before attending nursery.
We follow a strict medication policy that will be always followed.
In case of an increase in a child’s temperature and when all other methods have been exhausted, a fever reducer will be administered with prior consent.
How can I register my child at nursery?
We encourage all our parent and carers to look around the nursery prior to registering with us. You can request an appointment by arranging a viewing.
To register with us, we require our registration paperwork to be completed together with a non-refundable Registration Fee per child.
Once we offer you a place, you accept it by paying a Deposit which is refundable provided we receive one full calendar months’ notice in writing after your child’s confirmed start date.
How are fees calculated?
Until your child is eligible for funding, fees are calculated at a fixed monthly rate based on your child’s weekly sessions. This is calculated
by multiplying the number of weekly sessions by 50 weeks which is then divided by 12 months to produce an average monthly cost.
Weekly fees x 50 (weeks) /12 (months) = monthly invoice (Average monthly cost). Fee calculation for part months are based on pro rata basis..
We reserve the right to increase our charges once a year, typically in January but not exclusively. We will give you one month’s written notice before the proposed increase.
Can I pay my Nursery Fees using a Tax-Free Childcare Account?
North Harrow Nursery is registered for Tax-Free Childcare. Payments from your Tax-Free Childcare designated account must be received into our bank account
Parents must inform us of the payment by email confirming: the date of payment, amount of transfer and reference number. This must consist of the following detail to ensure the funds are allocated to the correct child:
First initial of the child’s forename – First 5 letters of the child’s surname – the reference number provided by the government.
It is the parents’ responsibility to set up a standing order so the monies are transferred automatically, or to make a manual payment each month; but the monthly confirmation email will still be required. We cannot call a Direct Debit for payments from a Tax-Free Childcare account.
What happens if I am going on holiday?
If you are going on holiday or taking your child out of nursery, we would appreciate notice so that this can be recorded on the register. Any absences due to holidays must be paid in full.
Unfortunately, we are not able to swap or credit back sessions.
What happens on Public Bank Holidays?
The nursery is closed on public bank holidays. If your child’s session falls on a public bank holiday, we will charge you as per the industry standard. We still pay our staff on these days. However, unlike other nurseries, we charge for 50 weeks . This accumulates over the year to a sum which adequately compensates for the public bank holiday charges and Christmas holidays.
Can my child do extra sessions?
Yes, we understand that you may require extra sessions for your child at nursery. We will look at our availability and do our best to accommodate your request. Please complete our ‘Extra Sessions Form’ or email the nursery to request for it.
Can I change my child’s permanent sessions?
Yes, you are able to amend your child’s permanent sessions subject to availability and as long as you comply with the required minimum number of sessions for your child’s age group.. We require one full calendar month’s notice in writing if the number of sessions is to be reduced.
What happens when my child leaves nursery and goes to school?
We require one full calendar months’ written notice when they leave the nursery
We require a longer notice period for children over 3 years old to plan ahead a more seamless transition into School In addition, it enables us to provide the schools children will be attending, with information and reports they require prior to their school summer holiday closure for their planning. As we are participating in 30 hours free childcare for 3 and 4 year old’s’, to the benefit of our parents, we are also obliged to notify the Local Authority of any amendments in advance. Funding as you may know is calculated on a termly basis, so the additional notice also allows us to manage this process effectively.
We have developed relationships with local schools in the area and we try to do everything we can to help make moving to school a smooth transition for your child. In order to help prepare your little one we do a variety of things, for example talk to them about school life, read them stories of big school.. Once you have chosen your school and been accepted for a place, we contact them to invite them to visit the nursery and see your child at our setting and discuss your child’s learning, development, activities and interests. We also do our best to help parents prepare for their meeting with the school. Finally, when the time comes for your child to leave nursery we send them off in style with a graduation, certificate and transitional document for school.