Choosing the right nursery school for your child can be daunting, but at The Kindergartens we help parents to make an informed decision about whether the care and early education we provide is right for their child.
We know there will be many questions along the way, but let us help with some of the most frequently asked…
You can go to our Visit Us page to select your chosen nursery school and book a visit. You will also find options to contact us by telephone or email should you wish to find out some more information in advance of your tour.
Of course, we encourage you to visit your chosen nursery school with your child. We have visit slots available at time to suit you.
If you decide to register for a place…
The Head Teacher will discuss settling in sessions with you to ensure your child can adapt to their new surroundings and feels happy in their room. This will be started several weeks prior to their start date, so that they can begin building relationships and familiarising themselves with the staff and children in the setting. Settling in sessions will be crucial to enable a smooth transition to nursery school.
We recommend you register interest at your chosen setting as early as you know you’ll need a place. We can work with you to ensure the booking pattern you need is available when your child is expected to join us. Some of our settings offer places subject to a waiting list and this allows you to access the list as soon as possible.
Following a visit of your chosen nursery school, you’ll remain in contact with our Registrar who can talk to you about the options for booking a place. You can do this in person or by phone or email.
To begin the process, an administration fee will be payable upon registration as well as a deposit to secure the place – this also covers your child’s settling in sessions.
Our nursery schools are open from 8:45am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday. The nursery schools operate during term time with the option to extend care into the Christmas, Easter and Summer breaks. Please speak to the Head Teacher at your chosen nursery school for details of holiday clubs, wraparound care and earlier starts/later finishes.
Prior to their start date:
Each day after starting:
Additional items depending on the age of your child:
Please ensure all clothes and shoes are labelled with your child’s full name.
Ofsted inspections take place approximately once every 6 years. New settings are usually inspected within 24 months following opening. We are proud that all nine of our settings are rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted – You can view our most recent reports here.
Yes, all staff members have to have a DBS check completed when they start with The Kindergartens nursery schools. DBS checks are then reviewed annually.
The ratios, as outlined by Early Years Foundation Stage, are;
You will find though, at The Kindergartens we exceed this minimum requirement as we ensure the highest quality care and education is provided.
We hold regular First Aid courses throughout The Kindergartens for all of our staff. Our aim is to ensure everyone is First Aid trained within a short time of joining a nursery school.
We believe in a healthy approach to bodies and appetites, with sociable mealtimes, balanced nutrition and trying fresh, varied foods where possible.
We ask that you provide a balanced packed lunch each day for your child, and can give you suggestions of what to include. We provide children with healthy snacks and fresh fruit throughout the day, as well as drinks to ensure they stay hydrated, especially as we know how active they are likely to be! Please contact the nursery school to discuss specific dietary requirements.
Every child is allocated a Key Teacher and it is this person which develops a special bond with them. They are based in the room that the child attends and completes the child’s learning development journal through observation to link each child’s progress within the EYFS. Progress can be followed and recorded on our parent app, as well as regular in-person updates with parents.
EYFS stands for Early Years Foundation Stage. The EYFS is a curriculum put in place by the Government that states how we as Early Years Teachers ensure your child is meeting the required developmental milestones. The EYFS is split into 7 areas in total, with 3 prime areas:
And 4 specific areas:
Within these areas we must ensure children are making progress appropriate to their age.
All of our settings provide opportunities for outdoor learning and discovery.
Forest School lessons are delivered by our Teachers who specialise in safe, accessible and practical outdoor learning. The curriculum will be accessed by children either on site in our nursery school gardens, or in our local parks and green spaces to ensure each child develops a love of the outdoors.
Of course, The Kindergartens are a fully inclusive family and pride ourselves on adapting the care we provide to the individual needs of each child who attends. Speak to us directly to discuss the requirements of your child and the additional assistance we can put in place to ensure they have a rich and beneficial experience with us.
All of our settings work in partnership with local schools to ensure a smooth transition from the nursery school. Children from many of our nurseries will progress into a Dukes Education school, and we have great partnerships with the Teachers and Heads in these and our other local schools to provide information evenings to parents of pre-schoolers and those moving on.
A full list of the schools we work in partnership with can be found here, or speak to us if you would like any details of the admissions process for a specific school.
No unfortunately we have a strict policy on exclusion periods. For sickness and diarrhoea children must be away from nursery school for 48 hours after the last symptom, to mitigate any effects on other children in the setting.
Yes, no problem you may collect your child whenever you wish, however please do let us know of early collections in order to prepare them as some children don’t always enjoy changes in routine.
Accidents do happen at nursery school but of course we try our best to prevent them. If your child has an accident we will let you know upon collection or beforehand depending on the severity of the accident. We will fill in an accident form to outline the incident (causes, treatments, outcomes etc). We will also provide any First Aid required. For any bigger incidents that we cannot deal with we will consult professional advice through 999 or 101. We will keep you up to date throughout this process by call, text or face to face. We record all accidents and can provide a record of these upon request.
Please come and talk to us. The Management Team are very approachable, just request a meeting and we will set aside some time to talk through any issues you may have. We would love the chance to address any problems before they get bigger, so please do keep us informed so we can continue to provide the best care for your child.
Children will go outside every day and in all weathers. This applies to nursery schools that have their own gardens and outdoor space, and those with more limited space on site, with those children visiting local parks and recreation areas.
The children go out on local walks, in most cases daily. We visit places such as local parks and recreation areas, libraries, schools, galleries and museums.
All of The Kindergartens nursery schools provide extracurricular activities and opportunities to extend learning such as clubs and educational visits. The can vary each season or term, but you can be assured that your child will get to experience a wider range of extracurricular activities that compliment the EYFS.
A Direct Debit form is included with your registration pack, which will need to be completed with your payment details upon accepting a place at your chosen nursery school. We also accept payment by bank transfer and debit/credit card. Payments can also now be made through our parent app.
Fees are payable in advance, either monthly or termly depending on the setting. Please contact us to discuss the payment schedule for your chosen nursery school.
Many of our settings are registered with childcare voucher issuers for parents who receive childcare vouchers through work. This amount will be credited to your monthly or termly invoice. Please speak to us directly for more information.
We will require an admin/registration fee to secure your child’s place at one of our nursery schools. A refundable deposit is also payable upon the offer/confirmation of a place.
Yes, we offer a limited number of funded places for eligible 2 and 3 year olds that are entitled to 15 and 30 hours free childcare. Please speak to our Registrar for details on availability and how these amounts affect your fees.
We understand this can happen as some things are out of our control such as traffic or appointments running over. We ask for you to let us know if this is going to happen as soon as you are aware. It is not a problem once or twice but if this becomes more frequent you will be charged for any extra hours at our normal hourly rate.
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