Opening: The nursery is open Mon- Fri (excluding bank holidays)
From 7.30 am – 5.30 pm
Holidays: Nursery is closed between Christmas and New Year
The nursery is registered with OFSTED for 27 children at any one time.
Children are accepted from the age of 3 months old to school age. Children are encouraged to attend for at least 12 hours/ two sessions a week.
Early Education is offered within the national parameters which state –
- no session to be longer than 10 hours
- no minimum session length (subject to the requirements of registration on the Ofsted Early Years Register)
- not before 6.00am or after 8.00pm
- a maximum of two sites in a single day
Waiting list
Once a family has decided they would like their child to attend they should complete a booking form and return it to the nursery. They will then be advised when a place may be available, however, we have a duty of care to all children and staff and on occasions we may not be able to accept all children. The environment at our setting may not meet every individuals needs, this would be fully discussed with families and advice given for them to approach the Find Childcare in Norfolk – Norfolk County Council website to suggest alternative settings. It is our policy to take into account the balance of age range when considering admissions and priority is given to those requiring longer sessions or full time hours.
A deposit of £75 is payable once a place has been offered, this is refundable against the first four weeks fees. If not being used as part payment of fees it will be refunded within six weeks of starting . This deposit may be waivered if this affects the parent’s ability to take up their free place.
Vacancies, generally, become available when older children move to school, however, this does not always fit with when a placement is required. If a vacancy is held for a child for more than four weeks then the nursery has the option of charging a retainer fee for each week that the place is held- usually only implemented after 2 terms (currently £5 for each day place booked). This fee is payable four weekly.
Admission
On an initial visit to view the nursery specific requirements will be discussed, times, days etc as well as individual dietary needs or other requirements to ensure we can meet the family’s needs. We will work with parents to ensure that as far as possible the hours/sessions that can be taken as free provision are convenient for parents’ working hours, however, a service charge will be required for morning sessions..
If a parent is concerned that their child requires additional support please refer to the SEND/Inclusion Policy concerning the SEND support on offer to children and how we support families to choose the right setting for their child with SEND.
We apply for Inclusion Fund and any locally available funding streams such as EYPP, DAF and SEND to support each child as appropriate.
First Introductory visit:
The key person will be introduced. This is the adult that we have identified to be the child’s special support. They will keep the child’s development records using our special journey books and charting progress on trackers using EYSF guidelines. They first point of contact for the family and will be available to discuss all aspects of the child’s care .
Families will receive information regarding our Nursery Information pack which is available on our website or this can be requested in printed format.
The key person will then spend time completing the admission paper work with the family. At this point, we are required to take a copy of every child’s birth certificate.
We encourage parents to visit with their child on several occasions before leaving them so that both the child and parents feel confident with us.
Several further short visits will then be organised for the child before they start their full hours, taking into account their age and individual needs.
If a child has attended or still attends another setting, with parent’s permission, the key person will liaise with the other setting to ensure a smooth transition.
All policies and inspection reports are available and individual copies can be made if required.
Full contracted hours will be charged after three weeks irrespective of the number of hours attended at this stage.