- Child friendly environment
- Our well qualified and experienced staff know exactly how to interact with children and meet their needs
- Key Person - to observe your child’s development and communicate that with you
- Combination of EYFS and Montessori curriculum.
- This way children learn to focus on a balanced and a spiritual approach to life.
- We use electronic tablets to perform our observations (your child’s achievements) and keep you posted via email
- Our resources are kept hygienically cleaned and are kept fresh regularly
- Our hygienic snack provision ensures a healthy diet and are prepared keeping in mind any special requirements
e.g food allergies - Our staff is trained for health and safety, we execute fire drills and daily risk assessment is carried out
The child’s first learning experiences are crucial, influencing later learning achievements and also the health and development of society as a whole.
All children are unique and develop holistically – that means that social, physical, intellectual, creative, emotional and spiritual developments are interlinked. We provide activities that enable children to develop in several of these areas simultaneously, with opportunities for developing linguistic and literacy skills, mathematical skills, creativity, imagination, scientific inquiry and knowledge of the world, musicality and artistic development, and social and moral skills as and when each individual is ready.
We encourage children to develop personally, socially and intellectually
at their own pace.
We provide specially selected materials to focus on particular learning areas such as literacy and mathematics, for example, development of fine motor skills which supports writing and interactive storytelling which supports reading. We use different sounds which supports good listening leading to effective learning of phonics at later stage;
We provide different resources of development in different areas.
Play is a crucial vehicle for learning; children need first hand experiences and opportunities to experience awe and wonder. We aim to provide a WOW factor in children’s daily lives.
We observe children’s play and activities in order to plan for further development.
The child is a part of a family and of the wider community. We help children explore the community and we work with you, supporting your crucial role as parents and carers.
Children respond to encouragement rather than punishment; they respond best when they know how they are expected to behave, and gain respect through interaction with caring adults who show them respect and value their individual personalities. Positive, caring and polite behaviour are encouraged and praised at all times in an environment where children learn to respect themselves, other people and their surroundings.
We seek to promote and support autonomy and self-confidence in the children and the staff.
All parents are welcome to go through the Policies and Procedures of Harmony Nursery. Just contact the Manager or Deputy Manager, on duty to arrange this.
Below are a few points drawn from our Policies which you will find useful.
The Setting has a system of Key Person allocated to each child for ensuring that your child settles in happily and keep the parents updated on the child’s progress. Parents will be informed of the name of the Key Person during setting in period. They will also be your first point of contact if you wish to discuss your child.
The Key Person also ensures that your child’s records are up to date and regular observations are recorded.
The nursery staff will, in partnership with you, settle your child into the nursery environment by:
- Providing you with relevant information regarding the policies and procedures of the nursery;
- Encouraging you and your child to visit the nursery during the weeks before an admission is planned;
- Welcoming you to stay with your child during the first week, and gradually reduce stay until your child feels settled and you feel comfortable about leaving your child. Settling in visits and introductory sessions are key to smooth transition and to ensure good communication and information sharing between staff and parents Please be prepared and patient if your child is taking longer time settling into the nursery, as it is sometimes hard parting away for both parents and child. Eventually, child progresses and settles;
- Reviewing the nominated key person if the child is bonding with another member of staff to ensure the child’s needs are supported;
- Respecting the circumstances of all families, including those who are unable to stay for long periods of time in the nursery, and reassuring them of their child’s progress towards settling in.
No child will be taken on an outing from the nursery until s/he is completely settled.
The key person will meet with the parent’s to discuss and review their child’s needs 4 weeks after settling in of the chil.
It is our objective to keep you up to date with nursery new via our website, notice board & the monitor in reception area and through a regular newsletter (SIGN UP HERE LINK). We hold regular parents meetings to discuss the child’s progress and provide updates on the curriculum. There will also be family social events which . Check our Parents Board (Link to Homepage) section for any upcoming social events.
We encourage and welcome parents participation in nursery activities, so please let us know if you'd like to volunteer.
At Harmony Nursery we encourage mutual respect. Positive, caring and polite behaviour is expected of staff, visitors and parents, and encouraged in children.
The behaviour policy reflects this. Please contact the branch manager for more details on our Behaviour Policy.
Please ensure that your child wears comfortable clothes that are suitable for the weather conditions. We recommend nursery uniform for the child as your child will be involved in messy activities, climbing and exploring some of the time.
We will encourage children to wear aprons/outdoor clothing where appropriate and we request you to dress your child in clothes that are easily washable and practical and comfortable footwear.
Please ensure your child doesn’t wear jewellery in the nursery. If your child has pierced ears then sleepers or studs may be worn.
Your child will need:-
- A set of spare clothing (socks, underwear, t-shirt, trousers or skirt, jumper or cardigan) in the Gym Bag provided by the Nursery as part of Uniform.
- A pair of wellington boots to keep at nursery.
Please ensure that if your child is in the nursery between the hours of 12 and 1 pm that you provide them with a balanced and healthy packed lunch in a lunchbox or bag labelled with their name. Please note that we do not re-heat food in the Nursery, as per our Food Hygiene Policy.
Please note that no crisps, nuts or sweets of any kind, are allowed in the nursery.
Staff will eat with the children and encourage conversation and good manners.
We provide:-
- Water at all times
- Healthy snacks including juice, milk, fruit and vegetables during both morning and afternoon sessions
As part of the early learning planning, the nursery will arrange local visits and walks in the neighbourhood to support children’s knowledge, understanding and experiences. For example, they could learn about different kinds of food and cooking ingredients during a trip to a supermarket, or collect objects of interest for a collage or table display during a walk in the park.
For your child to take part in such activities we require your written permission. Please see the permission slip.
All outings away from the nursery will be assessed to identify risks and put measures in place to ensure children, staff and assistants are safe during their time away from the nursery.
Adult to child ratios will be higher than normal on these occasions and we would welcome any parents who would feel able to accompany us on short walks and trips.
Please note that separate letters and permission slips will be sent out for visits and trips further afield.
We are planning future trips to museums, galleries, the theatre and places of natural beauty or of particular interest. Details will be given well in advance.
Nursery Hours and Late Collection
Please try to drop off your child at the beginning of the session in order for them and others to benefit fully from the session. If you are going to be late do please try to let us know.
Children must be collected punctually at the end of each session. A charge is made for late collection at a rate of £5 for each 15 minutes or part thereof.
If your child is going to be collected by another person on a regular or one-off basis we would like you to introduce us to this person. If this is not possible (for example an emergency) then please let us know and we will issue a password to ensure safe collection.
Most of our members of staff have a Paediatric First Aid Qualification, and there will always be one of these members of staff on duty.
Children should not be dropped at nursery if they are unwell. If a child is unwell then they will prefer to be at home with their parent/s rather than at nursery with their peers. We will follow these procedures to ensure the welfare of all children within the nursery:
- If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, their parents will be contacted and asked to pick their child up as soon as possible. During this time the child will be cared for in a quiet, calm area with their key person.
- If a child has an infectious disease such as an eye/ear infection or vomiting and diarrhoea, or the child is on prescribed antibiotics, they should not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48 hours;
- It is vital that we follow the advice given to us by our registering authority and exclude specific contagious conditions, e.g. vomiting and diarrhoea and chicken pox, to protect other children in the nursery. Illnesses of this nature are very contagious and it is very unfair to expose other children to the risk of an infection
- If a contagious infection is identified in the nursery, parents will be informed to enable them to spot the early signs of this illness. All equipment and resources that may have come into contact with a contagious child will be cleaned and sterilised thoroughly to reduce the spread of infection;
- It is important that children are not subjected to the rigours of the nursery day, which requires socialising with other children and being part of a group setting, when they first become ill enough to require a course of antibiotics. Our policy, therefore, is to exclude children on antibiotics for the first 48 hours of the course
- The nursery has the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will be taken by the manager on duty and is non-negotiable;
- If head lice are present within the nursery, posters and advice leaflets will be displayed and provided. Parents are asked to check their children’s hair regularly, treat as required and inform the nursery if head lice are present.
Meningitis procedure
If a parent informs the nursery that their child has meningitis, the nursery manager should contact the Infection Control (IC) Nurse for their area, and Ofsted. The IC Nurse will give guidance and support in each individual case. If parents do not inform the nursery, we will be contacted directly by the IC Nurse and the appropriate support will be given.
Transporting children to hospital procedure
If the sickness is severe, staff will call for an ambulance immediately. They will not transport the sick child in their own vehicles.
While waiting for the ambulance, we will contact the child’s parent and arrange to meet them at the hospital.
A senior member of staff will accompany the child and collect together registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter. A member of the management team will be informed immediately.
We will administer prescription medication that is required for long-term conditions.
If your child is prescribed a short course of medication or if you wish your child to be given medication that has not been prescribed, please see the manager on duty who will go through the nursery’s policy on medication we may and may not give.
If your child develops a temperature while in the nursery and you cannot be contacted we are able, with your prior written permission at the manager’s discretion, to administer liquid paracetamol (Calpol). We will record the time and dosage and inform you in writing.
