Our Nursery-Home Partnership with you and your child underpins the positive experience, confidence and trust that your family has with us.

The aim of the partnership is to:

• Ensure strong child-adult attachments (with the Key Worker and team members) so that staff understand the child's needs.
• Ensure that team members work closely with parents/carers to provide consistent care.
• Ensure that there are many creative ways used for engaging families and their children in learning.
• Ensure that feedback is listened to and acted upon.

The Beginning

When you express an interest in joining our Nursery School, we communicate with you to explain the steps that you need to take from the application process to settling-in.  We offer the opportunity to visit our setting and to meet our team.  We encourage every family to read our website information and to visit our social media to read about our provision.  It is important to us that families make informed decisions and that our setting is the right decision for them.

Settling-in

We work with you to agree how best to settle-in your child.  Opportunities for your child to join our Creche and Drop-off sessions maybe the start of your journey with us.  The build-up to a full-day may take time.  We take account of separation anxiety (for both family and child) and work with you to find ways to make this transition effective for you both.  Our Settling-in Policy provides more details.

Child Records

We keep records of your child's progress and report this to you.  We will have daily contact with you and arrange regular review meetings to discuss your child's progress.  Parents/carers can access their child's portfolio at all times.  Our Reporting Progress Policy provides more details.

Electronic Communications

We send out weekly emails with information for parents.  Emails are also sent when notifications are required e.g. free resources, web links.

Key Worker

Every child will be cared for by a Key Worker (named members of the team).  The Key Worker will be the main contact for the family.  The Key Worker will work directly with your child on all assessments and reporting of progress.  The Key Worker will liaise with other team members to gain insight into your child's progress across all activities (including specialist-led sessions).   Up to three members of staff are allocated to your child to ensure that at least one member of staff (who understands your child) is always present at the session with your child.

Nursery-Home Activities

Your child will engage in a range of weekly Nursery-Home activities that ask for families to do these together.  For example, your child may choose a library book for you to read to them at home or they will have a reading book to read to you.  There maybe home observation activities (bug spotting, bird spotting etc) and requests to bring in objects from home (talking-time toys).  All requests will be made well in advance.

Drop-off  Meeting

Staff meet with family members when their children are dropped-off at the setting.  A full low-down of the child's health, feelings and events are given to assist staff in ensuring that the activities and schedule planned suits the needs of the child that day.

Pick-up Meeting

Staff meet with family members when their children are picked-up from the setting.  A full low-down of the child's health, feelings and events are given to assist parents to understand the activities that their child has taken part in that day.  Each child takes home a written record of their day and this forms part of the discussion at the pick-up meeting.

Parent-Staff Meetings

Every term, we meet face-to-face with parents.  meetings are scheduled for a 30 minute appointment.  This meeting is to discuss progress and next steps.  Parents are offered the opportunity to raise any concerns, request support and look at resources to support learning at home.  A report covering all areas of learning is provided.

January 2023 - Autumn/Winter term progress

April 2023 - Spring term progress

June 2023 - Summer term progress

Where children are leaving for school, children will be given their end of year report to take to school.

Family Social Events

We offer a range of social events throughout the year for you to meet our team and other parents/carers and their children.  For example:

• Stay and Play Social Events are for families to enjoy play activities with other families.
• 'Walk and Talk' sessions for families to meet with staff to talk about aspirations for their children.
• Easter Celebrations are for families to enjoy Spring activities together.
• Sports Day is for families to enjoy physical activities together.
• Graduation sessions are for families to celebrate the transition to school.
• Christmas Celebrations are for families to enjoy festive activities together.
• Charity Events take place throughout the year.

Family Volunteers 

All parents/carers are welcome to complete a DBS check and volunteer declaration (as set out in our Volunteering Policy) to help out at the Nursery School.  We welcome families engaging in activities including reading, gardening, play and activities off-site. 

Newsletters

We report regularly via social media and our website.  Each term, we will produce a newsletter to show all of the things that your child has been involved in throughout the term.  We produce a yearly newsletter covering all year group activities, which gives families insight to what happens across the whole Nursery School.

Family Surveys

We ask families to provide feedback throughout the year and to complete a survey when they start and when they finish with us.  We report on findings and produce an action plan for improvement.

Dated: 12 September 2024 Review date: December 2025