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Crown Meadow First School Nursery

Parent’s Information Booklet

Updated July 2020

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CONTENTS

Page No.

Welcome from the Headteacher 3

Welcome to Crown Meadow First School Nursery 5

Nursery Information 5

Nursery Hours 6

Contact File and Emergency Contact Numbers 6

Illness 6

Medicines 6

Absence Procedures 7

Request for Leave from Nursery 7

Curriculum 7

Progress 7

Special Educational Needs (SEN) 8

Behaviour 8

Clothing and Personal Property 8

Nursery Uniform 9

ParentPay 9

Information home / Newsletter 9

Lunches Arrangements 10

Milk 10

Healthy Eating 10

Water Bottles 10

Safeguarding Children 11

Use of photographs and videos by the School 11

Nursery Funding 12

The Application Process 12

Payment of Fees 13

Termination / Change of Hours 13

Links with Crown Meadow First School 14

Procedure in the Case of a Complaint 14

Term Dates 2020-2021 15

Admissions Policy 16

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Crown Meadow First School & Nursery Birmingham Road

Alvechurch Birmingham

B48 7TA Tel: 0121 445 4540

Web Site: www.crownmeadow.worcs.sch.uk Email: office@crownmeadow.worcs.sch.uk

Message from the Headteacher - Mrs Sally Athey Welcome to Crown Meadow First School & Nursery, on behalf of our wonderful children, creative staff, dedicated Strategic Leadership Team and committed governors, I am delighted to welcome you and your family. I hope that you find this information useful, but nothing is like seeing our school in action, so please do not hesitate to visit us should you wish to find out more information. Crown Meadow First School & Nursery is a happy, nurturing and caring school that aims to provide the highest quality education for children from 3 to 9 years old in a fantastic purpose built building, which we share with Alvechurch Library and Alvechurch Middle School. In the time children are part of our school, we make sure that they are provided with a range of exciting learning opportunities that engage and challenge them as they move throughout our school. In our nursery, we offer full-time places taught by a qualified teacher and wonderful support staff. We are all proud of our school environment. Children’s learning is enhanced by the excellent facilities consisting of spacious classrooms and corridors, two halls for assemblies, PE and dining, healthy meals which are cooked on the premises by BAM FM, extensive school grounds with soft and hard play areas, ponds and a large playing field with trim trail. The building was designed in consultation with the school and reflects our aim to provide Forest School (learning in the outdoors) provision for children from Nursery to Year 4. This is a unique building design as I am sure you will agree and was the creative idea from the architect which was inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar story by Eric Carle and is in keeping with our commitment to Eco awareness and making full use of the outdoors to enhance the children’s learning. As a school we place great emphasis on the development of all aspects of learning and believe that when leaving our first school we should aim for our children to be engaged, happy, life-long learners. We sincerely hope that your child will leave us with a strong sense of personal achievement and a love of learning. We strongly believe that education is best provided when there is a successful partnership between home and school. We work closely with parents and carers so that all children are able to take advantage of the learning experiences we offer during the school day and through extra-curricular activities in order for our children to reach their full potential in becoming lifelong learners.

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We also encourage the children to make a positive contribution to the school and to our local community in order to encourage good citizenship and caring for the environment. The children’s contributions, through the School Council, have been very effective, improving playground equipment, organising recycling projects and looking after the school grounds. Once again, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to contact us and I hope the information in this booklet gives you a flavour for our Nursery. Sally Athey Headteacher

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Welcome to Crown Meadow First School Nursery We aim to ensure that children who join Crown Meadow have a happy and confident start, enabling them to settle easily and to feel part of the whole school. We hope that this booklet, which you can read at your leisure, will help to answer some of the basic questions and allay any concerns.

Starting or changing nursery, whilst exciting, can be a worrying experience for some young children. As teachers and parents, we can foresee many of the pitfalls and potential anxieties, and thus tend to be more concerned than the children themselves.

We provide a stimulating environment where children can experience the joy of learning and feel secure in a homely and caring atmosphere. We believe that their time in Nursery should be an enjoyable part of early childhood.

This purpose built nursery opened in April 2008 and is a registered nursery provider. We have room for 26 children attending full-time. The school provides a curriculum in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

The pastoral care system in the school acknowledges the role of the Class Teacher who is in daily contact with both parents and children. We believe that the nursery is an extension of the home, and members of staff create a safe, secure and stimulating environment. The partnership established between parents and staff is vital for achieving personal growth and development if we are striving to reach the child's full potential. Nursery Information

We offer 26 full-time places: 5 days a week from 8.45am - 3.30pm. The nursery gate opens to children at 8.40am to begin at 8.45am. The children should be collected at 3.30pm, when the nursery day finishes. Children will only be released from nursery to a known adult. If for any reason, the normal known adult is unable to collect your child, please inform the Nursery Teacher by letter or in an emergency, contact the School Office by 3.00pm to enable staff to advise the Nursery Teacher.

Parking / Drop Off - You may only drop your child(ren) off at the ‘drop off’ point in the school entrance during the day, i.e. doctors, dentist appointments. For health and safety reasons, we ask parents not to use this facility at the start and end of the school day or if the area is coned off for coaches arriving or departing.

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Nursery Hours 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) term time only.

8.45am - 3.30pm - full-time (6¾ hours per day, 33¾ per week)

Contact File and Emergency Contact Numbers

The school maintains a contact file in order to reach parents quickly in the event of sickness or accident at school. It is therefore very important that these contacts are kept up to date at all times. If your address, phone number, place of work or GP changes please pass the new information to the school so that our file is kept up to date. Likewise, the information of friends or relatives to contact if parents are unavailable during the school day, should also be kept updated.

If a situation arises where we are forced to close the school at short notice (for example in the event of heavy snow fall), we will send a message via ParentMail to notify parents of the required course of action. Illness Should your child be taken sick or be unfortunate enough to have an accident whilst in school we will contact you immediately, by telephone in accordance with our contact file details. In the event of a child receiving a bump to the head or facial area, they will be assessed by one of our trained first aiders and if necessary you will be notified immediately. If the head bump appears to be of a minor nature a school "Head Bump/Facial Area Letter" will be sent home with your child and you will be sent an advisor message via ParentMail that there has been a small bump and no obvious injury, school staff will of course continue to monitor your child and contact you if there are any changes in your child’s condition. If your child will not be coming to nursery for any reason, please let the office know as soon as possible on 0121 445 4540 or by reporting their absence via the ParentMail app. There are certain illnesses, which will mean that your child will have to stay away from nursery until better. For example vomiting, diarrhoea, chickenpox and impetigo. It is the parent’s responsibility to inform the school immediately if a child has been in contact with any infectious diseases. Parents are asked to exercise discretion as to whether a child is well enough to attend. A full 48 hours free of sickness and/or diarrhoea is required before returning to the nursery.

Medicines

Medicines can be administered only if they are prescribed. A ‘Consent for School to Administer Prescription Medication’ form will need to be completed in communication with a First Aider. Please contact one of our lead first aiders, in the first instance. They can be contacted through the School Office on 0121 445 4540.

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Absence Procedures

In order that we might be sure of the whereabouts and safety of our pupils, we ask that parents telephone the school or send an absence message via ParentMail, no later than 9.30am on the morning of the first day of absence to notify us of the situation. School should be updated on a regular basis and on the child’s return to nursery, a letter should be sent to the teacher confirming the reason for absence and the dates involved.

If medical or dental appointments have to be made in nursery time, a letter should be written to the class teacher advising of the date and time your child will be collected and returned to nursery. Please collect your child from the main School Reception in order to sign them out and on their return you should sign the child back in. A member of staff will then escort your child back to nursery.

Children who are late for school must enter school via the main School Reception where your child will be signed in and a member of staff will escort your child to nursery. Request for Leave from Nursery

Please inform the nursery teacher in writing if your child is to be absent from nursery during term time. Nursery fees are still chargeable if time is taken off during term time. Curriculum

The nursery curriculum is carefully planned and evaluated by the staff taking into consideration the differing skills, previous experiences and needs of each individual child. Use of all the available space and appropriate resources ensures a variety of learning experiences for the children. The ethos of our curriculum is that learning is fun and we encourage the children to build strong relationships with their peers. We encourage children to become independent learners, have high self-esteem and increase their level of concentration. Progress In order that your child reaches his/her full potential it is essential that we work closely together. It is our philosophy to establish a close liaison between home and the school, and participation in all aspects of your child's education is encouraged and welcomed.

Please feel free to share information about your child, however trivial you may feel this is. We would expect you to keep in close contact with the school during the early weeks to ensure that your child has settled in and is happy. Each term you will receive a newsletter informing you of what topics we will be covering in the nursery. This will enable you to support your child in his/her learning.

Parents are always welcome to make an appointment to discuss their child's progress with the Teacher, Mrs Reed.

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Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) At Crown Meadow First School and Nursery, we recognise that every child is an individual and children all learn at different rates with differing learning styles. We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum within a happy, secure and stimulating environment where every child's effort is valued and full potential can be realised. There may be a time in a child's education when individual needs become apparent. These needs are catered for by a differentiated curriculum which will involve the preparation of tasks and teaching methods to suit each child's ability. We advocate an "inclusive" approach for children with special educational needs, enabling them to access the full breadth of the curriculum within their class and peers.

Where there are sustained concerns about a child’s learning or progress, the child’s Nursery Teacher will keep parents fully informed, so home and school can work together to understand the barriers to learning and support the specific needs of the child. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) will support school staff and families, making referrals to and liaising with support agencies if necessary. The SENCo will oversee the SEND provision within the Nursery setting and shall be available to meet with parents about any ongoing concerns they may have.

For further information, the school’s SEND Policy and SEND Information Report can be found on the “Inclusion” page of the school website. Behaviour

The nursery aims for a relaxed and happy atmosphere, which is helped by having a number of common sense rules for the benefit of children, parents and the staff. The nursery staff will follow the whole school “Positive Behaviour Policy” and “Anti-bullying Policy” which is available for parents to read on the school website. (Paper copies available on request from the School Office).

Children are encouraged to respect others, equipment and materials. Our simple and few rules are regularly reinforced. Clothing and Personal Property The Outdoors

We go outside when possible so wellingtons (named) should be left in the nursery during term time.

Indoors

It is recommended that School Sweatshirts, T-shirts and track suit bottoms are worn. Pull on trousers or track suit bottoms are preferred to aid the children in their toileting (no belts on trousers please). Aprons will be provided for Art activities.

All children should be provided with a named drawstring bag, containing a complete change of clothes. Please ensure all items are clearly named. This should be brought into the nursery on the first day of term. If your child has a special toy or comforter, they are welcome to bring it to the nursery, but other toys should not be brought in case they get lost or broken.

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Personal Items

All items of clothing and personal belongings, including shoes should be clearly marked with your child’s name.

Nursery Uniform

All items of school uniform are available from Orchard Clothing, 30 Dunlop Road, Hunt End Industrial Estate, Redditch, B97 5XP (0845 208 0470/01527 545555/www.orchardclothing.co.uk) or The Locker Room, 63 Hewell Road, Barnt Green, Birmingham, B45 8NL (0121 445 3262 / thelockerroom@btinternet.com) Nursery Uniform Red school sweatshirt Water bottle Wellingtons Draw string bag, including spare change of clothes

Jewellery or make up, including nail varnish should not be worn at all by pupils, although children with pierced ears may wear small studs. As a Health and Safety measure, long hair should be tied back from the face at all times in a simple hair band. Braiding in hair is discouraged, again for Health and Safety reasons.

ParentPay

The ParentPay system enables you to make payments on line using a debit or credit card and gives you the flexibility to pay 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, providing you with greater convenience and removing the worry of lost money or sending cash in with children. This system is a secure way of making payments which will include items such as school trips, visits and hot lunches. Children new into the school will receive communication from us with account activation detail. When you have these you will be able to log in online at parentpay.com using a tablet, phone or desktop computer. If you already have a child in a school that uses ParentPay, you can add another child to your account giving you the ability to manage all your payments under one account.

Information home/Newsletter

On the last Friday of each month a Newsletter will be sent out. We use a system called ParentMail to send information electronically and would encourage you to sign up to this system to ensure you do not miss out on any important correspondence. To sign up you are required to register an account with us either via an email address or mobile number. The ParentMail system has the advantages over using a paper system, including:

Messages will get to you reliably and on time

We can send messages directly to mums, dads and other carers at the same time

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Emergency or important information can be sent by text message

iPhone and Android Apps available for parents on the go.

Newsletters will keep you informed of events in the school, term dates etc. If you have missed a letter or would like another copy, please collect one from the letter rack in the school foyer or download one from the school website. Lunch Arrangements

Children may either bring a packed lunch from home or purchase a hot meal from a private catering firm (BAM FM) based in school. Hot lunch meal deals are currently priced at £2.30 per day and the price includes a hot main meal and a dessert.

Payment for lunches is made via ParentPay and parents should register with ParentPay to enable them to credit their child’s lunch account. Menus are available from school or can be viewed on the school website. Milk

Our school milk is provided by Cool Milk. Milk is provided free for all under-fives.

When your child starts at our nursery we will register them to receive free school milk. They will receive a carton of semi-skimmed milk every day they are in nursery.

If you do not want your child to receive milk under the Cool Milk scheme, please contact the School Office to opt out. Healthy Eating

We encourage healthy eating in our school and children in Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (Years Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2), through a Government initiative, are provided with fresh fruit on a daily basis. We do not encourage crisps or biscuits for snack. Water Bottles

Access to water is a fundamental human right and necessary for good health. The food standards agency recommends that everyone should drink 1.5 - 2 litres (6 - 8 cups) of fluid each day. This is variable depending on body size, physical activity or if the weather is warm (when the amount consumed will be greater). The sensation of thirst is not triggered until there is already a water deficit, so it is important to drink before you get thirsty! Water bottles should be filled with fresh water at home and children may refill the bottle during the day. All children are encouraged to drink water and should bring a water bottle when they attend nursery.

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Care of bottles

Please clearly name your child’s water bottle. This is essential to avoid children using each other’s bottles and spreading germs. Looking after and cleaning water bottles is the responsibility of parents. Safeguarding Children

At Crown Meadow we aim to provide a safe environment in which all children can learn. We recognise that high self esteem, confidence, supportive friends and good lines of communication with a trusted adult can help to prevent a child from experiencing harm.

It is our responsibility to identify children who are suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm and take appropriate action. Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 requires Local Authorities and Governing Bodies of schools to make arrangements to ensure that their functions are carried out with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Our Safeguarding policy is regularly reviewed and is in line with Worcester County recommendations.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is the Deputy Headteacher, Ms Jo Illy. All members of staff are aware of this as well as the correct procedures to follow in the event of suspicions or a disclosure. All members of staff (teaching and non teaching) have knowledge of the signs of abuse and receive regular training. Recruitment of staff follows guidance on safe recruitment, published by the Worcestershire Safeguarding Board.

The full Safeguarding Policy may be requested from the School Office or available to view on the school website. Use of photographs and videos by the school

During the course of the school year the school or the press with official school permission may take photographs or video footage of your child (ren). The purposes of this may vary. Examples are: for use in promotional material about the school, for internal school notice boards, for newspaper coverage of school events / achievement, for use on the school website and for the purposes of the standard school photographs of pupils / classes.

If, at the start of the year or at any particular point during the year, you feel that you do not wish your child to be photographed or appear on a video for any of the purposes described above, please let the school know in writing, so that steps can be taken to ensure that your wishes are respected. A consent form is available from the School Office.

Please note that in relation to some events, a consequence of not including your child in photography may be that they may not be able to take part in the event itself. This is something that the school would discuss with you if it arises. Please note that unless we hear from you to the effect that you do not want your child to be photographed for these purposes, we will assume that you are content for such photography / filming to take place.

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Nursery Funding

The current universal entitlement of 15 hours nursery funding will remain. An additional 15 hours may be claimed by parents of three and four year olds who meet the following criteria:

Who is eligible for 30 hours?

They earn or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months.

This equates to £120 a week (or c.£6,000 a year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 a week (or c.£5,800 a year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old.

This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on zero hours contract.

The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work.

Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave.

Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work.

Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.

If a non-EEA national, the parent must have recourse to public funds.

The governing body has decided to offer the 30 hours as part of a full-time place, which are allocated as: 8.45am - 3.30pm.

Who will not qualify?

A parent will not meet the criteria when:

Either parent has an income of more than £100,000

Either parent is a non-EEA national and subject to immigration control (and has no recourse to public funds).

What happens if a parent loses eligibility?

They will receive a “grace period” - this means they will be able to keep their childcare for a short period.

Once the “grace period” has lapsed, the parent may be entitled to the universal 15 hour entitlement.

The Application Process

Parents should visit www.childcarechoices.org.uk for more information on nursery funding and to make an application online.

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Payment of Fees Any hours, over and above entitled funded hours, will be invoiced on a monthly basis prior to the beginning of each month. From September 2020 our hourly rate is £6.00 per hour. Payments must be made within 30 days of the invoice. Late and/or non-payments could result in a loss of your child’s nursery place and possible legal action.

All fees are payable in advance and are deemed non-refundable and Nursery funding is claimed by the school on a monthly basis.

Fees remain payable and refunds will not be made for the school building closing and the School Nursery being unable to operate for reasons beyond our control, such as adverse weather, power failure etc.

Parents will be notified of any increase to these fees by giving 4 weeks’ written notice. Termination of Hours

Should you wish to remove your child from Crown Meadow Nursery, you must give a half term’s written notice (commencement of notice will be taken from receipt of the letter).

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Links with Crown Meadow First School

The children in nursery will develop links with the whole school community through attending relevant assemblies.

We aim to provide a smooth transfer from Nursery to Reception, where the children will experience the last year of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The staff in the Nursery and Reception classes work closely together, planning and discussing the progress of the children, to enable them to achieve their potential.

Strong links exist between Nursery and Reception staff, so that the children become familiar with the environment and the staff in Reception.

Although our procedures for transition are in place and effective, parents should be mindful that children in Nursery do not automatically get a place at Crown Meadow First School in September. The admissions policy for schools is managed by Worcestershire County Council and further details regarding this are available on their website. Procedure in the case of a complaint

It is almost inevitable that within the complex interactions of a school, misunderstanding may occur despite the best intentions of all concerned.

If you are unsure of, or unhappy with any aspect of the schools provision for your child, please contact the school. Such difficulties are often best dealt with close at hand - the class teacher is often the best first contact to share your concerns with. If this is not suited to the nature of the concern then the Head or Deputy Head should be contacted through the school office.

Our school procedure for resolving concerns and for addressing complaints for matters other than curriculum complaints is set out below:

1 All serious complaints should be directed to the Headteacher. The Headteacher will always meet concerned parents in order to resolve difficulties.

2 A parent who feels that the issue has not been resolved should contact the Clerk to the Governors. (Names and telephone numbers may be obtained from the School Office)

3 Parents will be given a copy of the school “Complaints Procedure” policy (Copy also available on the school website) with guidance and steps form making a formal complaint to the school Governing Body.

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Term Dates 2020 - 2021 Autumn Term 2020

Term Begins Tuesday 1st September 2020

Tuesday 1st September 2020 - Teacher Education Day (school closed to pupils)

Wednesday 2nd September 2020 - Teacher Education Day (school closed to pupils)

Thursday 3rd September 2020 - Children in years 1, 2, 3 & 4 return to school Monday 14th September 2020 - Reception children start Monday 21st September 2020 - Nursery children start

Friday 23rd October 2020 - Teacher Education Day (school closed to pupils)

Half Term Monday 26th October to Friday 30th October 2020

Term Ends Friday 18th December 2020

Spring Term 2021

Term Begins Monday 4th January 2021

Monday 4th January 2021 - Teacher Education Day (school closed to pupils)

Half Term Monday 15th February to Friday 19th February 2021

Term Ends Thursday 1st April 2021

Summer Term 2021

Term Begins Monday 19th April 2021

Monday 3rd May 2021 - May Day Bank Holiday

Half Term Monday 31st May to Friday 4th June 2021

Monday 7th June 2021 - Teacher Education Day (school closed to pupils)

Term Ends Wednesday 21st July 2021

Other Dates

Good Friday Friday 2nd April 2021

Easter Monday Monday 5th April 2021

May Day Monday 3rd May 2021

Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday 31st May 2021 We hope you have found this booklet useful, but should you have any matters you would like to discuss or any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office.

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Our Nursery Admission Policy

Attendance at an LA maintained nursery does not give entitlement or greater priority for a reception place in the school providing the nursery provision, for the period of statutory education. Places in reception classes are allocated as per the admissions policy for the school. It is a parent’s responsibility to ensure they apply for a school place at the relevant time.

All 3 & 4 year old children are entitled to 570 hours per year of early education, based on a maximum of 15 hours per week over 38 weeks of the year. This entitlement can be accessed flexibly across a range of providers with LA maintained nurseries offering all or some of the free entitlement.

Since September 2017, some children are entitled to up to 1140 hours per year, based on a maximum of 30 hours per week over 38 weeks of the year. Further information about the increased entitlement will be available here: https://www.gov.uk/topic/schools-colleges-childrens-services/early-years.

In line with statutory guidance, we are offering one place entirely funded by school on a full-time basis each year (8.45am - 3.30pm).

All places will be full-time in the initial Autumn Term. This will be reviewed to consider part-time, 2 or 3 day places, if and when Coronavirus restrictions are eased.

This decision will be made dependent upon whether a child meets the free place criteria. This criteria is on a first come, first served basis and the child must be eligible for either: Child in Need, Pupil Premium, Looked After child or Child in Crisis or other extenuating circumstances. This entitlement will be reviewed on a termly basis.

The area served by any nursery is wider than the catchment area of the providing school and may vary according to local circumstances.

The area served by any nursery is wider than the catchment area of the providing school and may vary according to local circumstances.

Priority will be given on a first come first serve basis after those children who are currently attending our Nursery (2019/20).

If the demand for places exceeds those available, the following criteria will be used to allocate places:

Looked After* and Previously Looked After* children;

Children with additional needs**, with priority given to those who meet the County Council’s criteria for statutory assessment;

Siblings if the older sibling will still be on the roll of the nursery class when the younger sibling starts in the nursery class;

Children living nearest to the school measured by the shortest straight line distance.

*’Looked after’ means all those currently in care or accommodated by a Local Authority under the terms of the Children Act 1989 and children who were previously in care or accommodated by a Local Authority but immediately after being looked after, became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order.

**Additional needs includes those children whose needs are monitored by LA or external support agencies. Needs may be physical/emotional/social or intellectual. The decision will be taken by the LA in consultation with the Headteacher, SENCo and early years’ teacher/co-ordinator.

The sibling connection, as well as brother and sister will include half-siblings, adopted children, step-siblings or a child of the parent/carers partner. They must also be living at the same home address. Children who are brought together as a family by a same sex civil partnership and who are living at the same address, are also considered to be siblings.