A. All children are individuals and will be ready at different ages.
Children can join us during the term that they turn three. We encourage children to be out of nappies before starting school, but we understand that this is not always possible. Toilet-training is not a part of our programme but we will support parents in their approaches from home. As part of our intimate care policy, children will be changed three times per day as a minimum (and also when required).
We do expect parents to provide the setting with nappies and wipes for their own child.
A. Breakfast is served in morning wraparound at 8:15am. This consists of toast, pancakes, cereal or yoghurt.
The children receive a drink of milk or water at 10:30am during morning break time.
We have a wide range of food on offer at lunchtime (11:30am), freshly prepared by our Chef and his team. There is a daily choice of a hot main meal with a hot vegetarian alternative. We also offer Halal options. A daily pudding choice is available and there is plenty of fresh fruit and yoghurts.
The menu for each week is available on the website, so parents can see in advance what food is available.
There are many members of staff on duty to help children with their choice of food and to ensure that they eat a balanced meal. We always encourage children to try new food. Our team is used to catering for all dietary needs.
The children receive a healthy afternoon snack at 2:30pm. This consists of either raisins, breadsticks, crudités or fresh fruit.
Wraparound club serves a light tea at 4:30pm consisting of sandwiches, vegetable sticks and a dessert.
A. Children join Hydesville Tower Nursery when they are age three. Children can join us as soon as they have celebrated their third birthday and almost all progress into our Reception when they are 4+. Children with autumn birthdays will spend almost two years with us, joining Reception just prior to their 5th birthday. Children who turn three in July or August enjoy our nursery for just over a year. Wherever their birthday falls, you can be confident that your child will have an exceptional start to their educational journey.
A. Parents have the opportunity each day to talk to the Key Practitioner at the start or end of the core hours (8:45am/3:25pm). We are very happy for parents to contact us to make a longer appointment if they need a more detailed conversation. Messages can be left for staff by parents who are dropping off or collecting their children outside of the core hours.
Brief daily feedback will be verbal at the end of the day if all has gone well and more detailed feedback if staff need to discuss important concerns.
We have three formal parents’ consultations during the year – one per term – and a full written report in the summer term. There are regular newsletters, and the website is always updated with information and news. We have a parent app called Cognita Connect where electronic messages and letters are sent to personal email addresses.
We have Parent Engagement Events each term to bring home and Nursery together around themes or activities.
The children all have an online Learning Journal called Tapestry, which parents will have access to and are able to view observations and activities throughout the week. Staff aim to post at least three observations weekly. Parents are also able to communicate with staff through this medium.
A. A termly invoice is sent out in advance and this is due for payment on or before the start of term. Payment is made by termly direct debit.
Non fee items, such as breakfast, tea, Holiday Fun Clubs, trips and visits are paid for via Cognita Connect, our parent app.
A. To spread the cost of the fees, parents can apply to My School Fee Plan: the link is here. This allows monthly direct debit payments to be made, although there is a small charge for this credit agreement.
A. Yes, we do. There are some fully funded places and all other places have the relevant funded hours deducted from the nursery place concerned before the charged hours are allocated. The universal 15 hours’ grant is automatically claimed on your behalf once eligible. The 30 hours’ requires the parent to apply on the Gov.Uk website to generate a code to enable Hydesville to make the grant claim on their behalf.
A. Yes, we do. Parents can apply through the Tax Free childcare portal on the Gov.uk website. Please advise the school if you are planning to use this method of payment in conjunction with the other standard methods of payment: termly direct debit or monthly instalments through My School Fee Plan.
A. The usual age for a child to start reading is around the age of five. In Nursery we see the importance of developing pre-reading skills at an early age as they set children up to decode words independently and read with understanding. They need to be developed before teaching a child to read. We follow a Dfe approved phonic scheme which will support the pre-reading development process.
A. Our staff will always be happy to discuss your child’s learning programme with you. Nursery curriculum letters are sent home termly to keep you informed about the topics and your child’s work. Evidence is kept in each child’s personal portfolio on the online Tapestry app, and they also have books and folders that you will be able to look at during parents’ consultations.
Staff may also direct you to the Department for Education website for further information about Early Years education and how you can support this at home.
A. Nursery opens for the normal school day at 8.45am. Nursery finishes at 3.25pm when pupils are either collected by a parent/carer or attend Nursery Wraparound Club. Breakfast Club is available from 7.30am (small fee charged) or 8am – 8.45am and After School Care runs from 3.30pm to 6pm. Wraparound care is a complimentary service; however, breakfast and tea are optional extras and can be purchased through the parent app, Cognita Connect.
A. Unlike day-care settings, we do not operate sleep cycles due to us being a teaching Nursery and having a full programme of activities timetabled. If a child were to show signs of fatigue, we would accommodate and make them comfortable by setting them down in a safe place to sleep.
A. All Nursery children will wear uniform. Our School uniform is stocked by Crested School Wear, Unit 1 Bradford Mall, Victorian Arcade, Walsall, WS1 1RE.
Uniform can be purchased in store during the following hours: Mon – Sat (inclusive) 9.30am – 5 pm. You can contact the store on 01922 276266. Alternatively, you can shop online at www.crestedschoolwear.co.uk
Please follow the link for the uniform list https://www.hydesville.com/school-uniform-details/
A. We set tasks every Friday to enable learning activities and conversations to take place at home.
Termly projects are also set to enable the children to be creative at home and share their learning at school during circle time.
A. Parents must ring the school office to report absences and the reasons why.
A. If your child has been sick or experienced diarrhoea they should be kept at home for 48 hours after the last episode of symptoms. This is in keeping with our sickness policy which keeps children and staff safer from infections.
A. We ask parent/carer(s) to make sure that only essential medication is taken at school; that is, where it would be detrimental to the pupil’s health not to administer the medication during the school day. These medicines can only be delivered and collected by the parent/carer, rather than the child.
If a parent or carer wants us to give their child prescribed medicine, we always obtain written permission and clear instructions showing the dose, expected time for administration and how often it is given. The dose given must always be consistent with the written instructions from the doctor/medical professional. Any inconsistency with the original packaging will be verified by the parents in writing in advance.
Where possible, medicines should be taken at home before, and after, attending school.
In some cases, for example where a very young child is on antibiotics, the parent(s)/carer(s) may be asked not to allow them to attend school for 2-3 days in case they react adversely to the medication and/or in circumstances where the school consider it is necessary to prevent the spread of infection to others. This particularly applies if the child has not had the antibiotics before.
Where a pupil has long-term or complex health needs, the First Aid Coordinator will liaise with the parents to produce an Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP) for that pupil. The IHCP is a confidential document which outlines the procedures staff follow in the event of an emergency.
