Lochardil Primary School Nursery Prospectus Session 2013-14 Prospectus revised 1/13 Lochardil Primary School Lochardil Road Inverness IV2 4LB Telephone: 01463 230250 Fax: 01463 710682 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.lochardilprimary.org.uk LOCHARDIL PRIMARY SCHOOL NURSERY PROSPECTUS CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Welcome to the nursery, nursery staffing AIMS OF THE NURSERY GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY Nursery hours, terms dates, nursery intake, snack, clothing, toileting, illness, early closure, visits, comments & suggestions, child protection, photography and introduction to Primary 1. THE NURSERY DAY CONTRIBUTION OF PARENTS/CARERS INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO OUR NURSERY We hope very much that you and your child will enjoy your time at the Nursery. Your child is at a very crucial stage of his/her development, as it is now accepted that children learn more rapidly in the first seven years of life than at any other time. Therefore, it is really important that the children are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential. As a parent/carer, you play a vitally important part in the process. We in the nursery, hope to play our part by treating your child as an individual and offering him/her a variety of experiences and activities which are designed to further the development process. We support children to help develop the skills required to become successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals. We hope that your child finds out that learning can be an enjoyable and worthwhile process. This prospectus is intended to give you information about the Nursery, but please feel free to contact us if there is anything about which you are uncertain. The Nursery Staff are available before and after each nursery session to discuss any concerns parents/carers may have about their child STAFF Nursery Assistant Mrs Anne Graves Mrs Dawn Reed (a.m.) Mrs Suzanne Campbell (p.m. – temporary) Nursery Auxiliaries Miss Heather Munro Mrs Suzanne Campbell (a.m.) Mrs Lorraine Weir (temporary) Vacancy (temporary) Head Teacher Mrs Lynne Caddell Depute Head Teacher Miss Olivia Melville Area Group Principal Teacher Pre-School Education Mrs Ruth MacLean AIMS OF THE NURSERY Nursery Aims and policies are reviewed annually and copies are available for parents/carers to read in a folder located in the nursery open area. Lochardil Nursery aims to: 1. Provide a caring, happy, safe and stimulating environment for the children, where their views are valued. 2. Foster the development of the individual child by delivering play experiences in line with national and local advice. From August 2010 we have been working towards the 8 curricular areas of “Curriculum for Excellence” (expressive arts, health & wellbeing, language, mathematics, religious and moral education, sciences, social studies, technologies) and support the children to develop the skills to become successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals. 3. Work in accordance with the national care standards as laid out by the “ The Care Inspectorate – National care standards Early Education & Childcare up to the age of 16”. (SCSWIS) 4. Recognise the important role of parents/carers and encourage them to become involved in their child's learning and development. 5. Provide parents/carers with regular information about their child's activities, progress and development. 6. Provide a strong sense of the ethics of fairness, tolerance and sensitivity to the particular needs of individuals and societies, and take steps to prevent discrimination on any grounds but particularly with regard to race, gender and disability. 7. Provide staff with relevant training and opportunities for continuing professional development. 8. Actively look for opportunities to involve the local community in the life of the nursery. As an integral part of Lochardil Primary School, we also adhere to the School aims. (Date reviewed: December 2012) Nursery education is concerned with the development of the individual child. We hope to promote the child's ability to: develop strategies for learning seek out and respond to learning opportunities choose and plan their own activity and take control of their own learning collaborate and reflect with others think and share ideas acquire knowledge, skills and understanding for use in new situations communicate with peers and adults express themselves through the medium of art, craft, music, drama and movement develop self-esteem and be more tolerant of others have fun and enjoy themselves The Nursery promotes Equal Opportunities for all. NURSERY POLICIES The nursery currently has policies on the following:- Health and Safety - including Appendix 1- Administration of Medicines & Appendix 2 – Risk Assessment Role of Nursery Staff Confidentiality Child Protection Behaviour Management-including Appendix 1-Restraint Nursery Curriculum Additional Support Needs Equal Opportunities Race Equality Transition from Playgroup/Care Centre to Nursery Transition from Nursery to P1 Parent/carer Involvement Comments and Complaints Accidents & Incidents Emergency Arrangements Settling-in Outdoor Play Toileting Toothbrushing Animals in the Nursery Healthy Eating ICT No Smoking Students Volunteers GENERAL INFORMATION Nursery Hours: Morning Session 9.00am - 11.30am Afternoon session 12:25pm – 2.55pm The children must be brought to the Nursery and collected by an adult known to the child. Please ensure that your child does not enter the car park unattended. Nursery Term Dates Session 2013 – 2014 After the summer break the school reopens on Tuesday 20th August 2013 October close Friday 4th October 2013 open Tuesday 22nd October 2013 Christmas close Friday 20th December 2013 open Monday 6th January 2014 Easter close Friday 4th April 2014 open Tuesday 22nd April 2014 May Day closed Monday 5th May 2014 Summer close Thursday 3rd July 2014 The nursery class is closed on school holidays and all in-service days. Mid Term break Monday & Tuesday, 17th & 18th February 2014 In-service closure days: Monday 19thth August 2013 Monday 21st October 2013 Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 19th, 20th & 21st February 2014 The school calendar for year 2013/2014 can be downloaded from the Highland Council Website http://www.highland.gov.uk/learninghere/schools/schooltermdates/ Nursery Enrolment Parents/carers of children who attend our nursery, but live outwith the catchment area should be aware that a place in our Nursery does not guarantee automatic progression to Primary One at Lochardil Primary School. If you wish to apply for a place at Lochardil Primary School, a written placing request must be made to: Area Education, Culture & Sport Manager, Area Education Office, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX. Telephone 01463 702811 Snack The children will be given a small snack every day. The main purpose of this activity is to develop a range of social skills associated with eating. At times the children are involved in helping to prepare some of the snack themselves under adult supervision. It is important that parents/carers advise nursery staff of any dietary requirements or allergies prior to their child starting nursery. A list of children with food allergies/special requirements is clearly displayed in the food preparation area to serve as a constant reminder to staff. The nursery follows a Healthy Eating Policy. Due to Health & Safety we are unable to accept any home baking or other foodstuffs for consumption in the nursery. Clothing All children must bring a pair of suitable indoor shoes. It would be appreciated if the shoes are easy to get on and off. Please make sure that all the children's shoes and clothes are labelled clearly. School uniform is optional and order forms will be available before the summer break. If uniform is not worn, please ensure your child does not wear “good” clothes to nursery as they will have the opportunity to participate in messy activities. Toileting The Highland Council has an equal opportunities policy and children cannot be refused admission to nursery because they are not toilet trained. If necessary parents/carers should discuss their child’s toilet needs with staff prior to starting nursery. Illness Children at Nursery have more opportunities to come into contact with infections, so parents/carers are advised to check that all vaccinations are up to date. If necessary contact your Health Visitor or GP for further advice. In accordance with Highland Council policy all absences must be notified to the school office, by telephone, by 9.15am on a daily basis and followed by a letter on the child’s return. Children who are unwell should be kept at home until they are fully recovered and ready to attend the nursery again. In cases of sickness/diarrhoea children must be kept away from nursery for 48 hours after the last occurrence, to avoid the spread of infection. If your child becomes ill, or has an accident while attending nursery, we will contact you by telephone. If there is no reply we will then ring your emergency contact number. Early Closure Should the Nursery need to close earlier than normal you will be contacted by telephone if prior warning has not been given out. Again we will contact your emergency contact to come and collect your child if there is no reply. During adverse weather conditions, the school would always try to maintain a normal service. If there was an occasion when the school was unable to open, due to overnight power failure and/or heating problems, notice would be given in the morning on local radio, and on the school's telephone information service which can be accessed by dialling the Highland Council's access number 0870 054 6999 and then entering the school's pin number 04 2500. Radio stations request that since telephone lines are busy at such times, parents/carers should not phone in for advice, but listen to appropriate broadcasts. BBC Scotland BBC Alba/Radio nan Gaidheal Morning Report 6.45 - 7.00am 7.30 - 8.00am Moray Firth Radio Hourly new bulletins and emergency bulletins when schools are affected by bad weather.