Lochardil Primary School

Nursery Prospectus

Session 2013-14

Prospectus revised 1/13

Lochardil Primary School Lochardil Road IV2 4LB

Telephone: 01463 230250 Fax: 01463 710682

E-mail: lochardil.primary@.gov.uk 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 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.

The Highland Council have also developed a winter weather website which can be accessed at the web address: www.winter.highlandschools.org.uk.

Photography At the start of the session parents/carers will be asked to provide written permission for their child to be photographed at nursery. The staff (or an approved photographer) will take occasional pictures of the nursery in operation and will display these photographs on the notice board. Copies may also be made available to parents/carers.

Child Profiles Observations are made on children in line with the Curriculum for Excellence. This information is recorded on individual profiles which are shared with parents/carers at interview times and provide the basis for writing reports. If any concerns arise they will be shared with parents/carers as soon as possible. The profiles are also shared with the Primary One teachers.

Introduction to School The nursery utilises school facilities as much as possible. Throughout the year joint activities are organised between nursery and P1 with a focus on Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and Numeracy. These activities help to ensure a smooth transition from the pre-school year to Primary 1.

CHILD PROTECTION From time to time incidents can occur within the school setting which cause concern and could indicate that a pupil is suffering some form of abuse. In terms of Highland Child Protection Committee Inter-agency Protection Guidelines, Education Service staff must report such incidents to Social Work Services which can lead to a joint Social Work/Police investigation. More information about Child Protection Procedures can be obtained from the Child Protection Development Officer, Highland Child Protection Committee, Building, Road, Inverness, IV3 8NN – Telephone (01463) 703483 Fax (01463) 713237

GETTING IT RIGHT FOR EVERY CHILD: Working together

This pre-school education centre works closely with other agencies so that the resources we have will bring the most benefit to families. The aim is to ensure we have the right services for your child at the right time.

We have a Link Health Visitor, who visits the centre at least once a term. Her/his main role is to offer advice on children’s development and to be the lead person if your child requires any extra support. S/he will also liaise with your own Family Health Visitor.

Our centre’s Link Health Visitor is: ___Lisa Revill/Lee Parkes______

Tel. No. ______01463 706700______

If your child would benefit from help from other agencies, you will usually be asked for permission so that relevant information can be shared. This enables staff to get a rounded picture of your child and means you won’t keep being asked for the same information by different people.

If it is believed your child’s immediate safety is at risk, we can share their information without consent, enabling us to deal quickly with any potential situation, e.g. child protection issues or emergency medical procedures when parents/carers are not present. (Agreed by Highland GIRFEC & Early Years working group, October 2007)

Comments and Suggestions We hope you will enjoy your child's time at our Nursery. We welcome comments or suggestions which could help us to improve our service and these should be directed to the Nursery Staff or placed in the Nursery suggestion box. However, we are aware that difficulties can occur from time to time, and if you feel you have reason to complain then please follow the procedure outlined below.

Please use the open door policy and speak to the person in charge of the Nursery, either at the beginning or end of a Nursery session. If you prefer, an appointment can be made to speak to the Nursery Staff in private. It will then, in consultation with the parents/carers, be decided if the matter needs to be taken further, in which case the Deputy Head Teacher or Head Teacher will be informed and a meeting arranged. If necessary, the matter will be brought to the attention of the Area Education Manager who will decide the next steps to be taken. Parents/carers will be kept fully informed at each stage and will be invited to attend any meetings being held.

Parents/carers are also able to contact SCSWIS/The Care Inspectorate directly with a complaint, if they so wish. The "How to Complain" SCSWIS/The Care Inspectorate document is available. You will find a copy of this displayed on our Nursery notice board. The local address and telephone number for our centre is:

SCSWIS / The Care Inspectorate 1st Floor Castle House Fairways Business Park Inverness IV2 6AA

Telephone : 01463 227630 THE NURSERY DAY

Most theories about learning stress the importance of communicating with others and consequently we will encourage your child to co-operate and work with other children and the various adults with whom the child comes in contact.

Much of the children's learning will be through play, where children are offered a range of activities each with an underlying educational purpose.

Play is the means by which humans explore a variety of experiences in different situations for a variety of purposes. It is a process that provides a way of learning; therefore it should be seen as a means of teaching and learning rather than a separate entity.

So why play?

- Through activity based learning the brain and body are stimulated and active.

- It provides pleasure and enjoyment which in turn will motivate children to further their learning by persevering, overcoming difficulties and concentrating for longer periods of time.

- It helps to build confidence in themselves and their abilities.

- It allows the child to tackle new experiences in a non-threatening situation.

- It can provide an escape, relieve boredom, allow for relaxation and the opportunity for solitude.

- It helps the child to judge the many variables within social interactions and develop perceptions about other people.

- Skills can be practised and repeated as many times as is necessary for confidence and mastery.

- Opportunities for sensory experiences which are the foundation of intellectual development are provided.

- It provides reasons children can understand for acquiring skills and knowledge, and creates context for language development.

Through their play children learn to:

- Co-operate with each other - Share - Listen - Talk - Measure - Weigh - Organise - Think - Become more independent - Develop self-confidence - Control their body - Develop their creative skills - Use appropriate vocabulary - Behave appropriately

Children will also be given opportunities to:

- listen to stories - sing and take part in a range of musical activities - learn poems - visit their local environment - care for plants

A wide range of play activities are made available to the children at every session, from which they are free to choose their own activity. There are six main types of play activity, offering opportunities for quiet, busy, absorbing, active and social play. These types are commonly recognised as physically active or adventure play, manipulative play, discovery play, creative play, social play and imaginative play. Sometimes children will want to play alone and sometimes with friends, occasionally they may simply need to take time out or look on.

The range of activities on offer encourages development in all the areas of Curriculum for Excellence. Through these activities children are encouraged to become

 Successful learners  Confident individuals  Effective contributors  Responsible citizens.

Throughout our activities we will also focus on the main development areas of

 Literacy  Numeracy  Health and well being

We also focus on developing children’s own interests and extending their knowledge through play.

Activities offered to the children include:

- Sand and water play - Playdough - Painting - Junk modelling - Glueing - Jigsaws - Board games - Construction toys e.g. Lego, Duplo etc - Imaginative play e.g. the home corner, the hospital etc - Building blocks - Outdoor activities - Story corner - Drawing - Music activities - Small World play - Computer and ICT activities

PARENTS/CARERS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE NURSERY

The nursery recognises the role of the parent/carer, in the education process, as that of a partner.

The individual interest and support of parents/carers in their child's education is crucial.

We encourage parents/carers to inform the nursery staff of any worries that they or their child may have. It is also important that parents/carers make nursery staff aware of any information that may affect their child in nursery.

Parents/carers also contribute to the success of the nursery by voluntary activities:

 Helping with an educational outing or visit  Contributing to the educational life of the nursery, by taking or showing something of interest to the children within the nursery. Please contact the nursery to discuss your idea.

The Nursery recognises the importance of parents/carers receiving relevant and regular information.

Parents/carers are provided with written and verbal reports on their child's progress. In addition the nursery holds "Stay & Play" sessions during the year, where parents/carers are able to attend a nursery session with their child.