Kincraig Road, Blackpool. FY2 0HN

Tel: 01253 354059 Fax: 01253 354072

Email: admin@kincraig.blackpool.sch.uk

Welcome to Kincraig Ducklings Nursery

We hope you and your child will be very happy here. There are lots of adults that you will see in the nursery

Let’s meet the team

Mrs Faye McCulloch is the Nursery Manager who works full time and oversees the day to day running of the nursery and ensures that the policies and procedures of the setting and school, as well as legislation and legislative frameworks are fully adhered to.

Miss Julie Norris is the Nursery Class Teacher and works in the nursery full time.

Miss Tamara Barker works in the nursery full time. She is a Key Worker for the 3 year olds and supports the Nursery Teacher.

Mrs Tracy Walkden is one of our 2 year old Key Workers and works in the nursery full time.

Mrs Toni Ormond is one of our 2 year old Key Workers and works in the nursery all day on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Mrs Emma Oldham is the SENCO and covers and releases the manager and the nursery teacher to do PPA (usually on a Wednesday afternoon.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please come and speak to one of us.

We believe in providing a fun and stimulating environment for your child, where they will grow and thrive! If your child has any particular interests please let us know, as we will try, wherever possible, to incorporate this into the activities we do.

We follow Development Matters as set out within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2014, which is a document that outlines children’s development from birth to the end of Reception; it can be used as a guide to help us make best-fit judgements about whether a child is showing typical development for their age. We use this to track your child’s progress and development and to help us plan your child’s next steps in their learning journey

The EYFS at Kincraig Ducklings Nursery

Early years learning concentrates on 7 areas of learning which are split into prime and specific areas. Nursery is resourced and activities are provided to support these areas of learning within the EYFS.

The prime areas of learning are:

Communication and language Physical development Personal, social and emotional development

The specific areas of learning are:

Literacy Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design

Key Person The EYFS 2014 states: “The learning and development requirements are informed by the best available evidence on how children learn and reflect the broad range of skills, knowledge and attitudes children need as a foundation for good future progress. Early Years providers must guide the development of children’s capabilities with a view to ensuring that children in their care complete the EYFS ready to benefit fully from the opportunities ahead of them.” Therefore, each child attending nursery will have either an Early Years Teacher or Key Worker (depending on age) allocated to ensure they meet their individual needs and developmental goals. The Early Years Teacher ensures that the pre-school children are well equipped and ready for school, by ensuring that children learn and develop well. The teacher promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’. The Early Years practitioners act as key workers for children aged 2 and 3. Together they and are responsible for making sure the children are given a stimulating start which is delivered in a fun and exciting way. As a team we provide quality care and appropriate educational experiences for children.

Phonics

When we think your child is ready they will take part in phonics sessions. To begin with the phonics sessions focus on listening to and distinguishing between different sounds, hearing and continuing rhyme, identifying letter sounds and segmenting and blending simple words. Our 2 year olds love to join in with a story or rhyme session just before snack in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2014

The EYFS sets the standards which ensures that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s school readiness and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school life.

‘Children are born ready, able and eager to learn. They actively reach out to interact with other people, and in the world around them. Development is not an automatic process, however. It depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments’.

The following are the themes which guide our nursery team;

You can find further information about the Early Years Foundation Stage (2014), which includes the early learning goals at www.foundationyears.org.uk

A Unique child – every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

At nursery – every child’s likes and interests influence; individual observation, assessment and planning, care routines and emotional well-being.

Positive relationships – children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.

At nursery – each child has either a Teacher, or Key worker to support the child and their families to build a two-way partnership.

Enabling environment – children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers.

At nursery – the indoor and outdoor areas are inviting and well resourced offering a

fun learning environment which differentiates between the age groups of all children.

Learning and development – children develop and learn in different ways. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early year’s provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

At nursery – the nursery team use observation to assess each child at the own development stage. This supports the planning to provide opportunities to extend their individual learning. A well balanced planed purposeful play, comprising of adult led and child initiated activities ensures that children are progressing and working towards being ‘school ready’. Teaching is often done through play, where the child learns about subjects and other people through games. We plan activities using themes that are flexible and adapt according to children’s interests. We enhance the areas of nursery with new and exciting activities relating to the theme.

As a parent/carer, how can I help with my child’s learning? All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school.

Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child it will make a real difference to your child’s confidence as a young learner.

If you're looking for new ideas for things to do then find out what is on offer at our Children’s Centre or your own local one. Many offer ‘messy play’ activities which you and your child can join in with, and many of the activities they provide are free. Staff can also give you advice about the kinds of books or other activities your child might enjoy at different ages.

Talk about the numbers, colours,

words and letters you see when

you are out and about Sing and tell

nursery

rhymes

Allow your child to cut

out and stick pictures

from magazines

Plant seeds or bulbs in a pot or

garden patch

Cook / bake

together

Use the weather – shadows, rain

puddles, snow, wind, mist and sun – to

extend your child’s vocabulary

Explore the park at a

different time of the year

– go off the beaten track

Talk to your child at

every opportunity –

e.g. what you are

doing that day

Share a book

On a trip to the

supermarket, talk

about all the

different packaging

shapes

AM Daily programme

Time AM Activity

8:30 Staff arrive, set up for activities, complete a daily risk assessment Designated person: Prepare breakfast / snack Designated person: Risk assessment All other staff: Set up activities indoors and the environment outside.

8:45 The children come in via the side gate and find their name on the self-registration board and place it on a duck which indicates they are at nursery. Parents / carers are expected to fill in the collection form to say who will be collecting their child from nursery. The children can then access the continuous provision and choose an activity that they would like to do.

8:55 Gates close, register taken and the children join together in groups – 2 years olds in the main nursery room and rising 3’s and pre-schoolers in the quiet room for learning activities such as rhymes, stories and counting.

9:15 Breakfast / snack

9: 30 – 11:30 10:30

Continuous provision for the 2-3 year olds Continuous provision, adult initiated and child led activities, observations through play, optional activities e.g. P.E. circle time and letters and sound activities Nappies

Teaching for pre-schoolers:

9:30 – 11:30

Adult led activities in small groups Continuous Provision Free play – observations and extending children’s learning

11:25 Tidy up time in both the indoor and the outdoor environments.

11:30 Quiet room – children going home Wash hands – children staying for lunch

11:45 Designated person to take children to dining hall for lunch. Children who stay

for the morning session are collected by their authorised adult. Please check your child’s tray at home time for important letters and your child’s masterpieces! Children can become upset if their routine is disrupted. If you are delayed please telephone the school immediately, many staff only get half an hour for lunch so we need to make arrangements to supervise your child and may have to charge you for this extra staffing.

Children staying for a full day will join the Reception Class for lunch in the school hall.

PM Daily programme Time PM Activity

12:15 – 13:00 The afternoon children are collected from the Nursery playground. Parents are expected to fill in the collection form to say who will be collecting their child from nursery. The children come in and find their name on the self-registration board and place it on a duck which indicates they are at nursery. The children will access continuous provision with the rest of nursery in both the indoor and outdoor environments.

12:55 Register taken and the children join together in groups – 2 years olds in the main nursery room and rising 3’s and pre-schoolers in the quiet room for learning activities such as rhymes, stories and counting.

13:15 Snack

13:30 – 14:30 14:00

Continuous provision for the 2-3 year olds Continuous provision, adult initiated and child led activities, observations through play, optional activities e.g. P.E. circle time and letters and sound activities Nappies

Teaching for pre-schoolers:

13:30 –

14:45

Adult led activities in small groups Continuous Provision Free play – observations and extending children’s learning

14:45 – 15:00 Outdoors cleared

14:45 Tidy up time

14:55 Quiet room – all children for story / singing

Designated staff start close down duties

15:10 Children are collected by their authorised adult. (We open the gate at 3.10pm for parents who need to collect older children from school at 3.15pm.) Please check your child’s tray at home time for important letters and your child’s masterpieces! Children can become upset if their routine is disrupted. If you are delayed please telephone the school immediately, staff are required to do other jobs and attend meetings after the nursery closes so we need make arrangements to supervise your child and may have to charge you for this extra staffing.

Snacks and lunches

All snacks and lunches will be nutritious and pay due attention to individual dietary requirements. During the induction process, the manager will record any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that a child may have and any special health requirements. Fresh drinking water is always available for the children to help themselves to and drink during the day. If your child is with us for the morning session we provide breakfast / snack for your child. This is a social time where we sit and have milk or water with a selection of chopped fruit and usually brioche, Soreen or pancakes. If you child is with us for the afternoon session the children go into their groups to enjoy a story and have milk or water with some fruit.

If your child is with us for the full day they can either have a hot school meal at a charge of £1.50 or you can provide a packed lunch.

What to bring

Each child will have a tray and a coat peg. Please ensure your child is sent into nursery with a waterproof coat and wellies, as come rain or shine we love to play outside. When the weather is cold please make sure your child has a hat and gloves with them. It is also essential to have spare clothes for all children but especially if your child is toilet training. If your child is in nappies or pull ups we need you to provide nappies / pull ups and baby wipes.

Nursery is about active learning and this involves a range of activities both inside and out. As the children will get messy as part of their play we provide aprons to protect clothing but sometimes accidents happen and clothes may get wet from water play or might get paint or mud on them.

In summer please try to provide your child with appropriate clothing and a sun hat. We ask parents to take responsibility for applying a sunscreen to all exposed areas of children’s skin before nursery.

Behaviour

We understand that some behaviour will be linked to a particular stage of development. However, our aim is to work towards helping children to understand “what is right, what is wrong and why.”We love to praise children and concentrate on positive behaviour and we find this is the best way to encourage appropriate behaviour. We have a set of Nursery rules for the children and we share these daily to ensure everybody is safe and happy. If a child is breaking one of our rules they will get a warning, if this happens again they will have a short period of time out. When we see the child doing the correct thing they will be positively praised. At the end of the session parents and carers will be informed if their child has had a period of time out. Staff aim to be consistent in their approach whilst responding sensitively to individual circumstances. In cases of extreme behaviour the involvement of the SENCO and Head teacher at an early stage is seen as appropriate. We encourage parents to help us provide a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where everyone is made to feel welcome and treated with consideration and respect.

Sharing Achievements

We love hearing about your child’s achievements. In Nursery we have a ‘Linking Learning’ board with post-it notes that you can fill in. We would love to know if you see your child doing something you didn’t know they could do, especially achievements the children have done out of nursery. You can then place the completed post-it note on the board and we will include it in their ‘Record of Achievement’ file.

Communication

At the beginning of each session staff are available for you to pass on quick messages or ask questions. If you need a more private moment, or need to speak to us at length you can make an appointment to see the Nursery Manager, Teacher or your child’s Key Worker. Sharing information is vital to ensure the wellbeing of your child. We will hold two parents evenings over the year, one in the Autumn term and one in the Spring term. You will receive a written report at the end of the year and will have the opportunity to discuss this with us if you want to. If you would like to see some of the observations we have made about your child you can ask to view you child’s ‘Record of Achievement’ file.

Medical

For the health and welfare of all the children who come to nursery we request that you do not bring your child into nursery if they are ill or have an infectious disease. Keep them at home for at least 48 hours until symptoms have passed with no signs of sickness/diarrhoea. Please ensure your child is eating and drinking normally. If prescribed with antibiotics then they will not be permitted to attend nursery until 48 hours after start of treatment. In the event of illness, we have the right to send any child home, if senior staff feel that they are not well enough to attend.

Accidents

Unfortunately accidents do sometimes happen at nursery even though we try to prevent them. All accidents are recorded on an accident form, which tells you what has happened, where it had happened and how the child was hurt. You will be asked to sign the accident slip. In the event of a serious accident taking place we will contact you immediately to advise you of the event and what action has been taken.

Authorised Adults

We will only let your child be collected from Nursery by an adult authorised by you. In the “All About Me” booklet you will complete a sheet telling us about the adults you authorise to collect your child. You are asked to sign your child into Nursery and write who is expected to collect your child. If this changes before home time please let us know, especially if you are sending someone who is not authorised.

Policies

A list of all policies can be found in the Parent Information Area situated in the cloakroom of the nursery. There is a file of all policies available on request. Many of our policies are available on the school website. If you would like any other information please don’t hesitate to ask.

Complaints

If you have any difficulties or concerns in nursery please speak to a member of staff. Most difficulties can be resolved by discussion and explanation. If problems cannot be resolved within the nursery and you wish to take the matter further you can ask to speak with the Nursery manager.

We hope you found the information in this booklet useful. If you have any further questions please talk to a member of staff. We look forward to working in partnership with you to provide the best start to your child’s learning at Kincraig Ducklings Nursery.