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Thornwood Nursery Class

Handbook

Session 2021 - 2022

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Contents

3. Nursery Contact Information

4. Welcome

5. Our Mission Statement and Aims

6. Staff Information

7. Nursery Information

8. Important Information

9. Policies

10. Policies

11. Policies

12. Policies

13. Our Curriculum

14. Our Curriculum

15. Health and Well Being

16. Outdoor Play

17. Early Years Documents

18. Family Engagement

19. School Term Dates and Suggestions and Complaints

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Thornwood Nursery Class

11 Thornwood Terrace

Glasgow

G11 7QZ

Telephone; 0141 339 7445 (Nursery Office)

0141 334 4271 (School Office)

Please call school office if there is no reply from the nursery

office if you need to pass an urgent message on, otherwise please

leave a message on the answering machine.

Nursery Team Leader: Ann Marie Diver

Email: gw10diverann@glow.ea.glasgow.sch.uk

Headteacher: Caroline Dunleavy

Email: Headteacher@thornwood-pri.glasgow.sch.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThornwoodPri

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Welcome

I am privileged to be the Team Leader of this nursery and

I warmly welcome you and your child to Thornwood

Nursery Class.

Here at Thornwood our families are at the heart of all we

do! We do love! We do cuddles! We do Fun! We do

Relaxing! All of these things enable the children to learn

and develop in a safe and motivating environment. Please

get involved and enjoy the nursery experience as much as

your child does.

We have high expectations of the children at Thornwood.

The children will learn through play and have lots of fun

times here.

We aim to equip the children with skills for life and

motivate them for life-long learning.

This handbook is designed to give you information about

the service we provide. If you require any additional

information or have any suggestions that could improve

our service I will be more than happy to hear from you.

Marie

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Our Mission Statement

Our Aims

• Provide a friendly and secure environment where children, staff and

parents/carers feel happy and are valued

• Encourage each child to become a successful learner by providing

challenging and stimulating experiences

• Promote awareness of health and wellbeing throughout the school to

encourage healthy and active lifestyles

• Develop the personalities, talents, abilities and ambitions of our young

people in a supportive culture where we value each other’s individuality

• Strengthen relationships with all by continuing to create a positive

ethos

• Provide a broad, relevant curriculum which meets individual needs

• Equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations

necessary to prosper.

Vision: To develop happy enthusiastic learners.

Our Shared Values:

Respect Honesty Kindness Doing Your Best Good

Sportsmanship

Aim: To promote ambition and

resilience in a supportive and nurturing

environment.

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Staff Information

Management Team

Caroline Dunleavy – Headteacher

Ann Marie Diver – Team Leader

Child Development Officers

Shirley Copeland

Carolyne Foster

Eileen Gordon

Donna McArthur

Linda Smith

Support Staff

Shamas Yusuf

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Information

Roll and Capacity

Morning session 30

Afternoon session

30

Limited full-time

places.

Age range 3-5 years

old.

8am – 4pm Term Time

Fees and Toy Fund

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk

Please check the above website for GCC Nursery Fee information.

At the moment we are not allowed to accept our toy fund in the

form of cash. Can I ask you to transfer straight into the nursery

account please?

If your child attends am or pm it would be £3.00 per month or

£5.00 per month if your child attends full time. This is a voluntary

fund used to purchase birthday/Christmas/ gifts/baking

ingredients/ malleable/outings/parties etc.

All contributions no matter how small are greatly appreciated.

Non-Denominational

Policy

Our nursery is non-

denominational. We

respect and

welcome families of

all religious faiths

and beliefs.

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Important Information

Clothing

Your child will be very busy during nursery. Taking part in lots of experiences

both indoors and out. Clothing should be suitable for the weather to allow

children to take part in all experiences offered. Children should not wear their

best clothes as there may be a risk that they could be damaged. If possible

try to stay away from difficult fastenings i.e. buckles, belts etc as the child

may have difficulty going to the toilet. Parents must provide a change of

clothes and indoor shoes. Parents must provide nappies and wipes if their child

requires them. Parents are asked to avoid football colours. All parents are

asked to provide a sun hat.

Attendance

If your child is sick please inform the nursery. If you are going on holiday

please inform your child’s key worker of the dates. Non-attendance of

placement will be monitored, and this will result in a review of placement.

There are a lot of learning opportunities going on every day therefore your

child will benefit from good attendance.

Medication

If your child requires medication during their time at nursery these

requirements should be discussed with a member of management. All

medications must be prescribed by the child’s doctor and must have the child’s

name, date of birth and dose attached to the medication. The first dose of any

new medication must be administered by the parent. You will be required to fill

in a consent form detailing information about the medicine. Please do not leave

any medicines in your child’s bag in the cloakroom.

Emergency Contacts

You are required to provide emergency

contact details for your child.

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Policies

Admissions Policy

All Nursery places are allocated in line with Glasgow City Council’s Admissions

and Banding policy which the nursery staff will be happy to advise you on when

you apply for a place for your child. A leaflet detailing Glasgow City Council’s

policy is also available from the establishment or alternatively at the website

below.

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=18136

Settling in

When your child is due to start nursery there will be a settling in period. Your

child’s key worker will work in partnership with you to ensure the transition

from home to nursery runs as smoothly as possible. Your child needs to feel

secure in this new situation. Each child is different and for this reason there is

no set time limit for settling in. Some children take longer than others.

Arrival and collection of children

When your child begins nursery, you will be asked to complete a collection form

detailing who will be dropping off and picking up your child. Due to child safety

reasons staff will only allow children to leave with people identified on this list.

The people on the list must be over 16 years. If in any circumstances the

parent required someone else to collect their child they must phone or speak

to a member of management to arrange this. This will avoid situations where

the child cannot be allowed to leave with an adult who is not known to the

staff.

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Policies

Additional support for learning

A child with a disability or additional support for learning needs has the right

to special care, education and training to help him or her enjoy a full life and

achieve the greatest degree of self-reliance and social integration possible.

“Every child is special” Further information relating to Additional Support

Needs is also available on the Glasgow City Council website.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid =18941

Accidents

If a child has a minor accident this will be treated accordingly. This will be

recorded in the Accident Book. When the child is collected the parent will be

informed and asked to sign the accident book. There is more information

available in our First Aid policy with is available in the nursery policy folder.

Linda Smith is the qualified first aider.

Care Inspectorate

You can access our up to date

Care Inspectorate report by

using the following link

www.scswis.com

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Glasgow City Council Child Protection Policy

‘The child protection programme seeks to support the child’s development in

ways which will foster security, confidence and independence. It should be

regarded as central to the well-being of the individual and is therefore seen to

be an intrinsic part of all aspects of the curriculum’. Staff have a

responsibility to: Keep children safe by being proactive in child protection

matters Promote the welfare of children by maintaining a positive and

supportive ethos Help children protect themselves by providing an

appropriate personal and social development curriculum Be familiar with child

protection procedures and guidance and implement those procedures promptly

when there is a suspicion of child abuse Work closely with other agencies

and services in supporting children Actively participate in training on child

protection matters Caroline Dunleavy is the nursery child protection co-

ordinator.

Confidentiality

All staff adhere to Glasgow City Council’s confidentiality policy. Parents and

children must feel confident that information they choose to share with a

member of staff will be treated with respect and handled appropriately.

Promoting positive behaviour

All children have the right to a calm secure, supportive and purposeful

environment, which allows them the opportunity to develop respect for

themselves and for other people’s needs, opinions and property. Strategies for

promoting positive behaviour are based on a philosophy of negotiation and

reconciliation endeavouring to use restorative, solution oriented and nurturing

approaches. We use the PATHS Programme (Promoting Alternative Thinking

Strategies) in order to help children, understand their emotional development.

‘make things better together’

More in depth information is available

on all our policies in our policy folder in

the parent’s room and also available on

Glasgow City Councils website

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?

articleid=8 597

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Policies Dealing with harassment

The Race Relations Act of 1976 makes it unlawful to discriminate against

someone because of his/her colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national

background. The Act makes it the duty of Glasgow City Council to eliminate

unlawful racial discrimination. In 1999 the guidelines, ‘Dealing with Racial

Harassment’ were issued to all educational establishments. The adoption of an

anti-racist approach should be seen as one part of the continuing attempt to

improve the quality of education. Glasgow City Council recognises that support

from the home is essential if these aims are to be achieved. Every child in

Glasgow has the right to be happy and secure at establishment.

Bullying

Bullying behaviour will not be tolerated within Glasgow City Council’s

educational establishments. All children in Glasgow’s educational

establishments have an entitlement “to work (and play) in a learning

environment in which they feel valued, respected and safe and are free from

all forms of abuse, buying or discrimination”. (A Standard for Pastoral Care in

Glasgow Establishments). In 2009, Glasgow City Council published its revised

Anti-Bullying Policy, incorporating, the requirement to record and report all

discriminatory behaviours within educational establishments. All

establishments are required to review their policy in light of this. Parents and

carers have a significant role to play in helping to address this problem. For

this reason, any anti-bullying strategy must stress the importance of

partnership with the parents and carers of their children.

Data Protection Act 1998

Information on children and young people, parents and carers is stored on a

computer system and may be used for teaching, registration, assessment and

other administrative duties. The information is protected by the Data

Protection Act 1998 and may only be disclosed in accordance with the Codes of

Practice. For further information please contact the establishment.

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Our

Our

Curriculum

Technology

Science

Religious and Moral

Social Studies

Numeracy

Health and Well-being

Literacy

Expressive Arts

At Thornwood Nursery we aim to cater for the individual needs of your child

in a bright, busy, secure, happy and stimulating environment – conducive to

learning through play and exploration. This will support your child on their

journey to be a successful leaner, effective contributor, responsible citizen

and a confident individual. In line with all education establishments, early

years are implementing Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. There are 8 areas

within curriculum for excellence with experiences and outcomes set out for

learning.

All early level experiences and

outcomes can be found here;

https://education.gov.scot/Docume

nts/All-experiencesoutcomes18.pdf

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Our Curriculum

Literacy and English

• Emphasis on the acquisition and further development of your child’s language • The

need for clear communication skills • The enabling of your child to express their needs

• Language specific to number, writing skills and preparatory reading skills • Listening

to language with enjoyment through stories, poetry and singing • Developing listening

skills to enable your child to carry out tasks • Specific language used to illustrate the

relevant theme or topic translated through role play • Enjoy books • Recognition of the

written word • Express feelings through role play, puppets and recall

Expressive Arts

• Expression through

pictures, paintings and

models • Listening and

responding to music, rhymes

and songs • Making music •

Use of role play and

puppetry • Participation in

singing time, including

actions and movement • Use

of various media and

techniques

Numeracy and Mathematics

Building on existing skills in

the following areas:

• Number • Shape •

Pattern • Colour

Social Studies

• People and other

living things • Becoming

familiar with a

diversity of cultures •

Becoming familiar with

people who work in the

school and the

community • Care of

living things • Develop

a love of natural

beauty and a sense of

wonder of the world

Religious and Moral

Education

• The importance of

cultural and religious

festivals of others in the

community • Learning to

share, play fair and care

Sciences

• Observation and problem solving •

Questioning, discussing and reasoning • Use

of senses • understanding physical

properties • Becoming fully familiar within

the nursery setting and local environments

Technologies

• Becoming familiar with computers and their

uses • Becoming familiar with the use of a digital

camera • Being aware of transportation within

the environs • Being aware of the purpose of a

variety of tools

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Health and Well-being

Child Smile

Our nursery takes part in

the Childsmile programme

which is designed to

improve the oral and

general health of children

in Scotland. All children are

offered daily supervised

tooth brushing within the

nursery establishment.

Healthy Snack

We aim to empower children

and families to make

healthy choices as part of

lifelong learning. We

incorporate healthy

eating/oral health in our

daily routine. We offer a

choice of healthy snacks

and lunches. Milk and water

are offered at snack and

water is available all day.

Sustainability

Our Eco Song

Here at Thornwood we’re

an Eco school.

We pick up the litter and

we follow the rules,

We turn off the taps and

we switch of the lights,

Let’s keep our planet shiny

and bright.

Children’s Rights

Children’s Rights are embedded into our practice here at

Thornwood Nursery. The basic principles of the UN Convention

on the Rights of the Child are:

• All children are equal and have the same rights.

• Every child has the right to have his or her basic needs

fulfilled.

• Every child has the right to protection from abuse and

exploitation.

• Every child has the right to express his or her opinion and to

be respected.

Online Learning Journals

Here at Thornwood we use

Learning Journals online to

document and share your

child’s learning. This is an

opportunity for the nursery

and families to work in

collaboration to provide the

best outcomes for our

young learners.

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Outdoors

Here at Thornwood the children are outside every day and

here are some of the benefits of outdoor play:

Better concentration

Co-ordination

Builds on muscle strength

Builds on confidence

Increases flexibility

Improves fine and gross motor skills

Problem solving and leadership skills

Promotes imagination and creative play

The children have access to outdoor play on a daily basis and

are exposed to a variety of different experiences which are

fun and challenging. Outdoor play has an enormous impact on a

child’s well-being and learning journey. We provide a variety of

experiences to allow children to explore, experiment,

investigate and develop their curiosity in the world around

them. This relates to Curriculum for Excellence which states

“Such experiences motivate our children to become successful

learners and to develop as confident enterprising and

responsible citizens”

pg. 17

Early Years Documents

These are some of the documents we use to support, plan, observe and assess

your child throughout their learning journey at nursery.

pg. 18

Family Engagement

Parents are the greatest influence on their children’s learning and

development, and are key partners in the work of our nursery. Our nursery

staff, parents and the community have a responsibility to work together to

care for and educate children. We encourage and empower parents to be

involved in our establishment however this year has proved to be more

challenging in finding ways to involve parents in the life of the nursery. Our

online learning journals provide an effective way of communicating and sharing

experiences with our families. We have an open-door policy here at Thornwood

Nursery however, due to Covid-19 this principle has been adapted to include

online communication and information sharing at the nursery gate.

We are always looking for innovative ways to communicate as effectively as

possible so we would value your thoughts and ideas.

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School Terms Dates 2021-2022 Nursery Closed

September Weekend Friday 24th – Monday 27th September 2021

In- Service Day Friday 8th October 2021

Autumn Break Monday 11th – Friday 15th October 2021

Christmas Break Nursery closes 2.30pm Wednesday 22nd December – Re-opens Wednesday 5th January 2022

February Mid Term Break Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th February 2022

In-Service Day Wednesday 16th February 2022

Spring Holiday Nursery closes 2.30pm Friday 1st April 2022 Re-opens Tuesday 19th April

May Holiday Monday 2nd May 2022

In-Service Day Thursday 5th May 2022

May Holiday Friday 27th May 2022

June Holiday Thursday 2nd June 2022

Queen’s Jubilee Friday 3rd June 2022

Summer Holidays Nursery closes 1pm Friday 24th June 2022 Nursery Returns Wednesday 17th August 2022

Suggestions and Complaints

We are always striving to maintain and improve our service. If you have any suggestions,

please add them to your child’s learning journal or speak to a member of staff. If you have

a complaint about any aspect of the service you should contact the Team Leader or the

Headteacher. If you feel your complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved, please

contact Customer Care Team. The Customer Care Team can be contacted by phone or e-

mail:

Phone: 0141 287 0900

E-mail: customercare@glasgow.gov.uk

Customer Care Team Customer and Business Services Glasgow City Council City Chambers

Glasgow G2 1DU

Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY Tel: 0845 600 9527

enquiries@careinsectorate.com

Although the information in this

handbook is correct at the time of

printing, there could be changes

affecting the content, either before

your child’s placement begins or during

the course of their placement. You will

be notified of any important changes.

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