Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers

 

Wednesday 5^th Nov we are having a bonfire night at the nursery between 6pm and 7pm; there will be a little bonfire and sparklers for the children and parents to enjoy. We will be serving Hotdogs and Jacket Potato with Chilli Con Carne.  Please may you inform a member of staff within your child’s room if you would like to attend.

 

Please can parents also see their child’s key worker to book in a review around your child’s development. These meetings will be placed during the working day, preferably before you pick your child up in the evening or afternoon. 

Policies

Please find attached our sleeping children procedure.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week is treasure baskets. The children will have the opportunity to create new treasure baskets using different sound, shape and textured objects. The children will also explore ICT toys, musical instruments, mirror play, family pictured cubes and exploring paint using sponges and brushes. In the garden this week, activities include, sensory balls, chalk pictures and mirror play. There is an additional focus this week whereby the Snails will be enjoying autumn activities which will then create a display board, lots of playing and exploring with leaves. The story of the week is ‘soft touch animal books’.

Planned activities within the Snails surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Children are invited to dress up for Halloween on Friday 31^st October.

Amy – Day off Monday and annual leave Wednesday.            

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on the book corner by encouraging the children to use the book box appropriately and to use and look at the books with care. The children will have the opportunity to explore different activities such as, tents and tunnels, sand play with cars, ict toys, black and orange ice play, heuristic play, creating bonfire pictures and to decorate biscuits using black and orange icing. The caterpillars will also be focusing on carrying out Halloween activities.

Planned activities within the Caterpillars surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off       

Jamie – Wednesday.

Alisha – Monday.

Stacy – Tuesday

 

Ladybirds

The current interest in the Ladybirds is babies. Activities this week include making a spider, dressing up, bathing babies, gluing and sticking on pumpkins, dressing up babies, singing number rhyme songs, pushing the babies in the pushchairs and creating cat masks. The story of the week is ‘smile baby smile’.

Planned activities within the ladybirds surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Children are invited to dress up for Halloween on Friday 31^st October.

Days off   

Abi – Day off Thursday

Naomi – Annual leave Thursday and Friday

 

Bumblebees

This week the children will be encouraged and supported with their self-help skills, therefore we will be focusing on putting on and taking off shoes and also to help set up the lunch table, putting out cutlery and bottles. This week the children will be carving pumpkins. The children will be encouraged to develop their mathematical skills by connecting together magnetic shapes, looking for shapes within the environment, using the abacus to count to ten, connecting puzzle pieces together and doing experiments in the water tray. To help the children develop their understanding of the world, the children shall take part in building a tower by turn taking, to encourage and help the children make a construction site, to make a multi-story car park by using boxes, talking about animals that are in a zoo and to create the zoo and to build a train track together and then play alongside each other. Activities to support creative development include cornflour play, bin bag painting, mixing and identifying colours, junk modelling to prepare for our bonfire, then to paint flames on to the bonfire, also using materials that create sparklers (lollipop sticks and glitter), hand painting to create fireworks and cling film painting. Literacy development shall be supported, this week by reading the story of the week ‘The very hungry caterpillar’.

Planned activities within the Bumblebees surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning which is now displayed on the large notice board outside the Bumblebees room.

Children are invited to dress up for Halloween on Friday 31^st October.

Days off      

Jani – Wednesday

Jenni – Tuesday  

Alba – Monday

Hannah – Annual leave Tuesday

Butterflies     

This week the butterflies will be focusing on Halloween by enjoying a selection of activities. The activities will include making a spider web picture using glue and glitter, pumpkin carving, Halloween masks, using monster stencils and making ghosts out of tissue paper. The children will be focusing on the letter of the week, which is, ‘E’ and the number of the week, which is number 3.

Planned activities within the Butterflies surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Children are invited to dress up for Halloween on Thursday 30^th and Friday 31^st October.

 

Days off    

Stani – Friday                    Lee – Thursday Afternoon                    Tara – Tuesday

 

Michelle is day off Monday

 

 

Sleeping children procedure

 

Aim of policy

 

To ensure all sleeping children are cared for to a high standard when sleeping.

 

Points to consider

 

All children who sleep at nursery must sleep in an appropriate bed or cot. It is inappropriate for children to sleep in rockers, bouncers, prams or any other equipment that is not for the purpose of sleeping.

 

Whilst a young child or baby is sleeping, there needs to be enough staff to ensure that sleep checks are thoroughly carried out in accordance with the supporting paperwork. 

 

Sleep checks must be at a minimum of 10 minute intervals and will include a temperature and breathing check with the minimum of disturbance to the child.

 

Clothing and covers must be checked and consideration given to the room temperature.

 

Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers

 

Wednesday 5^th Nov we are having a bonfire night at the nursery between 6pm and 7pm, there will be a little bonfire and sparklers for the children and parents to enjoy. We will be serving Hotdogs and Jacket Potato with Chilli Con Carne.  Please may you inform a member of staff within your child’s room if you would like to attend.

 

Please can parents also see their child’s key worker to book in a review around your child’s development. These meetings will be placed during the working day, preferably before you pick your child up in the evening or afternoon.  

Policies

Please find attached our emergency closure – illness procedure.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week is exploring messy play, garden and shapes. The children will have the opportunity to explore cornflour play with cars, playing and exploring with musical instruments in the garden, building towers using the stacking cups, exploring the shape sorters, recognising themselves during mirror play and reading the story of the week ‘animal abc’. Throughout this week the children will also take part in autumn activities.

Planned activities within the Snails surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Amy – Day off Monday.             

 

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on using a range of activities and lots of exploration to create a bonfire display. The children will have the opportunity to explore different activities such as, gluing and sticking, leaf print painting, cornflour play, using chalk on black paper, pop up toys, and shape sorters. The caterpillars will also be focusing on carrying out Halloween activities and to help settle the new children. The book of the week this week is ‘five little ducks’ and other musical action books.

Planned activities within the Caterpillars surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off       

Jamie – Annual leave all week.

Alisha – Day off Monday.

 

Ladybirds

The current interest in the Ladybirds is sounds and music. Activities this week include music and movement, moving their bodies to sounds they enjoy, gluing and sticking autumn leaves, play dough with different cutters, painting using different types of vehicles, cornflour play with spoons and water play with jugs and containers, encouraging the children to tip and pour between the different sized items. The story of the week is

Planned activities within the ladybirds surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off   

Abi – Day off Thursday

 

Bumblebees

This week the children will be exploring Halloween, autumn, Diwali and cooking. This week the children will be making bread. The children will be encouraged to develop their mathematical skills by naming and recognising different shapes using flash cards. The children will also be encouraged to recognise colours whilst painting. To help the children develop their understanding of the world, the children shall take part in a car wash activity whereby the children will be encouraged to wash the bikes in the garden. The children will also take part in a car park activity whereby the blocks create an enclosed space for the cars to park, a drawing activity where the children will be encouraged to draw their friends and talk about their picture, reading about Diwali and using the headphones in the CD player to listen to music from around the world. Activities to support creative development include stamp painting, painting with leaves, cornflour play making pumpkin and spider shapes, creating pictures using sand and glue, making and playing with play dough and cutters, for the children to mix the colours together and talk about what colour has been made and making Diwali candles. Literacy development shall be supported, this week by reading stories ‘The Gruffalo’. Throughout the week bumblebees will also be focusing on self-help skills, encouraging the children to put on their own coats and welly boots.

Planned activities within the Bumblebees surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning which is now displayed on the large notice board outside the Bumblebees room.

Days off      

Jani – Wednesday and Annual leave Thursday and Friday.    

Jenni – Wednesday (in the office majority of the week)

Alba – Monday

Jade – Training Tuesday

Hannah – Training Tuesday

 

Butterflies                       

This week the butterflies will be focusing on Diwali by making paper lanterns, using chalk to create designs on paper, hand painting using these to design different patterns, spray painting stars and to decorate flowers to be hung around the room. The children will also complete an assault course in the garden. The children will have the opportunity to play number bingo and to talk about our home life. The children will be focusing on the letter of the week, which is, ‘C’ and ‘K’ and the number of the week, which is number 7.

Planned activities within the Butterflies surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off    

Stani – Friday                   

Lee – Thursday Afternoon and Training Wednesday                    

Tara – Thursday

 

Michelle is day off Monday and Tuesday, Training Thursday morning and all day Friday

 

 

Emergency Closure policy – illness  

 

Aim of policy

 

To give clear guidance if a flu pandemic or similar occurs at the nursery.

Points to consider

In the event of flu pandemic (or similar) the manager will keep the director updated of children’s health and staffing levels.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aims to achieve this by:

 

In case of limited staffing levels the three Castle Daycare & Preschool Nurseries will join together at the most suitable location and open on a limited basis.

 

If the shortage of staff limits the number of places available the following priorities will take place:

1.      Children of Emergency Services and  Medical staff

2.      Children of teachers or school workers/ Children of bank workers/ Children of staff at utilities companies and Children of public transport workers

3.      All other working parents

4.      Children of non working parents

In the event of staff shortages, parents with current DBS forms may be asked to support the nursery team in order to maintain smooth operations.

In case of closure or limited opening parents will be contacted by phone by the most senior person available. Nursery software systems can be accessed from private computers if needed.

The answer phone message will be changed and then regularly updated so parents can be kept informed.

Notices will be put out in nursery blogs, local papers, Local radio (e.g.: the Eagle) and on our website to inform parents.

In exceptional circumstances children of emergency services workers or other essential workers will be given childcare even if they do not usually attend the settings.

 

Ofsted will be kept informed at all times of changes in circumstances.

                                                0300 123 1231

 

Surrey Early Years will be kept informed at all times of changes in circumstances.

                                                01372 833833

 

Financial decisions will be made by the Director or the Finance Director.

 

Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers

 

Thank you to all the parents that attended the Forest School session on Sunday. Lee said this went wonderfully and is pleased with how the morning went.    

Policies

Please find attached our incident report procedure.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week is using creative activities to create an autumn display board. The children will use leaves, pumpkins and trees to create the display. The children will also explore sand play, bricks to build towers, reading the story of the week ‘wibbly pig’ and to explore sensory bottles. Outdoor activities this week include exploring the bead mazes, mirror play, using the walkers to promote independent step taking and ‘catch a fish’ game.

Planned activities within the Snails surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Amy – Day off Monday, Training Thursday and Annual leave Friday.                      

 

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on role play, exploring the kitchen, hats and bags, babies and clothes and having a teddy bears picnic. The children will have the opportunity to explore different activities such as, heuristic play, chalking, painting, play dough, shape sorters and singing with puppets. Outdoor activities this week include exploring tents and tunnels in the garden, building towers and saying some counting words and exploring animal puppets. The caterpillar’s team will also be focusing on the routine to help the new children settle. The caterpillars will also be carrying out activities that support Halloween. The children will be encouraged to look at their family books.

Planned activities within the Caterpillars surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off       

Jamie – Monday   

Alisha – Annual leave Monday, Day off Tuesday and Training Thursday.

 

Ladybirds

The current interest in the Ladybirds is balls and rackets and sand play, building sand castles. Activities this week include ball and racket painting, play dough with cutters, sand pictures, and farm yard animals in the sand tray. Outdoor activities this week include racket bubbles in the garden, hiding animals in the sand, creating sand castles and practising our ball skills in the garden. The children will also be encouraged and supported to use their fork and spoon during meal times. The book of the week is ‘Spots playbook.   

Planned activities within the ladybirds surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off   

Abi – Training Monday, Day off Wednesday

Kim – Annual leave Friday

Naomi – Annual leave Tuesday

 

Bumblebees

This week the children will be exploring all areas of the room. The children will be encouraged to develop their mathematical skills by naming different shapes using the shape house puzzle, matching cards to identify the different objects, the children will encouraged to help set up a maths activity which will focus on following simple instructions, puzzles of six interlocking pieces, and using the zip animals to practice zipping and unzipping. To help the children develop their understanding of the world, the children shall take part in describing what the weather is like and what clothing is needed when playing outdoors, bug catching in the garden and to identify these with adult support, to explore soil and leaves using animals and dinosaurs and to build towers using small blocks. Activities to support creative development include painting using letters, to explore different textures using the feely bags, painting on the table using spray bottles. Gluing and sticking onto paper using resources of the children’s choice, drawing pictures of ourselves and making salt dough. Literacy development shall be supported, this week by reading stories, Monkey puzzle and The Gruffalo. Throughout the week bumblebees will also be focusing on Diwali and Halloween activities, the children will also experience making fruit skewers.

Planned activities within the Bumblebees surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning which is now displayed on the large notice board outside the Bumblebees room.

Days off      

Jani – Friday          

Jenni – Thurs              

Alba – Thursday and Annual leave Friday

Jade – Training Tuesday and Wednesday

 

Butterflies                       

This week the butterflies will be linking forest school into the routine by discussing about the tree they found in the woods with the door. To follow on from this discussion the Pre-school will be focusing on the story of the week ‘The magic faraway tree’. Creative activities this week include chalk drawing our own trees, large ones in the garden and smaller ones indoors. The children will also be encouraged to make people and/or animals that may live in the tree. The children that attend forest school will be encouraged to collect natural materials in which they can bring back to the setting to make stick men. The children will also be focusing on the letter of the week, which is, ‘N’ and the number of the week, which is number 14.

Planned activities within the Butterflies surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off    

Stani – Friday                 

Tracy – Wednesday, Training Tuesday                     

Lee – Thursday Afternoon                   

Tara - Friday

 

 

Incident report procedure

 

Aim of policy

 

To give guidance on when and how to complete an incident report.

 

Points to consider

An incident report is a report giving all of the details of an important incident that has taken place in the nursery (or elsewhere too). For example; a child arriving with an odd bruise, or a team member acting inappropriately, or a parent makes a complaint, or a child telling a story of how they had been left home alone. See the children protection policies and risk assessment policy.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

If something happens in the nursery that has staff alarmed or needing to question something, we always write an incident report. An incident report will get all of the facts out and will keep important information at hand for reference. It may even be the difference between saving a child’s life or future.

The manager may ask staff to write an incident report and they will need to know what to write. Below is a set of guidelines on how to write an incident report.

 

How to write an incident report

1. All incident reports are to be clearly printed or typed.

 

2. Complete the report thoroughly and accurately, including all relevant important information about the incident and persons involved (time, place, date, names, and address).

 

3. Be concise and to the point, while still being thorough and complete.

 

4. DO NOT write from emotions – facts only, remember that anything written is considered an official document).

 

5. DO NOT speculate – we are reporting facts, not opinions or predictions.

 

6. Complete the report IMMEDIATELY after the incident – details fade fast.

 

7. Take notes if necessary and flesh out the details later.

 

8. Remember all reports are official legal documents and could be used in judicial hearings and a court of law.

 

If your report is not satisfactory, management will require that you rewrite it.

 

Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers

On Sunday October 12^th Lee would like to invite all parents to our taster session for the Forest school (10am – 12pm).  During this session you will take part in activities that your children will do during their time in the forest. This is a great opportunity to discover how allowing the children to using saw and hand drills and lighting fires can be carried out in a controlled manner whilst unearthing the learning outcomes the forest school sessions enable the children to achieve.  If you would like to join us please could you advise Lee.  Thank you

Just a reminder that this Wednesday we are celebrating the nursery’s 11^th birthday with a pyjama day, asking all parents to dress their children in their pyjama’s, providing a spare set of clothes, just in case of spillages or accidents.  Thank you.

 

Policies

Please find attached our risk assessment policy.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week is sensory development. The children will explore the treasure baskets, be encouraged to play with the musical instruments, whilst the older babies will also create pictures using glue and leaves.  Outdoor activities this week include exploring the sensory mat, using shape sorters outside and soft play, encouraging the babies to roll and stretch. 

Planned activities within the Snails surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Amy – Day off   Monday            

 

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on getting to know one another as we have had a large number of children recently start with us in this age group. The children will have the opportunity to dance to action songs, be encouraged to explore every day objects whereby they will be encouraged to place them in different containers, supporting containing, transporting and enveloping schemas. The children will also be encouraged to use their spoon during meal times throughout the week, to remember where objects belong in an insert puzzle. Creative activities this week include table painting, gluing and sticking and cornflour play. The children will be encouraged to look at their family books.

Planned activities within the Caterpillars surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off       

Jamie – Wednesday        Alisha – Monday

 

Ladybirds

The current interest in the Ladybirds is construction.  The children will be encouraged to construct a bus out of large blocks, with adult support, build towers out of duplo and match objects that fit together (eg) fitting lids on teapots. The children will also be able to use mega blocks in the sand tray and will be encouraged to use their spoons at mealtimes.. The book of the week is ‘Harry and the dinosaurs go wild’.   

Planned activities within the ladybirds surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off   

Abi – Tuesday

 

Bumblebees

This week the children will continue to explore the new room layout whilst new children are settling in. The children will be encouraged to develop their mathematical skills by counting as they build towers with boxes, weigh ingredients to bake cookies and use the building blocks to order items by height and length . To help the children develop their understanding of the world, the children shall concentrate on the weather throughout the week, introducing new words and use torches to explore in the dark. Activities to support creative development include gluing and sticking on cd’s, using different materials in the playdough and sand painting. Literacy development shall be supported, this week by reading stories about journeys and naming fruit and vegetables in the role play area.

Planned activities within the Bumblebees surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning which is now displayed on the large notice board outside the Bumblebees room.

Days off      

Jani – Wednesday           

Jenni – Annual leave Mon, Training – Tues, wed, Thurs, day off Friday             

Alba – Friday

 

Butterflies                       

 This week the butterflies will be working towards creating an Autumn display. The children will explore what happens when they mix colours, disvuss what animals they may have seen in their gardens and play the eye spy game. Creative activities this week include hand printing leaves, making a big tree, a scarecrow and pumpkins put of collage materials. The children will also be focusing on the letter of the week, which is, ‘P’ and the number of the week, which is number 2.

Planned activities within the Butterflies surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off    

Stani – Friday                    Tracy – Tuesday                      Tara - Thursday

 

Risk assessment policy

 

Aim of policy

 

To give guidance on how and when to complete risk assessments.

 

Points to consider

Risk assessments are to assess hazards to anyone on the nursery premises, or in case of external trips to the children, staff and parents in our care.

 

The Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) considers risk assessment to be:

“a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people to enable you to decide whether you have taken enough precautions or you should do more. It should identify and take into account all significant factors that can affect the chance and extent of harm and reach a conclusion on whether and how the management of such factors needs to be improved to eliminate or lessen that chance”.

 

There are five points to consider when carrying out a risk assessment:

Identify the hazard

Decide who may be harmed and how

Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

Record your findings and implement them

Review your assessment and update if necessary

 

See the current Nursery Risk assessments

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

Carrying out thorough and regular risk assessments on all aspects and areas of the nursery.

The person responsible for carrying out risk assessments in this nursery is

Kim Elliott

 

Daily Health and Safety checks should also be made to ensure no hazards arise between risk assessments.

 

The person/people responsible for carrying out these daily checks are

All Staff

 

More information on how to complete risk assessments can be found at:

www.hse.gov