Abbey Nursery

Admissions

The nursery follows the local authority’s vision for the promotion of equality and celebrating diversity, through the admission procedure and the services that are offered. The nursery is committed to eliminating discrimination on the grounds of class, age, disability, colour, ethnic origin, national origin, race, faith, gender, sexual persuasion or marital status. 

The Nursery is widely advertised in places that are accessible to all sections of the community. Admission to Abbey Nursery will be through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures.

Places will be offered according to the following criteria:

• Children who are looked after or have day care as part of their care plan.
• Children of families living within Barking and Dagenham.
• Children who are able to access two-year-old funding.
• Children who live in neighbouring boroughs.

Up to 20% of places will be available to the children of parents who:

• Live and are employed as key workers in Barking and Dagenham
• Live outside the borough but are employed as key workers in Barking and Dagenham

Nursery Fees

Fees are paid by Direct Debit on or around the first of every month. Please see the senior nursery manager for more details.

Our fees are:

Free childcare funding

All three and four year old’s are entitled to 15 hours of free education a week, for 38 weeks of the year (term time). Visit Free Early Learning website for more information on Free Early Learning for your child in Barking & Dagenham.

The government also has the ‘extended offer’, or 30 Hours of free childcare, for three and four year old’s which is applicable to working families. To find out whether you are eligible please visit Childcare Choices, where you can also apply for other types of nursery funding including tax free childcare.

Settling to Nursery

The nursery provides a warm and welcoming environment where babies and children settle quickly and easily. The nursery also wants parents/carers to have confidence in their child’s wellbeing and in their role as active partners with them. Consideration will be given to the individual needs and circumstances of children and their families.

• All nursery practitioners will work in partnership with parents/carers to settle the child into the nursery environment.
• The nursery is happy for parents/carers to contact it at any time during the day to ask questions about their child’s progress.
• A key person will be allocated to each child and their family, before the child starts to attend.
• Regular written information about the nursery will be provided.
• Parents/carers will be expected to agree to the settling-in programme which will include staying with the child for sufficient time for the child to feel settled and for the parent/carer to feel comfortable about leaving them (usually takes about 3-5 days).
• Settling times at the nursery will always be when all practitioners have arrived and finish before early shift leave; settling will not be done when lunch breaks are being taken or at beginning/end of day where we have less practitioners .
• No child will be taken on an outing from the nursery until they are completely settled.

Home Visit

After a child has been offered a place at the nursery, arrangements will be made for practitioners to visit the child at home.  This meeting will provide an opportunity for the child to meet their key person in the security of the home. A home visit bag with some toys may be taken along for the child and provide an opportunity for the key person to interact and get to know the child. The manager/deputy will be able to discuss their child’s interests and levels of development with the parent/carer. The manager/deputy will also have an opportunity to talk to the parent/carer about what the nursery has to offer their child (possibly while looking at photographs) and also discuss any concerns that the parent may have.

First Settling Day

In addition to the home visit, the parent/carer should visit the nursery with their child. This will allow them to familiarise themselves with the environment, nursery routines, other practitioners, and some of the other children. This session should be an enjoyable experience for child and parent/carer.

At this time:

• The child and parent/carer will be shown around the nursery and any routines can be explained to the parent/carer.
• They will hand back the contract and their registration form
• The child will have an opportunity to explore the nursery and play with the resources at their leisure and meet some of the practitioners and children.
• The key person will discuss further about the upcoming days of the settling-in programme with the parent/carer (this programme will be recorded and agreed by the parent/carer).

Outline of what will happen on the settling days

• Day one – the child and parent/carer spend time together in the setting. The parent/carer will need to have brought the items recorded on their, ‘What to bring on my first day’ information sheet. They will also need to have returned any signed forms that the nursery did not receive on their first visit to the nursery. The child is told that the parent/carer will not leave and will stay as planned.
• Day two – as the child demonstrates that they are comfortable in the setting, consideration will be given to the parent/carer leaving the room for short periods and going to another part of the premises. The child should know and understand exactly when this will be and where the parent/carer will be. If the child shows signs of distress or wants to check where the parent/carer is, then this should be addressed as appropriate.
• Day three – when the child has demonstrated that they are comfortable with this, consideration can be given to making the periods longer and to the parent/carer leaving the premises following the same pattern described in day two.
• Day four and five – the programme for these two days will have been agreed with the parent/carer at the end of the third day.
• Child’s first full day – parents/carers separate from their child as planned. It is considered that most children will be happy to be left after this five-day programme but there is a need for flexibility according to individual children’s progress.
• For their own peace of mind, parents/carers are always welcome to ring to ask about their child during the settling-in period or at any time.
• During the first four weeks of starting nursery, parents/carers will have the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress with their key person.

Parent/Carers Partnership

Parents are the children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents/carers and nursery practitioners work together in partnership, the results have a positive impact on a child’s development and learning. Working in partnership requires discussion and a commitment to sharing information.

The nursery will respect and value the views and ideas of the family. Parents/carers will be kept fully informed about the everyday activities in the nursery and should be encouraged to contribute their own particular skills to enrich the programme in line with the guidance Development Matters in the Early years Foundation Stage September 2021 (EYFS).

• All parent/carers are welcome to visit the nursery at any time.
• All parents/carers will have easy access to the nursery’s policies and procedures and Parents handbook.
• Parents/carers are involved in the shared record keeping about their child, both formally and informally. Parents/carers will have access to their children’s records.
• Parents/carers are able to discuss their child’s progress with their key person.
• Practitioners will be available to offer advice and support.
• Information about nursery activities, events and any changes in routines are regularly provided.
• Parents/carers’ comments and suggestions are encouraged and must be recorded in the child’s learning journey every term.

Meals

We want mealtime to be happy, social occasions for children and practitioners. The children will sit in small groups with an adult and will be able to serve their own food and drink and to feed themselves (if appropriate). At mealtimes, children will have an opportunity to learn about healthy eating and to explore new foods. Practitioners will support fussy eaters and support them to try new foods. Practitioners will act as positive role models for the children by showing them good table manners. Nutritious food that will meet each child’s dietary needs will be provided.

• A three weekly varied menu is provided by Zebedees (www.zebedees.co.uk/)
• This will avoid large amounts of fat, sugar, salt, artificial additives, preservatives and colouring.
• We also consider any religious dietary needs.
• Children will be given fresh drinking water throughout the day.
• Fruit and vegetables will be provided for snacks.
• All milk provided for children is whole and pasteurised.
• We will make arrangements for children with allergies where necessary.
• Practitioners involved in preparing and serving food and drink will be able to see records of children’s dietary needs.
• Practitioners preparing food will hold a food hygiene qualification.
• The nursery kitchen will be inspected by Environmental Health, and we currently have a 5 rating.

Baby feeding and weaning

Breast milk is the best form of nutrition for infants. Breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of life as it provides all the nutrients a baby needs.

• We provide facilities where mothers can feed their babies or express breast milk (or both).
• Breast milk must be provided in an adequate container labelled with the expressed by, used by dates and your child’s name. This will be stored in the fridge until needed.
• You must provide formal milk and inform the practitioners of the required amounts.
• You must provide sterilised bottles for practitioners to make up feeds.
• We will wash used and empty bottles but will not sterilise them before we return them to you.
• All milk feeds will be discarded after one hour.
• Weaning will not start until babies are at least six months old; we aim for all babies to have started on solid food by the time they reach seven months.
• Nursery practitioners will work with you to make sure that we recognise and record all allergies accurately.
• Breast or formula milk will be the main drink for infants under one.
• We will not reheat baby bottles in the microwave.
• The water we give to babies under six months will be boiled and cooled first.
• We will encourage infants to drink from a cup or beaker from six month – these cups will not have a spring or valve as these do not encourage normal drinking habits and can damage teeth.
• We will not sterilise all cups and soothers before each use.
• We do not provide food containing gluten (such as Weetabix bread and pasta) or nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, citrus fruits and unpasteurised soft cheeses for children under six months.
• We offer children a variety of flavours and textures, but we introduce each new food independently.
• When using packets of baby food, we will follow the manufacturer’s instructions on serving and storing the food.
• If we heat food in the microwave, we will stir it well to make sure the heat is distributed evenly and check the temperature.
• If your child requires specialist milk, this must come to nursery sealed (unopened).