Sandringham

Aims and Objectives

At Sandringham Nursery we aim to promote and provide a secure, caring and stimulating environment where children are treated as individuals, feel respected, valued, happy and relaxed.

Each child will be encouraged to progress, learn and develop through play. This will be carried out using a wide range of suitable learning materials and a variety of indoor and outdoor experiences.

At Sandringham Nursery we provide a high standard of childcare in the following ways:

• We provide you with information about the service you and your child will receive
• Your child will be treated with respect and courtesy at all times, taking into account their individual needs, race, gender, ethnicity, language and disability
• We promote good relationships between parents and staff, involving you in all discussions about your child
• We hold regular parents meetings to discuss your child's progress and any involved professionals. Parents are welcome to make an appointment at any time to discuss their child's progress and development and any special requirements.

Our Vision

To provide a caring, safe and stimulating environment where children are happy and learning is fun.

Contact information

• Email:
• Website: www.sandringhamnursery.com
• Telephone: 02920 471 918

Registration

Sandringham Nursery has been registered with CIW – Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales since 2003.

A copy of the inspection report is displayed in our nursery entrance.

Number and ages of children

Our registration allows us to care for no more than 30 children under age 12 at any one time. At Sandringham Nursery, we welcome boys and girls from 0 – school age.

Staffing

At Sandringham Nursery we offer parents peace of mind that children are being well looked after by qualified, trained staff. All staff caring for children are carefully selected and hold a DBS certificate. Photos to introduce you to our team of staff are displayed in the nursery entrance and website, with full details of qualifications. We have an ongoing staff training programme and we have Welsh speaking staff members in the team. We also have students from Cardiff Metropolitan University who are working towards a degree in Childhood Studies and Education, providing cover on our groups.

Opening hours

We open 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday throughout the year. Exceptions are bank holidays and between Christmas day and New Years day.

Languages and special needs

Children are taught in English and all age groups are introduced to early years Welsh through daily activities. We welcome all children at our nursery, including those with English as an additional language and children with special educational needs. We ensure that all children have access alongside their peers to the facilities, activities and play opportunities provided whenever reasonable, in order to promote their welfare and development.

Additional services

We offer a free drop-off and collection service for pre-school children attending a morning or afternoon nursery session at Marlborough Road School. Please note that you will need to reserve and pay for full days with us and that you have the option of using our full daycare service at any time you require such as school holidays and inset days.

Working with parents

Before your child starts nursery, we arrange two or three settling-in sessions, which are convenient with yourself and your child. This allows you and your child to get to know all the staff and your child's key worker. These free sessions allow your child to become familiar with the surroundings. We gather all the necessary information from you about your child to make sure their time at nursery is happy.

Internet

The nursery has a 'live internet web camera system' in the playrooms. Parents wishing to access the system will be provided with a password which is changed regularly. By signing our contract, you are providing parental agreement to the web cameras being used when your child is present. We request that parents do not share their password with anyone in order to secure privacy.

Routines and activities

At Sandringham Nursery, we plan our day to day activities in accordance to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum with the Foundation Phase ethos, which includes Welsh Language Development. Within our planning cycle, activities are tailored to the 3 different age groups (Babies, Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers) to ensure they suit all children's ages and stages of development. At the start of each month, we inform parents by email of our monthly activity plans.

The eight areas of learning include:

Personal and Social and Emotional Development

Children develop a positive self-image, respect for others, social skills and a positive disposition to learn. They are helped to recognise and gain a positive awareness of their own and other cultures. Children are supported in becoming confident, competent and independent thinkers and learners.

Communication and Language

Children's learning and competence in communication, speaking and listening, being read to and beginning to read and form letters. We aim to establish good foundations for a love of reading and writing.

Physical Development

Children are given opportunities to be active and improve their skills of co-ordination, control, manipulation and movement. They also learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles and diet.

Literacy

The area of development encourages children to handle books and printed materials with interest and become familiar with stories, rhymes, words and phrases.

Mathematics

Children are helped to explore, enjoy, learn, practice and extend their skills in this area to gain confidence and competence in using numbers.

Understanding the World

Our children develop knowledge, skills, and understanding to help them make sense of the world around them, its people, plants and animals.

Expressive Arts and Designs

Children are able to express their ideas, feelings and emotions imaginatively through various forms of self-expression such as painting, model making, role playing, music, dance and cookery.

Welsh Language Development

Welsh language skills are developed through singing welsh songs and introducing children to basic welsh phrases/greetings and linking them to our themed topics.

Each nursery group has its own routine which offers a structure to enable children to be clear and understand what is coming next and build familiar routines. However, each planned play opportunity, be it small group time or outside play, offers flexibility and plenty of choice enabling each child the opportunity for discovery and learning through a good balance of adult and child initiated activities in which they can fully engage within, enjoy and have fun. We actively encourage children to explore their full potential.

The nursery day includes:

• Physical activities, including the opportunity for energetic play, music and dance, sports and outdoor garden play.
• A variety of interaction with adults and children to develop skills such as listening and sharing, using scissors or building a construction model.
• A variety of challenging experiences and open ended questions to encourage children to freely express feelings, expand vocabulary and develop intellectual skills.
• A range of natural materials such as sand and water to develop creative skills.
• Opportunities for imaginative play using the home corner and self-selection dressing up area.
• Opportunities to learn to respect and value all people. Children are treated with care and sensitivity and helped to develop what is right and wrong.
• Some time to relax and have an afternoon nap or a quiet time in our cosy book corner.
• Opportunities to explore outdoors, forest school activities, visits to nearby parks and walks to the local library.

Babies

The physical care of young babies is of primary importance together with the need for play and stimulation. Babies have a dedicated playroom and sleeproom and follow their own individual feeding and sleeping routines. They are cared for in small groups by experienced staff who give them the warmth and attention they require. Each child has a key carer to guarantee continuity and a stimulating programme of activity.

The older babies begin to learn about language, sounds, rhythms, how things feel, what objects do, how to expect things to happen again and what they can do with their own bodies. Children of this age particularly enjoy action songs, ball games, push and pull toys, ride on toys and play which allows them the freedom to develop their locomotion, balance, coordination and strength. Our softplay cushions offer the younger children a safe environment to climb, tumble and build on their physical skills. Messy play, sensory and exploratory play with natural materials all form an important part of the daily activities.

Our younger nursery children enjoy the fresh air and the stimulating outdoor environment with regular walks to the local parks in our pushchairs.

2-3 Year Olds

Two year olds start developing independence and decision-making skills. They are offered a choice of activities so that they can follow their own interests and increase concentration and attention spans. Messy play and sensory activities allow children to experiment with a range of materials and colours to develop their creative skills.

We encourage small group activities when children can interact with each other. Language and communication skills will be the focus of many planned activities, particularly through role play, dressing-up, rhymes, action songs and music. As children of this age play alongside and with others, they will learn to share and understand the need for rules. Toilet training is carried out when a child is ready.

Children are taken out for regular walks to the local parks in our 6 seater Kiddybus.

3-5 Year Olds

Children of this age are lively, inquisitive, sociable and learning at a very fast rate. They have lots of fun with both indoor and outdoor activities. Foundation Phase plans are more detailed and include a balance of focused and free play activities. They cover all the different areas of learning to progress their development in preparation for full time school. Outdoor experiences include using local community resources, Penylan library and nearby parks for forest school activities. For safety on trips, children wear fluorescent waistcoats for quick identification.

Admissions Policy

Offering a place to a child will depend upon:

• Availability of places in a particular age group, taking into account the staff/child ratio.
• Children who have siblings already attending Sandringham Nursery.
• When the application is received and those who have been on our waiting list the longest.
• A child requiring a full-time place may have preference over a child requiring a part-time place.
• A part-time place can only be offered when it matches up with another part-time place to cover a full week.

We operate an inclusion and equality policy and ensure that all children have access to nursery places and services irrespective of their gender, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation of parents.

Terms and conditions

These details are included in the nursery contact which needs to be agreed, signed and dated by parents.

Arrival and collection times

The nursery is open Monday to Friday 8am-6pm. We operate and are registered by CIW between these times only. Therefore, it is important that you do not arrive earlier than 8am or collect later than 6pm.

We ask that children arrive between 8am-8.40am for breakfast, or after 9.10am if your child does not require breakfast. Please note that we have a planning restriction not to accept any child between 8.40am and 9.10am due to the amount of school traffic.

Please collect by 6pm as we are only allowed to operate until this time, due to our insurance, planning permission and registration. Regretfully, should you arrive later than 6pm, a fee of £5 per 5 minutes will be charged. The Nursery Manager will bill this late payment fee on the day.

Fees

Our fees are £65.00 per day and reduce to £57 per day for children from the term after their third birthday, to coincide with the Childcare Offer for Wales funding.

Our fees are inclusive of standard nappies, wipes and milk.

Formular milk is provided for babies up to 12 months and cow\'s milk for older children. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea plus a healthy snack are provided.

Fees are payable one month in advance, by standing order. Fees are calculated per calendar month, so that you pay the same each month throughout the year.

The fees are due on the 1st of each month. Therefore, if cleared fees (including childcare vouchers) are not received by the 7th of the month, a £25 late fee payment charge will be incurred. If fees are still outstanding by the 14th of the month, we regret that we will be able to accept your child into Nursery until the outstanding fees have been paid.

Full fees are payable for any reserved place. This includes sickness, holidays, bank holidays and Christmas closure.

In the case of new children starting at the Nursery, fees are due from the agreed reserved date as detailed in the contract. If you wish to delay your start date with us and require us to keep your reserved place, fees will still be due from the original agreed date.

Fees will be reviewed annually. Any increase will be advised in writing at least 6 weeks before any proposed change.

Notice

4 weeks' notice is required from either party, to terminate the reserved nursery place or if any changes are required.

Milk and nappies

Milk and nappies are included in our fees. We provide formula milk for babies up to 12 months, and cow's milk for older children. We supply all standard nappies. If you require a nappy cream applied, please provide it clearly labelled with your child's name.

Arrangements in the case of sickness

If your child has been prescribed antibiotics from the doctor, they may need to remain at home for a period of 24 hours. We can administer medicine if required, subject to our 'medicine consent form' being completed and signed on the morning of attendance. Please note that staff are unable to give any medicine, unless you have provided written instructions beforehand.

Administration of medicines

If your child has been prescribed antibiotics from the doctor, they may need to remain at home for a period of 24 hours. We can administer medicine if required, subject to our 'medicine consent form' being completed and signed on the morning of attendance. Please note that staff are unable to give any medicine, unless you have provided written instructions beforehand.

Holidays

We close on all public holidays. During the Christmas period, we close at 2pm on Christmas Eve and remain closed between Christmas and New Year. We reopen on January 2nd at 8am. We are open the rest of the year, throughout school holidays.

Special dietary needs

Please advise us in writing, of any specific health or dietary requirements that your child has.

Emergency procedure

In the event of an accident at Nursery, which requires us having to take your child to hospital for treatment, it is our policy to seek authorisation from parents. In the event of us not being able to contact either parent or the alternative emergency contact, we will seek the advice of the medical staff on duty at the hospital as to the appropriate treatment required.

Complaints Procedure

We hope that it will never be necessary for you to make a complaint about our childcare. However, if you do, please speak to the Nursery Manager in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response, please contact Sarah Arabestani (Registered Person). We will respond to a complaint within 14 days. If you are still not satisfied, you may contact the Care Inspectorate for Wales (CIW) tel. 0300-7900126. Contact details for the Registered Person and CIW are shown on the notice board in the Nursery entrance.

Policy of Behaviour Management

Nursery staff are briefed to show guidance to children, to respect the people around them and the environment in which they live. If a child's behaviour becomes unacceptable, the child will be removed from the activity they are disrupting, enabling them to reflect on what they have done and for staff to explain why their actions were unacceptable. A younger child will be distracted with an alternative activity. Some forms of unacceptable behaviour such as a tantrum may be ignored if that child is not hurting themselves or others. Staff will not use any form of physical intervention such as holding, unless it is necessary to prevent personal injury to the child. No measure of control, restraint or discipline, which is excessive or unreasonable, will be used. No child will ever be called 'naughty', smacked, shouted at or humiliated. Food, drink or sleep will never be withheld as a punishment. If the problem persists, issues of discipline will be discussed with parents with the aim of working together in guiding the child to more positive behaviour. Bullying will be taken seriously and dealt with immediately.