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Admission and Settling In policy
It is the policy of this nursery to settle children in gradually, both in terms of number and time, so that each child becomes happily independent.
Fifty two children are admitted to this nursery in the first academic term. All of the children will be 4 years old before the end of the third term.
The criteria that we use to select the children for this nursery are in line with the regulations issued by the Department of Education and can be found in the Nursery Enrolment booklet for parents issued by the EANI- this is available on the EANI website www.eani.org.uk
Once all the places have been allocated a meeting is held for parents where the ethos of the nursery is explained, along with practical information regarding a child’s time in nursery. At this meeting parents will meet the principal of the nursery school as well as the nursery staff.
Prior to starting, each child, along with their parent, will be invited to an open day in the nursery. This gives each child one hour in the nursery to meet the staff, see the nursery and meet a very small group of other children. This has proven to be very beneficial when settling children in.
Each child will also receive a home visit. Detailed forms will be completed with the parent and hopefully the staff will find out as much about the child’s home circumstances in order to gain a good understanding of the child. This may help with the settling in process.
When the child and parent come to nursery on the first day a warm welcome will be given. They will both be shown around the nursery.
The child’s first day in nursery is only for a one hour visit and the parent will be asked to stay to enable the child to settle in happily. The teacher will help both parent and child to manage the initial separation, possibly by :-
n communicating with parent and child as they work together;
n involving the parent or child in some activity as a step towards separation;
Most children settle in well; but there are sometimes one or two who find this difficult. In such cases special help and understanding from the staff are required. Such a child may need his/her parent to stay until he has settled with flexible attendance, and his day extended very gradually. He/she may also need an adult with him during the initial sessions. Where a child’s settling in process requires adjustment or support, this will always be discussed and agreed with parents. Occasionally, a child with identified needs may benefit from an adjusted pattern of attendance so that trust, confidence and ability to cope with the demands of the nursery day can grow and develop over time. In the early stages of the school year this may mean a very short attendance time daily. Staff will work alongside parents to ensure that individual needs can be planned for and met accordingly.
At all times the staff must be understanding of the children’s differing needs and temperaments and not only have one standard set of expectations for all the children settling in.
Staff must also be seen as approachable, caring, sensitive, trustworthy individuals that parents feel happy to leave their children with.
During the settling in period we aim to get to know the children well and help them quickly get used to the rules and routines of nursery e.g. putting on and taking off aprons, finding name labels for paintings etc.
This will work best when there are only a small number of children present. In this small group setting, the children will have time to bond with their new caregivers and grow in confidence that their needs will be met in their new environment. Therefore, during the month of September all children will have commenced school within the first week of the term, and will attend in small groups during their initial weeks in nursery. It is important to bear in mind that whilst individual children may settle quite quickly, the class group as a whole may take longer to become familiar with group behaviours and expectations.
On the first day, all children will have a one hour visit. The following day, group 1 & 2 will begin, each attending in a small group of 8/9 children. Groups 1 & 2 are generally made up with children who have extensive playgroup experience- children who have previously attended playgroup are more likely to pick up our daily routines quickly and easily. As this is the case, we settle groups 1 & 2 in relatively quickly and join them as a larger group within the first fortnight in September. Groups 3 & 4 will typically comprise of children who have not attended playgroup or children with daycare experience. Groups 3 & 4 begin with one hour daily in small, separate groups and we allow these two groups a slower pace at settling in and building up to a full school day. They will benefit from a longer period of time, in a smaller group, during which they can adapt to the rules and routines of the school day. Attendance time gradually builds up as we add new routines to the settling in period. Children begin dinners by the beginning of October.
It is a rule of the school that each child must be supported by a parent/grandparent/childminder for three days at least. Therefore we will expect an adult carer to stay in school with the child for the first three days.
Your child will be looked after by school staff. This adult will show you both where the child is to hang his/her coat, where his symbol is, where the toilet/wash hand basins are and where to sit. On the first day you will both sit and play together for about one hour.
On the second day you will sit at the side of the room while the adult supports your child in his play. You will stay for an hour.
On the third day after your child has play for 30 minutes the adult will suggest that you leave the room for a while. If this is accomplished successfully and your child is happy to let you go, then the next day you stay for five minutes and go away for an hour or so.
A sample settling in time table is laid out below.
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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Week 1 29/08 |
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Open Day Visit for all groups |
G1- 9-10 G2- 10.15-11.15 |
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Week 2 05/09 |
G1 9-10 G2 10.15-11.15 |
G1 & G2 9-11 G3 11.15-12.15 G4 12.30-1.30 |
G1 & G2 9-11 G3 11.15-12.15 G4 12.30-1.30 |
G1 & G2 9-11 G3 11.15-12.15 G4 12.30-1.30 |
G1 & G2 9-11 G3 11.15-12.15 G4 12.30-1.30 |
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Week 3 12/09 |
G1 & G2 9-11 G3 11.15-12.15 G4 12.30-1.30 |
G1 & G2 9-11.15 G3 & G4 11.30-1pm |
G1 & G2 9-11.15 G3 & G4 11.30-1pm |
G1 & G2 9-11.15 G3 & G4 11.30-1pm |
G1 & G2 9-11.15 G3 & G4 11.30-1pm |
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Week 4 19/09 |
G1 & G2 9-11.15 G3 & G4 11.30-1pm |
G1 & G2 9-12 G3 & G4 11-1.45pm |
G1 & G2 9-12 G3 & G4 11-1.45pm |
G1 & G2 9-12 G3 & G4 11-1.45pm |
G1 & G2 9-12 G3 & G4 11-1.45pm |
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Week 5 26/09 |
All groups 9-12pm |
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Week 6 03/10 |
All groups 9-1pm Dinners start |
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Transition to Ravenscroft from home and other settings Policy
Aim
To ensure that a smooth and happy transfer to Ravenscroft Nursery School is achieved by all the children.
Objectives
To prepare the children for their transition and help them view this transition positively
To provide opportunities for the children to meet their new teacher and support staff in the nursery.
Operating Policy
Ravenscroft Nursery School wishes to be seen very much as a part of the local community and establish good links with the neighbouring playgroups, Surestart settings, mothers and toddlers and home settings.
Therefore throughout the year the nursery will be involved in some activities with the staff and children of these settings where possible.
This will ensure that the children beginning Nursery In Sept are familiar with the school, thus easing the transition process.
Such activities may include being invited to the school concert dress rehearsal, fun day and play day visits.
In term three, we hold an open evening event for new parents, during which information is given about the school, the staff, the curriculum and other practical issues. Advice is given to parents on how to talk positively to their child about starting school. A range of paperwork/forms including a uniform order form is distributed on this open evening and we encourage parents to bring their child along to the school to return these/try on uniform for sizes, thus creating informal opportunities for the children to become familiar and comfortable with the school and staff.
The settling in process for each child is carefully planned to ensure that a home visit, appropriate settling in group and staggered/progressive settling in is facilitated and that the settling in process follows DENI guidance on settling in periods in Nursery Schools/Units.
For children with identified additional needs, further home visits from staff and visits to observe the child in their pre-pre-school setting may be arranged with parental consent. Where a child with SEN is transferred to mainstream, we will endeavour to have relevant supports in place which might be required over and above our Inclusive Environment provision e.g. individual visuals/timetables/schedules.
Where possible, contact will be made with settings such as Surestart, Bloomfield Playgroup, Orange Pips, Daycare to gather information which will help staff to settle in each child and individually plan their transition to Nursery. Care will be taken to utilise and build on information contained in any transition reports or documents.
Visits will be made to settings which traditionally cater for larger numbers of children for whom Ravenscroft is the transition Nursery School.
Due to the large number of settings, it is not possible to visit all settings on a yearly basis but Ravenscroft staff will endeavour to visit each setting every few years where appropriate.
An invitation is issued to all of our new children to attend the School fun day which is held in June, again, offering an informal opportunity for each child to become familiar with the school and staff.
Transition from Nursery to Primary School Policy
Aim
To ensure that a smooth and happy transfer to Primary School is achieved by all the children.
Objectives
To prepare the children for their transition and help them view this transition positively
To provide opportunities for the children to meet their new teacher in the nursery.
Operating Policy
Ravenscroft Nursery School wishes to be seen very much as a part of the local community and establish good links with the neighbouring primary schools and in particular, Elmgrove PS, Loughview Integrated PS, Greenwood PS, Belmont Infants, Euston Street PS, Dundela Infants, Victoria Park PS, Harding Memorial and St Josephs PS.
Therefore throughout the year the nursery will be involved in some activities with the staff and children of these Primary Schools where possible.
This will ensure that the children of the nursery unit will be very familiar with the primary school, thus easing the transition process in September.
Such activities may include being invited to the school concert, carol service, sports day etc.
In term three, we begin to prepare the children specifically for the transition from Nursery to Primary One by:-
1: Having formal discussions about going to ‘big’ school.
2: Having the Year One school teachers spend part of a day in the nursery to meet the children.
3: Incorporating ‘transition’ into role play, by having a school with appropriate uniforms, photographs of Year One teachers, playgrounds, classrooms etc.
4: Displaying photographs of each child’s Year one school teacher and key areas within the school.
5: Allowing children to be seated near friends who will be transferring to the same primary school at dinner time.
6: Talking to children about their new Year One Teacher regularly.
In order to extend the education the children have already received in the nursery, the parents and year 1 teachers will receive transition profiles/written reports.
In September/October our main feeder primary schools to meet with the Year One teachers to share each childs Nursery Profile and any other relevant information. Telephone contact will be made with all other smaller feeder Primary Schools to the same end.
At the end of a childs nursery education it is expected that in the main a child will:-
Be socially integrated with his peers
Be confident with adults
See his teacher as a person who will facilitate his learning
Be independent with regards to his physical needs
Have developed certain physical skills
Be curious about his environment, eager to learn and solve problems
Communicate freely, express his needs and verbalise his ideas
Listen attentively
Have developed a degree of concentration
Be interested in books as a source of enjoyment, interest and information
Have his creative and aesthetic awareness developed
Have developed a positive attitude to school
At Ravenscroft Nursery School, our parent worker is trained in the ‘Stepping into Schools’ programme and this shall be offered to all parents as a coffee morning workshop prior to their child transitioning to Primary School.
Ravenscroft Nursery School will make a staff member available to support incoming primary schools at their open morning. Where this offer is accepted, a staff member will visit each school alongside the children to be a ‘familiar face’, as the children visit their new classroom and meet their new teacher and friends.
Mrs Symington will meet with/contact feeder Primary School SENCOs to discuss and pass on any relevant SEN information and documentation. This may also include co-ordinating a tailored transition for children with additional needs for whom this would be beneficial eg/ 1:1 visit to new school accompanied by a Ravenscroft Nursery School staff member.
Mrs Symington will liaise with any relevant Designated Teachers should any information need to be transferred with a pupil.
In November each year, we host a ‘Returners Party’ which completes the transition cycle and allows the children and their parents to share their experiences with us. It is also an opportunity, should it be required, for parents to highlight any settling in issues which Ravenscroft Nursery School may be able to assist with.
SEN
Where a child with SEN is transferred to mainstream, we will endeavour to have relevant supports in place eg/CIDS team, behaviour support. All information relating to the provision of individual visuals/timetables/schedules will be shared with the receiving Primary School.
Symptoms of scarlet fever
The symptoms of scarlet fever usually take two to five days to appear after infection.
However, the incubation period (the time between exposure to the infection and symptoms starting) can be as short as one day or as long as seven days.
The symptoms of scarlet fever include a sore throat, headache, high temperature (38.3C/101F) or above), flushed face and swollen tongue. The distinctive pink-red rash develops 12 to 48 hours later.
Rash
Red blotches are the first sign of the rash. These turn into a fine pink-red rash that feels like sandpaper to touch and looks like sunburn. It may also be itchy.
The rash usually starts on the chest and stomach, but soon spreads to other parts of the body, such as the ears, neck, elbows, inner thighs and groin.
The rash doesn't usually spread to the face. However, the cheeks become flushed and the area just around the mouth stays quite pale. The rash will turn white if you press a glass on it.
The rash usually fades after about a week, but the outer layers of skin, usually on the hands and feet, may peel for several weeks afterwards.
In milder cases, sometimes called scarlatina, the rash may be the only symptom.
Other symptoms
Other symptoms may include:
When to seek medical advice
See your GP as soon as possible if you think you or your child has scarlet fever. Although the illness usually clears up after about a week, your GP will be able to confirm a diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatment.