Do you offer settling in sessions?

We recommend that you bring your child for at least two visits at pre-school before you leave them for the first time. This can be done prior to them starting or in their first week. We will talk to you to decide the best approach for your child. Children generally settle in faster if they attend at least 2 sessions a week, ideally spread through the week rather than on consecutive days.

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How do you handle allergies?

Please advise us as soon as possible, if your child has ANY allergies, no matter what they are.  In addition to making sure they don’t eat something they shouldn’t at snack time, we occasionally have parents bringing pets in to see us; we also make our own play dough, so if someone has a gluten allergy we can make the dough with special flour. We also often do baking which we ensure all allergies are taken into consideration. 

 

What communication can I expect to receive?

There is a newsletter sent out every Wednesday in term time by email, informing you of key dates (such as INSET days, sports day, Christmas events and parent consultations), what is upcoming at Pre- School in the next week such as our focus of the week, rhyme of the week, the story for our interactive story session and lots more. The staff will also be on hand after each session should you need to speak to someone in person or you contact us by phone or email.

 

What should my child wear?

• Simple, comfortable, easily washable clothing they can get messy in and handle themselves (to encourage independence).

 • Clothing that will not obstruct independent toileting.

• Footwear it is possible for them to get on and off themselves that they can run, jump and climb

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 Your child should always have:

• A cardigan or jumper, as it can be chilly in the hall even on hot days.

• Weather-appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear as we go outside in all weathers. In summer they will need a named hat and clothing that covers their shoulders, with sun cream applied before pre-school.

 

 Please name everything – if they can take it off it can get lost! Dish-washable, iron-on and special shoe name labels are available from many internet sites and will continue to be useful when your child starts school. We do have a range of branded clothing for sale which might make life a bit easier, speak to a member of staff if you’d like to know more.

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What should my child bring?

• Named water bottle

• Packed lunch, if they are staying for the afternoon session.

• Wellies, which can be kept in the porch if preferred.

 

A named bag containing:

• Change of clothes

• A jumper or cardigan, unless they are wearing it!

• Nappies and wipes (if needed)

• Winter hat and gloves or sun hat and sun cream (seasonally)

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Please do not let children bring anything small or precious to Pre-School we can not guarantee these items won’t get broken.

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Collecting Children

Sessions usually end at 12.00 and at 3.00pm. If you need to collect your child at a different time (by prearrangement) please ring the doorbell next to the outer door and wait for the door to be opened. When your child starts at St. Leonard’s, you will be asked to complete a registration form, which will include a list of people who may collect your child. We will assume that any of these people have your permission to collect your child at any time, so you MUST inform us in writing if your wishes change. We will not release your child to anyone who is not on the list unless we have your written permission to do so (a text message is acceptable). This must include the full name and contact number of the person collecting. In emergency situations where it may not be possible to give written permission, or when the person collecting is unknown to us, we may ask you to provide a password.

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What food do I need to provide?

We provide a free snack for all children in the morning. This will usually include 3 types of food and we always try to ensure that each child has at least one or two types of food they like. They will be offered a drink of milk in an open cup or they can choose to drink from their water bottle. The children are encouraged to make their own selection and collect their  cup and plate. 

Lunch boxes are required if your child is attending an afternoon session.

• We recommend using a cool-bag style lunchbox and including an ice pack to keep your child’s lunch fresh.

• If your child does not like to drink water, please put an additional drink in their lunch box.

• If your child has a yogurt, please make sure you include a spoon.

• Grapes and cocktail sausages must be cut in half for health and safety reasons.

Please do not include:

▪ Food containing nuts (including peanut butter),

▪ Sweets

▪ Chocolate

▪ Frubes or similar

(These restrictions are usual procedure in many schools including Oakley. The nut restriction is to protect both known and unknown nut allergy sufferers. Sweets and chocolate cause difficulties with other children, particularly as children are not permitted to share food.)

Please make sure we are aware of any special dietary requirements or allergies before your child starts with us

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My child is unwell – can they come to Pre-School still?

Children must always be well enough to attend pre-school. They are not well enough if:

• They have sickness, diarrhoea or pains, particularly to the head or stomach.

• They have a contagious or infectious disease.

• They have a temperature or fever

Keep your child at home for 48hrs after:

• Starting a course of prescribed antibiotics

• The last occurrence of vomiting or diarrhoea

A full list of illnesses and exclusion times is available in the setting or can be found at www.patient.co.uk (search school exclusion for infections) or at www.gov.uk > Health protection in childcare > Exclusion Table.

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Can I help out at Pre-School?

Yes, there are lots of ways you can help.  

 

1. You can volunteer your time to come into Pre-School and bake with us, share your job (we have had nurses, police cars visit), pet visits – we would love to hear from you with any ideas.  

 

2. Fundraising. As the Pre-School is a charity, we are always looking for different fundraising ideas and sponsored events. You can also help by signing up at easyfundraising.co.uk - this is a free service that allows charities to raise money when you shop online with over 2,700 retailers, including  Amazon, John Lewis, Next, Argos and many more.

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