Collecting Your Child
Children must be collected promptly at 3.00 p.m. (and at 11.30 am on Wednesday mornings for part time) after our story sessions. It is important that children are collected on time as they can become distressed if left. The staff also have a variety of commitments after school including staff and planning meetings.
If you arrive early, please wait in the outside area until the doors to the school are opened at 2.50pm to avoid the session at the end of the day being disrupted. If you need to collect your child earlier than this to get to another school, please come at 2.30pm before our final session starts to cause the least disruption. Please do not use your mobile phones in school when collecting your child. They disturb the story sessions, can be intrusive and the staff may need to talk to you at the end of the school day.
Children should be collected by a parent or familiar adult. Children will not be released to anyone under the age of sixteen or to taxi companies. Please telephone if you know you are going to be late and let the staff know if someone different is collecting your child. Children will only be released to the adults named on the collection consent form, unless we receive a message from you.
*Let school know if there is someone who should not collect your child.*
What do I do if my child is ill?
- If your child is unwell and cannot come to school please let us know by phoning us on 0121 675 3421
- If your child has been vomiting or has diarrhoea, please keep them at home from school for 2 days (48 hours) after the illness stops.
- If your child starts a course of antibiotics they must remain at home for the first day (24 hours).
- If your child has a food allergy or food intolerance please inform us immediately.
- Please check that your child has all the immunisation recommended for young children. This could protect other children as well as your own from certain diseases.
Absences – Illness and Medication
Please let us know if your child is ill (Tel: 0121 675 3421) – staff will contact you on the first day of any absence if you have not made contact with us. If your child is absent for more than two days and there is still no contact, we will carry out a home visit.
Medicines are not given in school unless under special circumstances. If your child requires a short course of treatment, please speak to a member of staff. If your child requires medication on a regular basis we will make suitable arrangements. We will only administer prescribed medication.
To prevent the spread of infection, the Environmental Health Department has advised us that all children must have two clear days away from school after any bout of sickness or diarrhoea. Please keep your child at home if they are not well enough to participate fully in the Nursery day, this includes going outside to play.
Dinner Money and Free School Meals
If your child stays for lunch, dinner money must be paid on Monday mornings for the week (or Wednesday for part time). Please place the correct amount of money in an envelope, supplied by school, with your child's name on it and hand it to the office. We have great difficulty in supplying change so we would prefer the exact amount, or we will put any change back in the envelope to be collected on Monday afternoon from reception. The current amount is £2.00 a day.
If you receive certain benefits you may be entitled to free school meals. Please see reception to obtain further information and an application form.
Toy Safety
Play is not risk-free - and nor should it be - but we can control most of the hazard's children are exposed to. Toys must be safe by law, but how they are used, and the age of the child are important factors in preventing accidents.
Although toys are involved in more than 40,000 accidents each year, their safety is only part of the problem. Many accidents involving toys occur when people trip over them and when babies play with toys intended for older child.
Online marketplaces don't do safety checks of toys they sell. And reports show increasing numbers of dangerous toys available on online marketplaces from third party sellers. Financial pressures and the promise of bargains mean unsafe toys may well be bought by unsuspecting parents.
Top 10 toy safety tips
- Buy toys only from reputable outlets - look for the CE symbol
- Make sure the toy is suitable for the child - check the age range
- Be particularly careful with toys for children under three
- Be wary of young children playing with older children's toys
- Check for loose hair and small parts, sharp edges and points
- Ensure that garden swings and slides are robust and are not a strangulation hazard
- Check toys regularly for wear and repair or dispose of them where necessary
- Keep play areas tidy
- Follow the instructions and warnings provided with toys
- Supervise young children at play
Make sure the toys are suitable. Some children, particularly those under three, are more vulnerable, especially to choking, and less able to cope with some toys than older children. It should also be remembered there will be significant differences in the abilities of those in the same age group, and those children with special needs.
Clothing
Clothing should be suitable for play and easy for your child to manage in order to go to the toilet independently. Belts and dungarees can cause problems if your child is in a hurry to go to the toilet and should be avoided. Children do occasionally have a toileting accident so you may like to leave a change of clothes in a small bag on your child's peg just in case. We are always happy to accept clothing that your children have outgrown, particularly pants and trousers, to use as spare clothing. Please label items of clothing especially school sweatshirts, coats, hats, gloves and wellington boots with your child's name.
Outside Play
Outdoor play is an important part of children's learning at our school and whenever possible all children spend part of each day playing outside. Please ensure that they come in suitable clothes and provide some spare clothing in case they get dirty. If your child comes to school in boots or wellingtons in bad weather, please send a change of shoes for them to wear indoors. If the weather is very hot and sunny please send your child with a sun hat.
School Sweatshirts
You will be given the chance to purchase sweatshirts and t-shirts with the school logo on. Please make sure they are labelled with your child's name inside as they can easily get mixed up.
Jewellery and Valuables
Please make sure that your child doesn't come to school with any valuable items such as jewellery. If your child has pierced ears please make sure that earrings are the stud types as these are less likely to cause injury.
