NORMS OF OPERATION
- Arrival
- Collection
- Settling-in period
- Payment methods
- Medication
- Attire
- Menu
- Toys
- Working toghether
- Information sharing
Please bring the children in the morning anytime from 8:30am but no later than 9:45am. Children who arrive later than 9:45am will not be received unless the parents informed the Centre in advance and there is a good reason for the lateness.
To ensure a good functioning, please be punctual when you drop off the children as well as when you pick them up.
In the morning the child needs to be brought via the office and handed to a member of staff. If someone other than you picks up the child at the end of the day, please inform your child about this, tell the manager in the morning and provide the name of that person. If this is not done, the child will not be allowed to leave the premises.
(Please ask the Centre for a Procedure on the arrival and collection of children for details).
You can collect your child anytime from 3:30pm but no later than 5:15pm. If you have to pick up your child earlier, please inform the office in advance.
During the first week when your child starts the nursery until she/he will adjust to the new environment, the timetable will be varied to meet your child's needs. We will be guided by your child rhythm but generally, the child will arrive an hour later (9:30am) and will be picked up after lunch (around 12:30pm). During the first week, both parents are welcome to help the child settle in.
(Please ask the Centre for a copy of the Settling-in Procedure for more details)
Monthly fees will be due on the 1st day of each month. Payment is accepted by cash, cheque, direct debit or standing order. We will be able to accept childcare vouchers in the very near future (more information will follow). Failure to make the payment can result in the place being withdrawn. If you encounter difficulties making the regular payments, please contact the Centre so a mutually convenient solution is found. The Centre will determine the fees. These will vary pending the other costs encountered by the Centre. In the eventuality that fees will be changed, the Centre will inform the parents/carers 30 days in advance.
A one-time non-refundable fee of £25 is due for registration into any program. When a child is offered a place into one of the Registered Programs such as the Nursery or the monthly Out of School Hours Program a deposit of £400 will be due along with the last month’s fees. This will be requested at least 30 days in advance. The deposit will be returned to the parents when the child leaves the nursery/Out of School Hours (or may be used as payment for the final 2 weeks or the equivalent if in After school programme).
(Please ask the Centre for a copy of the Admission Policy for more details).
If the child leaves the nursery during the term time, the Centre needs to be informed at least 1 month in advance. Part of the payment for that month can be covered with the deposit. If the parent/carer, informs the centre less than 1 month in advance, the deposit will be lost.
If the child does not attend the nursery for any reasons (including illness, other holidays apart from the ones when the Centre is closed, etc) the payment is still expected and will not be reimbursed. During the recognised UK Bank Holidays and staff training days the Centre will be closed.
The Centre will be closed during the month of August every year. During this time, the payment will not be due.
If a child has prescribed medication which she/he needs to take during the Centre hours, the medication needs to be given to the Centre's manager. The medication needs to have recorded clearly the name of the child, method and frequency of administration. This needs to be recorded in the Medication Record Book. The parent is expected to sign in the book to confirm their consent for the medication being administered. Medication without GP prescription will not be administered.
(Please ask the Centre for a copy of the Infectious Disease Policy and Medication/Exclusion Policy for details).
All the children who attend the nursery have a small bag in which parents need to put a change of clothes in case of various accidents: a pair of underwear, socks, trousers, blouse and if the child wears nappies, sufficient to be able to change the child throughout the day. All clothes need to be appropriate for the weather/time of year. The trousers need to be easy to put on and take off, without a belt, leather or buckles. The shoes need to be comfortable and safe; easy to put on and take off. Every child needs to bring their own tooth brush and tooth paste and a plastic cup with their name written on them. Staff will advise you of this.
The Spanish Nursery provides lunch and ‘merienda’ for all the children in the Centre and a healthy snack for those who attend the after school programmes. The menu is reviewed periodically. In addition, children are encouraged to bring a fruit in every day and this is served around 10:30am. Parents are encouraged to contribute with menu ideas if they want to.
We aim to provide a balanced and nutritious meal to all the children who use our Centre. The use of fizzy and sugary drinks and sweets are not allowed on the premises. Cakes and home made sweets are allowed on special occasions (a child’s birthday). The Spanish Nursery discourages parents from bringing food in for their children from home, particularly sweets, crisps and other snacks. It causes unnecessary anxiety for the other children whose parents have not given them a snack.
The Spanish Nursery can help parents celebrate their child's birthday. To do this we ask the parents to bring in ‘nut free’ cake, etc., to the party and combine it with their normal tea time at 3:00pm. Parents are welcome to attend if they wish and can bring in a camera and/or a video. Please advise the staff in reasonable time in order to avoid disappointment.
The Centre has a variety of toys so children are advised not to bring their own from home, as there is the risk of loosing or damaging them. We advise you not to bring rings, earrings or chains of any value to avoid potential disputes. The Centre is not responsible for any items brought in by the child.
Our main goal is to ensure that your child is happy whilst attending our Centre, and has opportunities to learn and develop. It is therefore essential that we create an environment of calm and trust and for this, the relationship between the Centre's staff and the parents is very important. We invite the parents to participate in the activities designed by the Centre, bringing their own contribution and personal touches:
- - help with creative activities, music, art, cooking;
- - participate in the outings organised by the nursery, including trips to the library, walks, etc.
The strength of our service will be based on the daily communication between ourselves and the parents. We will circulate newsletters to parents in an effort to maintain contact between the Centre and the families. Whenever it will be necessary we will hold parents meetings and we will inform you through annual reports about the progress made by your child through all the areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.
The Centre operates a strict Child Protection Policy which all the staff will adhere to. Safer recruitment is practiced and all the staff is CRB checked and there is a thorough recruitment, selection and probation process.
The Centre operates a number of policies and procedures as follows:
- Admission policy
- Allegations against staff policy
- Arrival and collection policy
- Anti-bullying policy
- Behaviour management policy
- Child Protection policy
- Code of conduct
- Complaints procedure
- Data Protection policy
- Equal opportunities statements
- Health and safety policy
- Infectious disease procedures / Medication / exclusion policy
- Intimate care policy
- Missing child policy and procedure
- Mobile phone policy for staff
- No smoking policy
- Outings policy and procedure
- Parents as partners policy
- Risk assessment
- Settling in policy and procedure
- Special education needs policy
Please feel free to ask the Centre for a copy of any/all of the above for your information.