COVID- 19
UPDATE 03/07/20-
Please see that there is new guidance on children attending out of school settings. All links are at the bottom of this page.
UPDATE 12/06/20 -
Dear Parents,
Due to the dramatic increase of requested places this week, we have now reached our limit set by WSCC of having a maximum of 16 children attending the setting at any given time. This means that we will now have to put our priority system in place.
Unfortunately, if your child has been attending and a priority place is requested, you may be at risk of losing your child’s place. There are various criteria which allows a child to achieve priority, a few examples of this include;
- if the child is vulnerable
- if the child has an EHCP
- if the child’s parents are keyworkers
- if the child is starting primary school in September.
We continue to be as fair as we possibly can in this situation, however, much of the decision making, criteria and limitations are out of our hands and are based on a system of safety rather than fairness. Once we have worked through the criteria process, it will boil down to order of age and date of request. We are aware that many children who need a place, may fail to secure a place. We apologise for this very frustrating situation, but we do have all our children and staff’s safety as our priority.
We will continue to maintain regular contact with you regarding your child’s place and we please ask that you continue to be considerate with your attendance and childcare requests.
The return to pre-school has to date been remarkably successful and we hope to continue to offer a safe learning environment for all of our attending children.
Well wishes,
Sandy Cooper
UPDATE 28/05/20 - We can confirm that pre-school will be reopening to a reduced amount of children on Monday 1st June 2020. The pre-school will however still be closed for visitors.
UPDATE 28/05/20 - Pending the go-ahead from the government please find under our policies and procedures a new policy regarding opening during the outbreak.
NOTICE 22/05/20 -
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for completing the online survey about your children returning to pre-school. We have now processed this information and have a plan and register in place for week commencing 1st June. We shall only be re-opening for a small quantity of children based on the survey results, staff availability and infection control. As the pre-school environment does not allow social distancing practices to be put in place, keeping the numbers low reduces the potential risk of infection. Priority has been given to working families where there are no other childcare alternatives, keyworkers and vulnerable children. All parents will be notified by text in due course as to whether they have a place or not. Please inform us of any changes to your situation but bear-in-mind changes cannot be guaranteed or implemented with immediate effect due to the meticulous planning involved.
Parents of children who are scheduled to return after half term will be contacted next week with a list of guidelines and procedures, these must be followed to minimise risk to both families and staff. As I am sure you are all aware, we still await the final go-ahead from the government to re-open, so our plans will only be put into practice once we receive that official go-ahead.
We hope that all our families continue to keep safe and well and we look forward to our eventual reunion.
Kind regards and well wishes,
UPDATE - 11/05/20 Following the latest advice we are planning to re-open the setting when we reach stage 2 of the Governments Recovery Strategy. This has been estimated to happen no earlier than 1st June (after half-term) and will be based on the latest scientific advice. Please stay in touch with us and let us know about your needs while we continue to prepare and plan for our re-opening. We recommend that parents read the governments guide of opening of school which can be found below by clicking on the link.
UPDATE - 08/04/20 We are remaining CLOSED. Under instruction from the government, pre-school closed on Friday 20th March. We will be closed for *ALL children until further notice. We still have staff available to take your calls/messages or answer your emails. For any new enquiries for September admissions, please email [email protected]uk
*If you are one of our registered keyworker families or have a vulnerable child and your situation has changed regarding keeping them safely at home, please call to inform of us these changes and your childcare needs.
We hope you all keep safe and well.
FAQ
Q. Can you my child attend multiple settings or use a childminder and attend pre-school?
A. We have been advised in the past and again recently (15/07/20 Early Years Broadcast) by WSCC, that it is not advisable and we should discourage children attending more than one setting / childcare provider. The advice reads as below;
'The guidance states that 'Parents and carers should be encouraged to limit the number of settings their child attends, ideally ensuring their child only attends the same setting consistently'.
There cannot be a parental expectation that you will accommodate requests where the child attends more than one setting.' (Early Years Broadcast 15/07/2020, COVID-19 Setting Update 67)
Q. I would like to put in my request for September Session but am unsure of how the land will lie that far ahead.
A. The online survey for this term has now been removed and will be replaced with a September Session Request Form. As we are all unaware of how this extraordinary situation will continue to effect us in September, we suggest you request your sessions as if everything will return to normal. This means we can explore various options with your 'ideal' taken into consideration. This form, once completed, will be available under the parents / forms tab.
Q. How will the pre-school staff and children be able to practice social distancing?
A. Normal social distancing practices will not be possible within our early years setting. We are currently working off the government guides and are doing our own risk assessments as to what is the best way to move forward. We shall inform you at a later date once these have been completed and researched thoroughly.
The government guide currently states; "We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and school, we are taking this into account."
Q. Will you still be offering an early drop off / late pick up service when the children return to pre-school?
A. Unfortunately we shall not be offering this service during these unprecedented times. When the pre-school is fully operational again we shall re-survey to see if there is a need to re-introduce this service.
Q. Will the pre-school open as normal for all children to attend once you re-open?
A. Pre-school shall not open as normal. We have been advised to put a cap in place for the amount of children that return. We will be re-opening for a maximum of 12 children per session, eight children between the ages of 3 and 5 and four children aged 2. Priority will be given to children with a genuine need for a pre-school place, eg. children of keyworkers, vulnerable children and working parents. The will be an overall cap of 16 children that can return to pre-school all together. This is to create a 'bubble' should any of the staff, children or families should present with COVID-19 symptoms. When we have more staff available again, we hope to introduce at least two bubbles so we can increase the amount of children available to return.
Q. Can my child toys from home into preschool during the outbreak?
A. No. Children must not bring in toys from home during the outbreak. If you child requires a comforter please inform us by email or phone before their session commences to discuss further.
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Useful Links
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