COVID- 19
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]
*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. I have already submitted the Post Lockdown Childcare Needs Survey form online, but my circumstances have changed, what should I do?
A. You can complete the online survey as many times as appropriate to inform us of your change of circumstances. However, there may be a delay in processing the changes as it may impact on an existing rota. We will confirm with you when the changes have been made.
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. I do not wish to send my child back until September, will I lose my child’s place and previously reserved sessions?
A. You do not have to send your child back this term. The sessions that you had reserved pre-lockdown, will be carried over to September.
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 you definitely be opening again on 1st June 2020?
A. No. We shall only open if the government gives us the go-ahead to do so and if we have the staff available. As per the Prime Ministers address on Sunday 10th May, Primary Schools and Early Years settings were to plan to open at the earliest on 1st June. This date was given considering the rate of infection meeting their forecast targets. If the governments targets are not met, we will be advised to remain closed. We also have almost 50% of our qualified staff needing to shield at home due to health conditions. Therefore when and if we do reopen, we will do so by instruction of the government and within our staff limitations.
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.
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.
Have a question?
Please submit it by completing the boxes below.
SURVEY
Post Lockdown Childcare Needs Survey- All parents to complete
Following the government's announcements on the 11th May 2020 about a phased reopening of childcare settings, we would like to ask all parents to complete a short survey to find out a little bit more about your future childcare needs so we can include this in our planning.
Please be assured that we are using all the government guidance to ensure that when we are able to open, we can ensure we are taking every precaution to protect our staff, children and their families. As such, we will continue to discuss our plans with you and any potential changes we many need to make as a result.
Many thanks,
Useful Links
Please click on the headers for links to the relevant websites.
