Family Owned Nursery, with Many Years, Valuable Experience in Running Good Quality Care

·  Family owned nursery, with many years, valuable experience in running good quality care provision

·  Qualified, dedicated staff – 100% of staff team are trained to Level 2 or above with excellent staff retention

·  Many senior staff qualified to Level 4 and degree level with a dedicated Early Years Professional to lead the EYFS curriculum

·  A safe, secure and stimulating environment with excellent facilities and resources

·  Excellent OFSTED report with ‘Outstanding’ grading – achieved in May 2013 (see enclosed sample of report dated May 2013)

·  An original building, which has been refurbished to a modern, high standard with excellent indoor and outdoor play opportunities

·  Competitive nursery fees

·  Out of school and holiday care with pick ups from local schools in fully insured nursery vehicles

·  Provision of formula milk (SMA white/gold/red)

·  Full, part time, and sessional places available

·  Childcare Voucher schemes accepted & credit / debit cards for fee payments

·  Free Entitlement Funding facilitated, with free sessions for 2, 3 and 4 year olds

·  Opening hours 7.30am – 6pm, with extended hours available

·  An excellent menu which caters for all dietary requirements

·  Achieved Investor in People Award in April 2003.

·  Nursery World award winner for ‘Team Development’ in 2014

·  Achieved Tameside’s ‘Quality Standards Framework’ in August 2005.

·  Achieved Tameside Food Safety Award annually since 2003 and awarded Level 5 (highest rating) for Food Hygiene

·  Tameside Gold “Healthy Choice” food Award for our nutritious, healthy menus.

·  Tameside and NHS Trust award for Oral Health & Nutrition

·  Achieved GOLD AWARD in “Pathways to Quality in Tameside” quality assurance scheme

·  Extra curriculum activities, such as Sport sessions, French, Spanish, Music and dance classes

Facilities

Ø  Fully equipped Baby suite providing care for babies aged 3 months to approximately 18 months with kitchen/changing facilities and offering free-flow access to a dedicated outdoor area

Ø  A toddler room for children aged 18 months to 2 years with free-flow access to an outdoor area

Ø  A room for children aged 2 – 3 years, again with access to an outdoor space

Ø  2 Pre School rooms for children aged 3-5 years with access to an outdoor area

Ø  A dedicated, purpose built ‘Out of School’ room for before and after school care and a holiday club

Ø  Each age group has a Senior Early Years worker, and we operate a Key Person system to ensure continuity of care for all children.

Ø  A Sensory Room, which is a quiet, relaxing space utilised by every age group for exploring using all their senses or for quiet activities.

Ø  Our indoor play area is used by all age groups during the day for small and large group work such as P.E., sports sessions and music and movement.

Ø  A large outdoor play area which is landscaped with natural, sensory equipment as well as a large sandpit, planting areas, bridges, tunnels, playhouse, dens as well as mini-beast and music areas to explore.

Quality Assurance Scheme & other awards

We have achieved the Gold Award in ‘Pathways to Quality in Tameside’, Quality Assurance Scheme. This is a recognised accreditation, which assists us in monitoring and maintaining high standards in the services and facilities we offer to children and their families. This award was completed in 3 stages: Bronze, Silver and Gold and included 8 modules covering all aspects of nursery and Out of School provision. We are proud to be one of a few nursery’s in Tameside to have been awarded the Gold Award.

We have also achieved Tameside’s ‘Quality Standards Framework’ and have also been awarded “Investors in People” accreditation since 2003 as a result of our commitment to staff training and development.

In September 2014 we were national winners of the ‘Nursery World’ award for Team Development, again in recognition of our staff development programme

Our Company CORE VALUES:

PROFESSIONALISM – we understand the need to remain totally professional within the workplace and whilst representing the organisation outside of work

RESPECT – we treat all children, families, visitors, professionals and our colleagues equally and with respect at all times

CARE – we show a caring approach with all our children and their families and understand that the dynamics and circumstances of each family can differ

REFLECTION – we constantly reflect on our practices and evaluate what we do in order to make changes that enhance our provision and services for children, families and staff

DEVELOPMENT – we encourage and embrace training and professional development to create a positive environment and a highly skilled workforce

Admissions & Settling In

We offer nursery and out of school club places on a first come, first served basis, depending on the availability of spaces we have in each room, whilst still adhering to staffing ratios. After you have registered your child with the nursery, we work towards gradual admission, which is usually a week of ‘settling in’ sessions to the nursery. This is to enable the child and their family to familiarise themselves with nursery life. On the first session you will stay in the room with your child for an hour, to allow them to settle and go through our induction process with the staff. You can then gradually leave your child in their room over the next few sessions for agreed periods of time allowing them to bond with our staff.

Parental Involvement

We feel that by working in partnership with parents, it will enable our staff to make nursery life feel like home from home for each family. We pride ourselves on our welcoming and friendly atmosphere and our staff are friendly and approachable, which helps parents to feel they can discuss their child’s development at any time. We have regular ‘Parents Forums’ where parents have the opportunity to be actively involved in every aspect of the nursery and are able to bring forward ideas and suggestions.

We also hold regular ‘Parents Weeks’ where we invite parents in to get involved in an activity within their child’s room or share a meal with them and their friends. We produce a termly ‘Nursery Newsletter’ that is fun and informative, keeping parents and carers up to date with events and nursery developments

Information is displayed around the nursery about the routine of the day and the various activities that take place during place each day.

We have ‘Home to Nursery’ books for each child which are sent home each week, detailing some of the activities your child has enjoyed. We encourage parents to make comments in these for our staff.

The staff who work in our Baby Suite provide a ‘Daily Diary’ to record your baby’s day and for the parents to record any information, which the staff need to know about their child.

Customer Care Charter

We aim to provide childcare and education of a high and consistent quality. The nursery is registered with OFSTED on the Early Years Register, and we meet and exceed the regulations of The Children’s Act (2006), and Early Years Foundation Stage framework including the statutory welfare requirements.

All of the nursery’s policies are available for parents to read and take away. These policies are regularly reviewed. We also have a suggestion box in the reception area, which encourages parents and visitors to comment on our services and facilities. We will also ask our parents to complete regular surveys for us to evaluate our services and facilities. The nursery’s ‘Customer Care Charter’ and ‘Complaints Procedure’ is clearly displayed in our reception.

Illness

We rely on our parents not to send their child to nursery if he or she is suffering from an infection. If a child becomes ill during the day at nursery we will contact the parents who will be asked to collect their child from nursery. It is very important that parents notify the nursery immediately if any of their contact numbers change.

There is a period of exclusion from nursery until your child is well enough to return or until the infection they have is no longer contagious. The final decision is at the discretion of the nursery management.

Medication

A qualified member of staff will only administer medication, which has been prescribed by a Doctor with the Pharmacy label still attached to the medicine. We will administer medication with written consent only after the child has been taking the medicine for a 24 hour period before bringing it to nursery. We will only administer Calpol with written/verbal consent and only when we deem necessary. We will still telephone parents if we feel your child is not well enough to be at nursery.

Security

The security of your children is of great importance to us, which is why we have secure main and internal doors to the nursery. These are operated by a biometric fingerprint system which parents will be enrolled on. We also have C.C.T.V for extra security.

To ensure your children are safe and secure during their day at nursery, the outside areas are securely enclosed to deter any trespassers.

We require permission and a password before we will allow your child to be collected be anyone else other than the parents. Parents are required to complete a collection log sheet if anyone other than a child’s parents are collecting their child.

If a child is not collected we have the right to telephone social services. All our staff will undergo police and suitable person checks before they commence employment. All visitors report to reception, where they sign a visitors book on arrival and when leaving the building. Visitors are always escorted around the nursery.

Health & Safety

Our Management and staff carry out Risk Assessments on a regular basis and all accidents and incidents are recorded. The nursery has a comprehensive Health & Safety policy which is adhered to by all staff.

We maintain a high level of hygiene and cleanliness standards, and the rooms are well ventilated throughout the day to reduce cross-infection.

All children who require a sleep will be provided with individually named bedding which is laundered on the premises, and our staff wear aprons and gloves for meal times and when changing nappies.

First Aid

We will always have staff on the premises that have Basic Paediatric First Aid training, we also have two members of senior staff who have completed a 4 day First Aid at work course who are able to advise and train our staff on first aid procedures.

The names of all trained staff will be displayed in rooms and around the building. First Aid boxes are located in each room, and strategic points around the nursery.

General

We will hold confidential records about each child on the nursery premises regarding registration details, development records, accidents, incidents, incidents out of hours, and medicines.

The safety and welfare of our staff is very important, so therefore we will not tolerate any physical or verbal abuse towards our staff.

Complaints

At Clockwork Day Nursery we strive to provide high quality care and education at all times. However if you feel unhappy with any aspect of the service we provide, please do not hesitate to discuss the matter with us, where we will do our best to resolve any grievances as soon as possible.

In the first instance the matter should be discussed with the key worker or Senior staff member. If you feel the matter has not been resolved, or you have a complaint about a member of staff then please discuss this with the Nursery Manager or Deputy Manager. Any further complaints may be discussed with the Managing Director.

If any matter is still not resolved, you may want to contact OFSTED Early Years at the following address. Complaints and Enforcements

The National Business Unit OFSTED

Piccadilly Gate

Store Street

Manchester

M1 2WD

Telephone: 0300 123 1231

Equal Opportunities & Inclusion

Clockwork Day Nursery and Out of school club has a Social and Educational Inclusion policy. This ensures there is no discrimination towards any child, parent or member of staff regarding age, race, religion, sex, disability or specific needs. We make every effort to ensure that everyone is made welcome to our nursery, and that everyone is treated equally with respect and consideration.

Special Educational Needs & Disability

The Nursery has a Special Educational Needs & Disability policy, which states that there will be no discrimination towards any child requiring care at our nursery. We aim to provide all children with an environment that supports and provides learning opportunities with the EYFS framework. We are committed to care for any child with a specific need or disability, offering support to them and working alongside parents whilst following the guidelines of the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 years. If a child has an ‘Education Health and Care Plan’ (EHCP) this will be discussed on initial registration to ensure we are able to meet any individual needs. We will liaise with our partners within the Local Authority and other outside agencies where necessary, to ensure we are supporting these needs appropriately. We have several Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator’s in each age group and have a Lead Special Needs Co-ordinator to assist in the early identification of any child’s specific needs and to also coordinate any early intervention support that may be required for a child and to assist in the implementation of a EHCP.

Safeguarding Children

Clockwork Day Nursery takes its Safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously and highly regards the protection and welfare of children in our care as paramount in accordance with The Children’s Act (2006). All our staff are trained appropriately, to ensure every child in our care is protected, and to offer support where needed.

We rely on parents to inform the nursery staff if your child has had an accident at home so it can be recorded with an explanation on our ‘Out of hours’ incident forms. We will contact social services with information we feel is necessary to disclose to them. We will also contact Social Services in the event of any parent failing to collect a child.