WELCOME
PACK
(Revised: Jan 2013)
Telephone: 01491 826387
Email:
Welcome from the Committee
Welcome to Allsorts Pre-school! The committee are delighted to welcome your family to Allsorts.
This handbook is designed to inform you about the day-to-day running of the pre-school and assist you during your child’s time with us.
The items covered are as follows:
Getting started at Allsorts3
If your child is unwell5
Rules and good practice6
Key person system8
Links with Brightwell School8
What is a pre-school?9
A brief history of Allsorts Pre-school9
Parents as partners at Allsorts Pre-school10
Fee information13
Policies14
We hope this handbook will help you feel part of our pre-school, and answer any questions you may have about how it functions.
Finally, it remains for us to say thank you for choosing Allsorts Pre-school for your child’s pre-school care and learning, and we wish him/her and you a happy time with us.
The staff and committee of Allsorts
A note on terminology: for ease of reading the term ‘parent’ is used throughout this pack to denote all those with caring responsibilities for children.
Getting started at Allsorts
You will need to complete the following forms:
Registration Form
Help Us Get To Know You and Your Child
How You Can Be Involved With Your Pre-school
Consent Form
Emergency Treatment Permission Form
Animals On Premises Permission Form
Terms & Conditions
Session Request Form and Notes
We welcome parents to stay with their children for the first couple of sessions to help settle their child in.A child’s first unaccompanied visit to pre-school can be a worry for parents. Our capable staff members are well versed in offering encouragement and comfort when a child finds it difficult to settle. If you are concerned, speak to any staff member. If a child is distressed and does not settle, the parent will of course be contacted. Please refer to the Settling In Tips below to ensure the best start for your child.
Your child should bring a change of clothes with them. Each child has a peg for bags, coats and hats and a named tray for work. We ask that ‘best’ clothes are not worn to pre-school - they can get messy!
In the winter, a warm coat and hat are essential and must be brought to pre-school.
In the summer, hats are essential and must be brought to pre-school. We operate a Safe Sun Policy at Allsorts. Please apply sun cream BEFORE arriving at pre-school.
Children are encouraged to bring in items of interest to talk about. We have ‘show and tell’ most days and items relevant to the current theme are especially welcome. We ask that toys other than those for ‘show and tell’ are not brought to school as they can be easily misplaced, resulting in children getting upset and staff spending time searching for toys.
A newsletter is issued each term, detailing activities and themes being followed. There may also be other letters regarding committee meetings, fundraising, outing dates, photographer dates and end of term activities, etc. To save paper and printing costs, the termly newsletter, the weekly bulletin and most other communication is sent by email. If you do not have access to an email account and would therefore prefer to have paper copies of these, please let the Manager know.
We operate a healthy snack scheme (fruit, pancakes, smoothies etc.) for which parents contribute a small fee each term. Milk is provided free of charge. Please provide a named bottle of water for your child to drink at any time in the session, and we provide a cup of milk, juice or water for snack time. Please advise us of any allergies that your child may have. This is especially important if we are doing a food activity.
We also have a lunch club each day for an hour at the end of the morning session. We recommend that children under 3 years of age do not attend lunch club - this extra hour can make it particularly tiring for them. Children and staff eat together at lunchtime - encouraging the development of social skills.
If your child stays for lunch and they have items that need to be kept cold, please ensure there is an ice-pack in their named packed lunch box, asour fridge is not large enough to store lunch boxes.
Parents must provide a healthy lunch for their child. We ask that confectionary is not sent as part of a packed lunch. It is essential that you do not send any nuts (or nut products) in your child’s lunch, due to the risk to others of potential allergic reactions.
Settling In Tips
- Brief visits to pre-school before you start will make the place and people feel more familiar.
- Try to avoid starting at a time where there has been a change of routine. A new baby, a spell in hospital or even a long holiday can require a settling down period.
- If your child is going through a clingy patch, it may be worth considering delaying admission, or staying with your child until they feel comfortable and can be left.
- Talk to your child cheerfully and positively about all the good things that will happen when they are at Allsorts.
- Arrange to arrive a little later on the first day. That way you arrive to a quiet and settled pre-school where the children are already busy and the staff are free to introduce all the new people and activities.
- Explain to your child what is going to happen in full. Tell them what you will be doing whilst they are at school and tell them when you will be back, e.g. after story / singing time along with all the other parents. This will help your child visualize where you are and understand the timescales involved.
- For children who find parting hard, it might be an idea to extend separation gradually, you could go into the kitchen at first and progress from there. But remember to be punctual and come back when promised.
- Children of pre-school age change very quickly, so don’t worry.
If your child is unwell
We will contact you if your child is unwell whilst in pre-school. It is vital that we have up-to-date contact numbers for you while your child is with us, including a mobile number if you have one. Please do not bring your child into pre-school if they are not well enough to cope with a lively session.
If your child has an infectious illness please don’t send them to pre-school. If your child has had sickness and/or diarrhoea please keep them at home for 48 hours after the last bout of illness. For other childhood illnesses please check with the staff when it is appropriate to bring the child to pre-school again.
The pre-school holds information on dealing with head lice and other childhood complaints and will inform other parents (usually via the noticeboard) that the condition is present within pre-school.
If your child will not be attending pre-school due to illness please telephone 01491 826387 before 9.15 am and let us know.
Rules and good practice
We encourage ‘good’ behaviour at pre-school. We strive to help the children develop a respect for others and their possessions and a sense of right and wrong. We provide a consistent approach to dealing with unacceptable behaviour. Positive methods of guidance, such as praise, encouraging children to talk over their problems and removal of potential problems or redirection will be used. For more information please refer to our Behaviour Management Policy held in the policy booklet in the lobby.
Telephone (01491 826387)
There is a telephone at Allsorts. Please keep the staff informed as to your whereabouts so that you can be contacted if your child becomes ill or distressed. If you are worried about your child settling, please feel free to contact the staff by phone. During session times, you may be redirected to leave a message on the answer machine, but staff will return your call as soon as possible.
Start and finish times
For morning sessions children should be brought by an adult between 8.45 and 9.00 am, for registration at 9.00am. Children should be picked up at 11.45 am (or 12.45 pm after Lunch Club).
For afternoon sessions children should be brought by an adult at either 11.45 am or 12.45 pm (after lunch club), and collected between 3.00 and 3.15pm.
At pick up times (except for the 3.00-3.15pm pick up), your child will be brought to you at the gate by a member of staff. This is to minimise any disruption to the ongoing session.
To ensure that the pre-school meets its ‘Safeguarding Children’ commitments, the outer gate must be locked at 9.05am.
Our insurance policy demands adherence to these times. Please wait in the cloakroom area before the start of a session. This allows us to set up activities at the start of the day. If you are the parent helper for the session please report to the staff when you arrive. At the end of the session a staff member will come and unlock the gate when the children are ready to leave. This avoids creating distractions during story time at the end of a session.
If your child is to be collected regularly by someone other than a parent you must register their details with staff and provide photo ID. In the event the usual parent cannot collect on a one-off occasion please inform staff at the beginning of the session and complete one of the permission forms provided. Please ask a member of staff for a copy of this forms. We cannot let a child leave with anyone else unless this has been done. All parents are asked to ensure that their children are collected promptly at the end of each session. If a child is not collected at the end of a session the pre-school staff will contact the parent. After 30 minutes the emergency contact given on the enrolment form will be asked to collect your child. Failing this, procedures set by Social Services will be implemented.
Entrance and parking
Allsorts’ entrance is through the gate nearest Greenmere (marked 'Allsorts Entrance'). For the safety of everyone and for the sake of good relations with Brightwell School, please use ONLY this entrance and close ALL gates behind you. Please be considerate when parking in surrounding roads, and do not park directly opposite the School’s yellow road markings.
No dogs are allowed on the primary school premises; please leave them outside the grounds and away from the entrances and exits.
Smoking
Both the pre-school building and grounds as well as those of the primary school are designated as no-smoking areas.
Notice period
A term’s written notice is required if your child is leaving, otherwise you will be billed in lieu of notice. Please let the manager know if your child will be leaving as soon as possible so that their place can be offered to another child. You will also be asked to complete an ‘Exit Questionnaire’ so that we can learn from you and your child’s experience here.
Clothing
Children should be dressed in practical clothing that is suitable for pre-school activities and encourages their independence (eg avoiding belts and laces). Please be warned that we encourage ‘messy play’ here at Allsorts and would ask you send your child to pre-school in clothing that can be easily washed, or is not precious!
PE takes place in the primary school on Tuesdays. If your child is attending on these days please ensure they wear unrestrictive clothing. The children have to take off their shoes and socks for PE and change between indoor and outdoor clothes and shoes at playtime. They also take themselves to the toilet. It is much easier for them, and encourages their independence, if they wear manageable clothes.
Please name all outdoor clothing, bags and boots. Avoid open-toed shoes and jewellery for safety reasons.
During the summer months we ask that you provide a suitable hat and apply sunscreen to your child BEFORE they attend pre-school.
Key person system
Each child is assigned a key person. The key person pays particular attention to a child’s development during their time at pre-school and is responsible for collating samples of work, identifying particular needs a child may have and keeping informal records. They should be the person you talk to if you have any special concerns or queries.
Records are kept in order to assist with the creation of a child’s profile and are kept in a locked filing cabinet. Parents can arrange to see their child’s profiles at any time through the key person. There is a list on the notice-board detailing the key person for each child.
Obviously the staff work very closely together, and know each child, so if your child’s key person is not available at a particular session, please feel free to approach any of the staff. Our staff are all more than willing to discuss any concerns or suggestions that you may have and are very pleased to have feedback about activities carried out. They would not like to think anyone felt unable to approach them.
We can only respond to any concerns or complaints if we know about them – so please keep us informed!
Links with Brightwell School
Allsorts Pre-school benefits greatly from being on Brightwell School site. There are strong links between the pre-school and school and these were formalised in March 2004 by a formal protocol between the two settings. A liaison committee with representatives from both settings meet 3-4 times a year, or as required, and informal meetings and discussions happen continuously. Discussions revolve around curriculum planning and philosophy, and resource and knowledge sharing. We ensure we are both aligned with the topics followed each term and link in closely with Foundation Stage activities.
Much of the work between the two settings is about making the transition from one to the other as easy as possible for your child. Allsorts makes good use of the school’s resources – the hall and outdoor facilities are used for PE, music, dance and movement. Older children follow a more formal programme of transition in the term before they move settings.
With our close proximity, good working relationship and desire to offer children a seamless education programme Allsorts and Brightwell School form a strong and effective team to give your child happy, secure and fun early learning years.
More information about Brightwell School can be found by visiting or by calling 01491 837024.
What is a Pre-school?
Allsorts Pre-school is run as a partnership between parents and staff – there is no external ‘management body’. We as parents run the pre-school for our children, and employ suitable qualified staff to do the professional childcare and education.
In order therefore for the pre-school to open and function parents need to fill the key office roles of chairman, secretary and treasurer, and fill committee places too.
Our whole ethos is built on the idea of working in partnership and, while for many of us there is great joy in leaving childcare to the professionals, it is equally good to provide input to what our children are doing. Our wishes, concerns and ideas as parents matter, and at Allsorts the concept is made real.
A brief history of Allsorts Pre-school
In 1961 the first ever playgroup was started by one parent in the absence of suitable government provision. In 1974 Brightwell Playgroup was founded. It first met in the Village Hall, four mornings a week catering for 24 children. In the early days of the playgroup there was no curriculum to follow and no OFSTED regulations either!
In 1990 the playgroup started fundraising for its own building, and in the same year a Portakabin was erected at Brightwell School, at a cost of £3,000. The group then became known as Allsorts Playgroup.
As the number of playgroups expanded it was felt a name change was in order, and playgroups became pre-schools. In 1998 Allsorts Playgroup became Allsorts Pre-school and a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA). The outside play area was created that same year. Following a mammoth fundraising effort we moved into our current building in autumn 2006. The grounds outside include a ‘sensory garden’ for the children,an undercover play area for year-round outdoor fun and a larger garden for active outdoor play, which includes a large sandpit, playhouse and wooden climbing frame with slide.
The ethos of pre-schools has not changed from the very early days: groups are run by parent volunteers, employing trained staff to manage and teach the curriculum. Today, in the Alliance there are more than 2,500 staff and 150,000 volunteers involved in running pre-schools across the country.