SummerNewsRound-up 2017
Welcome!!!
DearParents,
Wewould mliketowelcomeallthenewfamilieswhohavejoinedusatCheekieMonkeysthisterm. Belowaresomedatesforyourdiaries, andsomegeneralinformation:
School Leavers We are very sad to see this year’s school leavers depart. We wish them all the very best with their next steps at school. Thank you to their parents and carers for supporting Cheekie Monkeys over the years. We hope that you all come back and visit us and show us how smart you look in your uniforms!
Staffing We have 2 new members of staff that have started with us very recently. Paige Rawle is our new level 3 Early Years apprentice and Rosie Morris has started as a new level 3 Early Years Practitioner. Both members of staff will be splitting their time between both rooms. We wish them all the best in their new positions at Cheekie Monkeys!
Sad Farewell It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Megan Rogers who is going to University in September! We always knew Megan’s time at Cheekie Monkeys would be limited but it has come round all too quickly. Thank you to Megan for her commitment to her role over the last 12 months and we wish her all the very best in the future!
It is also with sadness that we have said goodbye to Lidia Morgan. Lidia has decided to have a career change and is now working in a bank. We wish her all the best for her new career!
Universal Early Years Entitlement (EYE) If your child is due to turn 3 on or before the 31st August 2017 then you will be entitled to 570 hours of Early Years Entitlement over the year starting from the 1st September. We operate a flexible system of funding here at Cheekie Monkeys. You can access this entitlement term time only (15 hours per week) or you can stretch the funding over a 50 week year (11.4 hours per week). If you would like to discuss your child's hours and how you can take advantage of this funding then please see Ali. Sessions are still available from September on a first come first served basis. We also offer 2 year old funding to all eligible families.
Additional EYEAs you will hopefully be aware the new additional EYE is available to eligible 3 and 4 years from 1st September 2017. Most working parents will be eligible for the additional hours (up to 15 additional hours + up to 15 universal hours per week = 30 hours). If you are not sure about your eligibility it is definitely worth checking. Please go to to check your eligibility and to register for your entitlement code. Once you have done this please let us have the code here at nursery so that we can allocate your additional hours. For all children aged 3 and over by the 31st August 2017 we must have your eligibility codes ASAP.
NEW- Fees PolicyA new fees policy is currently being written to take account of the new additional 30 hours EYE funding for eligible families.
We have also revised our Christmas holiday break and after a parent consultation carried out in January 2017 we have decided to only shut the nursery down for one week (Monday 25th- 29th December). Our last day will be Friday 22nd December therefore and we will open up again on Tuesday 2nd January after the bank holiday on the 1st. This does have a knock on effect to our fees policy especially for those families where we calculate their fees over a 50 week year (weekly payment x 50 weeks / 12 months= monthly payment). From January 2018 we will therefore be calculating fees over a 51 week year. As the reduced Christmas break takes effect in 2017 this does mean that everyone will continue to have 2 weeks of non- fee payment up until the 31st December 2017. We will also be re introducing Inset days in 2018 as we have struggled to facilitate the amount of training required for the numbers of staff we have. We will only be having 2 Inset days however. Please see the attached 2018 year calendar for your information. A refund for these days will be issued to all children who are unable to attend nursery on these days.
A new fees policy will be sent out to you at the end of September 2017 and we will require you to sign the policy to say that you have read it and are in agreement with it.
September changes As you are all aware Emma Fox has been acting Manager of Cheekie Monkeys since Claire went on maternity leave back in May. Emma is doing a fantastic job of running the nursery and I have been delighted with the way she has risen to the challenge. Emma along with acting deputy Manager Jade Geatches have made a fantastic team and together have ensured the nursery is a place where children thrive and make excellent progress.
This has enabled me to take the next step in my career and I am delighted to announce that I have been appointed as the new Early Years Adviser for Somerset. This position will take effect from the 4th September 2017. I will, of course, still be on hand to assist Emma and Jade where necessary but I am going to ensure that they have more time in the office during the week. This will enable them to carry out their Managerial duties much more easily. Therefore if you wish to speak to someone about any aspect of the nursery please talk to Emma and Jade. They will be available in the office on 01460 52457 and at
Best Regards, Ali, Emma and Jade