Cippenham Nursery School

Your Involvment with your Child's Education

We work to the Curriculum for the Foundation Stage. It states ‘Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators, when parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on the child’s development and learning’. We aim to share children’s development with their parents and wish this to be a two way process. We will therefore be asking you to tell us about your child and asking you to come to the Nursery to find out all about us. The personal development and well-being of the children is the highest priority in the school.

FIRST CONTACTS

There will be several stages in ensuring that your child is happily settled into our Nursery. Everybody feels nervous in a new situation and we all need a friendly person to help make us feel comfortable. The first stages to build up relationships to help us do this include:

Getting to know your Key Workers

Every family has special adults in the Nursery called key workers. You will be able to meet them to start to get to know each other.

Visiting the Nursery

You will be invited to visit the Nursery with your child to meet their members of staff. It is your chance to explore the Nursery together and find out what exciting activities there are to try. Your members of staff will explain about the Nursery and this is your opportunity to talk about your child.

Home visits

This visit is to allow your child to begin to bond on their home territory with key workers. They will try to take your child’s confidence in the home environment and broaden it to help them feel independent in the Nursery. It is as important for a second or third child as it is for a first child in the family even though you may feel you know the Nursery well. The home visit also allows you to discuss anything you wish to know about the Nursery or your child in a private place.

Pre-schools

With your permission it may be possible to organise short visits to and from your child’s Pre-school. This also helps children to feel more confident in changing settings.

Starting Nursery

Not everybody starts together to allow key workers to give new children as much individual attention as possible at the start. You are the experts in knowing your child; we are the experts in settling children into Nursery. We are prepared to be flexible about the amount of time you stay with your child but please be guided by what the key worker feels is appropriate for your child. Every child and parent is different!

There will be formal opportunities to talk to your key worker regularly about your child’s progress. Staff are usually available for a few minutes at the end of the session if you need to consult them about any matter. Please continue to talk to us and tell us anything new or different about your child’s circumstances. Adults are welcome in school, please talk to the staff if you are interested in helping during the sessions.