Nursery and reception

Admissions
All three year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free nursery provision per week. Children can now join our three to five provision at the beginning of the term they turn three. Please collect an admission form from the school office.

From September 2017, the Government has introduced a new scheme which offers 30 hours free childcare for families who are eligible.

Who is it for?

To be eligible, you (and your partner if you have one), must either:

• You, and any partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £142 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage). 

  If you, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible.

  You can't get 30 hours free childcare if either you, or your partner, each individually expect to earn £100,000 or more.

How do I apply?

To apply, please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk and complete the online form.

If you're eligible for 30 hours free childcare, you'll receive a 30 hours eligibility code, your unique 11-digit reference number. This code is important as you'll need it to claim your free childcare. You should take the code to your childcare provider or local authority along with your National Insurance number and your child's date of birth to secure your free childcare place.

Your childcare provider will check the code with the local authority and confirm your eligibility. You and your childcare provider will then be able to discuss when provision can begin.

Reconfirming your eligibility

Every three months, you'll need to reconfirm that you're still eligible for 30 hours free childcare. You'll be reminded to reconfirm you're still eligible 4 weeks before the deadline. If you also receive Tax-Free Childcare, you'll be able to reconfirm your eligibility for both schemes at the same time. You don't need to take your code to your provider or local authority every time you reconfirm however, you should notify your provider if you fall out of eligibility. You can apply for 30 hours free childcare for another child at any time. The point at which you'll need to reconfirm will be aligned for all children. This means that you won't need to go online to reconfirm at different points in the month for each child. If you don't reconfirm, your childcare provider and local authority will be told that you no longer meet the requirements for a free childcare place.

How does it work at Orgill?

The Department for Education sets out two types of provider for the purposes of 30 hour entitlement: flexible providers such as private nurseries and sessional providers such as schools which operate fixed sessions.

As a sessional provider, our provision is based upon our existing morning and afternoon sessions to ensure no disruption to teaching and learning within our busy unit. The sessions are 8.45am to 11.45am and 12.30pm to 3.30pm. This amounts to 6 hours a day and 30 hours across the week.

The additional half hour per day is the lunch period and is charged at £3 per day which includes a hot meal. This can be paid weekly or half termly but must be paid in advance. The Department for Education guidance states that parents should expect to pay for additional hours outside of the 30 hour free entitlement and extras such as school meals. We have kept this cost to a minimum, in line with our existing wraparound lunchtime charge and believe this to be excellent value for money.

As a sessional provider, we are unable to offer flexibility of provision although you do not have to use all 10 sessions if you receive the 30 hour entitlement. If you require different hours, it may be that a flexible provider is more suited to your needs and we can advise you of settings where this is the case. Please be sure that our provision meets your needs before submitting your eligibility code for processing. If we receive your code, we will assume that you are in agreement with the terms and conditions of our provision.

During the term prior to your child beginning Nursery you and your child will be invited to attend an open session in school.  This will give you the opportunity to meet staff, have a look around the school and gain insights into the curriculum that your child will receive here.

Staff will arrange a home visit just before your child is due to start Nursery, to talk to you and your child in familiar surroundings.  This gives staff the opportunity to meet with your child personally and for parents to discuss and share any information needed before your child attends.  This helps us give your child a really positive start to their education.

Children do not automatically enter reception from our nursery, you must apply to the Local Authority for a place.  This must be done by January in the year that they are due to join reception and we can provide you with support in doing this.

Facilities

Our Early Years unit consists of four open plan rooms and an extensive outdoor area, which are all stocked with age appropriate resources and furniture.

We are a self-contained unit with our own toilet facilities which the children are free to access throughout their session.

We also have a well-resourced sensory room that provides a relaxing environment for children to explore all of their senses. The room can benefit all children in lots of different ways.

Uniform

Uniform is compulsory for our three to five year olds and you will be given a copy of our uniform policy before your child starts.

We provide outdoor, waterproof clothing and wellies for when the children are accessing the outdoor provision.

Due to the nature of the Early Years provision, we do ask that all children have a full change of clothes available to them during their session. This does not have to be a second uniform as it is only used in the event of your child becoming wet or dirty.

In the Reception year children must have a complete change of clothing for PE, including shorts, t-shirt and slip on pumps.  This should be stored in a PE bag on the child’s peg in the cloakroom.  PE t-shirts can be purchased from the school office. 

Settling In

During home visits, staff will work with parents to create a settling in plan which specifically meets the needs of each individual child. These plans will become working documents that can be adapted and changed appropriately; this ensures a smooth transition into our Early Years unit.

Daily Organisation

Nursery session times:

Morning session – 8:45am to 11:45am

Afternoon session – 12:30pm to 3:30pm

Reception children should arrive at 8:45am and be picked up at 3:10pm.

We strive to create a warm and stimulating environment where learning is fun. We engage in activities that promote and extend children’s curiosity and awareness of their world. We provide a balance of child-initiated and adult directed experiences which encourage learning through play and exploration. We encourage children to grow in confidence, self-esteem and independence.

The timetable for our children in Reception changes appropriately throughout the year to ensure that their learning needs are best met and that they are well equipped for their transition into Key Stage 1.

More information about the Reception year will be available during the ‘Welcome to Reception’ meeting at the beginning of each school year.

Dropping Off and Collecting

Children come into our Early Years unit through our designated Early Years entrance and into their cloakroom where they hang their coats and bags. This is where you will also collect your child from, if they are in the Nursery session.

Reception children are collected from the exit onto the large playground at the rear of the unit.

You will be required to complete an authorisation form stating which people have permission to collect your child from school and they must be at least 16 years old. We will not release your child unless they are collected from the classroom by an adult named on the form. It is not appropriate to have your child collected by an older child in the school.

Snack

Children are encouraged to share a healthy snack and drink in a small friendly group where staff promote good table manners and encourage children to be independent in preparing their snack. Fruit is free as our school is part of the National School Fruit Scheme. Milk is free until your child reaches the age of five.

Children have access to fresh drinking water which they can help themselves to throughout their session.

School Meals for Reception

All children in reception and Key Stage One receive a free school meal under the new Government initiative. If you are in receipt of any benefit it is important that you still apply for free school meals to ensure that your child still receives free school meals when they enter Key Stage Two and to ensure that your child receives additional funding available to them through the Pupil Premium scheme. Contact school for more information.

Each term a menu is sent home with every child. Children should select which of the two meals they would like each day. If any changes need to be made to your child’s menu, please do not hesitate to contact school.

All of our meals are cooked daily on the premises and meet the current guidelines for nutrition in schools. In addition to the choice of two hot meals, soup and a well-stocked salad bar are available daily.