Please see below a list of questions that we frequently get asked. Should you require any further information please don’t hesitate to ask us.

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1. What time can I drop off?

   • Drop off time is from 7.30. If you arrive before 7.30 you will be asked to wait with your child until 7.30

   • The afternoon drop off time is 1pm. You will be asked to wait if you arrive beforehand.

   • Please note that for safety purposes, the school gates are locked from around 8am until 4pm approximately. If they are locked, please press the buzzer situated on the right hand side of the electric gates and state that you are a nursery parent. For your convenience it is better to drop off well before or well after the school run (8.45 and 3.15) if at all possible as the area can be quite congested.

   • Please drive slowly and carefully in the car park as there are often school children around.
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2. What time is collection?

   • Morning collection is 12.30

   • Afternoon and full day collection is 6pm.

   • Please be aware that a full handover takes 5/10 minutes. If you wish to have a full handover please factor this into your arrival time for collection. If you arrive at 12.30 or 6 then the contents of the handover will be published to Tapestry only and a full verbal handover will not be provided.
      

3. Can I swap my days?

   • If you want to permanently swap your child’s days then we need 1 month’s notice in writing. The possibility to swap will depend on availability.

   • If you want to swap on an ad-hoc basis ie if you have an appointment on a Monday and want to swap your day to Friday, usually we cannot accommodate these changes for staffing reasons. However, speak to the Manager and if we have any spaces then we may be able to do this, depending on the child’s age and availability. 

   • Funded days cannot be swapped
      

4. Can I book extra days as and when I need them?

   • Yes- speak to the manager or send an email and we can book in additional extra days depending on availability. Certain days are very busy and we may not be able to accommodate your request.
      

5. What do I need to bring for my child?

   • They always need wellies and a waterproof coat and trousers

   • Depending on the season they may need suncream and a hat

   • You are welcome to send in a toothbrush and paste but this is not compulsory

   • A full change of clothes is always useful to have- they can bring this in each day or we can store it here at the nursery. Pre-school children practice getting changed for PE so shorts and t shirts are useful to have. 

   • If your child really needs a comforter such as a soft toy then they can bring it but we take no responsibility or liability if it gets lost or broken. We advise stopping bringing a comforter in their final year before school to aid with transition.

   • Please ensure all items are fully labelled with your child’s name, we take no responsibility for any item which is not labelled, we have many children who are the same size as each other and lots of parents who shop in the same places

   • We do go out in the mud, and use paint and messy materials, we therefore advise you to send them in old clothes so it doesn’t matter if they get dirty. We want children to have fun and get stuck in and not have to worry about what they look like.
      

6. What if my baby is on breast or formula milk?

   • No problem- send it in frozen labelled bags(breast milk)

   • Please only send in formula milk in a sealed container labelled with their name. 

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7. ​Do I need to send in snacks or lunch?

   • No. Please don’t send in any food or drink. We provide all meals as part of our package, and they are compliant with the multiple allergies that we have onsite. 
   • Our food is all healthy and homemade, we do not serve desserts or sugary or fatty foods unless for a special occasion such as birthday or celebration.  
      

8. What if my child is a fussy eater?

   • We will encourage them to try the food with their friends

   • We will not immediately offer an alternative as it becomes disruptive for the other children but we will not let them go hungry. We will encourage them to try elements of the meal even if they don’t want to eat all of it, and we will take into account what else they have eaten that day at snack and breakfast and avoid any pressure for them to eat.

   • Our meals are ‘self service’ so children can help themselves to the quantity of food they desire and then come back for seconds if they wish. Our staff monitor this portion control so that children do not over or under eat.

   • We often find that even fussy children end up eating lots at the table as we all sit down together and if their friends like it then often they will too 😊
      

9. Can you cater for allergies?

   • Yes- please provide medical evidence and information with the allergy that your child has and we are able to cater for them. 
      

10. Do you give medication?

    • Only if it is on prescription.

    • We will apply nappy cream without a prescription and also Calpol in the event of an emergency (to bring down a temperature). If we give a dose of Calpol you must collect within an hour. PLease bring a labelled bottle of Calpol if you wish us to administer it to your child. 
       

11. Do you brush their teeth?

    • If you have given consent on the registration form, your child is age 2 or over, please provide a toothbrush and paste and we will brush their teeth once a day with them. 
       

12. Do I get a key worker?

    • Yes, your child will be assigned a key worker within the first 2 weeks of them starting, based on who they bond with best and which staff member has a similar shift pattern to the attendance of your child. If you are unhappy with your key worker please speak to management and changes can be put into place.

    • You will always be given the opportunity to meet your child’s key worker, please let us know if this has not yet happened and we can organise it.
       

13. Can I use the 15 and 30 hours funding?

    • Yes however we stretch our funding across the 51 weeks that we are open. This means that if you are eligible for 15 hours you will only receive 10 per week, but this will be the same all year round- there will be no change during school holidays. If you are eligible for the 30 hours you will get 20 per week, all year round. 

    • We do charge a food and consumables fee which is payable all year round even if you are on holiday or your child is off sick. The current price for this is £9 half day and £14 full day. 
       

14. Can I use tax free childcare?

    • Yes. You need to set this up yourself and let us know when you have the code from them as we need this to identify the payments when they reach our bank account. The code is usually a long one which will start with your child’s initials and end with TFC.  Please note that from processing the tax free childcare your end (it will need to be done each month) there is usually several days (around 5) before the money reaches our account. We will apply our usual late payment fees if the money does not reach us by the last day of the month so bear this in mind when making your payment. 
       

15. Can I use childcare vouchers?

    • Yes, we are signed up and registered to most voucher companies. The majority of which you will just need the nursery name and postcode (LE65 1JX) to find us on their system. If you use a new voucher company, please speak to the management and they can subscribe us onto the new system. 
       

16. Will I get to see photos of my child and what they have been doing?

    • Yes we will upload them to Tapestry

    • When you first join the nursery you will be emailed a login (directly from Tapestry) and you can set yourself a password

    • On this system you can see all the observations that we have done on your child – it can be accessed via the APP or the website. We also upload all their information about their food, drink, sleep and toileting however this section can only be viewed via the website, it is the section called “Care Diary”.

    • Parents are encouraged to upload their own photos and stories on to Tapestry for us to share the learning that has been going on at home and help us to better track each child’s development. You can post as little or as often as you like. You can also make comments on the observations that our staff members have written. 

    • Your child will usually get 1 observation a week, sometimes there may be more. This may or may not include a photo, and the purpose of the observation is for our staff members to be able to track your child’s learning and development, if there are photos for you to see then this is a bonus but the primary aim and goal of using Tapestry is for us to track your child’s progress.

    • Each Quarter (3 months) your child will go through a Focus Week. They won’t be aware of it, but we will be observing every single area of learning and development to accurately find out where they are and if there are any areas they need help with.

    • After the focus week, you will be sent their updated age tracking results and invited in for a meeting with your child’s key worker. If either the key worker or the parent has any concerns or doubts please express them at this meeting, we aim to intervene early and quickly if we suspect any delays or problems that a child may be facing.

    • Every 6 months you will be given a progress update for your child.
       

17. How will I know what they have eaten?

    • We upload all their information about their food, drink, sleep and toileting onto Tapestry however this section can only be viewed via the website, it is the section called “Care Diary”. 
       

18. Do  you have parents evenings?

    • After your child’s focus week, you will be sent their updated age tracking results and invited in for a meeting with your child’s key worker. If either the key worker or the parent has any concerns or doubts please express them at this meeting, we aim to intervene early and quickly if we suspect any delays or problems that a child may be facing.

    • We have an open door policy so if you would like a meeting with the nursery manager or your child’s key worker, or our SENDCO at any time please let us know. You do not need to wait until after their Focus Week. We can arrange meetings whenever is convenient for you. 

    • We are trialing a parents evening session once every 6 months after the progress reports. 
       

19. Do you do settling in sessions?

    • Yes, we offer a 1 hour free settling in session once registration has been completed and the deposit has been paid. Any further sessions are at full price to you but you can have as many as you like before the official start date of your child. 
       

20. Do I get a discount if I am on holiday or off sick?

    • Unfortunately not. Our staffing and overhead costs remain the same, and in order to be able to keep your child’s space then any days you choose not to attend nursery are still payable in full. We do not issue refunds for any days not attended.

    • The only time of year that we do not charge, is when we close over the Christmas period which is usually for a week. Please see your T&C’s document for further information.

    • Please call or email us if your child is off sick or on holiday so we can make a note of this and do not call you with safeguarding concerns. 
       

21. When do I pay?

    • Invoices are sent between the 10th and 15th of the month, and they need to be paid by the last working day of the month. Payments are to be done in advance, so for the month of May, the payment needs to be received in full by the end of April for example.

    • If you want to pay in chunks to manage your budget more easily, such as sending £100 a week every week then we can accommodate this, but the full balance must be cleared by the last day of the month. 
       

22. What if I pay late?

    • Our late payment fee is £10 per day accumulative, regardless of the amount owed. Equally, we will not admit your child in to nursery unless any outstanding balance is paid in full as our payment policy is that payment is made in advance of childcare being received. 
       

23. What if I am running late to collect or drop off?

    • If you are running late to drop off, then please just turn up whenever you can, do not worry about being late. If you are going to be significantly late (an hour or so later than usual) please just send us a text or a call so that we do not worry that you have encountered problems en route to the nursery.

    • If you are running late to collect, we charge £10 per 10 minutes that you are late. This is charged in blocks of £10. So a 10 minute late collection is £10, a 12 minute or a 20 minute late collection is £20. This fee applies to both the 12.30 pick up AND the 6pm pick up. 
       

24. Does my child have to wear a uniform?

    • No, however we do have some uniform items available to purchase should you wish. We have t shirts, jumpers, hoodies, fleeces etc all produced and embroidered locally.

    • Please ask our management team for a uniform order form if you are interested.

    • Please note that uniform items are made to order, we do not keep a stock of anything on site and therefore orders can take a couple of weeks to arrive.