Information
We are registered for a maximum of 26 children per session starting at two years six months. We invite you and your child to attend two sessions before this age, once a week, as an induction to the setting and staff. Please note as they are under age a parent or guardian will have to stay with them.
Once the children start attending we need to look at each child’s settling in period individually, both the parent/carers and pre-school leaders will discuss what is best for each child.
Key Person System
Each member of staff is responsible for the records of a small group of children, although all staff observe all children and the information is shared between us. These records show us the children’s achievements and are used when planning to help us provide stimulating activities appropriate for each child’s stage of development. You will be introduced to your child’s key person at the induction sessions, when the key person will ask for your help to begin your child’s Learning Journey book, and to gather information of your child’s interests and needs. We will encourage you to share information regularly with your key person to ensure we keep updated. We will invite you into the setting to share time with your child and their key person. We believe the partnership between parents/carers and ourselves is most valuable. All records we gather on your children are then passed onto their next setting.
Clothing
Please do not send your children to pre-school in their best clothes, as we are very busy at Ketton Early Birds and your child may get messy! We do provide overalls, but accidents do happen. We provide coats and wellies for outdoor play in order to prevent their coats getting wet or dirty. We also provide sun hats in summer, although we ask you to apply sun cream before the session in hot weather, for children attending all day, we ask for you to provide a labelled bottle of sun cream. Please do not send children with jewellery on as it can catch on the equipment or be pulled by other children, we accept no responsibility for loss of jewellery.
Snack Bar
This is conducted under the heading of ‘snack bar’. The snack bar is open during a large part of your child’s pre-school session. They are able to visit our snack bar when they are ready so that there is no interruption to your child’s play. Snack consists of milk, water and a variety of fruits, vegetables and other healthy savouries. Water is available to the children throughout the session, you are invited to send in a named water bottle each session for your child to use. Please inform us if your child has any allergies and dietary requirement.
Regular Sessions
Once you have secured regular weekly sessions, your child is guaranteed that place. You are committed to paying for those sessions regardless of holidays, sickness etc. We will need four weeks notice of changes to regular sessions.
Adhoc Sesions
Flexible childcare, i.e. extra days or short notice, will be available as long as we have the spaces available, we have adequate staff numbers and your child is registered with us. Secured regular sessions will take priority.
Fees
Fees are invoiced a month in advance and paid to us, Ketton Early Birds, by cheque, by the 25th of each month (Please see our bad debt policy attached). Please could you write your child’s name on the back of the cheque. If you have any concerns regarding fees, please see Sarah Long or Lorraine Noakes.
When collecting your children please collect them promptly, there is a late fee of £3.00 for each 15 minutes you are late. Please inform us if anyone else but you will be collecting them and fill out the appropriate forms which are located in the lobby. Failure to do this may result in the child not being able to leave until you arrive.
Illness
If your child is unwell, please inform the setting on 709666. Please ensure your contact numbers are up to date. In case of infectious diseases such as chickenpox, we follow Suffolk County Council recommendations, please see list in the lobby. Cases of sickness & Diarrhoea we ask for your child to have a 48hour recovery period. The accident and first aid box will always be close at hand, and our staff have got First Aid Certificates for children. Accidents are recorded and parents/carers are informed. Incidences between children will be recorded on an incident form, and parents/carers informed.
Child Protection Commitment
This setting is here to serve children and families. We will listen and keep private anything you say to us. However, we have to inform the Child Protection agencies if we are worried about the care a child is receiving.
Annual Events
There are a number of events during the year to which all are welcome. We have open days for you to come and meet us, including coffee mornings, book fairs, special events, raffles and events to raise funds. We welcome any ideas from parents/carers for fundraising ideas. Please see a committee member. We support Meadowlark every year which involves dressing a float in the theme which has been chosen and looking after a stall during the day to raise funds for the KCA.
Committee Meetings
We welcome and like to encourage new faces and new ideas to these meetings, details of dates and venues are posted on the notice board. We always need committee members, so if you would like to join please see the chairperson or committee member.
Bad Weather Closure.
In the event of bad weather closing our setting we will contact you between 7.30am-8.30am that morning, generally if Kedington Primary School is closed it is likely we will also be closed. The most common reason for closure during bad weather will be staff unable to travel into the village. In these cases you will still be invoiced for this session as staff will be paid.
Policies and Procedures
A copy of the policies and procedures that we adhere to are available on request or can be found in our Operational Plan in the lobby. Please take time to read them, if you would like a copy please ask a member of staff.
If you are interested in a place for your child, please fill in the attached registration form and return along with your registration fee of £20.00 per family. A member of staff will be in touch to discuss your child’s admission to our setting. Please do not hesitate to call if you would like more information or would like to arrange a visit before registering your child.
Parking
We have strictly NO PARKING on the whole school site for parents and carers. If you are disabled and would appreciate parking on the school site, please speak to Sarah Long and we can ask Mr Woodward, the Head Teacher at Kedington Primary School to consider giving you permission to park.