FAQ - 2-5 Years

What are the adult to child ratios for the older group?

Staffing levels are dictated solely by the child’s age and remains constant irrespective of what group they may be in. These ratios are:

- one staff member to 4 for two year old children
- one staff member to 8 for three year old children.

Children’s care needs are met within this requirement and all children can have one to one on the occasions when this is needed. On any given day we are often working above the minimum requirement where a keyteam of between three and four staff work with an overall group size of 18 children with an age range of 2 – 4 years.

My child is still in nappies. How often are nappies changed?

Throughout the nursery, nappies are changed 3 times each day as a matter of routine and as and when needed with soiling throughout the day. We keep records of every nappy change.

Where and when do the older children sleep?

Any child who needs a daytime sleep is given a quiet dark area to sleep. The children sleep in their clothing with shoes off, on padded mats on the floor with a cotton pillow case for their head. Some children may be given a cot to sleep in if they find it difficult to sleep on a mat or are likely to wander. Sleep time is after lunch. We keep a record of all sleeping children and all children are checked every 10 minutes by a staff member. All sleep times are written in our day book which is available to parents and set out each day on a table in the entrance to the 2-5 year area. We also encourage those children not taking a sleep to have a quiet time/rest after lunch.

How do I know what my child has eaten each day?

Information about how well your child has eaten is entered on a food chart in our day book which is set out on a table in the entrance to the 2-5 year area at the end of the day.

What happens if my child displays inappropriate behaviour at the nursery? What action should I take?

On the whole children understand and accept the boundaries for behaviour which are clearly set out at the nursery.Please refer to the Behaviour policy for guidance.It is essential you follow the behaviour policy at home. Staff spend a great deal of time each day praising children for good behaviour e.g. ‘well done, thank you for sharing so nicely with your friends’ or ‘I really like the way you asked for a turn with that toy.’

There are times when keyworkers do need to intervene in order to develop the children’s social skills and understanding of why some things are not acceptable e.g. if a child pushes, bites or takes another child’s toy. The keyworker will calmly approach the situation, ask the children involved what the problem is, what has happened and then discuss how best to resolve the situation.We also encourage the children to say ‘please don’t do it, I don’t like it’ if a situation arises which makes them unhappy.

Keyworkers are trained to deal with children’s behaviour in a professional and age appropriate way and manage any incidents at the time they occur. This is crucial to address so that the child learns there are immediate consequences to their actions. As a parent we simply need you to follow the same approach to behaviour at home.Please do not ‘follow up’ on any incident we may talk to you about at home or feel you need to take some further action as this will not be effective and may cause your child to become distressed or anxious about coming to nursery.

If we are concerned about your child’s behaviour we will talk to you and ask you to help us so we can work together to resolve the behavioural concerns.

Is there a separate session for pre-school children? What would a typical session involve?

Please refer to Guidance on Care and Learning for the 2-5 year group.

How is progress measured? For example learning names of shapes, what methods are used?

Learning diaries show a child’s progress.Each child has a Stages of Development document which is used to show each child’s approximate stage at a glance.It is there to help guide and support planning.

Does the nursery have a diverse range of books reflecting ethnicity?

Yes, we have a wide range of books, fiction and non-fiction and rotate these regularly depending on a particular interest or subject area.

Do the children enjoy any musical sessions like singing, instruments, etc?

Singing is an activity initiated by adults at least twice a day. We also have a cd player on regularly and encourage singing at any point in the day. Musical instruments and story-phones are available to the children at any point in any day and are used for specific learning experiences during circle times.We will incorporate this in to an adult led activity if we wish to teach a skill or if a child shows a particular interest in them.

Does the nursery use any methods of teaching/raising awareness of different language skills like computer software, puppetry, etc?

Makaton, a form of sign language is incorporated into our communication with children daily. Communication is encouraged throughout the day in any form.

As part of the schedule do children have any opportunities to exercise/dance routinely?

We have the garden for gross motor exercise and at least once a day we have ‘dance music’ on for the children to develop their gross and fine motor skills.

Are topics (planned) – and how are parents included?

Please refer to the Guidance on Care and Learning for the 2-5 year group document. Also please see the Focus for Learning Newsletter.

Are there any child protection procedures in place such as 2 staff members being present?

Our practice is to work to the required Safe Recruitment practice guidelines as stated by OFSTED/Local Safeguarding Children’s Bureau (LSCB) being a requirement of our registration. All staff are vetted at the point of recruitment and given a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check.Every single staff member and those who provide services to us are given a CRB check and do not work unsupervised until clearance of the check is confirmed. This usually takes 3 to 4 weeks. Only staff members who have CRB clearance are able to change nappies and be left unsupervised with a child at any time. All staff work within a team and any prolonged or unusual absence would be reported immediately. We have a webcam system in the nursery and all rooms are visible and monitored by a Nursery Manager.Monitors are also located in the hallway and staff room giving all staff members and visitors to the nursery a clear view of activities in the rooms throughout the entire day.

The children’s toilet is shared by all the groups and is in constant use throughout the day. It is in a central location in the main hallway and not hidden away. All information on safeguarding children is made available to all staff members and parents as a priority and is carefully recorded and monitored by us.At the nursery the Safeguarding Children policy is thoroughly, and rigorously, implemented through monthly keyteam meetings, staff and parent inductions, ongoing training, and the day to day management of the groups.Information about this is provided to parents in the Parent Information Pack.