Once again, we would like to welcome you and your child to our nursery. In this section you will find the information you need to know about starting in our nursery.

What to Wear

In general, your child needs to wear comfortable clothes and shoes that do not restrict their movement and are weather appropriate for the time of year. A simple tracksuit or jumper with a t-shirt underneath is best on most days as we can layer clothes as needed to suit the weather at the time.    We also recommend that your child wear tracksuit bottoms which are elasticated at the waist. Trousers with difficult openings (buttons or clasps and belts) can make toilet training difficult for your child.

Similarly, their footwear should be comfortable and easy to manage. We recommend Velcro-fastening shoes (such as plimsolls). They are much safer than shoes with laces. Additionally, as they will be doing a lot

of running and climbing, boots (particularly chunky ones) might not be ideal for that.   Please mark all clothing including shoes and coats with your child’s name. It is surprising how many children have shoes and coats that are exactly the same design and the same size as another child’s.   For your child’s safety, sandals with open toes, high-heeled shoes, make-up, jewellery (except one pair of stud earrings), extreme haircuts and nail varnish are not allowed.

Should you want your child to wear our school uniform, please click here for some guidance.

What to Bring

To ensure your child has everything they need at our nursery, we ask parents to supply a bag containing the following:
WATER BOTTLE: Please provide a small water bottle with a drinking spout so that children can drink straight from the bottle. Please clearly mark the bottle with your child’s name. We will refill the bottle as needed with fresh tap water and we ask you to take the bottle home daily, wash it and return it filled for when your child is next at nursery.   SPARE CLOTHES: Please provide at least 2 tops and 3 pairs of underwear, socks and bottoms if your child is toilet training. Trousers need to have an elasticated waist to allow your child to easily pull them down and up, buttons and poppers often result in frustration and accidents.
Think about footwear too. Spare shoes may be needed as shoes can get wet and need time to dry. It is useful for all children to bring a spare set of clothes in case they get wet or muddy and needed to be changed.   Parents/carers of children who are not yet completely toilet-trained are required to provide sufficient disposable nappies or pull-ups and wipes for each day.   SUN CREAM AND HAT: When the weather is hot, we ask that you apply sun cream on your child before coming to nursery. Ideally, they should also have a sun hat for when we do outdoor play.

Attendance and Punctuality

We believe that good attendance is vital if children are to be settled and take full advantage of the learning and development opportunities available to them at school. At a young age, continuity and consistency are important contributors to a child’s well-being and progress.

While daily attendance in the nursery is not compulsory, we strongly encourage that children come to school regularly. Children are expected to attend their nursery sessions (morning/afternoon) five days a week.  If your child is unwell, you must call the office before 9:00 and report your child absent. We will then require proof of your child's absence. (Click here for more information). Nursery places are in high demand, so if your child is not attending regularly and their attendance falls to 87% or below you may run the risk of having your child's nursery place withdrawn.

Please make sure to arrive on time every day. The nursery gate will open promptly at 8:45 in the morning and 12:30 in the afternoon. The gates will be closed after 9:00 and 12:45. (Note: Please refrain from using the gate buzzer while waiting for the nursery to open unless it is completely necessary.)

If you and your child arrive 30 minutes late, you must enter the school by the main entrance. Please report to reception where your child’s name and the reason for lateness will be recorded. For more information about Westcourt’s attendance and punctuality policy, please click here.

Collecting Your Child

Please collect your child on time so that they don’t get worried or upset. The gate is open at 12:45 (for the morning session) and 3:30 (for the afternoon session). It is important that you arrive promptly as staff will need to meet and prepare for the next class.

Please inform the nursery regarding the different people who will regularly pick up your child. For your child’s safety, we will not let them go with someone unless they are on the regular contact list or you have informed us beforehand — even if we know the person.

If someone different is going to collect your child, you can:

· inform the nursery teacher when you drop them off

· contact Karen on the front desk by 11:00 (morning session) or 2:30 (afternoon session) at the latest

Note: Your child will not be permitted to leave the nursery in the care of a person under the age of 16 years.

Home Learning and Newsletters

To reinforce what they learned in the nursery, the children will be given some home learning challenges every Friday. They will be available in the nursery class page, along with videos, online games and additional resources.

We will also publish a class newsletter at the beginning of each term to inform you of what we will be learning, important dates and reminders.

Snacks

We will provide all children a small healthy snack as well as milk or water to drink.  Please inform the nursery teacher regarding food allergies and intolerances and dietary requirements for cultural and religious reasons.