Info. for Parents (inc COVID-19)

COVID-19

At the forefront of everyone’s mind is ensuring the safety and well-being of children, families and staff as well as the wider community. Once inside the nursery we will be making the day feel as normal as possible for the children, so they have a fun and enjoyable time with their friends.

As the country moves to Step 4 of the roadmap, the government continues to manage the risk of serious illness from the spread of the virus. This marks a new phase in the government’s response to the pandemic, moving away from stringent restrictions on everyone’s day-to-day lives, towards advising people on how to protect themselves and others, alongside targeted interventions to reduce risk.

As COVID-19 becomes a virus that we learn to live with, there is now an imperative to reduce the disruption to children’s education – particularly given that the direct clinical risks to children are extremely low, and every adult has been offered a first vaccine and the opportunity for two doses by mid-September.

Our priority is for you to deliver face-to-face, high quality education and childcare to all children. The evidence is clear that being out of education and childcare causes significant harm to educational attainment, life chances, mental and physical health.” (www.gov.uk-Actions for early years and childcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic)

We have revised how we were running and the measures we had in place last academic year and we are following the Government guidance for Step 4. Please find attached the following documents and links.

This guidance and our risk assessments will continue to be thoroughly monitored and reviewed and appropriate control measures will be put in place. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Lisa or admin.

Government guidelines state that all children who normally access childcare are strongly encouraged to attend so that they can gain the educational and wellbeing benefits of early education.

NHS Test process

We ask all families and staff members to engage with the NHS Test and Trace process. We ask all staff members, parents and carers to:

• book a test if they or their child has symptoms – the main symptoms are:

o a high temperature
o a new continuous cough
o a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

What parents need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during COVID-19 (Updated 17 August 2021)

Information and guidance for parents and carers of children attending early years settings, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Flow chart Guidance for Childcare and Education settings Management of COVID19-V2.-5-August-2020

Guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection

How to arrange a COVID test

Covid19 Early Outbreak Management

Tapestry

Here is a quick update/reminder on some of the functionalities of the On-line learning journal. We would also like to make you aware that you can download a Tapestry App for your phone which can make accessing the journal a lot easier, type in “Tapestry Journal’ to your App store.

Observations by Staff 
As a Preschool we use Tapestry as one of several forms of assessment. We observe and record key moments in your child’s development. This is a quick outline of how we do this for your information:

1. We write a record of what we saw your child do.
2. We try to quote the child accurately using the exact language that he/she used.
3. Sometimes we also note the progress or comment on the learning demonstrated.
4. Sometimes we will write next steps so you know what to focus on with your child at home.
Observations by Parents
One of the fantastic features of Tapestry is that parents can also add observations/wow moments from home to your child’s journal. This is a great way of supporting us in assessing your child outside the pre-school environment, it also provides us with opportunities to celebrate any achievements your child has made at home. It’s a lovely way of encouraging the child to communicate/connect with the key person when they can see/talk about something they have done at home. If a child is feeling a little unsettled, this can sometimes be a nice distraction for them.

Staff follow the guidelines above to ensure that the observations we make are purposeful and detailed, in a similar way we would appreciate it if you could follow the guidelines below:

1. To add an observation click on the ‘Add Observation’ button found on the Home Screen.
2. Select your child’s name from the drop down box and then follow the
onscreen instructions
3. Add a title to your observation to summarise your moment e.g. Feeding the ducks
4. When writing your observation keep it simple. Try and record what your child said in their exact words and then comment on why this is a wow moment e.g.
‘X was excited to feed the ducks, she said “Look that duck is big than that
duck”. X is starting to point out the differences between different objects.’
‘X went to her cousin’s birthday party, she spent lots of time bouncing on the
trampoline without help and taught her cousin how to jump and turn around
at the same time.’
5. If you wish, then you can then add a photo or video to your observation (please keep videos to a maximum of 1 minute long).

6. Please note, if adding an observation from the App to add a parent observation there is a + sign at the top that you tap, then add follow instruction from no. 3.

Please note observations added by parents will only be made visible on the Learning Journal once the relevant teacher has approved it. Parent observations will however be available immediately in the ‘Obs’ tab.
Commenting on observations by staff
When you read the observations by staff there is an option for you to leave a reply. Perhaps your child has done something similar at home or is showing particular interest in the topic of the observation – if so we would love to hear about it. If we have written a next step then you can also reply to the observation telling us about how your child got on at home e.g. ‘X loved talking about this painting at home and could tell us how she mixed the colours to make orange’.
Remember:
– Any publishing of staff observations from Tapestry onto social media is strictly prohibited.
– Contact a member of staff if you are unsure about how to use any of the Tapestry features.
– Celebrate your child’s development by sharing the learning journal with them at home, we are sure your child would love to talk about what they have been learning at school.
– We will be especially interested to hear about your child’s progress in relation to targets we set and share with you.

We hope you enjoy reading about all of the wonderful experiences your children have been having at Buckles and Bows. We look forward to seeing what they get up to when at home.

If you would like further help using the Tapestry Learning Journal, please feel free to ask your child’s Key person. Also, if you have any feedback on on how you are finding it, please let us know.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this exciting new tool!

Buckles and Bows Team

Tapestry Policy 2018

Tapestry frequestly asked questions

Tapestry-Questionnaire

 

Using musical activities to promote communication and language needs 

Please find below activities from Surrey Early Years:

2012-EYFS-Framework-A-musical-overview

Music Matters S&L

A guide to coughs, colds, earache and sore throats from Surrey Early Years

When should I worry-Booklet_England-with 111 service_2016

Communication and Language

We thought we would share some fun activities we have received from Surrey Early Years which you can attempt with your child at home.

These activities are very helpful to develop listening and communication skills.

We would love to hear your feedback if you do try the activities.

Take Away Activity 1 Top Tip wk 1 Why Not Try This At Home wk 1

Top Tip wk 1

Why Not Try This At Home wk 1

Primary School Applications 2017

Just a reminder that the Primary School application deadline is on 15th January 2017 (to start this September).

I have attached a booklet from the Surrey County Council website that can help answer your questions, explain the application process and give you information and tips on how you can help your child prepare for school.

Getting_ready_for_school_A5_version

Guidance on infection illness and infection control in Pre-school

Children who are unwell with an infectious disease should not be at the Nursery as they pose a risk of infection to others. They should not return until the risk has passed. Staff have the right to refuse to allow a child entry to the Nursery should he/she appear unwell when brought in for their session. Please see Guidance below:

Illness exclusion guidance poster