Nursery opening

 

Nursery is back open Monday 28th September. Please remember social distancing when dropping off your child/children at nursery, lines will be marked out on the floor and sanitizer will be situated at the main door. Face masks will need to be worn if entering the nursery, Thank you in advance.

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe xx

Language games to develop speech and language skills

Follow the link below for some tips on developing speech and language

https://www.speechtherapytalk.com/games-for-3-year-olds.html

Fun activities involving exercise

It's important to stay active whilst isolating, if it's challenge for your brood is to get them moving and away from screens, here are some suggested physical activities for children:

• Choose a song for a choreography challenge. Work together to create a funky dance and see if you can remember it all!
• The floor is lava. Even older children are obsessed with this game. Put cushions and tea towels on the floor to help you make your way around the room without touching the floor.
• Musical bumps or statues. The perfect opportunity to revive these favourite party games.
• Fun circuit training. Draw pictures of different activities and place them around the room – or all over the house. The children need to visit each picture and  do the activity – e.g. hop on one leg 10 times, do 10 star jumps, 10 squats, 2 roly-polies etc. See how many circuits they can manage.
• Dodge ball or catch in the garden

School Readiness-Preparing your child for starting school

 

Getting ready for school is an exciting time for children and their parents and carers, visiting school, shopping for uniform and knowing who your new teachers are going to be.

As the time for starting school approaches some children will be ready and take the move to school in their stride but others will need a little more help and encouragement from the adults in their lives.

In Blackburn with Darwen we have worked with Children Centres, Health, Childminders, Nurseries and Schools to agree what we mean by ‘school readinesses’. These providers told us, in order to make sure that children are able enjoy school and get off to a good start they need to:

·       have well developed personal skills -things like being able to put their coat on or feed themselves.

·       have a level of emotional and social maturity - are happy to leave you and are used to playing with groups of other children

·       have the ability to communicate, pay attention and learn -  being able to  talk to their teachers and sit for a story

·       be healthy and well -  so they have had all their injections and any health problems are being managed

We have put some ideas, hints and tips together in this information sheet about things that you can do to

help you to prepare your child for starting school. Keep it on your fridge or on a cupboard door so you can use different ideas each day.

 

Your child’s nursery or childminder may also share with you a document called ‘What to expect, when?’ This has lots of information about children’s development and what parents and carers can do to support them. You can also down load this from the following website:

 

https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/09/4Children_ParentsGuide_Sept_2015v4WEB1.pdf,

 

 

Your nursery or childminder will work in partnership with you to help you get your child ready for school, but there are other service that can offer advice, guidance and support such as your Health Visitor or your local Children’s Centre.

If you would like any help and support you can contact your Health Visitor or Children’s Centre on:

01254 585000

 

Preparing your child for starting School

	Attend all health checks and immunisations Children will develop and learn if they are fit and healthy so make sure you keep up to date with all health checks including eye and hearing tests.  And don’t forget those immunisations especially the boosters!   Speak to a Health professional or your child’s key worker if you have concerns and are worried about your child’s development or health and wellbeing
	Good morning and night time routines As early as possible try to establish a good morning and night time routine so that your child is not tired and has a positive and calm start to the day.
	Allow your child to be independent Encourage your child to follow your instructions to put their own coat and shoes on and off, going to the toilet, washing their hands and feeding themselves independently.
	Provide play opportunities and experiences Allow your child to gain new experiences of the world and opportunities to play in different environments, and with different resources as this will develop and extend your child’s curiosity.
	Talk, read and sing with your child. Allow time to ask your child questions and listen to their responses, read stories, look at books and sing songs with your child as much as possible to develop their speaking and listening skills ready for school.

 

 

Many parents think that their child needs to be able to read, write their own name, recognise numbers and letters or do sums to be ready for school. This is a myth. Some children may be able to do these things but it is more important is that they feel confident to have a go and try new things.

 

I will be ready for school when…	How can you support me to do this?
I can put on my own coat and fasten it.	·        Hold my hood and encourage me to put my arms in sleeves. ·        Put the hood on my head so I can do the rest. ·        Show me where to position their hands to use my zip.
I can go to the toilet by myself and wash my hands afterwards.	·        Let’s play a game where we teach a favorite toy how to use the toilet. ·        Let me choose my own knickers or pants in the shops. ·        Give me plenty of praise when I go to the toilet and wipe all by myself. ·        Let me watch you wash your hands and tell you what to do next.
I can confidently say goodbye when I am left with an adult that I know will look after me.	·        Leave me with other familiar adults for short periods of time. ·        Let me talk to your friends whilst you are there. ·        Take me to visit my new Teacher and meet all the adults working in my new class.
I have made good friends and can happily talk to other children and adults.	·        Take me to Toddler and Children Centre Groups. ·        Let me play with other children in the park and on outings. ·        Let me talk to other adults when you are there.
I can share and take turns in a group.	·        Play games with me where I have to wait until it’s my turn to go. ·        Make sure I take turns at the park and on outings. ·        Talk to me about why I need to share my toys.
I can sit and listen for a short while.	·        Read stories with me and look at books. ·        Let’s listen to songs together and sing. ·        Play hide and seek games where I have to listen to your instructions.
I can answer a simple question about a story.	·        When we are sharing a story ask me how it might end. ·        Ask me about the different pictures I can see on each page.
I can tidy up after myself and look after my things.	·        Show me where things are kept so I know where to put them back. ·        Play tidy up games with me. ·        Let’s tidy up and clean together.
I am happy to speak to others about my wants, needs and feelings.	·        Read books like Owl Babies and Peace at Last so we can talk about how the different characters are feeling. ·        Ask me questions about how I feel. ·        Tell me how you are feeling.
I can follow simple instructions.	·        Play games with me like find the teddy where I have to follow your instructions. ·        Teach me how to make a sandwich saying first get the bread etc….. ·        Let’s follow some instructions to bake a cake.
I can retell a past event (something that has happened to me).	·        Ask me if I remember certain dates/experiences. ·        Show me photographs and let me talk about what I remember. ·        Let’s make a scrap book after we go on day trips so I can look back and remember.
I can feed myself and enjoy a range of healthy foods.	·        Teach me to use a knife, fork, and spoon and make sure I don’t just eat with my hands. ·        Provide a variety of meals so I can experience a range of foods. ·        Let me help you prepare meals so I can talk about foods and you can teach me new things.
I can dress and undress myself as well as putting on and taking off my shoes.	·        Show me my new school uniform and let me practice buttons and zips. ·        Show me how to take off my clothes and put them in a pile on a chair ready for PE lessons. ·        Buy me some Velcro fastening shoes that I can put on and take off by myself.
I can follow rules at home and nursery and will be able to do this at school.	·        Make sure I know what I’m allowed to do and not allowed to do. ·        Tell me boundaries and make sure I keep to them. ·        Let’s make some house rules together.
I enjoy listening to stories and singing rhymes.	·        Read me a bedtime story before bed. ·        Sing songs with me and rhymes that I can make actions to like Heads, shoulders, knees and toes and wind the bobbin up etc.… ·        Make up stories whilst we are walking so I can listen to them and tell you one too.
I can hold a pencil and enjoy making marks.	·        Let me help you peg out the washing. ·        Let’s play with playdough so I can use my finger muscles. ·        Let’s draw pictures on the path and paving stones with chunky chalks.

 

Isolation activities

 Follow the below link for 100 at home activities you can do at home whist isolating.

https://www.simplebooth.com/blog/100-at-home-activities-for-kids-during-self-isolation/

Let us know what you get up to this week, send your photos to s.dodd@stmarysblackburn.ac.uk

Important notice

Dear parents, 

Please be reminded that to keep our staff, their families, the children and their families’ safe, we are relying on parents to inform us of;  

• A member of the household showing signs of COVID 
• A member of the household receiving confirmed positive for COVID 
• A child displaying signs of COVID 
• A child being tested for COVID 
• Awaiting a result of a test for COVID 
• A positive or negative result from a COVID test 

We have some children and some staff family members who are clinically vulnerable and the above information could prevent staff and children from St Mary’s spreading the virus to these people and the community.  

Failure to follow these rules will result in the termination of the child’s place at St Mary’s Nurseries. 

September / October Newsletter

 

2020/2021 Holiday calendar

 

COVID-19 Risk assessment

 

Risk Assessment

COVID 19

Sept 2020

These guidelines are based on Public Health England and Department for Education guidance for educational settings and their key workers.

 

The fundamental principle of this guidance is to ensure physical distancing between identified groups and to implement good hygiene practices. The design of settings as relatively small communities with subdivided rooms, this greatly assists our ability to create physical distance between groups and cluster children into specific cohorts or ‘bubbles’.

 

Focus	Areas for Consideration	Actions
Children	Attendance	•       Only children who are symptom free or have completed the required isolation period will attend the setting. •       Questionnaire for parents of children returning after sickness •       Weekly Health Questionnaire for children •       Parents of children who attend 2 settings will be asked to choose 1 setting only during this period of time. •       Temperatures of children will be taken if they become ill at nursery •       Children or family members who have been identified and ‘Clinically Vulnerable’ should not return to nursery at this moment in time.
	Physical Distancing/grouping	•       Children are organised into separate rooms relating to age groups. From July 20 groups of children will remain within these groups all day (no mixing with other rooms) •       The legal requirements for floor space for each child has been adhered to •        Distancing of beds/cots should be facilitated wherever possible.
	Well being and education	•       Children will be supported in age appropriate ways to understand the steps they can take to keep themselves safe including regular hand washing and sneezing into a tissue, ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’ etc •       Children will be supported to understand the changes and challenges they may be encountering as a result of Covid-19 and staff will ensure they are aware of children’s attachments and their need for emotional support at this time.
Staff	Attendance	•       Staff should only attend the nursery if they are symptom free, have completed the requires isolation period or achieved a negative test result. •       The temperature of staff will be taken if they become ill •       A questionnaire for staff returning to work after sickness risk assessing with a health questionnaires for returning •       Health Questionnaire to be completed by all staff on returning to work •       Consideration will be given to limiting the number of staff in the nursery at any one time to only those required to care for the expected occupancy levels on any given day •       Staff are required to wash their outdoor clothing every week •       Staff will wear a clean uniform every day
	Physical Distancing/grouping	•       Social distancing must be maintained during breaks. This will be achieved through a range of strategies including -         the staggering of breaks -        The staff room has been cleared and staff are reminded to keep their 2 meters distance •       Staff members should avoid physical contact with each other including handshakes, hugs etc. •       The computers within the staff room have signs reminding staff to clean the keyboards desk and computer screen with wipes after every use •       Only one member of staff at a time will access the laundry room •       Where possible, meetings and training sessions will be conducted through virtual conferencing
	Training	•       All staff members will receive appropriate instructions and training in: o    infection control o   PPE o   the standard operating procedure  o   risk assessments                within which they will be operating •       All staff are Paediatric First Aid Trained and competent to deal with first Aid issues.
	Designated responsibilities	•       DSL -        Sarah Dodd   •       SENCO -        Sarah Dodd   •       Deputise in the absence of Tracy Ellett -        Sarah Dodd (SENCO, DSL)
Parents	Physical Distancing	•       Only parents who are symptom free and or have completed the required isolation periods will be able to drop off or collect their child •       Parents should limit drop off and pick up to 1 parent per family. (same person if possible) •       Only one parent allowed into the doorway to drop off pick up. (Distancing whilst waiting outside will be required), lines will be placed to identify 2 meters. •       Parents are expected to keep 2 meters distance from the staff if possible ( handing over to staff will require close contact) •       Sensitive/private issues between parents and staff will be discussed outdoors where the 2 meter distancing rule can be applied. •       Insist that parents wear a face mask when entering the building
	Communication	•       All parents will receive communication regarding the role they play in the safe operating procedures and measures being taken to ensure the safety of their children, themselves and others.     - reminder for their children to wash their hands before entering the learning environment    Spare cloth’s to be kept at nursery,  a washable pump bag can be purchased from nursery •       A Parental Agreement to follow the COVID 19 measurements placed within the setting and at home will be completed by each family. •       Daily Written reports will not be given at this moment in time, verbal communication will be passed onto parents by staff.
Visitors	Visits	•       Attendance to the setting will be restricted to children and staff as far as practically possible and visitors will not be permitted to the nursery unless essential (e.g. essential building maintenance). •       Where essential visits are required these will be made outside of the usual nursery operational hours where possible.
SEND support		•       Send support is essential for some children SSA’s will be allowed to offer this support, a risk assessment will be completed and a health questionnaire will be completed by SSA.
Travel	Travel Associated with setting operations	•       Wherever possible staff and parents should travel to the nursery alone, using their own transport •       If public transport is necessary, current guidance on the use of public transport must be followed •       Parents should be encouraged to ensure they do not leave travel accessories including buggies, car seats, scooters at the setting premises •       Outings from the setting into the local community will not be carried out.
Hygiene and Health and safety	Hand washing	•       All children and staff must wash their hands upon arrival at the nursery •       Parents MUST use the Hand wash/ sanitiser stations when entering every entry door. •       Children and staff members will be encouraged to wash their hands frequently at east every 2 hours, after playing outdoors, after toileting, before eating, after wiping noses
	Medication	•       Paracetamol (Calpol) will not be administered to children who are attending nursery due to its ability to reduce temperatures which is a symptom of Coronavirus. •       Children with minor existing conditions can attend nursery and their care plans followed
	Cleaning	•       An enhanced cleaning schedule have been implemented that includes furniture, surfaces and children’s toys and equipment – each member of staff within each room is responsible for cleaning their play area, all soft furnishings will be washed weekly, evidence in the form of weekly cleaning schedule. •       Communal area, touch points and hand washing facilities will be cleaned and sanitised regularly throughout the day, at the end of each day and the start of each day. A signing/time sheets for cleaning will be displayed -        on the corridor for (corridor, staff toilets) -         in the children’s bathrooms -        In the kitchen area / staff room •       The park will return 5 days a week 9:00-4:15 from, 7th September
	Waste disposal	•       All waste will be disposed of  in a hygienic and safe manner •       Tissues bins are located within each room and will be emptied throughout the day •       The white bin bags from the tissue bins will be placed into a larger waste bag and stored in a closed bin outside •       Children are encouraged to ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’
	Laundry	•       Parents will leave 2 sets of spare clothing for their children
	Risk assessment	•       All activity will be risk assessed and due consideration given to any adaptations to usual practice. It will not limit the learning experiences of the children but resources such as malleable materials, dressing up clothing, sand and water play will not be available. •       ALL soft furnishings will be removed from the room due to the numbers of children accessing the room over the period of a week. •       This Risk Assessment will be reviewed on a daily basis in relation to operational measures, Government Guidance updates and daily occurrences.
	PPE	•       Government guidance is that PPE is not required for general use in early years settings to protect against COVID- 19 transmission. •       PPE will be used by the member of staff dealing with a child who becomes ill during the nursery day •       PPE will continue to be worn as normal for nappy changing and the administration of first aid •       A PPE box will be available within a well-ventilated isolation room (dining room) away from other children/staff in the event of a child or staff member displaying symptoms of COVID 19. •       Any PPE used for a suspected case of COVID will be placed into a yellow bag, tied and placed into another yellow bag which will be stored for a minimum of 72 hours before being placed into the waste bins.
Premises	Building	•       During the closure of the nursery, Health and safety checks have been carried out in relation to regulations eg  legionella checks, premises check, security etc •       Legionella  check was carried out at – -        SMN – 4th June 2020 (SMC Estates Team) -        WF – 4th June 2020 (BwD) -        PARK – needs to be arranged with Helen Dickens, H and S rep from St Mary’s College. •       A thorough clean of the nursery prior to re-opening has been carried out •       Windows will be kept open during operational hours to ensure ventilation
	Resources	•       Children will not be permitted to bring items from home into the setting. •       All resources required for play and learning experiences of children will be regularly washed and/or sterilised •       Equipment used by staff such as stationary, tablets etc. will be allocated to individual staff members where possible and cleaned regularly. •       Soft furnishings within the play environment will be reduced to a minimum. •       The outdoor play equipment will be sanitised after each groups’s use (Spray and Wipe disinfectant)
Supplies	Procurement and monitoring	•       The nursery will ensure an adequate supply of essential supplies and contingency plans are in place to minimise the impact of any shortages of supplies. •       The nursery will not be able to operate without essential supplies required for ensuring infection control •       A monitoring system for the usage of PPE is essential and will ensure that a supply of stock is available to all who require it as and when required to meet the operational needs of the setting. When stocks are low, other options may be considered, such as the use of washable tabards. These items will be washed at a high temperature and separate to any other nursery washing. •       Deliveries for the nursery will be accepted at a distance, they will not be able to gain access in to the building.
Responding to a suspected case of COVID19		•       In the event of a child developing suspected coronavirus symptoms whilst attending the setting, they should be collected as soon as possible and isolate at home, parents will be asked to contact 111 and request a test •       Whilst waiting for the child to be collected they will be isolated from others in the Dining room where the window will be opened for ventilation •       The member of staff looking after the sick child will be required to wear PPE until the child has been collected •       The area will be thoroughly cleaned, immediately if the area cannot be left unvisited •       The person responsible for cleaning the area will be required to wear appropriate PPE •        In the event of a staff member developing suspected coronavirus symptoms whilst working at the nursery, they should return home immediately and isolate at home, contact 111 and request a test •       Any staff member or child who have attended the setting can access the government testing programme through the 111 NHS helpline to confirm COVID or not. •       If it is negative result from the COVID test, the individual may return to nursery once they are feeling well again. •       If it is a positive result from the COVID test, the rest of the immediate group within the setting will be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days, it is not necessary for all other household members they live with to self isolate unless the child/staff starts to display signs of COVID. •       A positive result will be reported to Public Health England and RIDDOR (Health and Safety Executive) immediately. •       The Local Authority and OFSTED will be informed by the nominated individual of a positive result. •       As part of the national test and trace programme, if other cases are detected within the setting. Public Health England’s local Health protection teams will conduct a rapid investigation and will advise settings on the most appropriate action to take.