A - Z of INFORMATION
Absences - holidays, sickness, appointments, etc.
If your child is unwell, or you are going on holiday or otherwise unable to come to The Barn for whatever reason, please let us know by completing the Absence Form on The Barn app.
Accidents and incidents
We record all accidents and other incidents that happen at The Barn. This might include an accident that your child had or an incident that your child was involved in.
App - keep up to date with The Barn app
Birthdays - celebrations, invitations and treats for friends
We always celebrate children's birthdays by singing the birthday song and giving them a special sticker.
Car park - SECTION BEING UPDATED
Children's records
In accordance with the statutory requirements of the EYFS, The Barn keeps records of:
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The names, addresses and telephone numbers of parents/carers and emergency contacts in case of children’s illness, accident or other emergency;
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Adults authorised to collect children from The Barn;
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Medical details, consents, collection details and snack details
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Allergies, dietary requirements and medical conditions of individual children;
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Accidents; Existing Injuries
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Incidents
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We will only share information with Hampshire County Council, Head Teachers of schools during transition and with other agencies that you have authorised (such as Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Physiotherapist and the Area Inclusion Co-ordinator for North Hampshire).
Parents are asked to ensure that you advise us immediately informed of any changes to the information we hold for your child – including your home/mobile phone number and email address.
Clothing and footwear
Parents are asked to ensure that your child wears comfortable, practicable play clothes that make it as easy as possible for your child to dress independently. Aprons are provided but accidents can and do happen! You will appreciate that we cannot be held responsible for damage to clothes, so please do not dress in best!
In the winter, coats, hats, scarves and gloves are needed as we take every opportunity to make the maximum use of our outdoor resources. Waterproof all-in-ones are recommended as they provide good protection.
The children play outdoors in all weathers and need both indoor shoes/slippers and outdoor shoes/wellington boots for wet or muddy play. If your child arrives at nursery wearing wellington boots, please do ensure that he/she has another pair of shoes to change in to for wearing indoors.
In the summer, your child might prefer to bring in his/her own sun hat. Alternatively, we have legionnaire style sun hats at The Barn and all children are encouraged to cover up during the warmer weather.
All items of outdoor clothing should be clearly named. Many children have identical or similar coats and are not always able to recognise which item is theirs! Similarly, it is helpful if cardigans, hoodies etc. are named.
Practical footwear that is ‘closed’ at the toes and heels, allowing children to run, pedal, climb, crawl and move freely are needed for playing at The Barn.
For health and safety reasons, we cannot allow children to wear flip flops, crocs, clogs or other open toed/heeled shoes or sandals to The Barn. Please be aware that parents will be asked to change any child’s inappropriate footwear before leaving him/her at The Barn.
Arriving before the start of session - Early Bird Club
Early bird club starts are at 8.30 am and 8.45 am for both Explorers and Discoverers children.
Parents arriving for early bird club are asked to come to the front door and ring the door bell. Children say goodbye to their parents at the door and a teacher will them through, register and help them to sort out their things.
Early bird club is an additional service and we ask for a termly commitment.
Early bird is available as an ad-hoc facility, subject to availability. Please speak to a member of staff or email the office if this is needed at any time.
Communications and information sharing
Key person and your child
Every child at The Barn has a key person – a named member of staff with whom your child has regular contact. Each key person has special responsibilities for working with a small number of children, giving them the reassurance to help them feel secure and cared for, and building relationships with you, the parents.
Your key person will usually be your first point of contact, making sure that the particular needs of your child are being met appropriately, and that records of development and progress are shared.
The supervisors and managers are also all happy to answer queries. We can arrange appointments to see parents or carers if they would like a longer discussion on any issues.
Learning journey file
Your key person maintains a record of the progress your child is making in the Learning Journey file. Photographs, observations, records of conversations and interactions all support and provide evidence of progress.
Parents are invited to add to the Learning Journeys, including learning stories, photographs and descriptions of what types of activities the children have enjoyed at home, or any significant events, such as birthday parties, holidays or visits from family.
The Learning Journeys are kept in the home rooms and are available for parents and children to look at.
Curriculum and activities
Every Sunday evening, you will receive a notification on your app, telling you about what is happening the following week. Do read and share with your child.
Information about our weekly topics, homelinks and the activities we have planned for the children is displayed on the notice board in the cloakroom, as well as information regarding snacks and a sign-up sheet for ‘stay and play’.
You will also find information about community events and services that are available locally.
Parents' evenings
We hold parents' evenings twice a year where parents can look at the Learning Journey, talk to their key person about their child’s development and agree next steps.
Seeking feedback from parents
At The Barn, are always interested in parents’ views of our setting. We ask parents for feedback after the Little Explorers sessions, to ensure that we are helping your child have the best possible start. Each year, we invite parents to complete a questionnaire to give us feedback. We use these findings to inform our practice in the future and display the results in the Workshop.
There is a Feedback Bubble on the Notice Board in each cloakroom. If your child has enjoyed a particular activity or shared any insights with you, please do take a couple of minutes to write a quick comment in the bubble, using the dry wipe marker. We are always very interested to find out what ‘works’ for the children and to use the information to help us with our planning. Alternatively, you might like to share your thoughts or ideas by sending us a message through the app or an email.
Complaints and compliments
We believe that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about the running of The Barn. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal approach to your key person. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns and complaints and will make every effort to bring any concerns about the running of our The Barn to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved.
If you would like a copy of our Complaints Policy, please contact the office.
Alternatively, if you would like to share a compliment about The Barn, please write on the Parent's Feedback Bubble in the cloakroom. We would also love you to post a review on Google or tell your friends about The Barn on Facebook. Thank you :)
Drinks and waterbottles
Snack cafe
Children are offered a drink and snack, between 10am and 11am. At the Little Explorers, you will be asked to choose between semi-skimmed milk and water for your child. If, at a later date, you wish to change your child’s drink, please speak to your key person/supervisor.
If your child has any particular dietary restrictions or food allergies, please speak to your key person/supervisor.
Water bottles
Parents are asked to send in a clearly named drinks bottle each day – filled with fresh water only. Squash, juice, shakes etc. should not be put into the water bottle.
Emergency closure
Our ‘Emergency Closure’ policy is for extenuating situations such as power failures as well as other extreme emergencies including extreme weather conditions and health emergencies. In these situations, we take guidance and advice from Hampshire Children’s Services Department and other authorities.
In the event of extreme weather conditions, before leaving home, parents are advised to:
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Check your mobile phone for text messages and notifications
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Check your email
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Log on to Hampshire County Council schools website for updates:
http://www.hants.gov.uk/education/schoolclosures/
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Listen to local radio. HCC provides updates local radio stations including Radio Berkshire, Heart Thames Valley, Breeze Newbury, Breeze Basingstoke and Bizz Basingstoke.
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Call The Barn on 01256 782580 and listen to the recorded message.
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Call The Barn before leaving home if local conditions appear to be deteriorating.
In the event that extreme weather conditions or other emergency situation necessitates the early closure of The Barn, we will send out an urgent message through the app and email all parents.
In both situations, parents are asked to ensure that they monitor messages on their mobiles and emails as our primary methods of communication.
Fees, payment options, terms and conditions
Fees are reviewed annually, with any changes becoming effective at the start of the autumn term.
Fees are charged for:
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Little Explorers sessions
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Sessions and lunch club for children who are not eligible for 15 hours EYE funding
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Additional sessions for children who are not eligible for extended 30 hours funding
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Hourly Barn Charge
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Early bird club
Fees Letter for academic year 2020/21 (Click to open)
Payment may be made using one or a combination of the following methods:
Bank Transfer
Allsave : CBARNN03
Edenred : P20274366
care-4 : 30493473
Co-operative : 85003328
Computershare : 0008177732
Fairecare : BARN0916
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Invoices will be emailed out to parents two weeks before the start of each term.
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Payment of fees is due within 14 days of the invoice date unless you have advised us on the Payment Options Form that you are paying in monthly installments by bank transfer, childcare vouchers or the Government tax-free childcare scheme.
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The Session Rate is charged if a child is not eligible for EYE funding and for any sessions exceeding the child's funding entitlement.
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The hourly Barn Charge is payable as follows:
- children who receive the 15 hours universal entitlement
- children who receive 30 hours chidlcare funding -
We are unable to offer a reduction in fees due to illness or term time holidays or offer alternative days to compensate/make-up.
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We are unable to offer refunds/make up sessions in the event of the nursery closing due to extenuating circumstances – including power failures, adverse weather conditions and epidemics.
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If fees remain outstanding at the end of the term, we reserve the right to undertake any of the following actions as appropriate:
Charge interest on the amount outstanding at a daily rate of 4% above the base rate of Barclays Bank; Exclude the child from The Barn and/or Pursue the matter in the small claims court.
Fire practice
We hold termly fire practices for the children, in line with our Fire Safety and Emergency Evacuation policy.
Parents are asked to familiarize themselves with the exit doors and to follow directions from our staff in the event of an emergency.
First aid
All staff members have a current Paediatric First Aid qualification that includes Anaphylaxis training.
Sickness and infections
The Barn aims to provide an environment that promotes health and well-being for all children parents and staff by ensuring:
- high standards of personal hygiene and practice
- that we maintain a clean environment
Handwashing is one of the most important ways of controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea and vomiting, and respiratory disease. Children are encouraged to always wash their hands after using the toilet and before.
Coughing and sneezing easily spread infections and children are encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue and to wash their hands after using or disposing of tissues.
In the event that a parent advises us that a child is unwell or a child becomes unwell whilst at The Barn, we proceed in accordance with the Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and Other Childcare Settings as published on the Public Health England website:
Public Health England (PHE) set out specific guidance for a variety of infections and complaints and any recommended exclusion periods/comments under the following headings:
- Rashes and skin infections
- Diarrhoea and vomiting illness
- Respiratory infections
- Other infections
Sickness and diarrhoea are very common children complaints. For all childcare settings and schools, and PHE guidance states that a should not come into nursery school for 48 hours after the last episode of being sick or having diarrhoea. All parents are kindly asked to ensure that they follow the 48-hour guidance.
In all instances where a parent is concerned that their child is unwell, the guidance is always that they should seek medical advice. Contact your GP or call NHS 111.
Information leaflets and Ideas
In the Explorers’ cloakroom, we have a set of sample leaflets on a wide range of topics, including challenging behaviour, new baby schemas and messy play. In the Explorers' room we also have further leaflets on eating, sleeping, tantrums.Please speak to a member of staff if you would like a copy.
At Parent's Evenings we put out a range of other leaflets covering topics including literacy, reading, writing and numeracy as well as books and publications.
There is a wealth of information on the internet, some good and some not so good! We regularly post links on our app to sites that we recommend as being relevant and accurate!
If you have a concern about your child and would like some information, please speak to your key person or one of the supervisors. We have extensive resources that we are pleased to share.
Lunches and lunchboxes
Children staying all day or arriving for an afternoon session all bring a lunch box to The Barn.
Please help your child by packing the foodstuffs in easy to open containers with sections. If you prefer to wrap/bag sandwiches etc. it is a good idea to include a plastic plate for your child to eat from.
Unfinished drinks cartons and yoghurt/fromage frais from lunchtime will be emptied/thrown away at The Barn.
It would be helpful if the following guidelines could be followed when preparing your child’s lunch:
- Please ensure that the lunch box does not contain any nut products. Peanut allergies are now quite common and we usually have at least one child with such an allergy attending The Barn school. This is a life threatening condition in which all contact with nut products should be avoided. Please check carefully the ingredients of items such as muesli bars, cookies etc.
- We always encourage children to eat their sandwiches or savoury part of their lunch first before any sweet foods. We also ask children to eat something before they drink their smoothies: when they fill up early on drinks, they tend not to feel so hungry...until a little while later!
- Lunch is eaten in small groups with a teacher to help open, unwrap etc. However, it is helpful if food preparation such as peeling oranges or eggs is done at home.
- Small, soft foods, such as grapes and cherry tomatoes, must be cut in quarters, length-ways, to minimise the risk of choking.
- Savoury options for the lunch box might include ham, tuna, chicken, cheese or egg sandwiches, quiche, pasta salad etc.
- Yoghurt in tubes which children suck has proven to be very messy. The children cannot open them and once open the contents seem to have a mind of their own! The staff would greatly appreciate it if you could avoid the tubes and send in pots of yoghurt or fromage frais to be eaten with a spoon.
- Please do include fruit and crudités in the lunch box, to help encourage healthy eating habits.
- Sweets – it may be better to save these for home. It can cause difficulties amongst the children and chewy sweets take a very long time to eat and your child may miss out on outside play.
- If you send a bottle of drink, then a paper straw is very helpful.
We try to make sure that all uneaten food is put back into your child’s lunch box so that you can see how much has been eaten.
Your child’s lunch box should be clearly labelled, and your child needs to be able to recognise it! Otherwise, it can take the judgement of Solomon to decide ownership of two (and sometimes more) identical lunch boxes.
And lastly, please consider the packaging that you use for your child's lunch, avoiding clingfilm and foil whenever possible.
Lunch club
Lunch club might be of interest to parents who do not feel that their child is ready for a whole day, but would like to gradually build up time.
Alternatively, it might just be convenient to have the extra hour before pick up at 1.00 pm (Explorers) or 1.15 pm (Discoverers). This facility can be used on a casual ad-hoc basis, or can be a regular feature. And if you would like to join your child for lunch and share the experience, you would be most welcome.
The charge for this additional hour is detailed separately on the Fees sheet. Please contact the office if you would like to reserve a place for your child.
The lunch club facility is subject to availability and a place needs to be re-booked each term. If the afternoon session is full, we are unable to offer lunch club. Because of the high demand for spaces, it is not always possible to offer lunch club in the summer term.
Medical details
Before your child starts at The Barn, you will have completed a Health and Safety form with details of your child’s health, contact numbers, allergy details etc.
If any of these details change, please let us know in writing so that we can update your child’s records.
If you child is referred for any appointments, such as hearing test, eyesight test, please do inform your key person and update her on the outcome of the appointment so that we can support your child, as necessary.
Mobile phones and electronic devices
As part of our duty to protect all the children in our care, our staff observe our mobile phone and electronic devices policy during opening hours.
Parents are kindly asked not to use their mobile phones whilst in the nursery school or when collecting or dropping off their children. We do this to ensure all children are safeguarded and the time for dropping off and picking up is a quality opportunity where we can catch up about your child.
Any parent found to be using their phone inside the nursery school premises will be asked to finish the call or take the call outside the front of the building, away from the children.
We do accept that parents/carers may wish to use the cameras/recorders on their mobile phones/tablets during special events, such as concerts, dance afternoons and activity mornings. At these special times, staff will mention the same during the introductions.
No smoking/vaping
The Barn operates a strict NO SMOKING policy on the premises and in the playground area.
This applies to all staff, parents and carers, visitors and tradesmen.
Parents accompanying children to the toilet - SECTION BEING UPDATED
We have a duty to safeguard all children in our care, and we need to ensure that adults coming into The Barn are never alone with any child apart from those for whom they are responsible.
For this reason, a member of staff will offer to take your child through to the toilets, or alternatively, she will need to accompany you.
Pre-existing conditions - bruises, bumps, cuts that happen away from The Barn
In the event that your child comes to The Barn with a pre-existing injury, bump, lesion, etc. please tell a member of staff, who will then ask you to complete an Existing Injuries form before you leave. Parents can print off and fill out the form at home and bring it in at the start of the session if that is more convenient (click to open link).
In the event that we notice an injury that has not been reported, we will contact you to discuss and ask you to complete a form when you arrive to collect your child.
Privacy Notice and GDPR
We, The Barn Nursery School, are a data controller. This notice describes how we collect and use information about children attending our setting, in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Privacy Notice – General Data Protection Regulation 2018
The categories of children information that we process include
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personal identifiers, contacts and characteristics (such as name, contact details and address) -
EYFS assessments and progress data -
attendance (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons) -
medical and administration (such as doctors information, child health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements) -
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities information (such as EHCPs) -
safeguarding information (such as court orders and professional involvement) -
characteristics (such as nationality, language EYPP funding eligibility)
Why we collect and use children information
The personal data collected is essential for The Barn Nursery school to fulfil our obligations and meet legal requirements. We collect and use children information, for the following purposes:
- to support your child’s learning
- to monitor and report on your child’s progress
- to provide appropriate care
- to assess the quality of our services
- to keep children safe (food allergies, or emergency contact details)
- to meet the legal/statutory duties placed upon us
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, the lawful bases we rely on for processing children information are:
- for the purposes of (1), (2), (3) & (4) in accordance with the legal basis of Public task: collecting the data is necessary to perform tasks that early years education providers are required to perform as part of their statutory function
- for the purposes of (5) in accordance with the legal basis of Vital interests: to keep children safe (food allergies, or medical conditions)
- for the purposes of (6) in accordance with the legal basis of Legal obligation
Collecting children information
We collect information on your child from the date of receipt of the Registration Form. Before your child joins The Barn Nursery School, we send out a set of forms for parents to complete and sign: Collection Details; Consents; Contact Details; Medical Details and Snack
Details
The information that you provide on our child registration forms enables us to meet our legal obligations and fulfil our duty of care to your child. To comply with GDPR we will inform you at the point of collection, whether the requirement to provide any additional child information to us is optional.
Storing children data
We will only retain children data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, in accordance with our Access and Storage Information Policy.
Who we share children information with
We routinely share children information where required by law or other legitimate interest, including:
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The schools that the children attend after leaving us as part of the transition process -
Hampshire County Council Services for Young Children, including funding and monitoring purposes -
other professionals and outside agencies involved with my child, including Speech and Language Therapist; Paediatrician; Portage; Occupational Therapy and Childminders. -
We will always discuss with parents in the first instance, any information that needs to be shared with the professionals listed under paragraph 3 and seek any written permissions that are required.
Requesting access to your personal data
Under GDPR, parents and children have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information or be given access to your child’s educational record, contact our Data Protection Officer (See Contact details).
You also have the right to:
- object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
- prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
- object to decisions being taken by automated means
- in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
- a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts
Withdrawing consent
Individuals may withdraw consent, where relevant, and if the consent is withdrawn, we will cease processing data. This will not affect the legality of data processed up until that point.
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with our Data Protection Officer (see Contact details) in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Contact details
If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact: Mrs Sharon Cooper, Data Protection OfficerPhone 01256 782580 or email office@thebarnnurseryschool.co.uk
Promoting positive behaviour
At The Barn, we believe that children flourish best when they have clear, consistent boundaries and know how what is acceptable behaviour. They should be free to play and learn without fear of being hurt or unfairly restricted by anyone else.
We aim to provide an environment where children can learn how to behave and socialise with others: how to make friends, be kind and share. Children who learn to regulate their own behaviour from a young age have an important life skill that will help prepare them for life in the wider world.
All children are familiar with our Barn mantra, and you might well hear these words at home!
Kind hands, kind words, all friends
Whilst at The Barn, children will have moments when they demonstrate and see or experiernce 'unwanted' behaviours, and this is normal. What is important is how the behaviour is managed by the teachers, how we help the children to manage their feelings and how adults model and support children in considering the feelings of others.
Our Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy sets out graduated responses that our staff follow. If you would like to have a copy of the policy, please contact the office.
Sessions - a morning, an afternoon or a whole day
Sessions for Explorers Children
The Explorers’ home room is open all day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
On Thursdays, we run a morning only session and there is no afternoon session.
A session is 3 hours of play and fun-filled learning. The session times for the Explorers’ room are:
9.00 am – 12 noon – morning session
9.00 am – 1.00 pm – morning session and lunch club
9.00 am – 3.00 pm – full day
12 noon – 3.00 pm – afternoon session
12.30 pm – 3.00 pm – afternoon session without lunch*
All rising 3's year olds joining The Barn are required to do a minimum of 2 sessions per week, over two days.
Sessions for Discoverers Children
The Discoverers home room is open all day, Monday to Friday. We plan for all children joining the Discoverers to be able to take advantage of the 15 hours of Early Years Education funding. 15 hours is equivalent to 5 sessions or two and a half days a week.
We also offer 30 hours childcare for children, subject to availability. 30 hours is full-time, equivalent to 5 days per week. The session times for the Discoverers’ room are:
9.15 am - 12.15 pm – morning session
9.15 am - 1.15 pm – morning session and lunch club *
9.15 am - 3.15 pm – full day
12.15 pm - 3.15 pm – afternoon session
All Discoverers children are required to do a minimum of 2 whole days per week.
Snack cafe - a mid-morning drink and snack
The snack café is open each morning between 10.00 am and 11.00 am.
The snack will be varied and will include fresh fruit or vegetables and one of a selection of breads, tortilla or bread sticks. Raisins are also offered – but not every day because of the high sugar content. Snack information is displayed daily in the cloakroom.
Children are offered a plain Rich Tea biscuit at the end of the afternoon.
If your child has any allergies or dietary requirements, these should be recorded on the Medical Details form and the appropriate arrangements/procedures will be put into place.
Social Networking Guidance for Parents/Carers
We promote the safety and welfare of all staff and children and therefore ask parents and visitors not to post, publically or privately, information about any child on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We ask all parents and visitors to follow this policy to ensure that information about children, images and information do not fall into the wrong hands.
We ask parents NOT to:
- Send friend requests to any member of nursery school staff
- Post any photographs to social media with other children in them (e.g. Christmas concert photographs or photographs from an activity at nursery school), without the permission of all parents concerned.
Parents/carers are invited to share any concerns regarding inappropriate use of social media by contacting the office.
Teaching staff
The Barn is co-owned and managed by Rebecca Wells and Sharon Cooper, who together share responsibility for the management of all aspects of The Barn school.
Rebecca Wells is the person-in-charge of all aspects of educational practice at The Barn.
We ensure that each child is given generous care and attention with our staffing ratio of a maximum of five children to every adult.
Sharon Cooper, Manager, is responsible for all aspects of The Barn administration, health and safety and safeguarding.
Rebecca Wells oversees behaviour management in The Barn.
Sharon Cooper and Rebecca Wells are the Inclusion Co-ordinators and Designated Safeguarding Leads for The Barn.
The names of the members of staff working each day are displayed on the whiteboard in the cloakroom and all staff wear name badges.
We welcome volunteers and students working at The Barn on placements. Volunteers and students are supervised at all times and are not counted in our ratios.
We do occasionally need supply cover. If you have a level six teaching or a minimum of a level 3 child care qualification and feel you might like to do this, please talk to Rebecca.
Sun protection - SECTION BEING UPDATED
We like to make the most of every opportunity to enjoy our lovely rural location, and we take the children outside whenever the weather permits. Parents are asked to apply sun cream to children during the warm weather, before they come into The Barn in the morning.
We will re-apply sun cream at lunchtime, if necessary.
At The Barn, we use Garnier Ambre Solaire Kids SPF50. The product details are as follows:
- Hypoallergenic formula tested under paediatric control
- Additional anti-long UVA technology
- No perfume
- No parabens
- No colourants
- Advanced UVA UVB protection
Early Years Education funding - eligible 2 year olds
Free Early Years Education (EYE) funding is available for eligible 2 year olds, from the funding period after their second birthday.
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Income Support -
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) -
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) -
Universal Credit - if you and your partner have a combined income from work of £15,400 or less a year, after tax -
tax credits and you have an income of £16,190 or less a year, before tax -
the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit -
support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act -
the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
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they’re looked after by a local council -
they have a current statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan -
they get Disability Living Allowance -
they’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order
Toileting
Most children are appropriately toilet trained and able to manage their own needs competently before they start The Barn. Of course, there will be occasional accidents and relapses! This is not a problem as we have a good supply of spare clothing for such times.
However, there are some children who require toilet training or special arrangements with toileting in The Barn. We are able to support your child and will work with you to meet your child’s needs effectively and sensitively. We ask that where children are wearing nappies, they should be the ‘pull-up’ variety.
Children should each have a named changing bag with spare clothes or spare nappies. Wet/soiled clothing will be double bagged and returned at the end of the session.
Toys - home toys and comforters
Children often like to arrive at The Barn with special toys from home. This practice, although lovely to see, can be very difficult for staff to manage and invariably causes distress to the children at some point during the day. Despite our very best efforts, some home toys get mislaid, lost and even broken. For this reason, we suggest that parents leave toys and other treasures at home (or in the car) – and to explain to their children that the toy will be safe and waiting for them when they come back from The Barn school.
Of course, this request does not include security blankets or similar comforters. We understand the need for, and importance of, these special items, especially to some of our younger children.
EYFS Progress Check
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires that parents and carers are supplied with a short written summary of their child's development in the three prime learning and development areas of the EYFS, when the child is aged 24-36 months:
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development;
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Communication and Language
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Physical Development,
For the majority of children who join The Barn, the EYFS progress check takes place after the health visitor check on children’s physical developmental milestones as part of the Healthy Child Programme. The aims of the EYFS progress check are to:
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review your child’s progress, identify his strengths and determine if he needs extra support in any areas;
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make sure that you understand your child’s development and that we know about his interests and needs so we can support him;
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help you to support your child’s development at home;
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agree how we can work together to support your child’s development, including how we will work with other education and health professionals, if necessary.
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At The Barn, we also use the progress check as a record of your child’s developmental age/stage on entry and during their first weeks at nursery school.
The progress check is informed by the records in your child’s health book; your knowledge of your child; your thoughts and our early observations. At The Barn, the progress checks are begun during weeks 4-6 of the Little Explorers sessions. We then observe and learn more about your child during the first half term, once he/she has settled into the Explorers. Your child’s key person will be responsible for completing the progress check with you, and a time will be scheduled for you to sit down together for a conversation. You will be provided with a written summary, which should be secured in your child’s health book for reference by other professionals. We will keep a second copy in your child’s Learning Journey file. If there are any significant concerns, or if your child has a disability or identified Special Educational Needs, we will discuss and develop a targeted plan. The plan will identify any strategies, activities and actions that we will put in place support your child.
The EYFS Progress Check undertaken by The Barn Nursery School can be shared with the Health Visiting Service; other settings, where your child attends more than one currently or in the future; and Hampshire County Council’s Children’s Services, where appropriate.
The information recorded for the Early Years Foundation Stage Progress Check will be stored securely and confidentially. Under GDPR, any confidential information regarding your child will not be passed onto organisations outside of those mentioned above without your prior consent. Issues of a child protection nature are excepted, and case information will be shared with the appropriate agencies.
Visitors
All visitors are asked to read the Visitors notice concerning smoking/vaping, mobile phones, emergency procedures and use of the toilets.
Visitors sign in and out and are accompanied at all times.
Arriving at the start of session - SECTION BEING UPATED
All children, except for those doing early bird club, should come in through their designated door. The ‘designated door’ is determined by your child’s year group:
Explorers (rising 3-year olds) or Discoverers (rising 4-year olds).
The session times for the Explorers’ room are:
9.00 am - 12 noon – morning session
9.00 am - 1.00 pm – morning session and lunch club
9.00 am - 3.00 pm – full day
12 noon - 3.00 pm – afternoon session including lunch
12.30 pm - 3.00 pm – afternoon session without lunch *
*places offered, subjected to availability, to children in their first term at The Barn
The Explorers’ door closes at 9.10 am in the morning.
The session times for the Discoverers’ room are:
9.15 am - 12.15 pm – morning session
9.00 am - 1.15pm – morning session and lunch club*
9.15 am - 3.15 pm – full day
12.15 pm - 3.15 pm – afternoon session
* lunch club is offered in autumn and spring terms, subject to availability
The Discoverers’ door closes at 9.25 am in the morning.
Collecting your child - what happens when you are late
If you know that you are going to be late collecting your child, for whatever reason, it is important that you:
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you call the office as soon as possible to advise of your situation
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make alternative arrangements for a designated person to collect your child, wherever possible. If this designated person is not on your Collections list, the parent must provide a detailed description of this person, including their date of birth where known. This designated person must know the individual child's safety password before stall will release the child into their care. This is the responsibility of the parent.
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Staff will call the parents on the numbers provided for their mobile, home or work. If this fails the emergency contact will then be contacted as per the child's records. -
Staff will continue calling the contact numbers available every 5 minutes until contact is made. -
In the event of no contact being made after 45 minutes have lapsed, the manager will ring the Social Services Emergency Duty Team and Ofsted to advise them of the situation in line with Hampshire Services for Young Children guidance. -
A minimum of two members of staff will remain in the building until suitable arrangements have been made for the collection of the child. The child's welfare and needs will be met at all times - When a child is not collected at the usual time, we reserve the right to make a charge for looking after your child.
Collecting your child - early pick up - SECTION BEING UPDATED
If you have made arrangements with staff to collect your child early, you should go to the front door and ring the bell. A member of staff will come to the door and ask you to wait outside whilst she brings your child out to you with his/her things.
In order that any disruption is minimised for children who remain after the early pick-ups have left, parents are asked not to come into the rooms before the end of the session. If you wish to speak to your key person or one of the supervisors, this will be arranged. Similarly, if we need to speak to you, your key person or one of the supervisors will come out to see you.
Explorers children who are leaving early must be collected and leave before 2.45 pm.
Discoverers children who are leaving early must be collected and leave before 3.00 pm.
These times are fixed to ensure that we can maintain staff/child ratios in the rooms and to minimize disruption for children during their end of day stories and activities. Parents arriving after these times should go to their designated door and wait until the door opens.
Collecting your child - someone other than a parent
It is important that we are informed of the name of anyone, besides the named parents/carers, who is authorised to collect your child, and that you inform us each time there is a change to the usual arrangements for collecting your child. Please speak to a member of staff or contact the office) to enable us to record the following details in our Day Book:
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Name of the person collecting your child
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Password
You will need to give the person collecting your child of the password, before he/she arrives to collect the child.
If the person does not know the password, we will contact you for confirmation before we let the child leave.
We will not allow your child to leave with another adult without your prior consent. This requirement will apply to everyone, regardless of their relationship to the child. The safeguarding of your child is our primary concern at all times.
To avoid any confusion, please ensure that the person who is collecting your child knows what time to arrive and where to go.
Arriving late - after the start of session - SECTION BEING UPDATED
Any parent arriving after their designated door has closed is asked to go to the front door and ring the door bell. A staff member of staff will meet you and collect your child’s belongings to take through into the room. If you have any news/information that you wish to share, you are asked to tell the staff member so that it can be recorded in the day book.
Sessions - requesting the days and times you want
All children attend for a mix of morning and afternoon sessions and all day.
We try very hard to accommodate parents’ session requests for their child, but this may not always be possible due to the popularity of certain days/sessions. There is usually greater flexibility at the beginning of the autumn term when the numbers of children in the Explorers are lower, and less choice of days/sessions in the summer term when we have completed our intake for the school year.
Parents requiring specific sessions/days to fit in with work commitments are asked to let us know at the earliest opportunity and we will make every effort to accommodate your requests.
All sessions that are allocated to your child are automatically carried forward to the next term, until the end of the school year.
Towards the end of each term, you will have an opportunity to review your child’s sessions for the following term and to request additional/alternative sessions. All sessions are offered subject to availability and it is not always possible to allocate all first-choice options. Please do be prepared to be flexible!
Unfortunately, we are unable to reduce the number of sessions your child does, after the start of term. This position is regrettable but unavoidable, as our staff are timetabled and committed on a termly basis and we are also restricted by the conditions of the Early Years Education (EYE) grant.
The EYE grant form for eligible children is distributed at the end of each term, after sessions for the following term have been confirmed.
To be as fair as possible to all children, at the end of the school year we begin the sessions process for the new school year with a blank sheet. We do not carry any sessions forward.
Ad-hoc sessions
We are sometimes asked to accommodate requests for occasional sessions at short notice. Subject to a space being available, we will always try to accommodate any request. Additional sessions are charged at the session rate.
Please contact the office to discuss any availability.
Sessions - booking an extra session
We are sometimes asked to accommodate requests for an extra session at short notice.
Subject to a space being available, we will always try to accommodate any request.
Additional sessions are charged at the session rate.
Please contact the office to discuss any availability.
Early Years Education funding - 30 hours for eligible 3 and 4 year olds
Thirty Hours Funding
Eligible working parents of 3 and 4 year olds who are accessing their 15 hours universal entitlement can also apply for the ‘extended’ entitlement of a further 15 hours a week over 38 weeks (’30 hours childcare’).
Use of the extended entitlement is flexible and children do not have to take up the full entitlement. For example, a child could do another 3 hour session, making 18 hours or add two more three hour sessions, making 21 hours. Some children do 30 hours from the time they become eligible.
All sessions are offered subject to availability.
What are your options?
Go to https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ to find out about the entitlement to 30 hours free childcare. Follow the links to see if you are eligible. If you are eligible, you also have the option of making up the balance of the 30 hours free childcare with another registered provider, subject to availability of places. We suggest that you talk to us and that you begin making inquiries with other nurseries, childminders and playgroups.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be pleased to help.
Early Years Education funding - 15 hours for all eligible 3 and 4 year olds
All three and four year old children are entitled to access up to 15 hours a week over 38 weeks of free Early Years Education funding. This is called the 'universal' entitlement.
Safeguarding and child protection
At The Barn Nursery School we work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect, be helped to thrive and to be safe from any abuse in whatever form.
We support the children within our care, protect them from maltreatment and have robust procedures in place to prevent the impairment of children’s health and development. In our setting we strive to protect children from the risk of radicalisation and we promote acceptance and tolerance of other beliefs and cultures.
To safeguard children and promote their welfare we aim to:
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Keep the child at the centre of all we do
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Keep and open mind and be prepared to 'thiink the unthinkable'
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Ensure staff are trained right from induction to understand the child protection and safeguarding policy and procedures, are alert to identify possible signs of abuse (including the signs known as softer signs of abuse), understand what is meant by child protection and are aware of the different ways in which children can be harmed, including by other children through bullying or discriminatory behaviour
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Be aware of the increased vulnerability of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other vulnerable or isolated families and children
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Ensure that all staff feel confident and supported to act in the best interest of the child, share information and seek the help that the child may need
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Ensure that all staff are familiar and updated regularly with child protection training and procedures and kept informed of changes to local/national procedures, including thorough annual safeguarding newsletters and updates
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Make any child protection referrals in a timely way, sharing relevant information as necessary in line with procedures set out by the Hampshire County Council.
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Ensure that information is shared only with those people who need to know in order to protect the child and act in their best interest
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Keep the setting safe online using appropriate filters, checks and safeguards, monitoring access at all times
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Ensure that children are never placed at risk while in the charge of nursery school staff
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Identify changes in staff behaviour and act on these as per the Staff Behaviour Policy
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Take any appropriate action relating to allegations of serious harm or abuse against any person working with children or living or working on the nursery school premises including reporting such allegations to Ofsted and other relevant authorities
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Ensure parents are aware of our child protection policies and procedures and know how to view/access a copy of any policy
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Regularly review and update our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy where appropriate and make sure it complies with any legal requirements and any guidance or procedures issued by the Hampshire County Council.
The Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) at The Barn Nursery School are: Sharon Cooper and Rebecca Wells. It is their joint responsiblity to:
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Provide adequate and appropriate staffing resources to meet the needs of all children
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Give staff members, volunteers and students regular opportunities to declare changes that may affect their suitability to care for the children. This includes information about their health, medication or about changes in their home life such as child protection plans for their own children
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Ensure that we abide by the requirements of the EYFS and any Ofsted guidance in respect to obtaining references and suitability checks for staff, students and volunteers, to ensure that all staff, students and volunteers working in the setting are suitable to do so
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Ensure that volunteers, including parents and students, do not work unsupervised
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Ensure that we abide by the requirements of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Childcare Act 2006 in respect of any person who is disqualified from providing childcare, is dismissed from our employment, or resigns in circumstances that would otherwise have led to dismissal for reasons of child protection concern
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Ensure that we have procedures for recording the details of visitors to the nursery school and take security steps to ensure that we have control over who comes into the nursery school so that no unauthorised person has unsupervised access to the children
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Ensure that all visitors/contractors are supervised whilst on the premises, especially when in the areas the children use
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Ensure that the staff are aware of how to safeguard the whole nursery school environment and be aware of potential dangers on the nursery school boundaries such as drones or strangers lingering
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Ensure that all staff have access to and comply with the Whistleblowing Policy which will enable them to share any concerns that may arise about their colleagues in an appropriate manner
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Be alert to signs of inappropriate staff behaviour may include inappropriate sexual comments; excessive one-to-one attention beyond the requirements of their usual role and responsibilities; or inappropriate sharing of images. This is not an exhaustive list, any changes in behaviour must be reported and acted upon immediately
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Ensure that all staff participate in daily meetings as well as individual reviews. The managers will always make time to discuss any issues relating to individual children, child protection training and any needs for further support. Staff should never wait for a meeting to raise a concern.
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Ensure that ratios are maintained at all times and that the deployment of staff within the nursery school allows for constant supervision and support. Where children need to spend time away from the rest of the group, the door will be left ajar or other safeguards will be put into action to ensure the safety of the child and the adult.
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Ensure that Safeguarding training is an agenda item at each staff meeting.
The Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is held in the Policies file in the Discoverers' room. If you would like a copy of this policy, please email the office.
Makaton - signing for all
Being able to communicate is one of the most important skills we need in life. For a young child at nursery school, that means:
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Playing and exploring -
Asking for help -
Problem solving -
Making friends and having fun
Mark making and emergent writing
Young children develop their gross motor skills by learning to hold, grip, pull and push through play.
Early Years Education funding - How do I claim?
Funding for eligible two year olds and all three and four year olds is claimed by The Barn from Hampshire County Council on a termly basis.
Parents and being part of The Barn - SECTION BEING UPDATED
We recognise parents as the first and most important educators of their children. Our staff works in partnership, with you, the parents, in providing care and education for your child. There are many ways in which parents take part in making The Barn a welcoming and fun place for children and adults, such as:
- exchanging knowledge about their children's needs, activities, interests and progress with the staff;
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sharing their own special interests/skills with the children; -
helping to provide and make the equipment and materials used in the children's play activities; -
taking part in events and informal discussions about the activities and curriculum; -
signing up on the parent's calendar to come in and spend some time playing with the children. Spending some time at nursery enables parents to see what the day-to-day life of the setting is like and to share the experience with their children. Parents are welcome to stay for the whole session, stay for half an hour or maybe join us for lunch or for a walk; -
building friendships with other parents' -
collecting and recycling recourses for children to use in the creative workshop - including corks, newspapers, shells, stamps, loose parts etc.
Medicines - prescribed and over-the-counter
Prescribed medicines
Our policy is to manage medicines prescribed for a specific episode/condition, where it would be detrimental to the child’s health and well-being not to have the medication whilst he/she is at The Barn. In these circumstances, the mediciation is administered following consultation, agreement and written authorisation from parents.
If your child has been unwell and has been prescribed a course of antibiotics and/or other medication by your GP, do follow the advice regarding returning to nursery school. Children often need time to respond to treatment, for temperatures to return to normal limits and for normal eating/drinking patterns to return.
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All medication must be in its original packaging, including the prescription labelling.
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Please allow a few minutes to complete a 'Permission to Administer Medicine' form.
Where a condition requiring staff to admnister medication lasts for longer than 10 school days, a Health Care Plan will be prepared.
Other treatments and remedies, including creams and non-prescribed medicines/over-the-counter medicines
It is our general policy not to administer creams, lotions, salves, non-prescribed medicines (e.g. Calpol, cough mixtures. antihistamine ) as this responsibility rests with parents, and the appropriate care can usually be managed at home. Any exceptions to this policy are at the discretion of the managers.
If your child has been given any medication before coming in to The Barn (e.g. Calpol or Piriton), parents are asked to inform a member of staff and we will make a note in the day book.
Where we consider that a child is not well enough to be at The Barn, we will contact you and ask you to come and collect your child.
If you have any concerns about your child's health, contact your GP or call NHS 111.