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Initial Enquiry

  • Please email family.services@bs3community.org.uk to request nursery information as our application process takes place over email. If you would like to register your child on the waiting list, please complete the relevant information provided to you by email.
  • Children can attend our Term Time nursery from the first full term after they turn two years and nine months, using Working Family Funding or Universal Funding. Terms begin in January, April and September.
  • There are options to pay for core sessions if you are not eligible for funding but these are subject to availability. For further information about private fees for the Term Time Only nursery, please email family.services@bs3community.org.uk
  • Please note that joining the waiting list does not guarantee a place.

  • Absolutely! If you need help with filling out application forms or anything else, please give us a call or email us and a member of the Family Services team will be more than happy to provide assistance. We strive to make our service as inclusive and accessible as possible. If English is an additional language for you, we have many bilingual members of staff.

  • Unfortunately, we don’t have any stats on the length of our term time waiting list. This is due to the nature of the room; some parents apply when their child is a new born so wait 3 years whereas others apply the term before their child turns three and will wait less. The number of spaces available are dependent on how many children accept a place and leave our service term by term.
  • If you would like an update on where your child is sitting on the waiting list, please contact family.services@bs3community.org.uk, and we will gladly provide you with an update.

  • We have three termly intakes in the Raleigh Room. These are in September, January and April.
  • If you applied for the September intake you will hear from us in the previous May, if you applied for January you will hear from us in October, and if you applied for April you will hear from us in February. If you are unsuccessful, we will be in contact to let you know and ask if you would like to be added to our waiting list for the next term’s intake.

  • Any information that we need to communicate and share with parents and carers on our waiting list will come from Family Services via email. If you are going on maternity or paternity leave, please make sure the email address we have for you is not a work one. We may also call you if need be.
  • Family Services are available via email and phone from 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.

 

Day to Day

  • After we have been able to offer you a place in the Raleigh Room, nearer the start date we will be in contact with you with the dates from our settling in sessions. These sessions will happen with the other children joining the Raleigh Room that term so your child get to know their new friends as well as the room and the team.
  • Parents are able to attend the first meeting, giving you the opportunity to get to know your key person and fill in some paperwork, and your child the opportunity to settle in at their own pace.

  • As the Raleigh Room is a 3+ year old room, the ratio is 1:8.

  • Our main philosophy is to encourage child-led play. We set out activities based on what the children have been playing with and are most interested in. The practitioners will then further that play and deepen their learning.
  • The children participate in two small group times every day, one in the morning and the afternoon.
  • There is also a larger group activity, circle time, where the children can share stories, sing, or hold discussion.
  • Garden time allows the children to run free and explore the nature, whether that is playing in the mud kitchen or scooting around!

  • We do not provide meals in the Raleigh Room. We ask parents and carers to provide a fruit snack and a healthy packed lunch for your child to enjoy during their day will us.
  • There is the option for your child to enjoy breakfast and a light tea with us in our wrap around sessions. These sessions come at an additional charge.

  • We find the children tend to have dropped their naps when they come to us in the Raleigh Room. However, if your child still needs one, we can create a cosy space in our Sensory space or have comfy chairs they have nap time on.

  • The children have the opportunity to play outside every day. The Raleigh Room have their own little garden that the children can extend their play into during the day and they all enjoy our big garden at least once a day.
  • The children go out into the garden in all weathers. We like to say there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing!

  • If your child is using nappies or pull ups, we ask our parents and carers to provide enough nappies/ pull ups and wipes for their child. If you are using reusable nappies, we are happy to accommodate this and ask that you also bring a wet sack for us to return your used nappies in.
  • We ask parents and carers to provide a fruit snack and a healthy packed lunch for your child to enjoy during their day will us.
  • We also ask parents and carers to provide lots of spare clothes and underwear for their children in case they get messy during their time with us.

 

Learning, Development and Communication

  • We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, which is a national framework developed for children’s early years in care and education. This provides us with a structure for your child’s development as well as specific areas of learning such as numeracy and literacy.

  • Each child is allocated a key person, who will organise activities with their key group which will promote learning whilst they are playing. This gives the practitioner the chance to observe how well your child is doing and how they might be able to assist them further in their development.
  • Your child’s key person will also upload observations to your child’s Famly journal so you can see how well they are doing, and what they get up to whilst they are with us at nursery. You can expect these around once per week.

 

Special Educational Needs