We understand how daunting it can be for parents to leave their children in the care of others. We can, however, assure you that our top priority is the welfare and safeguarding of all the children in our care. Our well qualified and kind staff are on hand to offer a cuddle where needed and provide a happy and secure environment where children can flourish and grow.
The first step is to make an appointment to come and visit the setting. During this visit we will talk to you about our routine and the Montessori philosophy. We will then send you a prospectus which will contain all the information you may require in order to make an informed decision about sending your child to the Oratory Montessroi Day Nursery. In order to register your child you will need to fill in the registration form and pay the deposit. The settling in process is slightly different during the pandemic. We offer two one hour setting in sessions free of charge. In normal times a parent would be invited to accompany their child on the first visit and sit with a member of staff who would go through the childs requirements. However, at this present time parents are not allowed to come into the rooms and you will be asked to fill out an information form instead. We usually find that after two settling in sessions children settle well. However, if another session is needed we are happy to organise this for a small fee.
You are welcome to contact the School to check on your child throughout the first days of being left for your own reassurance.
First Days at Nursery
We expect new children to have some difficulties in parting from their parents on arrival at Nursery, but gradually they become accepting of the situation and this will vary from child to child. Most children find it is comforting to have a set routine on arrival, so they know what is happening. We would like all parents to say good bye to their children before leaving, even if this upsets the child at the time, they can be comforted and can be reassured that their parents will be coming back for them later.
If the parent just goes without saying goodbye whilst the child is engrossed then they become more upset later when they realise their parents aren’t there and this can be very confusing for the child and prolongs the settling process.
Dropping off and collecting your child
The safety of your child whilst at nursery is very important. We have a key code door system to allow entry into the Nursery. Once your child has enrolled in nursery we will give you the code so you can enter the Nursery. We ask that you only give the code to the people collecting your child on a regular basis. No child will be allowed to leave other than with their parent or guardian unless we have prior notification. If you or the person leaving the child will not be collecting the child please notify a member of staff when you drop your child off. For extra security we have a password system in cases of emergency collection being required.
Our responsibility for your child begins when you hand them over to a member of staff at the Nursery and ends when you or the designated person who is collecting for you meets the child for collection.
If you are delayed in collecting your child then you must telephone us to inform us as soon as possible, so that we can ensure that we have the necessary staff retained on duty to cover this emergency. If you cannot collect your child yourself and wish someone else to collect them on your behalf we must be notified beforehand. The person collecting should be someone already known to our staff. If this is not possible we will use our password system to ensure the child goes home with the authorised person.
If we do not hear from you and you do not collect your child or arrange for collection at a later time or by someone else, within an hour of the arranged normal collection time, we will in the first instance try to contact either parent or emergency contact person to arrange collection. If we do not get a response, we will contact the duty social team for their advice on how to proceed from there. We will continue to care for the child until 6.15 pm or until alterative care or collection is arranged by the necessary authorities.
If there is any body that may not have contact or collect your child we must be notified of this. If someone arrives to collect your child when no previous arrangements have been made we will contact you first, and not allow the child to go until we have your authority. If late collection becomes a regular occurrence then extra charges will be come payable and we will have to review our care contract with you.
