Families are at the heart of our settings ethos. We have an ‘open-door’ policy whereby Parents/guardians, siblings and others special to the children, are welcome at all times.
We believe that children benefit most from early years care and education when parents/guardians and settings work together in partnership. We recognise the importance of actively forging good relationships with parents/guardians, and other family members. We aim to include parents/guardians as full and valued partners in the setting and its activities with open communication and shared trust.
Our aim is to support parents/guardians as their children’s first and most important educators by involving them in their children’s education and in the full life of the setting. Parent/guardian involvement is encouraged from day one of the child being offered a place. An open and honest dialogue is encouraged and parents/guardians made to feel that they are valued and important members of the nursery community. Parents/guardians and children are encouraged to come for visits prior to them starting and to any special events such as the summer outing or Christmas party. This gives them the opportunity to meet the other parents/guardians, staff and children on an informal relaxed basis, prior to them starting.
Induction
Please see our policy on Key Person and Settling In.
We believe that children benefit from good, trusting relationships between their parents/guardians and the adults in our setting. During our new child induction process, a strong emphasis is placed on building relationships, making the child feel safe and making their parents/guardians feel welcome.
As part of the induction parents/guardians are encouraged to stay for at least one or two whole days, so that they become familiar with everything that goes on within the setting. They can see first-hand how the adults work and care for the children and gain confidence in the ability of the team to care for their child. Parents/guardians are included fully during this time. They are given access to all areas of the nursery, including the staffroom and kitchen. They are made to feel ‘at home’ and offered the opportunity to share meals with us and make themselves tea/coffee in the kitchen.
Feed back to parents and exchange of information
As our staff do not work shift systems, we have no staff handovers. Key people are always available in the mornings and evenings to hand over and share information directly with parents. Many parents/guardians arrive early to collect their children in the evenings. They often arrive during tea time, (where siblings are always welcome to join in). They are encouraged to stay to ‘play’ and or chat until nursery closes.
Other ways in which we share information:
- White board by the entrance. This is written on each morning and gives information that is specifically relevant to the current day, such as details of any staff sickness/supply cover or special events.
- Two year checks and one to one parent meetings with child’s key person. These meetings give parents and key people the opportunity to meet and discuss children’s progress and share any concerns about their development.
- Looking through/contributing to child’s online portfolio (Tapestry) with key person or child.
- Emails.
- Letters.
- Notices on the main door.
- EYFS notice board.
- Planning board.
- Suggestions for extension activities that enable parents to extend their child’s learning at home.
- EYFS information and booklets sent via email.
- Website.
- Meetings with the manager.
- Parent comments and ideas book.
- Parent questionnaires.
- Meetings with The SENCO/Key person and outside professionals, where appropriate.
Tapestry Online Portfolios
We also share information and a real insight into the day to day life and activities of the nursery with our parents/guardians, through our Tapestry account.
We understand that parents/guardians of children in settings, especially those in full time day care, can sometimes feel excluded from their children’s learning and development. That is why we feel it is important to find ways to share their children’s activities and experiences with them. One way we do this is through our Tapestry account, where parents/guardians can view photographs and observations of the activities that have taken place each week for their child. This gives parents/guardians the valuable opportunity to share pictures with their children and talk to them using picture prompts about what they have done. It also gives parents/guardians a ‘feel’ for the week and a real insight into their child’s ‘nursery life’. Please see policy on cameras and mobile phones.
Celebrations and special events for children and their families
We try to celebrate all the festivals and other events that are special to our children and their families. We celebrate them in a non-political way that is fun and meaningful for the children. Parents/guardians are encouraged to take the lead with these celebrations, as they are the ‘experts’. Often celebrations last all day. They usually culminate in a special tea. Many parents/guardians arrive early in order to join in, even when it is a festival or celebration that they don’t celebrate personally. With such a diverse mix of nationalities and cultures amongst our families, there are many such events.
Annual events
We have many events throughout the year, where parents/guardians are invited to join in. These include seasonal walks to the local park. The summer outing, where we organise the whole day, including coach travel and a picnic lunch for everyone. The Christmas play and party, where all family members are welcome and lunch is provided for everyone. An Easter Egg Hunt, where families join in to help find eggs in the nursery garden.
Committee
Parents/guardians are represented on the committee by John-Paul Ghobrial, who is both a fellow of the College and a current parent. He has a regular presence in the setting, dropping off or picking up his children on a regular basis. He is happy for parents to talk to him (unless he is dashing off to teach) about any nursery matters. Alternatively he and the chair of the committee, David Lucas can be contacted by email: david.lucas@balliol.ox.ac.uk. On occasions when David Lucas is on leave, our head of committee is Matthew Robinson and can be contacted by email: matthew.robinson@balliol.ox.ac.uk.
19 October 2020