FAQ's

We have a duty to take children living in the village as they will usually then attend the Leonard Stanley Primary School, but we are pleased to offer available places to families from the surrounding area. If you would like your child to attend our nursery then please fill out a Registration Form.

Your child can start from the age of 2 until 5 years.

To apply for a place at Leonard Stanley Early Years please fill out and return our Registration Form and Agreement Form

Please return these forms with your £10 Administration Fee and a £10 Returnable Deposit. The deposit will be returned to you at your child's first booked session.

If you decide that you no longer need a place for your child please contact us as soon as possible, so that we can offer the place to another child. Thank you.

We currently operate Early Years sessions on a:

Monday 9am – 3pm (3+yrs)
Tuesday 9am -12noon or 12:30 – 3pm (mixed aged sessions) or 9am - 3pm (3+yrs)
Wednesday 9am -12noon or 12:30 – 3pm (mixed aged sessions) or 9am - 3pm (3+yrs)
Thursday 9am -12noon or 12:30 – 3pm (mixed aged sessions) or 9am - 3pm (3+yrs)
Friday 9am – 1pm or 9am - 3pm (3+yrs)

Our fees are £5 per hour. The fees are invoiced at the start of each term for that term. The invoice will indicate a date by which it needs to be paid. Invoices will need to be paid by that date to avoid additional charges.

Payments can be paid by cash, cheque, BACS or childcare vouchers. Payment details will be included on the invoice.

From the term after a child turns 3 years old, they are currently eligible for Nursery Education Funding. This is free child care for up to 15 hours a week. In June 2015, the government introduced the Childcare Bill to bring in 30 hours of free childcare for employed families of 3 and 4 year olds. See the Government's Childcare Bill for more information. Funding is also available for some children from the term after their 2nd birthday (criteria to be met). Please ask Chris for more information.

For more information please ask a member of staff or contact us.

We are registered to accept a maximum of 22 children per session.

Your child will be assigned a 'key person', this is the member of staff that will be your point of contact and the one that will maintain the assessment on your child. However, this does not mean that you can not approach another member of staff or Management. All staff work as a team together caring for all the children.

Our settling-in procedure is different for every individual child. We treat all children as individuals throughout their time with us, and how we help them settle is no exception. The procedure is one that is worked out between the parent and staff together. All situations are different, for some it is best for the parent/carer to stay with the children to start with, for others it is not. We all have the same aim, happy, contented children.

Objects or Toys from home can make a child feel safe in a new environment. Transitional objects, (blanket, favourite toy etc.) are welcome in the setting, although children are encouraged to leave them in their personal tray, and fetch them when they feel the need to. Hopefully, within a few weeks the child will not need to do this any more, and the object will be left from home.

Although we do not discourage children from bringing in toys from home, we are not responsible for the loss or damage of any toy. If it is a precious toy, please leave it at home.

If your child is still in nappies, this is not a reason for them not to start with us. We all appreciate that children develop at different times, and we are able to accommodate this. If your child is still in nappies, we do ask that you provide your child with a bag, which includes – nappies, wipes, nappy bags and a change of clothing. We do have nappy changing facilities and a nappy bin.

During a typical session we will provide – free flow indoor and outdoor (weather permitting) play, consisting of – creative activities, construction, malleable activities, mathematical activities, role play and the opportunity for lots of free choice for all individuals. We are totally flexible, and will be led by the interests of the children, if it is a nice day, we may just go to the park, or for a walk around the village, (with parent consent and completed risk assessment.)

What systems and strategies do we have in place to identify children who have Special Educational Needs (SEND)?

Each child is allocated a key person who will get to know all about the child’s interest’s likes and dislikes and will be responsible for completing their observations and assessments.

If staff have any concerns about a child we have Pre-Individual ‘My Plan’ Discussions with the parents or carers to jointly discuss the best course of action.

The staff are very experienced practitioners with varying experience with special needs. We also consult with our Local Authority SEND Early Years Team for advice, attend SENDCo training and forums, and will also consult independent specialists if required.

As a small staff team we have regular discussions and progress meetings about all the children who attend our setting giving the child, family and staff a consistent approach to their Education.

For information regarding our Local Offer go to the Family Information Service (FIS) website.

As with all Registered Settings, we have to adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage. This incorporates the care and education of all children aged 0 - 5. It provides a framework for assessing child development from birth right up to and including a child’s reception year at school.

The Early Years Foundation Stage focuses on playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically to support children’s learning across all areas. These areas consist of 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas. These are as follows:- the prime areas consist of personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and physical development.

The specific areas consist of literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

Through regular progress meetings (three times a year) and discussions we will keep you fully informed of your child’s progress, you will also have access to all your child’s records to see the progress they have made as well as your child’s learning journal. In addition parents are encouraged to speak to members of staff on a daily basis and/or through time spent on ‘rota duty’.

Parent or Carers are kindly requested to do a “duty” occasionally each term. This is a lovely time to spend with your child and share their experience.

When you are on duty, your child has special “jobs” to do, which they all look forward to.

Duty can be done by Mum, Dad, Grandad, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, Childminder etc. often with younger siblings attending as well.

We will ask you to inform us of which days are convenient for you to do your duty, so the rota can be completed before the start of each new term.

When on duty we will ask that you make the snack for the session, and join in with the session and your child.

Our staff will be on hand to guide you through your first duty.

We encourage the children to experience and experiment with new ideas, and as such it is best for them to wear old clothes. Although all paint and playdough are washable, experience tells us that occasionally they can stain. We do have optional uniform available for purchase via Bateman's Sports in Stroud (online/shop). Please speak to one of our nursery staff for more details.

Please ensure that all articles of clothing (and other belongings) are clearly marked with your child’s name

PE Kit

Throughout the academic year before your child starts Reception Class the pre-school children take part in PE sessions within the school.

You will receive a letter asking you to bring in PE kit as outlined below:-
Autumn Half Term 1 – Bare feet – no kit needed
Autumn Half Term 2 – Daps/pumps – (black Velcro ones are best)
Spring Half Term 1 – Shorts
Spring Half Term 2 – T-shirt

Please also provide a named ‘PE bag’, as the kit remains at Early Years. Thank you.

Breakfast Club

Toilet trained children 3+ years only

We have Extended Schools Status. Which means we run a Breakfast Club, open from 7:30 – 8:45pm. The children receive a healthy breakfast and there are planned activities. Current price is £6 per morning.

Please book your child's place using our Breakfast Club Form. Please return your form to Early Years.

After School Club

We are currently checking whether pre-school year children can attend the After School Club so watch this space.

Both clubs are in the Elliott Building to the rear of the school.

Please tell us. It is only by talking together that we can resolve any difficulty or misunderstanding.

In the first instance please talk to Chris Knapp (Senior Early Years Practitioner) or Mr. Green (School Head Teacher). Or secondly to a Parent Governor.

The final place to turn to would be OFSTED on 0845 6404040. Although we would hope that a resolution could be found before this stage.

Curriculum Complaints Procedure

Under the Education Reform Act 1988, the Authority has established arrangements to consider parents’ complaints about the schools’ curriculum and related matters. A copy of the full procedure for this is available for inspection in each school and public library maintained by the Authority. It covers matters relating to the National Curriculum and includes provision of external exam courses, religious education, the operation of the school’s charging policy in relation to the curriculum and the provision of information. The procedure provides for complaints to be directed initially to the Head of the school, and for an attempt to be made to resolve them informally. If this fails, there is then a formal procedure available to parents.

If you feel your complaint was not handled according to the Early Year's complaints procedure, and you wish to take your complaint further find out more information about who to complain to on the Government's website.