Enquiries
We have our own enquiry section of this website and you can request a call back, to which one of the team will drop an email or give you a call to further discuss your interest. From here we can book you in for a tour of the building and this gives us an opportunity to tell you more about us and of course allows you to ask as many questions as you want- and trust us, there are no silly questions!! 

Signing up & When to do this
This is the easy part. Once you have decided that you would like a place here with us, let us know and we will send over a 'Secure my place' form and the bank details to send your £50 non re-fundable registration fee. We can then input you onto our system and get the ball rolling for your child's learning journey. As to when, this in entirely up to you. Some parents do this months in advance to secure the place (as often they fill up rather quickly and not all nurseries can accommodate last minuet places) but some parents take longer to make the decision- this is okay too.

Settles Sessions
We would always recommend some settle sessions for you child as this allows them to become accustomed to the new environment, people and routine. As to how many, we based this on the individual child and how they are on their first couple of settles. We usually do these 2-3 weeks before the start date to allow time for them to settle. The first settle is about 1 hour long and this is done with the parents and the child with the room leader (who will be the initial key person) and then after that the 2nd settle is about 1.5 hours to 2 hours where the child comes into the building alone we then increase the time they spend with us leading up to their start day [the settle are spread across and not consecutive]

What happens during a settle session?
Every settle can vary. The first is where we will fill out all the boring paper work with the parents but interact and get to know the parents and the child, so really, this is quite fun! The settles that the follow, allow the child to meet the staff, children and explore the new environment. We let them join in and play with whatever they like but will also have things they might like or be interested in to allow them to feel safe and comforted. 

What to pack?
This is what we recommend you pack in their bag: 

A child's key person...
We allow the child to choose who they want their key person to be and we do this by seeing who they have begun to form a strong bond with. This sometimes is the room leader but can be anyone who works in the room, this helps the child feel safe and happy. This also helps parents feel at peace. The child's key person is mostly in charge of their development but will share this with other members of the team so they can provide activities accordingly to benefit all children in the set room. Your child will also have a "buddy" key person who will take over if their key person is off from work. You can then share your worries, concerns or wow moments with the key person and they can do the same. It allows parents to have a first point of communication for their child.

The tears
This is completely normal. Most children often get upset when leaving their primary carers but we promise they do not cry the whole time they are settling (and if they were, we'd always give you a call to end the settle early- if you'd wish). We give lots of cuddles and help distract the child and let them know they are safe. 

Each child is an individual and it is really important to remember that. They do things in their own time but we, as professionals, will always support them and give them comfort to guide them into their learning journey. 

We hope this article has given you some insight into starting nursery and hope it makes you feel at ease.