Frequently Asked Questions

We know you will have a lot of questions, here are some of the ones we are asked most often but please do not hesitate to contact us with any of your own.

How do I book a place for my child?

Just give us a call on 01903 779324 or email us at admin@angmeringdaynursery.org and we will arrange with you a day and time to come and look around the nursery. If, after your visit, you decide you want to place your child with us, you will be asked to complete an initial interest/waiting list form. Once completed the nursery manager will contact you and start arranging your booking. You will then be asked to complete a formal booking form and to sign our terms and conditions.

Do you take government funding?

Yes, we are registered to receive 2yr funding as well as the universal 3/4yr funding and extended (also known as 30hrs entitlement) funding.

How does the government funding work at your nursery?

The first hours of the week that the child attends are used as their funded hours. Once they have reached the number of hours attendance that they are entitled to, then the full fee is payable for subsequent hours.

We operate only ‘stretched funding’ at the nursery. This means your child’s funding will be continuous throughout the school holidays. Every funded child is entitled to 570 funded nursery hours a year. We divide this over the 51 weeks we are open, giving each child 11 hours funded childcare a week. If you are able to claim extended funding for working parents (1140 hrs per year) the maximum funding per week is 22 hours stretched funding over 51 weeks.

Additional services fees. Government funding does not cover the costs of any meals snacks, or any of the additional activities we offer, like ‘little movers’, or our other sessions. It simply goes towards the cost of basic care and education for your child. Unfortunately what we receive from the government does not cover our fees, so we need to ask parents of funded children for a small amount to ensure our nursery remains viable. We do not ask parents of 2 year funded children for this contribution.

What if my circumstances change or I change my mind after I have booked?

If you have booked a place and signed our terms and conditions there is a 4 week’s notice of cancellation. Notice given after this will be chargeable for 4 weeks according to the weekly sessions you originally booked.

Why do you not have separate rooms for the ages of children like some other nurseries?

Government research has shown that young children in nursery settings progress better when they are not separated by age. The younger children learn a lot from their older friends. Speech and language, in particular, develops at a faster rate. Older children are able to refine their social skills when they are with younger friends. They are able to negotiate better, are more patient and show more empathy. They also reinforce their own understanding by explaining things to others. Other nurseries tend to separate the children in order to make staffing ratios simpler. Our focus is on what is best for the children.

My child has a special need. How can you help support them?

We are a fully inclusive nursery and accept all children regardless of their individual needs. Before your child starts with us we will be liaising with you to ensure we are ready to fully support your child. If specialist additional support is required we will ensure that this is in place, with your agreement. We will consult with you regarding all aspects of your child’s needs and ensure that we work closely with you, the child parents, at all times.

My child requires a special diet. Can you accommodate this?

Yes. We accommodate a range of different dietary requirements whether they be due to allergy or cultural needs.

My child is a fussy eater. I am worried they won’t eat at nursery.

Our mealtimes are an integral part of the nursery routine. We all sit down together for lunch and tea. An adult sits with them at the table eating the meal as well. We find that when children sit down together and they are all eating the same (or similar in the case of children with dietary needs) meal, then ‘fussy’ eaters will tend to try new foods as that is what their friends are doing. We always encourage children to try foods that they are not familiar with. We always let you know exactly what your child has eaten at nursery and if either you or the nursery team are concerned, we will put into place an individual plan to support them. It is very rare at our nursery that we have ‘fussy’ eaters after the first few weeks.

How do you manage toilet training?

At the nursery, we will support you with all aspects of toilet training – from practical advice for at home, to how to manage when your child is at nursery. We will advise you on an individual basis as to what, in our experience, would be a good plan. The toilets at our nursery are ‘infant’ size so that children can become independent at a faster rate. They love to use a ‘proper’ toilet like the one at home, so we find that potties are seldom needed here.

How will you know how your child is getting on?

It is important for your child that we work together. We want you to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child. These conversations will either need to be with your child’s “Key person” or the nursery manager . These are the adults who:

Are your main point of contact within the nursery
Help your child to become settled, happy and safe
Are responsible for your child ’s care, development and learning
Take a careful note of your child’s progress, sharing ideas to help your child at home and in nursery. You will be able to get information about your child’s development at any time through TAPESTRY (online record of your child’s learning and development journey).

How can I help with my child’s learning at home?

Try to speak to your child’s key person as often as possible about what your child has been doing, what they have enjoyed, what they need to be doing more of and what you can do at home. Our staff can also give you advice about the kinds of books or other activities your child might enjoy at different ages. All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school.

What is the EYFS Framework?

The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help your child, and was developed with a number of early years experts and parents. The EYFS sets out standards for the learning, development and welfare of children from birth to 5 years of age. It explains the skills, knowledge and understanding that children must learn to support healthy development. From when your child is born up until the age of 5, their early years’ experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure.

The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working within Early Years.

It sets out:

the legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare
the 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge
assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS
expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”

The staff at The Angmering Day Nursery plan a variety of opportunities linked to children’s individual interests and developmental needs. Children learn through playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.

How do you manage unwanted behaviour at nursery?

We promote positive behaviour at all times at our nursery. As such we are continuously praising the children for being kind, helpful and considerate. All children struggle to behave appropriately at times and we manage this according to the child and circumstance. Adults voices are not raised at any child unless to alert someone of immediate danger or harm. Children are spoken to calmly and discretely regarding any incidents. We discuss with them how the incident happened and how they, and their friends, might be feeling. Within our sensory room, we have lots of resources to help support children to manage their behaviour and to gain some understanding of their feelings and how they react to them.

How do you make sure the older children are learning the things they need to for school?

We work very closely with the local schools in order to ensure that the children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. We support them to be independent and to have the necessary skills to be ready for a more formal environment. We teach them the foundations of literacy and mathematics in accordance with what the expectations are for their Reception year at school.

What happens when my child moves on to school?

We will work in partnership with you to ease the transition process form nursery to school. This will start in the final year before your child goes to school, with fun activities to prepare them for the next stage of their learning journey. We will share a summary of your child’s development with their new teacher, as part of the transition process. This will help them understand what your child really enjoys doing and does well, as well as helping them decide if your child needs extra support. We encourage you to share your knowledge about your child’s learning and development, so do let your child’s class teacher know about what your child does with you; such as how confident your child is in writing their name, reading and talking about a favourite book, speaking to people your child is not so familiar with or their understanding of numbers.