DOUNBY COMMUNITY

SCHOOL NURSERY

PARENTS’

HANDBOOK

TIMES

MORNING SESSIONS

Monday - Friday 9.20 am - 11.50 am

Arrival time 9.10 am for a prompt 9.20 am start

Collection time 11.40 am (for 10 minute sharing time) Please be here for 11.40 am.

AFTERNOON SESSIONS

Monday - Friday 12.55 pm - 3.25 pm

Arrival time 12.50 pm (children should not arrive earlier)

Collection time 3.15 pm (for 10 minute sharing time) Please be here for 3.15 pm

Parents can wait in the Parents’ Room until classes begin or end. Please come in to the

class and have a look around to see what your child has been doing on collection.

STAFF

Mrs Nicola Moar Class Teacher

Mrs Helen Johnstone Class Teacher

Mrs Phyllis Ballantyne Early Years Worker

INTRODUCTION The early years of children’s lives are ones of rapid growth and development. They

enter pre-school with a significant background of learning experiences within their

family and with friends, neighbours and relatives. Many of a child’s most valuable

experiences will continue to take place in the home and the community. Staff in the

pre-school classes are therefore working in partnership with parents in developing

children’s learning.

The vital contribution of pre-school education lies in developing and broadening the

range of children’s learning experiences, to leave them confident, eager and

enthusiastic learners who are looking forward to starting school.

CLOTHING

In order to encourage independence in toileting and changing for Gym please dress

your child in clothes which do not have too many fastenings.

All clothes and footwear must be named.

Each child will need

1. A suitable bag for carrying library books and gym kit.

2. Access to soft supportive shoes on a daily basis, preferably with easy

fastenings. These can be stored in trays if you wish.

3. Shorts and T-shirts for Gym. Children should carry shorts in their bag every

day.

4. Please provide spare pants, socks and trousers in case of an accident.

5. It would be helpful if all children bring rubber boots for outdoor play when

conditions are wet. They can be left in school.

6. We have waterproofs in school for the children to wear when needed.

SNACKS

Snacks are provided during each session.

Snack money will be collected weekly on Monday morning/afternoon. At present the

charge is 40p daily - £2 for a 5 session week.

The children help in the preparation of the snacks which are varied and nutritious eg

baking, fruit, raw vegetables, plain biscuits etc.

Milk is provided free to all Nursery children by the government. If your child cannot

drink milk then he/she can have water.

NAME BOARD

Each child is asked to ‘sign in’ by touching their own photo on the screen of our electronic

whiteboard on arrival. This is a valuable means of discussing the names of the children

within the class.

LIBRARY BOOKS

To foster children’s interest in books they are encouraged to take a library book

home. The importance of looking at picture books, learning Nursery Rhymes and

reading daily to your child cannot be stressed enough.

Please ensure that all books are looked after and returned. The Kirkwall Library’s

policy is that lost books must be replaced. Book Fairs are held in the school on a

regular basis.

STORYSACKS

Storysacks will be offered to the children/parents of the Pre-school Class from

October-March. These are a valuable resource, which give parents and children the

opportunity to enjoy books and games together.

The children in the Nursery Class will be given a smaller sack with jigsaws, games or

books.

Story sacks will be given on a Thursday to be returned on a Tuesday. Each child can

borrow only one sack at a time. Can we kindly request that lost or badly damaged

items be replaced.

AIMS

In the curriculum we aim to:

provide a broad and balanced curriculum through a variety of appropriate and

stimulating experiences

In development and learning through play we aim to:

provide a stimulating learning environment which offers opportunities for

learning through play

In support for children and families we aim to:

be responsive to the support needs of children and families and be sensitive to

individual circumstances

In our nursery community we aim to:

Create a climate where mutual trust, respect, confidence and a caring ethos

are evident to children, parents and staff

VISION

Thinking, Learning

Community: We value happiness, health,

justice, effort, questioning, creativity,

equality and respect.

We are aware that the development and

learning needs of the children in the Nursery

Class vary from those children nearing school

age. Activities in both classes are

differentiated to suit each child’s ability.

Where children are in mixed classes the same

applies. Activities for pre-school children

are more structured.

A CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

The new Scottish curriculum implemented within the classroom sets out for the first

time values, purposes and principles for the curriculum 3-18.

It sets out to enable children and young people to develop their capacities as

successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective

contributors. It provides us with an important opportunity to improve early education

for all children. We have an opportunity to ensure that all children in pre-school

experience stimulating effective learning in ways that are appropriate to their needs.

The starting point for all learning is the child. When your child starts the pre-school

classes we hope to build on the learning experiences you have given your child at home

and in the community and the wider world. Just as children will vary in the

achievements that they bring to pre-school education, they will also develop and

progress at different rates.

Play is the principle means of bringing together the variety of ways in which children

learn, eg exploring, observing, listening and talking.

The children’s development and learning is planned in the following subject areas:

Health and wellbeing Sciences Literacy and English

Religious and moral education Social studies Technologies

Numeracy and maths Expressive arts

Health and Wellbeing & Religious and Moral education

This is the most important area of the curriculum. We aim to provide a secure and

caring environment, where children can explore new ideas. We hope that the children

will develop confidence and fully enjoy the activities planned for them. Through their

involvement with staff and other children, they will be aware of the needs and

feelings of others in the classroom, and learn to play co-operatively and to share.

They will build friendships with children and form positive relationships with staff

and other school staff members. As time goes on they will become more independent

in looking after their belongings, dressing/undressing for gym, personal hygiene etc.

They will learn the importance of rules and the need for them. They will also soon

become aware of expected behaviour.

Literacy and English

We will ensure that through their play and day to day group activities that the

children are encouraged to listen and talk to other children and adults. They will

listen to stories, songs and rhymes. There will always be books available for children

to look at in class and at home.

Computer Programs will provide opportunities for developing both literacy and

numeracy. The use of computer packages will allow children to be introduced to basic

computing skills.

They will learn to listen and pay attention to information and instructions from adults.

Drawing is encouraged and there will always be a good supply of paper, pencils and

pens in the drawing and writing area. We are pleased to have children bring up

drawings which they have done at home to show the children in the class and display

in the Writing Corner.

Numeracy and Maths, Sciences, Social Studies & Technologies

We shall be encouraging the children to be

aware of the world around them and show an

interest in animals, plants, flowers etc. Their

powers of observation will be developed

through using their senses. Asking questions,

experimenting and solving problems will

broaden their knowledge of simple

mathematical language, counting and how things

work. We develop mathematical skills through

play. Children take part in counting games,

computer games, sorting shapes, weighing and measuring activities.

Expressive Arts

The children will be given the opportunity to paint and draw, make models with clay

and junk, make collage pictures and work co-operatively on large wall pictures.

They will be encouraged to take pride in their

efforts which will either be taken home or

displayed in the class.

We shall be making music by singing, clapping rhythms and playing percussion

instruments! Singing games and movement to music will also be enjoyed.

We aim to provide a stimulating environment for role play, imaginative games and

drama.

Health and Wellbeing (gross and fine motor development)

Children’s hand control will be developed

through handling scissors, pencils, brushes

and crayons. (Activities such as baking,

woodwork, playdough and clay will also

develop this skill.) Construction materials,

jigsaws and threading help improve hand-

eye co-ordination.

Energetic play in the outdoor area is an

important part of physical development.

We shall regularly be using the gym for

running and ball games, and the large

equipment to gain confidence in balancing,

climbing and jumping.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

It is important to let us know if your child has an allergy to any food or material or

suffers from a condition such as glue ear, asthma or epilepsy. You will be asked to

complete a form when your child enters Nursery and any medical details need to be

included.

A speech therapist visits school regularly and will see children who could benefit

from activities with her.

We ask for emergency contact numbers for parents and a relative or friend who lives

locally whom we can contact if the parent is not available.

If your child is not well or absent for another reason please inform the Nursery by

telephone, or by sending a message with another parent or child in the school.

We have been advised by the Department of Environmental Health that children who

have been absent with sickness and diarrhoea should remain off school for 48 hours

after recovery.

Unfortunately we are no longer allowed to accept baking/birthday cake from home to

share with the children in the classes. However we can still have some!!

Please let us know

o changes of address or telephone number

o changes in emergency contact

o changes in home circumstances that could affect your child eg death of a

grandparent, hospital admission etc

o worries you may have about your child

It is important that parents remember always to close the gate when they come into

the outside area of the Nursery.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parents are welcome to visit the class and parental help will be enlisted when

required. We invite parents to accompany children on outings, assist with craft work

and woodwork, bake with small group, supervise computer games etc. Regulations

dictate that all parent helpers must be checked by the SCRO (Scottish Criminal

Records Office). If you are willing to have this done please contact the school

office.

Throughout the year parents and staff have opportunities to share and exchange

information about their child’s progress:

There are Parents’ Evenings for parents of children in the pre-school class. There is

an opportunity for parents of children in the pre-school class to meet with the class

teacher once per term. There is an Open Afternoon each term for Nursery children

and parents. This is in addition to the chats we have with parents as they come in

with or pick up their child. These informal moments are very highly valued by all

staff.

In the Parents’ Room there are books and leaflets to inform parents and give ideas to

help them in the very important part they play in their child’s education.

Parents are encouraged to offer ideas for theme related activities. We welcome

books and related materials from home. This type of involvement from parents also

stimulates the children’s interest.

WORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS

We work closely with the Health Visitor based at Dounby Surgery and meet up on a

monthly basis. We also work closely with Occupational therapists and

Physiotherapists to support children who may have physical difficulties or movement

and co-ordination problems that may cause them barriers to certain activities. The

therapists are here to advise us on children’s needs and any specific referral to these

therapists would only take part with parental consent.

We also feel it is important to work closely with our Support for Learning staff to

develop children’s skills in a range of areas. We regularly seek advice from

Educational Psychologists to help us to support and meet a range of children’s

different learning styles.

Our school Speech and Language Therapist is Laura Cunningham. She is in school on a

Monday each week and works with a range of pupils. Speech and Language Therapy

can benefit children who have difficulties with any aspect of communication, such as

listening, understanding what others are saying, using language to make sentences and

have conversations, pronouncing words clearly, and stammering. Laura works

individually with pupils who have already been referred to the Speech and Language

Therapy service and as part of her routine work in school she advises school staff on

communication within the classroom. She can also help teaching staff identify any

children who may have difficulties with their communication. Laura may chat or play

informally with pupils as part of this routine work. If you wish to discuss the role of

the Speech and Language Therapist further, Laura would be happy to do this with

you.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

As the Parents’ Room is beside the learning support area of the school it is important

that the pre-school and nursery children as well as their younger siblings are not too

noisy when arriving or departing. We want the children to be aware of other people

in the school.

Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) Complaints Procedure

The Dounby Community School Nursery is registered as a care service with Social

Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland.

The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, known as the Social Care and

Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) has been set up to improve the quality

of care services in Scotland.

How to make a complaint

In the first instance any complaints or concerns should be discussed with the

Nursery Class Teacher, who will report any issues to the Head Teacher. If you are

not satisfied with the outcome of discussions with school staff you can contact Social

Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) at the address below:

Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS)

Compass House

11 Riverside Drive

Dundee

DD1 4NY

Tel: 01382 207100

Fax: 01382 207289