In line with government and NHS recommendations we have put many additional measures in place, which include those relating to nursery access restrictions, social distancing, and hygiene practices. 

At drop off and pick up times we are asking parents to hand their child to a member of staff at the nursery entrance and remain a 2 metre distance from other parents. We are putting the same measures in place at the end of the day when parents arrive to collect their child. Where we are able to, we will be adding markers to help with this.

Children will be cared for in consistent groups of children and staff. We have made changes to our indoor environments and the organisation of activities so as to encourage children to naturally use all areas of the room, rather than congregate in one area. Outdoor play will be limited to one group at a time. We have also looked at our staff areas and provided guidance to our staff on how to implement social distancing in the nursery.  We recognise that social distancing for our nurseries represents a challenge for young children who like close contact with adults and other children and we want to reassure you that we won’t stop hugging children when they need a cuddle or some reassurance.

No staff member who has COVID-19 symptoms, (or who has a member of their family displaying symptoms) will be admitted into the nursery until they have either completed self-isolation in line with government guidance or have had a test and tested negative.  Parents will be asked to confirm at the nursery entrance that neither their child nor anybody in their household is displaying any COVID-19 symptoms such as a new continuous cough or a high temperature of 37.8°C or more.

Non-essential visitors are not permitted at the nursery.

Staff will wear PPE when very close contact is required such as at drop of and pick up times, nappy changing and also if a child becomes unwell during the day and needs to go into the Isolation room. Staff can wear PPE throughout the day if they wish to

In line with the current government guidelines staff do not need to be routinely tested at this stage.  Staff and children can be tested if they display symptoms.

Both nurseries has a dedicated member of the team responsible for regularly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects that are frequently touched by children and adults. These include high-risk contact areas such as door handles and doors, toys and children’s resources, phones, keyboards, light switches, taps, toilet flushes, sinks, counter tops, handrails and banisters, shared PCs, including children’s computers/iPads. We have removed activities which could pose a risk for cross contamination, such as play dough and sand/water trays. As well as ensuring that staff and children are cleaning hands more often than usual, we are  ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach to any coughs or sneezes. Children will be supported to ensure they wash their hands properly.

If children or staff member develop any symptoms such as a new continuous cough or a high temperature of 37.8°C we will take immediate action. Staff will be asked to return home immediately, self-isolate and seek a test. For children we have a dedicated Isolation room where they will be taken and cared for by a member staff who is known to them until a parent can come and collect them.

We will endeavor where possible not to change a child’s key person: however, due to the need to reduce group sizes we do anticipate that for some children this could mean a key person change. If this is necessary we will communicate with families before any changes are made.

We are currently updating our settling in procedures in line with the Government’s COVID-19 guidance and we will share these with parents soon. We will always ensure we take each individual child’s needs into account when settling into nursery.

We ask parents to retain their usual vigilance around not sending their child to nursery if unwell, unless it is a very minor illness.  Please call your nursery manager if in any doubt.

The nursery will operate as closely as possible to its usual schedule, but we ask for flexibility around drop off and pick up in order to comply with social distancing. Your nursery manager will explain this in more detail as required.

Your nursery manager will be able to give you specific information relating to your nursery and offer you reassurance.