Blackhall Nursery

Blackhall Nursery

Partnership With Parents Policy______________________________________________

Blackhall Nursery is committed to a genuine and meaningful partnership with the parents/carers of children in our care.   In particular, this partnership policy reflects the duty on the Nursery and its workers to protect the rights and promote the interests of those who use the Nursery in accordance with the Scottish Social Services Codes of Practice for Employers of Social Service Workers and Social Service Workers.  This is manifested in different ways: 

The Management and Running of the Nursery: Blackhall Nursery  

·        Blackhall Nursery is a company limited by guarantee, managed by a voluntary Board of Directors and Management Committee, and is run by staff with support from the Management Committee.   The

      Nursery is also a registered charity.   Alongside the staff who play a vital role, the Nursery comprises 3 groups of people: (1) the Management Committee who have responsibility for the day-to-day

      management of the Nursery  (2) the Board of Directors who have overall responsibility for everything

      the Nursery does, and  (3) the Members who have ultimate control of the composition of the Board

      and hence the Nursery.   All parents/carers of children at the Nursery are automatically entitled to put themselves forward for election to any or all of the 3 groups.

•  Parents’ meetings are held once a term - all are welcome to attend and contribute to these meetings.
• The Annual General Meeting, to which all are invited, takes place in May/June each year.  Directors and members of the Management Committee are elected at this meeting (although vacancies may be filled throughout the year).   Management Committee meetings take place throughout the year. Minutes from both are displayed on the noticeboard outside Nursery.
• The Management Committee circulates several newsletters each year to all parents/carers, with a minimum of one per term. 

 Understanding of, and Involvement in, Nursery Life 

To familiarise children with the Nursery setting before they start, we hold

·        An annual Open Day (for an informal visit)

·        An induction/familiarisation visit in June for each child to meet staff and their classmates

·        Visits can be made outwith these times by appointment.  

 Offering Places, Settling In and Welcoming Families 

·        A welcome pack (including a Prospectus or parent's handbook) is circulated to all parents/carers before their child starts.  It includes a number of forms (including a Parent/Child Expectation Form) and policies to enable families to become familiar with Nursery practices and procedures.

·        Parents/carers are welcome to stay with their child until he/she has settled at Nursery.

·        We host a Parents' Welcome Evening early in the school session, to welcome parents/carers and to provide the opportunity to discuss Nursery policies and procedures.  Nursery staff attend this Evening and it is an informal opportunity for parents to make contact with one another and with the staff who will care for their children. 

Pre-School Education, Parental Involvement and Your Child  

·        A member of staff is always available, either informally or by appointment, to discuss any concerns or queries you may have.

·       There are also two Parent Consultations each year at which you can discuss your child’s progress with teaching staff.

·        Regular Open Visits are held during the year, when parents are invited into the Nursery during the session to look at displays and to visit, with your child as host.

·        The Daily Activities board is always updated so that you can see what your child has been offered for snack and which activities have been featured on any one day.

·        Nursery staff issue regular newsletters (at least one a term, usually two a term) to keep you informed of curricular themes and activities in the Nursery.

·        Parental visits are greatly encouraged at Nursery.  You will be invited to come in and participate in, or observe, one session at Nursery a year.  This is to build closer home-nursery links - if you can observe Nursery practice and routines, it gives you a better idea of your child's experience.

·        Annual social events - the Welcome Evening, the Nursery disco, the Nursery picnic, the Nursery Sports Day, Santa Steam Train, fundraising events - are a further opportunity for home-Nursery links to be forged.

Volunteering at Nursery 

·        Whilst we do not have a parent rota, we very much welcome parents/carers who wish to come in and help on an occasional, voluntary basis.  We have a volunteer policy which states that occasional volunteers will not be put in sole charge of any children, nor can they take children out of the sight of a member of staff (this includes to the toilet or to a separate room).  Insurance and registration restrictions mean that we usually cannot accommodate siblings - please discuss this with a member of staff. 

Policies and Procedures and Paperwork

 ·        We have a number of policies to which we would especially like to draw to your attention:  this Partnership with Parents Policy; the Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy; the Child Protection Policy; the Complaints Policy and Procedure. These will be included in the Welcome Pack or circulated to you soon after the start of the Nursery year.

·        Parents/carers have the opportunity to complete formal Parent Appraisal forms at the end of each school year.  Appraisal comments will be fed into the Development Plan process and into forward-planning for the Nursery.  City of Edinburgh Council Parent Audit forms are also circulated in May/June.  However, we welcome parent comment and suggestions all year round.

·        Parents are kept informed of Development Plan progress and have the DP process explained through newsletters.     

The Wider Community As a community nursery, we place great importance on a sense of community involvement.  To this end, we organise local visits, build relationships with other local establishments (especially Blackhall Primary School) and through this, help the children to develop a sense of their place in a wider context.    

   Revised Nov 2004/Oct 07                                                       FG 24.10.07