U p p - S t a r t sNursery & Pre-School

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF QUALITY CHILDCARE

Prospectus

Contents

A warm welcome to Upp-Starts Nursery and

Pre-School.

Upp-Starts Nursery are dedicated to the

needs of our children and parents. We hope

that this is reflected in our high standard of

communication with you.

We want to ensure that you have every

opportunity to contact us whenever you

need to via telephone or e-mail, or face-to-

face at open days, parent evenings and at

the nursery.

Our aim is to provide a safe, happy and

stimulating environment for your child where

they are able to learn, play and develop

through the highest quality care. In 2007

we were proud to be accredited with the

‘Rutland Quality Assurance Scheme Award’

in recognition of our very high standards of

childcare.

If you would like to know more

about Upp-Starts Nursery

call us on

0 1 5 7 2 8 2 1 2 1 0or e-mail

pullan_k@ucc.rutland.sch.uk

www.ucc.rutland.sch.uk/uppstarts

Our policy is one of Equality and Diversity

for children and staff. This policy is fully

set out in our policies booklet and includes

children with Special Educational Needs.

We are situated in a secluded corner of the

Uppingham Community College grounds.

5Every child matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-9Learning through play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-5Welcome to Upp-Starts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Early years foundation stage 9-12. . . . . . . . Our fantasic groups 12-14. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Welcome to Upp-Starts

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While enjoying a quiet and convenient

location, children in our care are also

able to benefit from some of the wider

amenities offered by the College. For

example, the safe outdoor playing

fields for the more energetic activities

and games. All food, including any

special dietary needs, is prepared

and cooked on site.

We are able to accommodate a

maximum of 32 children at any one

time, including a total of 12 Under 2’s

who have their own separate room.

Upp-Starts is a non-profit making

organisation which operates for the benefit

of the local community and adult learners

using the College facilities. We aim to

break-even financially, including limited

funds for the continued development of the

setting. We are dedicated to taking the best

care of your child.

Our Team

We believe that our highly qualified and

experienced team is Upp-Starts’ most

valuable asset. Every individual within

the childcare team has achieved relevant

qualifications, with most at level 3 plus. All

members of staff are trained in paediatric

first aid.

Staffing ratios conform to National Day

Did you know? We have banned the use of mobile phones with digital equipment within the

nursery, but for emergencies and outings we supply our staff with mobiles that have no recording equipment.

All Upp-Starts personnel have an enchanced CRB. This is currently the highest

level of checking available. New staff must have two employment references checked before starting at the nursery and we can ask for additional educational references where applicable.

All adults collecting children from the nursery will have to be nominated and

identified beforehand and will need to quote an agreed password.

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Care Standards and are as follows:

under 2 years - 1 adult to 3 children

2-3 years - 1 adult to 4 children

3-5 years - 1 adult to 8 children

The Staff are actively encouraged to

pursue personal development programmes.

Training is on-going to ensure

that everyone is up to date

with the latest thinking and

practice in childcare.

Occasionally, we provide

valuable and practical work

experience for childcare

students from local colleges.

Students are not included

in our staff ratios and are

supervised by qualified staff

at all times. They represent

welcome additional individual

support for your children.

The Upp-Starts team is led and managed

by Kathryn Pullan with Jo De-Bar as her

deputy.

Our Facilities

Our bright and homely building, which

was opened in August 2000, has a warm

family atmosphere and offers a caring but

stimulating environment for all children in

our care. Safety is our utmost priority. The

facility is self-contained with the building,

external development areas and garden

being surrounded by a wooden fence.

External doors are secure and locked at all

times.

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Currently have Ofsted Outstanding rating. Is a member of the NDNA.

Did you know? All of our permanent nursery staff hold a recognised childcare qualification.

Our outdoor area has cushioned flooring,

for added safety. We have a learning

environment outside and in. The garden area

includes a water wall, climb through tunnel,

sandpit and pulley system, creative and

building areas plus a table for digging.

Fire & Safety

The safety of your child is our top priority.

The Upp-Starts building and perimeter

fence are designed to ensure that children

are free to move around without being able

to unlock external doors or gates. No one

is able to gain access to the building unless

admitted by a member of staff. Outside

activities are fully supervised at all times.

All members of the Upp-Starts team and

anyone else who is authorised to work with

them, in any capacity at any time, have

received the necessary police clearance to

do so. This is a standard legal requirement.

If you ask someone other than yourself to

collect your child, we ask for a password

from you. This is recorded in our ‘Collections

Book’ to ensure that we hand them over

safely to the authorised person only.

The Upp-Starts building complies with all

fire regulations, as do others nearby. In

the unlikely event of a fire, all staff have

been trained to carry out fire procedures

including evacuation to designated

assembly points. We do regular training,

practice drills and risk assessments.

Opening Times

Upp-Starts is open 51 weeks of the year

from Monday to Friday between 8.00am

and 6.00pm. We are closed between

Christmas and New Year and on all other

Bank Holidays.

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We offer full time day care; morning

(8.00am to 1.00pm) or afternoon (1.00pm

to 6.00pm) sessions and also more flexible

hours are available by prior arrangement.

Drop-in sessions can be accommodated

provided that capacity and staffing levels

permit.

Every child matters

Safeguarding and promoting children’s

welfare forms a large part of our statutory

responsibilities and covers most of the

requirements of our registrations with

Ofsted.

Effective child protection is essential to Upp-

Starts. The welfare of every child we look

after is paramount and everyone (including

all staff, students, volunteers and visitors) has

a respoinsibility to ensure that any areas of

concern involving a child who may be at

risk of harm, are recognised and dealt with

immediately.

We ensure the safety and security of the

premises and equipment by the following

means:

Learning through play

Play-Based Curriculum

Children learn individually and with others

through play. We offer our children a play-

based curriculum which supports all aspects

of their learning and development. It

encourages their in-built curiosity and desire

to make sense of the world around them

and helps them to discover that learning is

interesting and fun. This is vitally important if

children are going to remain keen learners

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Secure perimeters around the nursery and all exits are controlled.

Strict entry procedures with secure door entry.

All equipment used is suitable and safe for the children. For instance, chairs with metal legs have been replaced throughout with wooden ones.

All toys and equipment are checked regularly for safety.

All portable appliances are subject to stringent rountine safety checks.

Before opening, the nursery is checked every day by management for potential safety issues.

A fire risk assessment is completed every year for each setting.

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for the rest of their lives.

Play in a secure environment with effective

adult support allows the children to

explore, investigate and enjoy the learning

experience. We help them to practise and

develop ideas, concepts and skills in a

unique and non-threatening way, without

fear or failure.

We deliver both the Birth to Three Curriculum

and the Curriculum for Excellence in a number

of ways through:

The Nursery Environment

We believe that children are active learners

from birth and that if we provide them

with the right environment, support and

experiences, it will help to encourage their

curiosity, imagination and creativity. We also

need to ensure that we stimulate each child

emotionally and intellectually by providing

the best circumstances to promote active

learning.

We have designed our nursery environments

to be cosy and exciting and they are

Did you know? Sand play enables children to create different worlds and act out their own

experiences. They learn about weight and volume and can practice mark-making, thereby developing early writing skills.

Using chalks, crayons, pencils, paints and other mediums with many different types

of paper, envelopes and card, children can learn to mark-make. This can be extended into role-play and they learn the benefits of writing for a purpose by becoming secretaries, postal workers, waiters or police officers. They learn to express their thoughts and record their experiences.

By using role play and dressing up, children learn more about the world. They develop

new vocabulary and social acceptance and understanding or other backgrounds and cultures and develop life skills for the future. They can experiment in an adult world by exploring familiar scenes and develop relationships with other children.

water, sand and malleable experiences

stories, ryhmes and songs

mark-making - the marks that children make through a range of media, such as paint, water, sand, pencils and the meanings they give them

creative workshops

outdoor opportunities

exploring and investigating science and nature

dance, music and sensory experiences

construction and small world play

treasure baskets that contain a variety of different objects to help stimulate babie’s senses

large and fine motor skills and experiences

literacy and numeracy skills

role play and imaginative opportunities

structured in such a way as to promote a

child’s independence, decision-making and

problem solving.

Observation, Planning and Recording

We believe that careful planning is required

to ensure that play is of a high quality. A

Key person (member of staff) is assigned to

your child to ensure that they are engaging

in the right kind of activities. This helps to

plan future experiences and opportunities

to build you child’s knowledge, skills and

abilities which will lead to new learning and

development.

Observations of each child are evaluated

and linked to the Birth to Three

Curriculum or Curriculum for Excellence

which allows for every child’s individual

development to be monitored and their

progress recorded in their individual

Learning Journal. This is a record of your

child’s interests, significant achievements

and development throughout their time

with us and we encourage you to access

your child’s journal at any time.

Planning for your child will consist off:

Significant observations

These can be significant moments that have

been observed either at nursery or within

the home environment. The Key Person, other

team members, parents, grandparents or

anyone else in contact with your child can

contribute and they are detailed obervations

of the play and experiences your child

engages in.

Individual learning intention sheets

(planning)

These focus on your child’s particular interests

based on the observations made by the Key

Person and yourselves. It is this information

that helps the Key Person to plan experiences

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that support the interests and future learning

of your child.

Key Person

Research has shown that a Key Person

approach is the most effective way of

ensuring that children develop a strong

relationship with a significant adult in the

nursery. The Key Person approach gives

every child the reassurance to feel secure

and cared for, helping them to become

familiar with the nursery environment and to

feel confident and safe within it.

We recognise every child’s individuality,

efforts and achievements and believe that

relationships between adults and children

are crucial for the child’s happiness and

security.

The Key Person meets the needs of each

child in their care and responds sensitiviely

to their feelings, ideas and behaviour.

Partnership with Parents

We believe that parents are the primary

educators of their children and should be

centrally involved in their child’s experiences

and development.

Effective communication means there is a

two-way flow of information, knowledge

and expertise between parents and

staff. Staff are always available to give

feedback about your child’s day and talk

about significant events with you.

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Did you know? Children can explore and investigate with water play; learning new words such as

float, sink, splash, pour, hot, cold and squirt. They discover the transparent properties of water and find out its many uses including drinking, washing, bubbling, floating and sinking.

Mealtimes

We provide wholesome ‘home cooked’

meals and snacks from our kitchen each

day for every child. Fees include all food.

Daily menus are displayed on the parents’

noticeboard.

We guarantee that, if your child is with us

the whole day, he or she will receive the

recommended ‘five-a-day’ portion of fruit

and vegetables.

‘Snack Time’ involves a snack bar during

morning and afternoon sessions, providing

fresh fruit and water. Each child has a snack

photo card which lists any special dietary

needs on the back, as agreed with parents.

Every child chooses when they wish to come

over for their snack. We also have a snack

time helper who helps to

prepare the snacks, including

washing fruit and spreading

crackers.

Lunch and tea times are

relaxed social affairs.

Our staff sit and eat with

the children to encourage

conversation and good

table manners. The Pre-School children

help to set the tables beforehand and act

as table monitors during the meals. Serving

the other children and helping to clear away

afterwards encourages the development of

social skills, numeracy and independence.

Early years foundation stage

‘Striving for Excellence’

As with all registered childcare and other

educational establishments, Upp-Starts is

subject to regular inspections by Ofsted

(registration no. 260841). This ensures that

acceptable standards of care and education

are being achieved and

that we fully conform with

childcare regulations.

We hold the Rutland Quality

Assurance Scheme Award

which took over two years

to achieve. The standards

required were above and

beyond those required by

Ofsted. As mentioned earlier,

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we also hold healthy eating setting status.

Thanks to our hardworking and dedicated

team you, as parents, can therefore be

confident of the very highest quality

childcare at Upp-Starts.

We’ve also qualified to share in what is

known as the ‘Transformation Fund’. This

government fund is set up to support staff

development and working with parents.

It enables our team to continue their

professional development in childcare.

For example, a member of the team has

an Early Years degree. It also creates the

opportunity to offer limited training courses

for parents. In the past we have organised

free ‘Paediatric First Aid’ courses and

‘Treasure Baskets’ for the under 2’s. There

may be courses available to both our staff

and our parents in the future. Approach a

member of staff if you are interested.

Working Together

As parents, you are the primary carers and

educators of your child. Working together

enables us to provide a happy and stable

environment for him or her while in our care.

Any information that you share with us, which

may enhance our understanding of your

child, is greatly appreciated and treated

with the utmost respect.

The information that we request is extremely

important. Any changes in health or medical

conditions, home and work addresses and

telephone numbers are obviously essential.

Please update us as soon as any changes

occur so that we are able to contact you

quickly, especially in case of an emergency.

We are happy to continue routines that

you follow at home e.g. potty training. This

provides consistency and avoids confusion

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for your child. Communication with parents

and involving you on a daily basis through

informal conversations with staff is a priority.

We also use a range of other communication

media. These include diaries in the ‘Butterfly

Room’, white boards in the main room, a

parents’ noticeboard in the entrance area,

regular newsletters and open days/evenings.

Periodically, we distribute questionnaires and

comment slips which ask for your feedback

and ideas about Upp-Starts.

We greatly appreciate the support which we

receive from parents, including contributions

to your child’s development records. Our

door is always open to you. You are welcome

to come with us on trips and outings and to

join in our daily activities as and when you

wish. Please feel free to share your skills

and knowledge with the children e.g. music,

foreign languages, gardening, baking etc.

Supporting Learning with the Best Staff

We want our nursery to be the best, which

is why attracting and retaining the best

staff is paramount. Our staff are crucial in

providing a memorable nursery experience

and our aim is to offer them the best training

opportunities to support our childcare and

education philosophy.

Our nursery staff are focused on

providing fun and education, and they

will work to ensure your child develops

as an individual, whilst helping to

nurture and encourage learning

through discovery and enjoyment. We

expect all our staff to engage in skillful

and sensitive interactions to support a

child’s learning.

This ensures that play opportunities,

resources and interactions indoors and

outdoors are appropriate to the level of

competence and maturity of the child.

Play Equipment

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These are just some of our carefully chosen

play equipment that has been found

to stimulate a child’s natural curiosity,

exploration, play and imagination.

Treasure Baskets

Developing natural curiosity

Physical Play

Increasing mobility and confidence

Role Play

Understanding the world

Mark-Making

Developing early writing skills and

creativity

Our fantastic groups

‘Butterflies’ under 2’s

The ‘Butterfly Room’ has capacity for babies

at any one time and includes a separate,

fully equipped sleeping room. We have

three regular members of staff assigned to

the ‘Butterfly Room’ to ensure continuity for

the children.

We ask parents to provide a diary so

that staff are able to record daily events

for your child, especially developmental

progress. Just as importantly, we will record

sleeping times, feeding details and other

activities to share with you. Equally, we

welcome feedback about your child’s time

at home. These personal diaries build into a

special keepsake for the years to come.

Daily activities for the older children in the

‘Butterfly Room’ are planned around the

Early Years Foundation Stage, including

drawing and painting, water/sand play and

exploring the outdoors. Play activities also

take place outside in the garden during the

warmer weather.

Each child has their own developmental

record, including observations and

photographs which chart their progress.

‘Squirrels’ 2-3 years

The ‘Squirrels’ group occupies part of the

main room. The children’s daily activities

are also planned using the Early Years

Foundation Stage, which is designed to

ensure that children develop their potential

in six key areas of learning. Focused activity

sessions are planned every day to increase

individual capabilities

in many important

areas. Developmental

records are kept for

your child and are

available for you to

see at any time.

The daily routine for

the ‘Squirrels’ involves

free playtime, arts

and crafts, stories,

outdoor activities and song/rhyme time.

Themed play boxes are changed daily

to encourage imagination and creativity,

cooking activities and also visits to the

College’s Community Lounge. The Lounge is

used for music and movement sessions. There

are plenty of outside activities, including

use of the tennis courts for cycling and ‘push

along’ fun, and the playing fields for picnics

and nature walks.

‘Busy Bees’ 3-5 years Pre-School Group

The ‘Busy Bees’ Pre-School Group is

also located in the main room which can

accommodate up to 20 children at the same

time.

The Pre-School Group

is taught by two

members of staff who

possess a wealth of

Level 6 experience

with the Early Years

Foundation Stage. The

children’s activities

are planned around

the ‘Six Key Areas of

Learning’, as set out in

the next section. These are recorded in EYFS

profiles.

Daily observations are recorded in each

child’s Personal Development Book and

these are used as the basis for planning the

following week’s programme. This enables

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us to build on the skills

that your child acquires

as he or she develops,

or to focus more on

a particular interest

which they may have.

Each child therefore

has an individual

learning plan to help

them to achieve their

development goals.

Progress is discussed

with you, as parents, on a regular basis.

We have a computer, which is available

everyday to encourage computer skills,

literacy, numeracy, observation and artistic

flare.

Weekly cooking activities are an integral

part of our curriculum with all ‘Busy Bees’

joining in. This involves measuring, weighing,

mixing, timing and creating pictorial records

for personal recipe books. As with the

‘Squirrels’ group, spending time on outdoor

activities and making full use of the various

facilities is very important. The Pre-School

children are in the process of developing

our garden and using their ideas to create a

vegetable patch.

As summer approaches,

those who are leaving

to start Primary School

are able to invite their

Reception teacher to

an Upp-Starts tea

party and in readiness

for school life, for

example, to practise

getting changed for

weekly PE sessions.

These activities and others are designed

to support a smooth transition as your child

moves on from Upp-Starts.

We look forward to meeting you and

your child.

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call us on

0 1 5 7 2 8 2 1 2 1 0or e-mail

pullan_k@ucc.rutland.sch.uk

www.ucc.rutland.sch.uk/uppstarts

Upp-Star ts Nursery & Pre-sc hool

Uppingham Communi ty Col lege

London Road

Uppingham

Rut land

LE15 9TJ