Blindmans Lane
Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
EN8 9DW
01992 626879
www.arlesdene.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher: Claire Cobain, BA Hons, QTS
Welcome to Arlesdene Nursery School
Arlesdene is a popular nursery school for children aged 3 to 5 and is funded
by Hertfordshire County Council. Our Nursery is led and managed by a
headteacher and staffed with qualified teachers, early years practitioners
and learning support staff. We have a governing body which helps us to
review and support the work of the school.
We work in partnership with parents, our onsite children’s centre and other
professionals to ensure that we do the best we can for all our children and
their families.
Our Nursery is open during school term times and offers a range of services
which include:
15 hours a week of free funded education for all children the term after
their third birthday
30 hour places, for those parents who are eligible
The opportunity to pay for additional sessions
Lunch Club (packed lunch to be brought from home)
Excellent transition arrangements
Many opportunities for parents to be involved in their child’s learning
Links with Arlesdene Children’s Centre, local primary schools and pre-
schools
Training for a range of students including teachers
Ofsted judged our Nursery and Pre-school to be
outstanding (March, 2017)
‘The school is a shining example of early years
excellence.’
‘The school gives every child a chance to shine and all of
them do exceptionally well.’
‘Staffs engagement with children is excellent.’
(Ofsted, March 2017)
Our Vision
Explore, Learn and Flourish
Together we take our first steps to be the best we can
Values and Beliefs
We believe that:
1. Everyone should be made to feel welcome, valued and respected
2. We all have the right to achieve our full potential.
3. Children and adults learn most effectively through first-hand
experiences, play and talk
4. Everyone learns best when they are happy, secure and have a high
sense of well being
5. Children and achieve when we know them well and respond to their
developmental needs and interests.
6. Children and families need to feel safe and secure within our school
7. Children thrive when parents/carers, staff and children share their
learning
8. We should support parents to be the best parents they can
9. It is important to use feedback in order to evaluate our work and to
plan future provision
10. Seeking the views of all those involved in the centre is important and
helps us plan future developments
11. Equality should be promoted, diversity celebrated and discrimination
addressed
12. Everyone has a valuable role in shaping the future of Arlesdene
Our Nursery School
At Arlesdene we are deeply committed to providing high quality care and
education. Children learn and develop in our large, purpose built nursery
classroom and outstanding outdoor areas through a wide range of rich
learning experiences and sensitive adult support. The nursery has an
excellent range of resources and a safe and secure environment.
We support and develop children’s learning through planned play
experiences that are relevant to the individual needs and interests of each
child. All children are supported to make progress according to their unique
needs and abilities.
There are 50 places in the morning, 50 in the afternoon and a limited number
of places for children whose parents are eligible for 30 hours. There are also
some places for children requiring extended hours. There is usually a higher
demand for morning places. Depending on availability, parents of children
requiring hours in addition to their 15 funded hours a week can pay for extra 3
hour nursery sessions and for a place in Lunch Club. The following costs apply
for these additional services:
Additional 3 hour session - £16.50
Lunch Club (children bring a packed lunch from home) - £5.00 per day
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The School Nursery sessions are:
Morning – 8.45 to 11.45 am Afternoon – 12.30 to 3.30 pm
Nursery Routine This is flexible according to the needs of the children
Morning
Session
Afternoon
Session
8.45am Children arrive and register with their key
person
12.30pm
8.50-9.15am Welcome activity with key person 12.35-1.00pm
9.15-11.15am Child initiated learning indoors and out.
Snack is available throughout this session.
Some days children have snack in their key
groups
1.00 – 3.00pm
11.15 – 11.25am Children are supported by adults to tidy up
the indoor and outdoor areas
3.00 – 3.10pm
11.25– 11.45am Story, singing and small group learning time 3.10 – 3.30pm
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School Staff
Claire Cobain Headteacher
Nursery School
Lynda Lodge Lead Nursery Teacher
Elisabeth Wilderspin Nursery Teacher – part time
Nicola Hawkins Early Years Teacher
Lesley Carter Senior Early Years Practitioner
Himashi Dassanayake Senior Early Years Practitioner
Kay Reeve Senior Early Years Practitioner
Sheila Wills Senior Early Years Practitioner
Karen Head Senior Early years Practitioner
Katy Granville Learning Support Assistant
Linda Cummins Learning Support Assistant
Tammy Gurney Learning Support Assistant
Louise Moretto Learning Support Assistant
Pre-school
Gemma Charlton Pre-school Leader – Part-time
Craig Nottingham Pre-school Leader and Deputy – part time
Karen Johnson Senior Early Years Assistant Alison Warden Senior Early Years Practitioner
Maria Hammond Early Years Practitioner
Clare Moss Early Years Practitioner
Sabina Teale Early Years Practitioner
Margareta Pujari Early Years Practitioner Sally-Ann Gasson Early Years Practitioner
Lunch Club
Michelle Christodoulou Lunch Club Assistant Stacey Field Lunch Club Assistant Jodie Rands Lunch Club Assistant
Karen Samson Lunch Club Assistant Claire Turner Lunch Club Assistant Faustina Yawson Lunch Club Assistant
Office
Samem Morris Office Manager Lorraine Thurlow Secretary Kay Gaunt Pre-School Admin /Finance
Premises
Graeme Cakebread Site Manager
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The Governing Body
The Governing Body is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the work of
the nursery by reviewing performance and agreeing a strategy for
improvement. The Nursery is accountable to the Governing Body which is
made up of representatives from staff, parents, the Local Authority and the
local community. They give advice and support to the Headteacher and
staff.
Governors
Name Position Category Term of office Responsibilities
Rosie
Bloomfield
Chair Co-opted 02/04/2015 -
01/04/2019
SEND/CLA
Safeguarding
Katie
Saunders
Vice
Chair
Parent 01/09/2016 –
31/08/2020
Home school
learning
Claire
Cobain
Headteacher 01/09/2018-
Leadership and
Management
Lynda
Lodge
Staff 01/09/2012 -
31/08/2016
Curriculum
Kelly
Siracusa
Parent 15/01/2016 -
14/01/2020
Home school
learning
Jami
Walcott
Vice
Chair
Co-opted 02/04/2015 -
01/04/2019
EYPP and
Funded 2’s
Sam
Whorlow
Parent 22/05/2018 - TBC
Claire
Turner
Parent 22/05/2018 - TBC
Jude
Vince
Parent 22/05/2018 - TBC
Fiona Hill Clerk 01/02/2012-
Anna Archer HIP (Hertfordshire Improvement partner)
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Applying for a Nursery Place
When will my child start nursery? We provide 15 hours of free early education for 3 and 4 year olds from the
term after their 3rd birthday. Our main intake into nursery is in September
which is the beginning of the school year. If we have vacancies there is a
further intake in January. For in-year applications please contact the school
office.
How do I make an application to Arlesdene Nursery School?
All admissions and application forms are managed by the school. Please
speak to Lorraine in the school office if you require a nursery place.
Accepting a Nursery Place Places for school nursery and pre-school will be allocated according to our
Admissions Policy. A copy of this is available in school. Once you have
accepted a place you will be sent an information pack and important forms
to complete.
Starting Nursery If your child is starting in the school nursery, the following will be offered:
Introductory meeting for all parents and carers
Parent/carer and child visits to nursery
A home visit
‘Settling in’ visits planned with you and your child’s key person
Stay and play session for parents and children
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‘Settling In’ and Getting to Know You and Your Child
We understand that starting nursery is a big step, not only for your child but
also for their parents. At Arlesdene we recognise that every child is different
and will settle into nursery in their own way.
The settling period is a very important part of a child’s education. We offer
the following guidance for a successful start to nursery for you and your child:
Children settle best when this is done slowly and carefully, so it is
important to respond to the needs of the child
Be guided by your child’s key person who will encourage your child to
settle happily so that he or she will gain in confidence and develop a
positive attitude to nursery
It is important that the settling in period and the gradual separation
from you is a happy experience, so please be prepared to stay with
your child during this time, it might take a few days or even weeks
You must stay for the first session
As your child gains in confidence and begins to feel secure you will be
encouraged to leave them for a little longer each day. Staff are
always willing to discuss any problems that you may have. It is
preferable that these discussions take place away from the children.
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All children need to have time to get to know everyone and to allow the
staff, especially their key person, to get to know them. Even if your child has
had experience of another nursery or childminder, they will find this a new
situation and settling in takes time. This time is also a valuable opportunity for
us to get to know you and for you to get to know us.
Key Person
We have developed a key person approach to ensure that children settle
into nursery. This means that each child is allocated a member of staff who:
takes particular care of him or her and is available to respond to their
emotional needs and interests
helps your child to settle and manage saying goodbye to you
will talk to you about your child’s time in nursery
gather as much information as possible that will help your child to
settle. This may be about particular toys or activities that they like or
concerns about toileting
Going to ‘Big School’ We work closely with other local pre-schools and nurseries to ensure that
children have a smooth transition into Arlesdene. When children are moving
to a reception class in school we plan the following activities so that children
are supported and have a positive start to the next phase in their education:
These are:
Share information with their next school
Arrange visits to their new school
Invite teachers from the new school to visit Arlesdene
Plan activities, such as, dressing up in school uniform, sharing
photographs of the new school and facilitate discussions about going
to ‘big school.’
‘Off to Big School’ workshop for parents to enable them to support their
child’s transition to reception
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The Curriculum Staff plan for children’s learning and development using the Early Years
Foundation Stage Framework. This framework is used by all those working
with children from 0 to 5 years old. It supports the following characteristics of
effective learning:
Playing and Exploring
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
The Early Years Foundation Stage includes the following areas of learning and
development:
Prime Areas Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Specific Areas Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
For further information please see
http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/parents/
There is also a useful guide for parents which shares expectations of children’s
learning for each age group and suggests ideas of what parents can do to
help their child.
http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2015/03/what-to-expect-when-a-
parents-guide/
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Helping Children to Learn and Develop
Children are supported to learn through:
Play and interactions with children and adults
Opportunities to actively explore and investigate, both indoors and
outdoors
Experiences that allow them to use their own creative ideas
Adults asking questions to help their thinking
A safe and secure environment that challenges them
Taking risks and making mistakes
Consistent, sensitive and caring adults
Parents/carers and staff working together
Promotion of a healthy life style
Supporting all Children’s Individual Needs
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All our children are different and we therefore value opportunities for them to
learn together. Children with additional needs are supported in their learning
by learning support assistants and if required, further help is available from a
range of professionals. We believe that parent/carer support is vital in
enabling us to meet the individual needs of all children so that they make
progress in their learning and development.
Outdoor Learning We are fortunate to have a spacious and well-resourced outdoor area. Most
children choose to play in this area of the nursery: we therefore plan many
opportunities that support children’s learning in the garden throughout the
year.
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Visits The first hand experiences that children encounter through visits to the local
community are important for developing their understanding of the wider
world. During the year we plan short visits to such places as the local Fire
Station, shops and Library. We maintain a ratio of one adult to two children.
Parents/carers are encouraged to help us on these visits.
Keeping Records An individual Learning Journal is kept for each child with detailed
observations and photographs of their learning and development. You are
asked to contribute to these records: this can be a short note or a
photograph. The Learning Journal is shared during parent/carer
consultations as a focus for discussing children’s progress. It is also available
in the nursery for children to share with their parents/carers.
You are invited to regular meetings with your child’s key person where you
can discuss your child’s progress and talk about activities that you can try at
home to help them reach their targets.
Keeping Children Safe Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. This includes staff, parents,
carers, Governors and members of the local community. We have a number
of Safeguarding policies that support our work in protecting children from
neglect, and physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Staff are trained to be
familiar with the roles and responsibilities for the protection of children.
All staff have a duty to refer safeguarding concerns to the Headteacher who
is the schools designated person for child protection. If it is decided to make
a referral to Childrens Services this will usually be discussed with parents. In
cases where there is a risk of immediate harm to a child a referral is made to
Childrens Services immediately.
We have a detailed eSafety policy that explains how we keep children safe
on line. Workshops are organised for parents and staff to keep them updated
about on-line safety and how they can teach children to use the internet
safely.
As with all establishments that care for children, if we feel that further
information or guidance is needed regarding the welfare or safety of children
in our care, we are required to report our concerns to Children’s Services.
Using Images of Children Safely and Responsibly At Arlesdene we are happy for parents/carers to take photographs and
video but request that these images are not distributed or put online. This is to
protect all members of our nursery.
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Road Safety and Security The road outside the school is very busy so please ensure that your child holds
your hand when arriving and leaving the building. Entry to the nursery and
area is via a buzzer system. In order for security to be effective we need your
co-operation. Please NEVER let anyone through the secure doors, particularly
when you are leaving through that door yourself. All visitors must ring the
buzzer. Please ensure that you close the green gate that leads to the road
when you arrive and leave the school.
Collecting Children Please remember to always tell someone in the office or your child’s key
person if there is a change in the person collecting your child. A password
system is used when the person collecting your child is unknown to staff. We
will not let your child leave nursery with a person that we do not know.
Accidents Children are well looked after in nursery with high ratios of adults to children.
Occasionally accidents do happen and it is important that we have up to
date information on your emergency form. All staff are qualified paediatric
first aiders. We keep an accident book so that parents/carers can be told of
any injuries that children may have had during the day. Please tell a
member of staff of any injury, bruising or accident that your child has when
they have not been in nursery. It is important that this information is shared in
case your child becomes unwell during their time in nursery. Parents are
asked to complete an existing injury form.
Attendance and Absence When your child is offered a place it is important that they attend every day
so that they develop good relationships with staff and other children. Please
make sure your child arrives on time. If children arrive late it can cause them
to be anxious, they find it difficult to settle and they miss valuable learning
time.
There is an Attendance Register in the school entrance lobby which we ask
you to sign if your child is late or is collected early. If you go on holiday during
term time please complete a holiday form. This is necessary so that your child
keeps their nursery place.
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If your child is ill, please telephone the office or send a message to let us
know. We must also be informed of any hospital appointments. If a child
does not arrive for their nursery session and we have not been informed of
their absence a member of staff will call their parents/carers.
Please see our Attendance Policy for further information.
Illness Due to the close contact that children have when they are playing in the
nursery, infections can spread quickly. If your child is unwell please do not
send them to nursery so that we can limit the spread of infection. We ask you
to keep your child at home for 48 hours after the last episode of sickness or
diarrhoea and to inform the nursery if they have any contagious/infectious
illnesses so that we can alert parents.
We welcome all children at our nursery regardless of medical need. If you
have a specific requirement for your child please let us know so that we work
with you to develop a ‘Health Care Plan.’
Only medication prescribed by a doctor will be administered in nursery. If a
child is taking a course of medicine, such as antibiotics they must be kept at
home for the first 48 hours to ensure that there are no adverse effects. It is
vital that you inform us of any medication that has been administered at
home, such as an asthma pump. Please see our First Aid and Medicine
policy for further information.
Meals and Snacks We operate a policy of healthy eating throughout the nursery. This is
reflected in the food that we provide for children throughout the day.
Snacks are prepared on site. We ask for a donation of £12 per term towards
the cost of snack. It is helpful if this is given to the office at the beginning of
each term.
If your child has any specific dietary requirements please let us know and we
will discuss how we can best accommodate these needs. Due to an
increasing number of children with nut allergies we operate a ‘no nut policy’.
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Clothes Please send your child to Arlesdene in clothes that are suitable for play, messy
activities and easy to manage when going to the toilet. We encourage all
children to join in all activities and do not want them to be worried about
dirtying their clothes. Please consider the following in order to help your child
to be dressed appropriately for nursery:
Nursery jumpers and polo shirts can be bought from the school office,
these are optional
Jewellery should not be worn as it is dangerous and can be easily lost
Children will be using the outdoor area throughout the year. In cold
weather they will need NAMED coats, hats and mittens
Wellingtons can also be brought and kept on the racks in the outdoor
shelter
In warm weather please do not send your child to nursery in open toed
sandals, flip flops, ‘crocs’ or fashion shoes. These can be dangerous
and cause accidents. Shoes with Velcro fasteners are ideal
During very hot weather we will ensure that children spend the hottest
times of the day in the shade. However, in order to protect children’s
skin please ensure that they arrive in nursery wearing a high factor sun
protection, a named hat and a top with sleeves
If your child has an ‘accident’ we have a small supply of clean
clothes. Please ensure that your child’s clothes are easy for them to
manage, especially when using the toilet in a rush
If clothes are borrowed please ensure that they are returned to school
as quickly as possible
Behaviour All adults and children at Arlesdene are respected and valued. Therefore,
we encourage everyone to be polite, helpful, and caring towards each
other. We support children to manage their own behaviour, promoting a
positive attitude, which helps promote self-esteem and confidence.
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Parent Involvement We welcome all children at Arlesdene and hope that you will be involved in
all that we have to offer.
It is very important that you are involved in your child’s education and work
with your child’s school as this has a positive impact on children’s
achievements and progress.
We ask parents to spend time sharing the book that their child brings home
each day. Also to be involved in any ‘homework’ activities, such as looking
for numbers on your route to nursery.
We arrange a number of other activities during the year such as:
Christmas and Easter celebrations
Parent workshops
Visits to places of interest
Fundraising events
If you have a particular skill that you feel you could share with us or work in a
job, such as a police officer, and would be willing to talk to the nursery
children about your work please let us know.
Concerns, Complaints and Feedback We try hard to do the very best for all our children and families. We
understand that your child is of the utmost importance to you and therefore
always listen to your feedback and suggestions.
If you like something that we have done, please let us know by telling a
member of staff, sending an email, text or writing a note.
If you have a concern please tell us so that we can explain what we are
doing or try to put it right. Often, talking to a member of staff can help us to
understand your concerns and enable us to resolve issues at an early stage.
Your child’s key person will be available before and after nursery sessions. If
you wish to discuss concerns at length it is better to see staff after the session.
More serious issues can be raised with the Headteacher. In the unlikely event
that matters are not resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned, further
advice can be sought from Governors. Please see our ‘How to Comment or
Complain’ guidance for parents which is available on our website or in the
school office.