Attending nursery every day so long as your child is well enough to do so is important. It gives your child a regular, predictable routine and sets up good habits for school and later life from an early age. However, inevitably, all of us get ill from time to time and when this happens it is not always possible to attend nursery. If your child is unable to attend nursery it is important to call the school office to report this at the earliest opportunity.
Coughs and colds are part of life and not always avoidable. Children can be particularly susceptible to these when they first start nursery as they are in a new environment, mixing with lots of different people and often have not yet built up much resistance in their bodies. Try not to worry if your child gets a few sniffles, if they are generally ok in themselves you can still bring them to nursery. Children are always encouraged by staff to practice good hygiene such as hand washing, to use tissues for sneezes and blowing their noses, as well as covering their mouth with their hand when they cough.
If your child is feverish or listless and not themselves then at those times you would be well advised to look after them at home. In the case of vomiting and diarrhoea (which can be infectious) then we ask you keep them off until 48 hours after the last occurrence. Please note we do not administer medications at nursery (other than for known allergies and asthma).
When children are at nursery they are engaging in a play based curriculum that is active and involved. Children learn through all of their senses and by getting stuck in and having a go at things themselves, rather than simply being told. They will be trying things out and developing new skills all the time. Sometimes, it takes lots of persistence with practice before they become proficient at something. Children will be moving about, climbing, jumping, running and exploring altogether in the same space. Part of their learning is to develop strength, agility and balance together with body and spatial awareness. This journey is not always smooth sailing. Young children often become easily distracted when they are moving about and do not always look at and fully attend to the task at hand or others around them.
From time to time your child will have bumps, trips and falls at nursery, especially in the beginning when they are new to the environment. Our staff are paediatric first aid trained and will of course manage any such accidents appropriately when they occur and give comfort to your child. If your child has a bump on the head, mark, cut, scrape or bruise then the staff will give you an accident form to sign at home time detailing the matter. If for any reason after an accident staff felt it would be inappropriate for your child to stay at nursery until home time, they would call to inform you and discuss the matter.
Staff complete health and safety checks daily. We regularly review what is happening in nursery so we can appropriately manage risk without unduly limiting and constraining beneficial learning experiences for the children. However, accidents are inevitably sometimes a part of the life of 2, 3 and 4 year olds.