September re-opening Q&A

Further to my previous messages, I know that you will have lots of questions regarding the re-opening of  nursery under the current Covid-19 conditions.

I hope that my Q&A below will go some way to answering most of your questions. Broadly-speaking, the questions below fall into two categories: health and hygiene; daily routines

Parents may wish to visit the Government’s advice at https://www.gov.uk/…/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-a…

Overall, we follow the COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance as set out by Public Health England

We continue to promote the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.

We have installed further hand washing stations at key points around entrance

Additional hand sanitisers will be available in all areas frequented by staff.

We have put up even more widespread signage, detailing effective handwashing.

Where possible, all spaces will be well ventilated using natural ventilation (opening windows).

Where possible and safe, doors are propped open, (bearing in mind fire safety and safeguarding), to limit use of door handles and to aid ventilation.

All adults and children are encouraged not to touch their mouth, eyes and nose.

All adults and children use a tissue or elbow to cough

What happens if my child falls ill during the day?

Any child who falls ill we will contact you asap so you can pick up your child straight away.

What happens if a child or practitioner tests positive for Covid-19?

We will follow the Government guidance and report any positive tests to Public Health England who will then co-ordinate the response. If someone tests positive, they should follow the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and must continue to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of their symptoms and then return to nursery only if they do not have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste. This is because a cough or anosmia can last for several weeks once the infection has gone. The 10-day period starts from the day when they first became ill. If they still have a high temperature, they should keep self-isolating until their temperature returns to normal. Other members of their household should continue self-isolating for the full 14 days. Where the child, or staff member tests negative, they can return to their setting and the fellow household members can end their self-isolation (unless another household member has tested positive). However, they could still have another virus, such as a cold or flu – in which case it is still best to avoid contact with other people until they are better.

How large will the bubbles be?

We will have a morning bubble for the AM children who attend and an afternoon bubble for the PM children who attend

Will there be any occasions when the bubbles are crossed?

Crossing of bubbles should be rare and only in unavoidable circumstances.

How will you guarantee that social distancing takes place e.g. keeping children 1-2 m apart?

We will of course do our best to support social distancing you will see this from the moment you enter the site - but parents of our younger children will already understand that in returning to nursery there is a very real likelihood that children by instinct will attempt to touch adults and one another and come into close contact. The Government advice also accepts this.

How will drop-off and pick-up be impacted by the changes?

Entrance and Exit

All parents/carers and children will have their temperature checked before entering the building and asked to sanitise their hands at the santization station which we have implemented on entry to the building.

A maximum of 4 families will be allowed in at a time to drop off your child, as a family member comes out after dropping their child off the next family will be allowed in.

You will notice the children’s coat peg rail is now located on the left hand side of the room once you enter, the shoe rack is located on the wall next to this.

Please bring spare clothing, pack of wipes and nappies if your child is in nappies, we do not hold any spare clothing at nursery anymore due to our strict hygiene rules. Please monitor your child’s spares tray daily so we have enough supplies of everything your child needs. Also no food/drink/toys as your child will be supplied with water/milk and snacks in each session.

Although the car park will not be marked out, parents should ensure that they follow social distancing guidelines on arrival and departure. We request that only one adult accompanies the children to drop-off and pick-up and then leave site as quickly when it is safe to do so to avoid gatherings with other families.

When collecting your child please collect from the BACK playgroung gate only.

We look forward to welcoming all our families and new families starting with us in September onTuesday 8th September

With Kindest regards

Darren Elliott

Nursery Manager