Nursery

Play the video above to watch 'A day in the nursery'

Frequently Asked Questions

What age ranges do you cover?
We accept children from the term after their 3^rd birthday until the summer term before your child starts Reception.

What are your opening hours?

• Monday to Friday from 08:30am until 3:00pm

What sessions do you offer?

• Morning sessions are from 08:30am until 11:30am
• Full day sessions are from 08:30am until 3:00pm

What sessions can my child attend?

You can use your 15 hours universal free childcare for your child to attend morning sessions. These sessions are Monday to Friday from 08:30am until 11:30am.

If you wish your child to attend for a full day (08:30am until 3:00pm), you can extend to full days using 30 hours entitlement or by paying a fee of £15 per full day session.

Do you accept funding?

Yes, we accept three - four year olds 15 hours universal free childcare. From the term following your child’s 3rd birthday they will be entitled to 15 hours universal free childcare (i.e. 570 hours per year). We will ask you to complete an Early Years Free Entitlement form as part of our parent/carer induction process. You will need to sign the form termly once your child joins our nursery.

What is 30 hours?

From September 2017, the 15 hours universal free childcare was extended for eligible working parents to 30 hours per week. Both entitlements can be used to attend our nursery.

How do you know if I am eligible for 30 hours?

You will need to visit the Childcare Choices website here to find out if you are eligible for the extended entitlement. If you are eligible, you will be issued with an eligibility code which you will to give to us so that we can validate your code. You will need to reconfirm your code every 3 months.

Do you charge a fee for children attending for 30 hours?

Yes there is a weekly fee of £15 which provides lunch time supervision for your child.

Can I pay for my child to attend full days?
If you are not eligible for the 30 hours free childcare you can pay for your child to attend extended sessions. The fees for extended sessions are £15 per session from 11:30am until 3:00pm. 

Do I have to pay a deposit for 30 hours or additional afternoon sessions?

Yes, we will ask you to pay a deposit which will be returned to you when your child ceases to attend for 30 hours or additional afternoon sessions.  

How do I pay for fees and a deposit?

All fees and your deposit need to be paid through our Arbor parent portal. We will give you a guide to support you to set up and access your parent portal account.

Weekly or daily fees need to paid a week in advance for your child to attend the nursery.

Can my child attend Nursery during school holidays?

We are closed during school holidays and bank holidays.

School holiday dates can be found here.

I’m considering sending my child to Wistaston Academy Nursery.  Can I come and take a look around?

Yes we can accommodate visits to the nursery. Please ring the School Office 01270 910500 to arrange a supervised appointment. You can ask as many questions as you like  during the visit and you can bring someone along to support you during your stay.

How do I register my child at your nursery?

Please contact the School Office 01270 910500 to notify them that you would like your child to join our nursery. If you contact us before your child’s 3^rd birthday, we will place your child on to our nursery waiting list. The nursery team will contact you the term before your child is due to start with information about parent/carer induction, advice and support for helping your child to prepare for starting nursery. 

You will be asked to complete a nursery terms and conditions form as part of the parent/carer induction process.

Nursery Meals

We provide a choice of a fruit/vegetable snack and drink of milk/water during the morning and afternoon sessions. If your child is attending full days e.g. 30 hours or additonal sessions, you will need to provide a packed lunch for them. We start nursery lunch time at 11:30am.

What does my child need to wear for nursery?

It is the expectation that all children in the nursery wear a Wistaston Academy uniform. This helps the nursery children to develop their sense of pride and know that they are part of our whole school community. You can purchase our school uniform from MySchoolStyle here.  We will provide aprons for wet and messy play. 

What will I need to provide?

We are in our outdoor area every day in all seasons! You will need to provide your child with a pair of wellies and a waterproof coat for cold wet weather. During warm weather you will need to provide a sun hat and sun lotion. We ask that all of your child’s items are clearly marked with your child’s name, including clothes and bags. Spare clothes should also be in a named bag.

My child is starting potty training. Can you help with this?

Yes we strive to help in all areas of your child’s development.  We follow your routine from home as close as possible and keep you in touch at every step. We implement positive strategies in the nursery to support with this. Further advice and support can be found here.

How do I access the Nursery?

Our Nursery is located at the back of the school and has its own entrance. This entrance can be accessed via Readesdale Avenue.

Please note if the Nursery gate is locked, if you are late, or you are picking up your child during the school day, you will need to report to the School Office.

Will my child get to play outside?

Our outdoor area is an extension to our provision and offers lots of exciting learning experiences. We use the outdoor area in every session your child attends. It is used for many different activities including bikes, scooters, team games, role play, sand play, physical challenges, free play, water play etc.

Do you take the children out for trips?

Yes on occasions your child may go on trips within the school and local community. These trips will help extend your child’s learning and are well planned in advance. You will always be advised of these trips before they occur.

How can my child be helped to settle when they start nursery?

During the parent/carer induction we will provide you with transition information and activities to support you and your child. All children will have a pre-visit to enable them to familiarise themselves with the setting and the nursery team before they start. We will arrange an Including Me Plan meeting with you to enable you to share information about your child so that we can work together to support them to make a smooth transition into our nursery. 

How will I know and find out how my child is getting on?

Your child’s key person will keep an up to date record on your their progress.  They will share this information with you regularly using Tapestry and hold regular parent/carer evenings to discuss your child’s progress. At the end of each session the nursery team will share vital information with you such as what your child has eaten, drank etc… You will receive regular newsletters which will keep you up-to-date with the school. The school’s website and nursery page are regularly updated with information, dates and updates.

How do you support children with Special Educational Needs?

We operate a comprehensive SEND and Inclusion policy. We have a SENDCO who is experienced and has a wealth of expertise. We will work collaboratively with parents/carers and other professionals and individual plans will be put in place to ensure their needs are met.

What if my child is ill whilst they are at Nursery?

If your child is ill, we will give you a call to notify you if this is required (for things such as colds or sniffles this may not be needed). We will keep you up to date with any changes during your child’s session of their condition and may suggest an early collection and to seek medical advice if needed.

Can you administer medication?

It is helpful, where clinically appropriate, if medicines are prescribed in dose frequencies which enable it to be taken outside nursery hours. It is to be noted that medicines that need to be taken three times a day could be taken in the morning, after nursery hours and at bedtimes.

If medicines have to be given during nursery time, we ask parents to complete a form giving details of the medication and authorising the school to administer the prescribed medicine.

We only accept medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse prescriber or pharmacist prescriber. Medicines should always be provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist and include the prescriber’s instructions for administration. This will include the child’s name, exact dosage and times to be taken. Medicines will be kept in a safe place according to the prescriber’s instructions.

We use health care plans for re-occurring medicines such as inhalers. In the nursery team we have paediatric first aid trained personnel.

Is nursery attendance the same as the school attendance?

A nursery education provides a vital foundation for a child’s learning, for your child to get the most benefit, it is important that they attend nursery regularly and promptly. Good attendance at nursery school not only underpins good attainment in the foundation stage, but it also establishes good habits and attitudes to learning which will underpin a child’s achievements throughout their school career.

We aspire for all children at our nursery to achieve a minimum of 96% attendance during their time with us, assuming that they are fit and able to do so. Once at primary school, we expect pupils to have 100% attendance.

What happens if I collect my child late?

We understand this can happen as some things are out of our control such as traffic or appointments running over. We ask for you to let us know if this is going to happen as soon as you are aware. It is not a problem once or twice but if this becomes regular you will be charged a late fee.

Once in Nursery, will my child be in Wistaston Academy for the rest of their education?

No. You will be required to apply for your child’s place in Reception, which is when statutory schooling will begin. Please note we can only take a maximum of 60 pupils in Reception, and admissions will apply strict selection criteria to pupils who apply. Please ensure you apply before the January Reception admissions deadline. You can find out more about the Cheshire East Reception admission process here.

For further information about Wistaston Academy please click on the links to visit our website where you can find more in depth information about the nursery and the school. 

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us via email [email protected]