Statement of intent

It is our intention to make our setting accessible to children and families from all sections of the local community.

Aim

We aim to ensure that all sections of our community have access to the setting through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures.

Methods

In order to achieve this aim, we operate the following admissions policy.

  • We ensure that the existence of our setting is advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community.
  • We ensure that information about our setting is accessible, in written and spoken form.
  • We arrange our waiting list in order of registration. In addition our policy may take into account the following:

-             any special educational needs

-             siblings already attending the setting,

-             time on the waiting list

  • We describe our setting and its practices in terms that make it clear that it welcomes fathers and mothers, other relations and other carers, including childminders.
  • We describe our setting and its practices in terms of how it treats each child and their family, having regard to their needs arising from their gender, special educational needs, disabilities, social background, religion, and ethnicity or from English being a newly acquired additional language.
  • We describe our setting and its practices in terms of how it enables children and/or parents with disabilities to take part in the life of the setting.
  • We make our equal opportunities policy widely known.

Admissions Procedure

When a parent/carer requests that their child be put on the waiting list they are asked to fill in a Pre-Registration form.  This is a short form for contact details and giving the carer the option for first and second choice of session requests.  The nursery will try to accommodate the request at admission time but can not guarantee that the requested sessions will be available.  Pupil numbers must be strictly regulated so that the maximum legally permitted is not exceeded.

One term prior to the term when a child will be eligible to start, a letter will be sent advising of the child’s start date and allocated sessions, together with the Welcome to The Ark leaflet, term dates, copies of the Parental contract and the Privacy Notice.

 

Prior to the child’s attendance at the nursery the parents or carers must complete and sign one copy of the contract and return it to the nursery.

On the child’s first day a carer must complete:

 

  • Registration form
  • Authorized collectors
  • All about my child (with a member of staff)
  • Medical Questionnaire & Consent form
  • Procedure for dealing with Challenging Behaviour

These provide information vital to the well being of the child at the nursery.

(See also the Settling In Policy.)