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Summary TOP
Who we are?
Norto5 KIDZ is one of West Sussex leading independent providers of high
quality childcare. We have many years' experience in providing a safe,
stimulating and happy environment for children aged between birth and
five years.
What we do?
Research has shown that children learn more in the first five years of
their lives than at any other time, and that young children learn
through play. Our first and prime aim is to nurture happy, confident
children who are interested in all they see, hear and do and who have
enquiring minds. We aim to educate, but also to make sure that everyone
has plenty of fun at the same time! For smaller babies, we provide a
caring, homely and secure environment with stimulating toys and
activities to aid their development in all areas.
Opening hours
We know how hard it can be to juggle your work and family commitments,
which is why Norto5 Kidz is open from 8am to 6pm, 51 weeks per year- we
only close during the period between Christmas and New Year.
Our staff
When you place your child with us, you are placing your trust in our
staff and us. Our staff is selected very carefully, on the basis of
their qualifications, experience and ability to interact with young
children.
Partnership with parents
We work closely with you to ensure that, from the moment your child
joins Norto5 Kidz, we establish the best foundation for his or her
future. To find out more about how we make sure you are involved in
your child's day-to-day activities, have a look at 'Partnership with
Parents'.
Regulation
Norto5 KIDZ is regulated by Ofsted and supported by the Sure
start and Early years team.
How to find us
We are situated in the Pavilion building on the sports grounds on
Hickman’s Lane, Lindfield. In this environment, your child
has the use of acres and acres of playing field plus a fully equipped
children’s play area where he or she can develop fine muscle
tone as a result of the physical activities.
Our People TOP
When you are choosing a nursery, you will want to be sure that you are
leaving your child with people who have the right qualifications and
experience, and who will be able to make your child feel secure and
happy.
Young children learn through play, but this does not mean that they can
be left alone in a room with a variety of toys and that effective
learning will take place. The environment and activities are planned
carefully to encourage purposeful play, so that children are able to
develop to their full potential, at the same time as having plenty of
fun.
From Nursery Assistants to Managers, all our staff are carefully
selected, and are continuously assessed, with regular opportunities for
training and development. We try to mix age and experience with youth
and fresh ideas, so that your children benefit from the best care
possible.
Parents in Partnership TOP
Parents are the most important people in a child's life. They are the
child's first teachers; they know more about their child than any
teacher can ever know, and have watched and cared for their child from
the first day of his or her life.
We know how vital it is that all our staff maintains close personal
links with parents. There are many opportunities for us to both
establish and build such a partnership, for example we will:
- give you sufficient time and opportunity for questions
- provide your child with a gentle introduction to
being away from home, suggesting that you stay until your child is
happily settled
- keep regular written reports of your child's
activities and progress and share these with you. Your
child’s individual record will be available on our website
for you to inspect whenever you wish.
- lend you books to read at home with your child
- send home children's paintings and other work with
positive, constructive comments
- encourage you, where possible, to come into school to
see how your child is developing. Alternatively, you can reassure
yourself by viewing your child via the webcam that will be available to
parents only on the website.
- provide invitations to social events
- make sure you have the opportunity to obtain copies
of pictures when the children have been photographed in school
- provide information to you on health issues,
behaviour management and first aid either through talks, articles or
book lists.
Our food TOP
Our food:
- Is prepared using raw materials.
- Is healthy and well balanced, including fresh fruit
or vegetables at main meals and no added salt.
- Caters for individual needs - we will discuss your
child's eating habits with you and any special dietary requirements or
food allergies are displayed in the kitchen.
The staff
- Sit and eat their meal with the children, providing a
family atmosphere and encouraging conversation and good manners.
Our children:
- Are encouraged to feed themselves. We start with
finger foods and special cutlery for babies. Older children are given
child size cutlery and taught how to use it.
- Learn necessary skills for eating together including
taking equal portions and good manners.
- Are encouraged to eat at their own pace and to try
new foods, but are not expected to eat any foods they don't like.
Cooking as part of the curriculum
Each week, groups of children are involved in cooking activities as
part of their topic. Often, this will be linked to a special festival
or occasion - such as Christmas, Bonfire night or the Chinese New Year.
In this way, children are encouraged to try out new foods, and learn
about other cultures.
Our menu’s are published on our website and can be downloaded
by going to the download section of the website.
Learning TOP
Norto5 KIDZ' Philosophy
Our Early Years Curriculum provides a framework to ensure that each
child receives the best quality care and education for every aspect of
their development. This will be achieved through a combination of
planned activities, learning through play and first hand experiences.
Each child will have the opportunity to:
- Play as a member of a group in a secure and
stimulating environment
- Talk and listen to adults and children
- Begin to enjoy early mathematical experiences
- Become self confident and have a good self image
- Run and play with others outside
- Be caring towards other people
- Respect the environment
- Enjoy using colour and making things
- Enjoy listening to and making music
- Test out ideas and discover how things work
- Express his or her own feelings
- Begin to understand right from wrong.
Early Learning Goals
From the ages of 3-5 all children at Norto5 Kidz follow our own Early
Years Curriculum, the key principles of which are drawn from the
Foundation Stage of education, a distinct stage with its own 'Early
Learning Goals'.
This prepares them for the work on the National Curriculum at Key Stage
1 at Primary School, and creates a secure foundation for later
learning, both in school and beyond.
The Early Learning Goals are a series of aims within six areas of a
child's development and learning:
- Personal, social and emotional development, which
focuses on children learning how to work, play, co-operate with others
and become more independent in a group other than the family.
- Communication, language and literacy, covering
communication with one another and developing skills in speaking,
listening, writing and reading.
- Mathematical development, using ideas relating to
number, quantity, measurement, shape and space to gain basic
mathematical skills.
- Knowledge and understanding of the world, where
children investigate and begin to understand the things, places and
people around them.
- Physical development, relating to improving control
and co-ordination of their bodies.
- Creative development, where children find ways to
communicate using colour, shape, sound, texture, movement and stories.
Although the formal and planned part of the children's day is
particularly concerned with these areas of learning, the informal part
is just as important - talking to adults, eating meals together and
playing outside all make up part of the curriculum because they all
include learning.
Developmental Stages
Most children should achieve the Early Learning Goals in the Foundation
Stage by the end of the reception year. However, a number of our
children will achieve some goals by the time they leave pre-school. Our
longer term objectives are to prepare children to be able to read a
simple text, write simple sentences under pictures and write numerals
correctly by the time they have completed their first year at school.
However, our close observation of the children and accurate and
individual record keeping helps us to monitor each child's progress and
provide an appropriate programme of play and activities for your
child's needs. We can then provide extra help for children who may need
it, and provide new challenges for those who have already reached their
goals.
Early learning goals for this age group include:
- Being sensitive to the needs and feeling of others
- Dressing and undressing on their own
- Being able to handle and read books correctly
- Understanding the concept of a word
- Experimenting with and experiencing numbers from 1 to
10
- Understanding their own writing as a means of
communication
- Knowing how simple objects work - wind up, switch or
battery
- Distinguishing between sea and land on a map
- Using vocabulary associated with the passing of time
- yesterday, tomorrow, last week, a long time ago
- Having an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of
others
- Jumping and landing safely from low apparatus
- Playing and clapping a steady rhythm
Special Needs Children
Children with special needs will find themselves a valued member of the
community at a Norto5 KIDZ. They follow the same curriculum, but with
all the extra help they need to learn at their own pace. Other children
in their group will be encouraged to help but not patronise them, and
to be considerate without being over protective. Activities will be
structured to allow them to be as fully involved as possible.
What you should bring?
- A complete change of clothes for the time of year
– including vest, pants and socks.
- Coat, hat and gloves
- Sun cream/sun hats
- Any special creams that need administering
A Typical Day
- We welcome the children as they arrive at the
pre-school and encourage them in various 'settling' activities such as
jigsaws, games, home corner, dressing up, sand and water.
- The children have a chance to take part in speaking
and listening activities to help them develop their social skills.
- The children have their mid-morning snack.
- We go onto the playing field with the children for
outside activities.
- We explain to the children what they will be doing
throughout the day and what they will learn.
- Activity time for the Foundation Stage Curriculum. We
interact and help the children as they take part in Early Years' play
activities, including practical early mathematics, pre-reading skills
and computer work.
- We all join in with rhymes, songs and music.
- Everyone sits down to a nutritious and tasty lunch.
- We go into the garden with the children for outside
activities.
- The children take part in practical activities in
order to develop their creative skills and their understanding of the
world.
- We return to the garden for more physical play.
- We work with the children to help them stretch their
imaginations with creative activities, stories and singing.
- Tea time.
- The concluding session of the day in which we give
children opportunities to encourage independence, as well as personal
and social development. As parents arrive, we give them informal
feedback on their child's activities during the day.
- Pre-school closes for the day.
Weekly Activities
- All areas of the curriculum are covered by our
activities every day, often with a particular focus on one of them.
- Because we recognise that young children do not learn
in tidy subjects, we believe that the most effective way of learning is
through a topic. Each topic is carefully planned to cover all the six
areas of learning in order to meet the requirements of the Early
Learning Goals. Recent examples include Water, Winter Animals and
Celebrations.
- Throughout the year, activities are linked with
special days, such as Christmas, Easter, Mothering Sunday and Bonfire
Night. We also celebrate festivals from other countries and cultures,
like the Chinese New Year, giving the children an opportunity to learn
about other cultures and even to cook the food they eat. Close
observation and knowledge of the children means that we can tailor
activities to meet the needs of each and every different child.
- Daily topic-related activities are chosen from the
wide resources including:
| Sand and water |
Small world toys |
Cooking |
| Imaginary play |
Music and
movement |
Computer |
| Art and Craft |
Maths |
P.E. |
| Construction building |
Science and Technology |
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| Outdoor play |
Writing |
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Monitoring progress TOP
At an Norto5 KIDZ parents can expect various reports on their child's
progress. The main one is the ongoing Record of Achievement, but we
also provide a variety of other regular formal and informal feedback to
you:
By keeping regular written reports of each child's activities and
progress and sharing these with the parent, we can identify each
child's needs and what learning activities should be available to them.
Our records for your child will all be available to you on our website.
Record of Achievement
Every child at an Norto5 KIDZ has a Record of Achievement, covering
every aspect of his/her intellectual, physical and social development.
Records of Achievement are updated every four weeks, giving staff the
opportunity to gear activities to the needs and abilities of individual
children. Records of Achievement are always available for parents to
look at.
The Record of Achievement highlights various milestones in a child's
development. It gives staff as well as parents the opportunity to chart
the progress of a child as well as helping to identify any area where
further support may be required.
Typical milestone events for pre-school children include:
- Taking turns in a group activity
- Making up stories and imaginary situations
- Writing his/her name
- Playing with and working with numbers up to 10
- Describing shapes
- Controlling a computer mouse
- Using scissors
- Identifying instruments by their sound
- Entering into dialogue about their own creations
Full written reports are issued to parents once a year.
Parent evenings are held 2/3 times a year.
Weekly reports/activity sheets are completed for parents, highlighting
something their child did during the week, and listing the activities
they took part in.
Detailed observations are carried out once a month on each child,
watching in detail as they carry out an activity and noting down
everything they do.
Informal observations are carried out on a daily basis.
Open days
Whether you are looking for childcare, or your child already attends
Norto5 KIDZ, our regular open days are a great way to see for yourself
exactly how we fulfil our promise to provide the highest quality
childcare and education.
Staying with Norto5 KIDZ TOP
Our excellent pre-school facilities mean that children who come to us
as babies or toddlers can stay with us until they are ready to start
school.
Some of the benefits your child will enjoy if he or she progresses
through an Norto5 KIDZ is:
- Familiarity - the same place, the same people, the
same routines.
- Natural progression from the baby area through the
toddler area to pre-school.
- Continuity of learning - children follow the
Foundation Stage curriculum, fully preparing them for life in a
reception class at primary school.
- Both children and parents can maintain friendships.
- Priority admission and discount for siblings.
- The knowledge and expertise of professional staff
based on continual assessment of your child.
Equal Opportunities TOP
Our policy is to treat job applicants and employees in the same way
regardless of their gender, marital status, age, race, sexual
orientation, ethnic origin or disability and the sole criteria for
selection or promotion will be an applicant's suitability for the job.
Norto5 Kidz will monitor the composition of the work force and
introduce positive action if it appears that this policy is not fully
effective.
In turn, we expect our staff to recognise and respect the many
different racial groups, religious cultures and languages represented
by the children who attend our nursery, in order to help them to
develop positive attitudes to differences of race, culture, language
and gender.
Our curriculum and activities will aim to utilise the richness this
diversity brings to the classroom.
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