Frequently Asked Questions
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🧩 Who supports children with additional needs (SEN)?
We have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) 🧩 who supports children with additional needs and works closely with families and professionals.
The SENCo helps identify any additional support required, coordinates Individual Support Plans 📝, and ensures strategies are used consistently across the nursery.
We aim to ensure all children are included, supported, and able to access learning in a way that meets their individual needs 🌈.
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💊 Can nursery staff administer medication?
We can administer prescribed medication 💊 with prior written consent from parents/carers.
All medication must be clearly labelled, in its original packaging, and within date 🏷️.
We will complete a medication form for each instance, and medication will be stored safely in line with our policies 🛡️.
Please note we cannot administer non-prescribed medication unless agreed in specific circumstances.
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🚑 What happens in an emergency?
In the event of an accident or emergency, our trained staff will act immediately 🚨.
Minor injuries will be treated by qualified first aid staff 🚑, and parents will be informed as soon as possible 📞.
If a situation is serious, we will contact emergency services (999) and then inform parents straight away. Your child’s safety and wellbeing is always our top priority 💛.
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🍽️ How do you manage food allergies and cross-contamination?
We take all allergies and dietary requirements extremely seriously 🛡.
All staff are trained in food hygiene and allergy awareness 📚, and strict procedures are in place to reduce the risk of cross-contamination in food preparation and serving.
Individual care plans are followed carefully, and all dietary requirements are clearly communicated to staff 🍽.
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🏛️ Do you work with external professionals?
Yes 🤝. Where needed, we work closely with external professionals such as health visitors, speech and language therapists, SEN specialists, and safeguarding partners.
This ensures children receive the right support at the right time and that their needs are fully understood and met 👶🌈.
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🛡️What is the nursery’s duty to safeguard children?
Bluebells Day Nursery has a legal and moral duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in our care 💛. This means we are committed to creating and maintaining a safe, secure, and nurturing environment where children can learn, play, and develop with confidence 🛡.
We work to protect children from harm by following clear safeguarding policies and procedures, carrying out regular training, and ensuring all staff understand how to recognise signs of concern and respond appropriately 🚨. This includes being alert to any changes in a child’s behaviour, wellbeing, or appearance, and knowing how to act quickly and effectively if needed.
All staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates 📚, and fully understand their responsibility to act immediately on any concerns, no matter how small they may seem. We also work closely with external agencies where necessary to ensure children receive the right support and protection 👶.
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🧩 My child has additional needs – how can the nursery help?
We are committed to supporting all children, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN) 🧩. We aim to provide an inclusive environment where every child can learn, develop, and thrive at their own pace 🌈.
Our nursery SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) plays a key role in this process 👩🏫. They are responsible for coordinating support for children with additional needs, working closely with staff, parents, and external professionals to ensure each child receives the right help at the right time.
If your child has SEN, we will work closely with you and any relevant professionals 👩🏫👨⚕️ to understand their individual needs and put appropriate support in place. This may include tailored activities, additional support within the room, and close monitoring of progress 📊.
Our SENCo will help create an Individual Support Plan where needed 📝 and ensure that staff are implementing strategies consistently. We work in partnership with parents to ensure continuity between home and nursery 🏡🤝.
We also follow the EYFS framework 📚 and use a graduated approach to support children’s development, ensuring early identification and ongoing support where required 🌱.
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🥗 My child has allergies, intolerances, or follows a special diet (e.g. vegan)
If your child has any allergies, food intolerances, or dietary requirements, please inform us as soon as possible 📞 so we can ensure their needs are fully supported from the start.
We will work with you to complete a detailed care plan 📝, which will outline your child’s specific requirements, any foods to avoid, and any emergency procedures needed. All staff will be made aware of this information to ensure your child is cared for safely and appropriately 🛡️.
Children’s allergies and intolerances are managed within the following food group definitions:
- Beef
- Celery
- Crustaceans – such as prawns, crabs, and lobsters 🦐
- Dairy-free – no milk or milk products from any animal source 🥛
- Egg-free – no eggs or egg-containing products 🥚
- Fish allergy – no fish or fish-containing products 🐟
- Gluten – no products containing wheat, including spelt, rye, and barley 🌾
- Lamb
- Lupin
- Mustard
- Nut allergy – no nuts or nut-containing products 🥜
- Pescetarian – no meat or poultry
- Pork
- Sesame allergy – no sesame seeds or products containing sesame
- Shellfish allergy – no shellfish or shellfish-containing products 🦀
- Soy-free – no soy or soy-based products
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
- Vegan – only plant-based products and foods certified as vegan 🌱
- Vegetarian – no meat, fish, or poultry 🥗
For children following a special diet, such as vegan 🌱, we will do our best to provide suitable meal options and ensure their needs are met during all meals and snacks 🍽️.
To avoid confusion and to ensure we can safely manage all dietary requirements, we are only able to cater for allergies and intolerances that fall clearly within the categories listed above. This means we may not be able to accommodate partial exclusions within a food group (for example, avoiding milk as a drink but allowing other dairy products).
We are committed to ensuring every child is included safely and supported at mealtimes 💛.
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📅 When is the nursery open?
We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm each day 🕗. We operate all year round, with the exception of Bank Holidays 📅.
We are also closed between Christmas and New Year 🎄, and close at 4:00pm on Christmas Eve 🎅.
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🎒 My child is due to start at Bluebells soon, what will the process be?
All new children starting at Bluebells are required to complete an 8-week induction period.
This will include an initial induction meeting, lasting approximately 30 minutes, which will take place in person at Bluebells 📍.
We are committed to ensuring that both parents and children feel emotionally secure and supported when starting with us 💛.
Settling-in sessions will then be arranged between parents and the child’s key person 👩🏫. These sessions follow a doorstep drop-off approach 🚪, where parents say goodbye at the door to help children begin to understand the separation routine and build confidence that their parent will return.
Parents may then wait in their car 🚗 or return to the nursery at the end of the session. If a child becomes particularly upset and is finding it difficult to settle, parents may be asked to return after approximately 10 minutes if needed. The main aim is to support children in developing the understanding that parents always come back 👋.
If a parent needs to remain on site to support their child’s emotional wellbeing during settling-in, we will do our best to accommodate this.
Settling-in sessions are offered at the following times:
- 9:30–10:00
- 10:00–10:30
- 14:00–14:30
- 14:30–15:00
Once your child has completed sufficient settling-in sessions and feels comfortable, they will be ready to begin their journey at Bluebells 🌈.
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👨👩👧👦 What is the staff/child ratio?
The staff-to-child ratio depends on the age of the child 👶.
Under 2 years: 1:3 👶
2-year-olds: 1:4 (legal ratio 1:5) 👧
3-year-olds: 1:7, or 1:13 if led by a Level 6 practitioner (legal ratio 1:8) 🎓 -
📜 What qualifications will your staff have?
Our core staff team hold a Level 3 qualification or higher 📚. Each room has at least one member of staff who is currently working towards their Level 3 qualification, supporting ongoing development within the team.
The majority of our support and bank staff are unqualified, as our qualified core team maintains the required staff-to-child ratios and leads practice within each room 👶.
All staff complete a structured induction period when they join the nursery and receive ongoing training in key areas such as Paediatric First Aid 🚑, Food Hygiene 🍽, and Safeguarding 🛡. Staff also take part in additional training relevant to their roles.
We are committed to the ongoing professional development of our team and continuously support staff learning and growth 📈.
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🔐 How do I know my child will be safe and secure?
All staff at Bluebells Day Nursery hold enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks 🛡 (previously Criminal Record Bureau checks) before they are permitted to work unsupervised with children. In addition, two references are obtained for each member of staff prior to employment.
All equipment at Bluebells Day Nursery is of a high standard and is regularly risk assessed to ensure it is maintained safely and appropriately ⚙.
We carry out regular fire drills with the children 🔥, helping them become familiar with the routine so that, in the event of an emergency, we can evacuate the building quickly and safely.
Children must be signed in and out each day 📝. Each child has a list of authorised individuals who may collect them (e.g. parents, relatives, friends). We will not release a child to anyone unless prior consent has been given by the parent or carer 👨👩👧.
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🐝 What activities will the children be doing at Bluebells Day Nursery?
Children are offered a variety of activities throughout the day 🎨, including creative play, early numeracy and literacy activities 🔢📚, construction and problem-solving 🧩, story time 📖, dance and movement 💃, as well as rest and relaxation 💤.
There is also plenty of opportunity for free play, allowing children to be inventive, explore their imagination, and develop independence 🌈.
We follow our own curriculum called The Playbook, which is influenced by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework 📊. The Playbook covers the 7 areas of learning, the Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL), and promotes British Values.
The 7 areas of learning are:
Prime Areas 🌱
- Communication and Language 🗣
- Physical Development 🏃♂️
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development ❤
Specific Areas 🌟
- Literacy 📚
- Mathematics 🔢
- Understanding the World 🌍
- Expressive Arts and Design 🎨
Children are observed and assessed in line with the EYFS framework for ages 0–5 years.
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😋 What will the children be given to eat and drink?
All food is included in the nursery’s private fees and consumables charge 🍽. We offer the following meals throughout the day:
Breakfast consists of cereal and toast 🥣🍞.
Lunch and tea are cooked on site by our nursery chef 👩🍳, and an afternoon snack is typically crackers or breadsticks, fruit 🍎, and milk 🥛.
Tap water 💧 and milk 🥛 are available for all children throughout the day. If your child does not drink tap water, you are welcome to provide sugar-free squash diluted in your child’s water bottle 🧃.
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🎒 What do I need to provide?
We ask that you provide a small bag of spare clothing for your child 👕🧦, including underwear and socks, in case of accidents or messy play. Please ensure all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name 🏷️. If your child is in nappies, please provide a new, unopened pot of nappy cream as needed 👶.
We also recommend a named water bottle 💧 and any comfort items your child may need to help them feel settled, such as a dummy or comforter 🧸. Ideally, these should be small enough to fit in your child’s bag.
Please also provide appropriate outdoor clothing for all weather conditions 🌦️. Coats, wellies and waterproof suits/trousers are needed for much of the year and are often kept at nursery 👢. We also ask for indoor slippers or Crocs for comfort, and sun hats between March and October 🧢☀️.
Everything else your child needs for their day, including meals and activities, is provided by the nursery 🍽🎨.
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📘 What guidance has the nursery been following to create policies?
All our policies are written in line with current government guidance 📘, ensuring we meet all statutory requirements and best practice standards for early years provision. -
🤒 What if my child is ill and cannot attend Nursery?
If your child becomes ill at Bluebells Day Nursery 🤒, we will contact you immediately 📞 and ask you to collect them as soon as possible to ensure they are comfortable and receive appropriate care.
Our staff are trained in First Aid 🚑 and are able to deal with minor injuries and incidents confidently and safely. We also have comprehensive policies and procedures in place 🛡 to manage more serious illnesses or emergencies, ensuring your child’s wellbeing is always our top priority 💛.
If your child misses nursery due to illness 🤒, unfortunately no refund can be made. In the interest of the other children 👶, it is important that your child is fully well before returning to nursery.
If your child has been given any pain relief 💊 or antibiotics 💉, they must not attend nursery for 12 hours ⏱.
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📚✨How will you be supporting my child’s learning and development?
Our main priority is to support children’s emotional wellbeing 💛 and social development 🤝, ensuring they feel safe, secure, and confident in their nursery environment.
We provide a wide range of learning experiences and activities each day 🎨📚, supporting children’s development across all areas of learning. Activities are planned in line with our curriculum and adapted to meet the needs and interests of the children.
If your child is due to leave to start school next year 🎒, we will work closely with you and the receiving school 🏫. We will also provide a written transition report ✍ to support your child’s move into school and help ensure a smooth and positive transition.
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⏰ What happens if I am delayed in collecting my child?
Sometimes parents are unavoidably delayed. Please let us know as soon as possible 📞 to avoid any unnecessary concern.
We will ensure your child is safely cared for and supported until you arrive 👶💛.
If you are later than the end of your child’s session time, an additional charge may apply to cover staffing costs 💷.
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👀 I am interested in my child starting at Bluebells, can I come and have a look around?
Please complete our online enquiry form 📝. Once received, the office team will contact you 📞 to arrange a show around of the nursery 🏡.