Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Ripley Nursery School

We look forward to meeting all our new children and parents at our garden visit day on Monday 14^th December 2020. To ensure the safety of our school community only new parents and pupils will be onsite with staff on this day.  We understand that this is a difficult time to be starting a school placement and I would like to share with you the measures we have taken to keep staff, families and children safe. 

At Ripley Nursery School we have worked throughout the pandemic balancing the stringent government guidance with the well-being and educational needs of our younger learners.

All staff and children work within ‘bubbles’ as we understood that small children cannot socially distance and may need comfort and support from their keyworker during the school day.

We understand that the best way to keep safe is for staff and families to work together with clear routines and rules and to keep clear lines of communication open and well used.

Health & Safety measures in response to covid 19

Within school we have adapted our environment to allow for more frequent cleaning and have restricted the numbers of children and staff in contact with each other by dividing the school learning spaces, including the outside areas, into two distinct bubbles. We also support children to practise good hand hygiene throughout the school day.

To ensure a safe and smooth entry and exit into school we have staggered start and finish times and increased the number of entrances. All parents must wear a mask at drop off and pick up times. We understand that all local schools have taken the same approach to support social distancing, if you are struggling with the allotted timings please speak to myself, Kerry Hartwell or your keyworker and we will do our best to accommodate changes. We ask families to arrive on time, to keep a social distance of 2 m apart from other families and to leave the school site promptly following the clearly marked out routes.

Most importantly we ask you not to bring children to school who are ill or displaying any symptoms of covid 19. If anyone in your family has any symptoms of covid 19 apply then for a test and do not bring your child to school unless you have a negative result.

If your child falls ill at school we will care for them, alert you to collect them and take their temperature. All children and adults have access to prompt testing and we will ask you to apply for and administer a test on behalf of your child if they display symptoms of covid 19.

We ask you to sign a home school agreement to signify you understand and agree with all the guidance and rules we have put in place.

If you have another child/children who is/are isolating please do not bring them to school with you when dropping off or picking up. I understand that this is may be a difficult situation however our priority is to keep our school community safe and free from covid 19.

With all these measures in place we cannot guarantee that we will not have to close if any child or staff member tests positive for cornonavirus. We will contact Public Health England/Department of Education if anyone reports a positive test, follow their guidance and notify parents swiftly.

Starting Ripley Nursery School

We operate a gradual transition into school for any new starters in order to promote the well being of all children. We appreciate that joining school is a huge step for children and their families and this year we have had to employ a different approach as we cannot invite parents into school. Therefore all new parents and children, who have not visited school, will have a garden visit with their keyworker and an opportunity to find out about Ripley Nursery School. All families should now have a start date and a garden visit. Please ensure you wear your mask during the garden visit.

School Information

School website –  please go to www.ripley-nur.derbyshire.sch.uk for more information about our school including our ethos, policies and further contact information. Additionally, we ask our parents to sign up for the school app, this is linked to the website and provides regular updates about events in school and important reminders. We will send you a link to download the app once your admission form is processed.

If your child is absent from school please telephone school by 9.15am /1.15pm and speak to Annabel Martin or Kerry Hartwell as we have a duty to record all absences. We ask you to attend school promptly to ensure the safety of all children and families and to ensure children receive full access to all the learning experiences available to them at Ripley Nursery School.

If your child has any medical requirements, including dietary, please notify your keyworkers or Kerry Hartwell prior to your child starting school.

On your garden visit you will be given a letter regarding parent pay. The letter will give you a username and password for your personal log in to parent pay. Please ensure you log into the system as this will enable you to pay for your parental contribution, lunches and any additional sessions or payments. The parental contribution is applicable to every child and is charged at £1.50 per week. This covers healthy snacks and drinks, baking ingredients and other provisions.

Check out your classroom and teachers

Staff in your child’s class have made class videos to introduce themselves and show you what will be on offer for your child – you can find these on the school website under the Children’s tab, please use these videos to help support your child before they start school.

Staff from your child’s class, their keyworkers, will be on the door to encourage your child into school. Our staff are kind and caring and will work with you to support your child joining school. Your child can bring in a transitional object, for example their school mouse (we provide these on your garden visit), which will stay in their school bag. Please provide children with a spare change of clothes and a pair of slippers, labelled with their name, in a plastic bag or a fabric drawstring bag which can stay in school.

We provide wet weather gear to allow children to work outside whatever the weather however we often get wet socks from splashing in puddles - so please put extra socks and pants in their school bag too.

Our uniform suppliers are loopwear which are based in Ilkeston. They also have an online shop from which you can order uniform. Please follow the link below.

https://loopwear.co.uk/find-your-school/ripleynurseryschool-loopwear

We look forward to working with you and your child over the next academic year. We send information out through our school app to your mobile phone so please keep us informed of any changes to your personal details. You can also find a wealth of information about Ripley Nursery School on our website, including details about our sister organisation – Ripley Nursery School Childcare.

Your keyworkers from your child’s class will share your child’s progress and achievement through online learning journals and more information will be coming out to you in the near future.

Kind regards,

C.L. Bednal

Cathy Bednal and all the staff of Ripley Nursery School

We are pleased to announce that Ripley Nursery School has organised a clothes & shoe collection with Bag2School in order to raise funds to enhance our outdoor areas.

Bag2School is the UK’s leading textile recycler and fundraiser working with schools and since its inception in 2001 it has now paid out over £36 million.

As well as raising vitally needed funds for Ripley Nursery School it also helps the environment by helping to divert unwanted textiles away from landfill. A recent DEFRA report has shown that textile collection schemes are helping to reduce the volume of textiles discarded as municipal solid waste. However it is a fact that as a nation we still send 350,000 tonnes of textiles to landfill every year.

By getting involved in our Bag2School collection, you have an opportunity to sort through your cupboards and wardrobes and donate unwanted textiles in the bag provided – this can include adults’ and children’s clothes, shoes (tied together please), hats, belts, handbags and soft toys, (please refer to http://uk.bag2school.com/ for full details). In addition to raising much needed funds it will also raise awareness amongst the children of the benefits of recycling and reuse.

You can use any bag to donate your items and don’t forget to ask grandparents, friends and neighbours to have a sort out as well!

Bag2School will be collecting from Ripley Nursery School on Tuesday 24^th November at 9am. Please bring your bag (or bags!) to the main office either any time on Monday 23^rd November or Tuesday 24^th November before 9am and help us have a really good collection.

Many thanks indeed for helping us with this unique fundraising opportunity.

Yours faithfully

Ripley Nursery School

Today we went to harvest the pumpkins from our allotment. They have been growing for nearly seven months!! 

Mr. Flude, who helps to look after our allotment, reminded us to pick the pumpkins before the weather gets too cold – a quick frost would damage our crop. 

We were amazed to find; 

one enormous pumpkin,  

one large pumpkin,  

one knobbly pumpkin and  

three small pumpkins. 

We needed help to pick up the biggest pumpkins.  

We picked some lovely green and red apples from our apple tree, put all our produce in the wheel barrow and wheeled it back to school. 

Our friends at school were very excited to see our wheel barrow full of pumpkins and apples. 

We are thinking about what we can do with our pumpkins next week, any ideas? 

Pumpkin Raffle!

Get Halloween ready!

We are raffling off one of our HUGE Nursery grown pumpkins from our allotment this year to raise money to improve our outdoor learning space.

A 50p ticket charge will be added to your parent pay account; if you wish to buy a ticket please pay using the option on parent pay and your name will be added to the draw.

The raffle will be drawn on Friday 16^th October and the lucky winner will be able to collect the pumpkin from Nursery.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Ripley Nursery School

We are currently due to reopen school on Thursday 3^rd September, following the summer holidays. We understand that for some families returning to school this may be a worrying time. As a school we worked throughout the past academic year, including the spring and summer terms with clear guidelines to keep all staff and children safe.

We have planned for staff and children to continue to work within ‘bubbles’ as we understood that small children cannot socially distance and may need comfort and support from their keyworker during the school day.

We understand that the best way to keep safe is for staff and families to work together with clear routines and rules and to keep clear lines of communication open and well used.

Health & Safety measures in response to covid 19

Within school we have adapted our environment to allow for more frequent cleaning and have restricted the numbers of children and staff in contact with each other by dividing the school learning spaces, including the outside areas, into two distinct bubbles. We also support children to practise good hand hygiene throughout the school day.

To ensure a safe and smooth entry and exit into school we have staggered start/finish times and increased number of entrances. We understand that all local schools have taken the same approach to support social distancing, if you are struggling with the allotted timings please speak to myself; Kerry Hartwell or your keyworker and we will do our best to accommodate changes. We ask families to arrive on time, to keep a social distance of 2 m apart from other families and to leave the school site promptly following the clearly marked out routes.

Most importantly we ask you not to bring children to school who are ill or displaying any symptoms of covid 19. If anyone in your family has any symptoms of covid 19 apply then for a test and do not bring your child to school unless you have a negative result.

If your child falls ill at school we will care for them, alert you to collect them and take their temperature. All children and adults have access to prompt testing and we will ask you to apply for and administer a test on behalf of your child if they display symptoms of covid 19.

We ask you to sign a home school agreement to signify you understand and agree with all the guidance and rules we have put in place.

Starting school

We have a range of cohorts attending Ripley Nursery School during Autumn 2020. The children already registered with an established school place, for example those children and parents who already know our school and their keyworkers will return to school on Thursday 3^rd September (or the next day of their school placement).

We operate a gradual transition into school for any new starters in order to promote the wellbeing of all children. We appreciate that joining school is a huge step for children and their families and this year we have had to employ a different approach as we cannot invite parents into school. Therefore, all new parents and children, who have not visited school, will have a garden visit with their keyworker and an opportunity to find out about Ripley Nursery School. All families should now have a start date and a garden visit, where appropriate.

Staff in your child’s class are currently busy setting up the new exciting learning spaces and will be posting class videos to introduce themselves and show you what will be on offer for your child – please use these videos to help support your child before they start school.

Staff from your child’s class, their keyworkers, will be on the door to encourage children into school. Our staff are kind and caring and will work with you to support your child joining school. Your child can bring in a transitional object, for example their school mouse or other special toy, which will stay in their school bag. Please provide children with a spare change of clothes and a pair of slippers, labelled with their name, in a plastic bag or a fabric drawstring bag, which can stay in school.

We provide wet weather gear to allow children to work outside whatever the weather however, we often get wet socks from splashing in puddles - so please put extra socks and pants in their school bag too.

School Information

If your child is absent from school please telephone school by 9.15am /1.15pm and speak to Annabel Martin or Kerry Hartwell as we have a duty to record all absences. We ask you to attend school promptly to ensure the safety of all children and families and to ensure children receive full access to all the learning experiences available to them at Ripley Nursery School.

If your child has any medical requirements, including dietary, please notify your keyworkers or Kerry Hartwell prior to your child starting school.

You will have been sent a text message from ‘The School App’ which you will need to download to enable you to receive school messages and information including dates for your diary and school newsletters. If you have any problem or have not receive this message, please contact the school office.

On your garden visit you will be given a letter regarding parent pay. The letter will give you a username and password for your personal log in to parent pay. Please ensure you log into the system as this will enable you to pay for your parental contribution, lunches and any additional sessions or payments. The parental contribution is applicable to every child and is charged at £1.50 per week. This covers healthy snacks and drinks, baking ingredients and other provisions. 

We look forward to working with you and your child over the next academic year. We send information out through our school app to your mobile phone so please keep us informed of any changes to your personal details. You can also find a wealth of information about Ripley Nursery School on our website, including details about our sister organisation – Ripley Nursery School Childcare.

Your keyworkers from your child’s class will share your child’s progress and achievement through online learning journals and more information will be coming out to you in the near future.

Kind regards,

C.L. Bednal

Cathy Bednal and all the staff of Ripley Nursery School

Dear Parent and Carers,

We are busy planning to welcome all our families in school in September; old friends as well as new friends who have yet to meet us and visit our school.

In line with all the government guidance and the risk assessments provided by Derbyshire County Council we have made a few changes to the organisation of our school, detailed below;

Class Bubbles                                                                                           

We have taken the decision to divide the school into two halves; Rabbits and Squirrels will work together in one bubble and Owls and Hedgehogs will form another bubble. This reorganisation will allow your children more access to both indoor and outdoor learning spaces whilst reducing contact of children and staff across the whole school. Staff will remain in one of these two bubbles only, this will include meal supervisors and any SEND support staff.

To ensure a safe and smooth entry and exit into school we have staggered start/finish times and increased the number of entrances;

We are asking all parents/carers to revisit and keep to these simple rules on drop off and collection:

1. Please be prompt and keep to your allocated times to arrive and pick up your child/children.

2. Ensure children have been to the toilet before they leave home.

3. Only one parent to accompany and pick up (where possible).

4. Keep yourself and your child 2 metres away from your neighbour as you queue.

5. Take any bikes or buggy’s home with you.

6. Please leave the site promptly as there will be other parents waiting to safely drop off or pick up.

7. After school please bathe your child and change their clothes. Children will need to arrive at school in a fresh set of clothes each day.

8. We cannot accept bags into the setting but can store plastic or drawstring bags containing belongings on trolleys outside each base.

Transition into school

To support an effective transition during this time of social distancing we have adapted our usual practice:

Easter starters

Class visits; although all children and parents will have visited our school in Spring we have had to make changes to our learning spaces so check out the videos of your classes on our website under the Children, Class Pages tab. Click on the class to view the video.

We will update our learning spaces during our staff training day in September and update the videos posts.

Mouse Club; on Tuesday 14^th July I will be joining you for a quick door step visit to catch up and say ‘Hello’ and drop off Mouse and an information pack. We offer each new child a cuddy mouse to use as a transitional object to travel between home and school. Within the pack there are some activities for mouse and your child to try out with your help.

A quick and easy way to make an outfit for Mouse is to find an odd sock and ask your mum or dad to help you cut out holes for the head and arms to fit through. You can even trim the top of the sock and use the excess to make a headband.

Autumn starters

Class visits; currently parents cannot come into school however we are planning after school visits to our nursery garden in September to meet you and your child face to face. We will  complete an ‘All about me’ to find out what your child likes doing, what they may need help with and how we can work together. We will have a little cuddly toy Mouse waiting for each of you to help the transition in to school.

We will still need to practise socially distancing with you, on entry you will need to use the hand sanitiser, and of course you can only attend if you and your child are well.

Additionally check out the class videos on our website under the Children, Class Pages tab for a little flavour of the fun activities waiting for you at Ripley Nursery School.

Communication

The school app runs through our website and is a quick and easy way of sending information directly to your mobile telephone; we will send you a link to download the app once your admission form is processed. If you change any contact numbers or emails please inform the school ASAP, we would hate you to miss out on all our school events and updates.

Practicalities

To keep our floorspace clean and hygienic no outdoor shoes are allowed in school. We use wellington boots for outdoor play and have a selection of fleeces and waterproof outfits for playing outside during all seasons. If you have spare children’s wellington boots to donate to school these will be gratefully received.  Please bring a pair of slippers which will stay at the nursery and a plastic or a cloth drawstring bag containing a change of clothes, named suncream and nappy/changing creams if required.

What happens if a child or member of staff is ill?

You must not come to school if you, your child or anyone in your household presents with Covid -19 symptoms; cough, temperature, loss or taste/smell (Anosmia) or are feeling generally unwell.

If anyone becomes ill with symptoms of the virus and tests positive for Covid-19 in the setting then the whole class bubble of children, including the teaching staff will have to self-isolate for 14 days. Staff, children and their families will have access to Covid-19 testing if they present with symptoms. You must call 111 to request a testing kit for young children.

Hopefully this information is helpful in supporting your return to school or in embarking on your journey with us. If there is any other information you need from us or that you need to share with us to support you and your child please contact Kerry Hartwell on the school number or through her email address.                                                                                                                                                            

Finally, we wish you all a sunny and relaxing summer holiday and look forward to seeing you all in September.

Kind regards,

C.L. Bednal

Cathy Bednal and all the staff of Ripley Nursery School

Organisation for the Summer Term and Holiday Club.

Dear Parents and Carers,

We understand that this is a very strange time in all of our lives and it is difficult to make plans for the future, however we have started to think about what might happen next given current government guidance. We have thought about the end of term and the practicalities of holiday club, with the proviso that the national picture could disrupt our plans.

Class Bubbles

Last week we started the process of opening school to additional children and to start our new system of working in four small class bubbles. In keeping with our school ethos of promoting high levels of wellbeing and in line with our understanding of child development we know that it is not possible or desirable to socially distance with our young children, therefore we will  keep our class bubbles small for the remainder of this  term. We will continue with our upgraded cleaning schedule and strong focus on hand hygiene for staff and children. All the children have been fantastic in settling into their new routines and it has been good to see many of our families back at school.

End of summer term

As you may be aware, this school has remained open for every bank holiday and working day apart from two days since lockdown started and we have had to made key decisions to support our own wellbeing in the weeks ahead. Working with the Childcare Company we have decided to close both school and childcare on Friday 17^th July 2020. We are planning safe ways of saying goodbye to our leavers and handing over your wonderful learning journals and will be in contact with you shortly.

Autumn term

School and childcare will reopen on Thursday 3^rd September for the January 2020 cohort and any children already attending, and therefore already settled in school, from the Summer 2020 cohort. We will be in touch with all parents who have not yet joined school with our plans for future opening.

We anticipate that in September we will continue to work in four class bubbles; staff and children will be limited to one bubble and this will impact on the extended provision we can offer. Please contact kerry.hartwell@ripley-nur.derbyshire.sch.uk if you require either before or after school club from September as availability is limited.

Holiday Club

Holiday club and childcare will open on Monday 3^rd August for 4 weeks only until 28^th August 2020. We will operate in two age related bubbles; under and over 3 year olds. These places are limited so please register your interest by contacting  Stacey.bradshaw@ripley-nur.derbyshire.sch.uk by Friday 19^th June 2020. Holiday club will be organised by the Childcare Company and will be dependent upton interest received from parents to ensure sustainability and safe working for staff. If you are using funded hours for the holiday club please discuss with Stacey Bradshaw when registering your interest.

Any 30 hour funding queries please contact ltimmons@ripley-nur.derbyshire.sch.uk

If you have any questions please contact either Stacey Bradshaw or Kerry Hartwell via telephone or email.

For those of you returning after summer we hope you have a fantastic time with your families and we look forward to seeing you all again on Thursday 3^rd September 2020.

Kind regards,

C.L.Bednal

Cathy Bednal

Headteacher of Ripley Nursery School