Did you know Sandhills Pre-School is a registered charity?
We are reliant on Government funding however for every child who attends our setting with a funded place, the Government covers only a proportion of the hourly cost of each child’s place with us. This funding enables us to open the doors each day, operate the Pre-School and pay our wonderful staff, whom I’m sure you will agree do an excellent job with all of our little ones. This means that all other essentials we need to create our Pre-School environment, encouraging our little people to thrive, comes entirely from fundraising support.
How you can help support the Pre-School
We are asking all our parents with child(ren) who receive a funded place to please consider making a suggested Voluntary Maintenance Donation of £25 per term. We have calculated this amount based on the average number of children we have in the setting to meet the funding needs of the Pre-School.
How your donation will be used
Your Voluntary Maintenance Donation will contribute towards the Pre-School committee’s ongoing fundraising activity. This money is fundamental in helping us continue to:
• stock our bookshelves for storytelling adventures
• refill our paint pots and brushes to inspire creative imaginations
• source intriguing materials for outdoor explorations
• and much more.
All these activities contribute to the positive mental and physical wellbeing and development of our Sandhills Pre-School children, as we get them ready for the next stage of their educational journey.
How to make a payment
The easiest way to donate to the Pre-School, avoiding any fees, is via direct bank transfer, All donations, big or small, are greatly appreciated and we recognise that times have been particularly hard for all of us. However if you find that you are able to set up a standing order (monthly / termly) to contribute to the ongoing costs of the Pre-School please email sandhillspreschool@gmail.com for the bank details.
No donation is too small!
Support us when shopping with Amazon
You can directly donate items we know we need for the Pre-School by shopping our Amazon Wishlist, contact the pre-school for more details.
Complaints
We hope that you and your child will be happy during your time at pre-school. However, if there is any aspect you are unhappy with, in the first instance speak with your child’s key person. If your key person is unable to resolve your concerns please speak with the room manger, then the overall manager and finally the chair of the committee. If you are not happy that the setting has addressed your concern satisfactorily you can contact Ofsted on 0300 1231231.
Ofsted Inspections
We can be inspected by Ofsted at any time without prior notice. Our last inspection took place on 27th April 2023 where the setting was classified as Good. You can read the full Ofsted report here - Ofsted 2023
Early Years Pupil Premium
Additional funding for your child
Your childcare provider may be able to claim an additional £302 to
spend on enriching your 3 or 4 year old’s learning.
For more information and to find out if you qualify, please click the link below:
More General Info
Are you concerned about a child?
Where can I get more information?
To find out more about the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) visit – www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mash
Click here for a MASH leaflet for parents & carers.
Remember – If you are concerned about a child, young person or vulnerable adult and want to speak to someone, contact the Oxfordshire MASH on
0345 050 7666 and give as much information as you can.
For the setting, our Designated Safeguarding Leads are Sarah Payne, Kerry Holden & Sara Harding.
Concerns over professionals working or volunteering with children
Reporting concerns over professionals working or volunteering with children.
If you have concerns about a professional or volunteer who works with children, or you need to report them, you will need to contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
A LADO covers all settings where people work (paid or unpaid) with children up to the age of 18 (e.g. football clubs, church groups, childminders) not just Oxfordshire County Council employees.
They should be made aware of all cases in which it is alleged that a person who works with children has:
- behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;
- possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or
- behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children
- behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates that they may not be suitable to work with children
Childrens rights and entitlements
Employment & Safer Recruitment
Fire Safety and Emergency Evacuation
Health and Safety General Standards
Induction of Employees and Volunteers
Maintaining Children's Safety & Security on premises
Managing Children who are Sick Infectious or with Allergies
Recording and Reporting of Accidents and Incidents
Safeguarding children young people and vulnerable adults
Staff Safety including Home Visits
Supervision of Children on Outings
The Role of the Key Person and Settling In
Valuing Diversity and Promoting Inclusion and Equality
We ask you not to bring your children into pre-school if they are unwell. Children with an infectious disease or illness must remain at home until the doctor says they say they are fit to return. Children need to be 48 hours clear of their last bout of sickness or diarrhoea to come to the pre-school. If your child falls ill during their time at pre-school we will contact you and ask for you to arrange for your child to be collected.
Please see the 'Should I keep my child off school?' link below for more info or use the Healthier Together website or app for advice.
Tips for supporting your child (0-5 Years) Online
Explore together
Talk to your child about what the internet is and explore it together so you can show
them all the great fun and educational things they can do.
Be involved
Encourage them to use devices in a communal area like the lounge or kitchen so you can
keep an eye on how they’re using the internet and also share in their enjoyment.
Put yourself in control
Install parental controls on your home broadband. Most Internet-enabled devices also
allow you to set parental controls.
Manage access
Set your homepage to a child-friendly site like CBeebies and create a user account for
your child on the family computer or device which only allows access to sites you’ve
chosen.
Use passwords
Keep your devices out of reach and set passwords on all your internet-enabled devices
and don’t share them. Then you’ll know when and where your child is accessing the
internet. You can also make sure they’re not making additional purchases when they’re
playing games or using apps.
Help them learn through games
You can choose safe, fun and educational online games to play with your child and that
you’ll be confident about them exploring. You can find good free of charge examples
from Cbeebies and companies like Disney Junior, Nick Jr and Fisher Price.
Search safely
Use safe search engines such as Swiggle or Kids-search. You can save time by adding
these to your ‘Favourites’. Safe search settings can also be activated on Google and other
search engines, as well as YouTube.
Set boundaries
It’s never too early to start setting boundaries. Set some rules about how long your child can spend online.
Get help to buy food and milk
(the Healthy Start scheme)
What is Healthy Start?
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. Your benefit will be added onto this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
- plain liquid cow’s milk
- fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
- fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
- Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old
For more info, see the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/healthy-start
Advice on healthy eating
For more advice on healthy eating, visit:
Is your child registered with a dentist?
As part of the EYFS framework, we promote oral health within our pre-school.
If you need help in finding a local dental practice, please see the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist