Parents
Safeguarding, policies, funding and everything else you need from us in one place.
Safeguarding
Keeping every child safe is our first priority
ABC Day Nursery follows a comprehensive Safeguarding Children and Child Protection Policy, which includes our approach to the Prevent duty. Every member of staff has a responsibility for safeguarding, and knows how to raise a concern.
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There is always a trained Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy on duty during our opening hours. Our policy is reviewed annually and follows the procedures set out by Wiltshire Council.
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If you have a concern about a child's safety or wellbeing, speak to any member of our team and they will pass it to the Designated Safeguarding Lead straight away.
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Our safeguarding team
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Designated Safeguarding Lead
Karen Venner
01225 791742
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Deputy DSL
Emma Morris
01225 791742 · admin@abcday-nursery.co.uk
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Deputy DSL
Manon Cooper
01225 791742 · admin@abcday-nursery.co.uk
Concerns & Complaints
If something isn't right, please tell us
We would always rather hear about a problem than not. Most concerns are resolved quickly by speaking to your child's key person or room leader.
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If you would like to take it further, you can raise a formal complaint with Karen Venner. We will acknowledge it, look into it properly and come back to you.
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We keep a written record of complaints and their outcome, which is available to Ofsted on request.​​
Contacting Ofsted
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ABC Day Nursery is registered with and inspected by Ofsted. If you believe we are not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, you can contact Ofsted directly.
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Ofsted concerns line
0300 123 4666
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Online
contact.ofsted.gov.uk/online-complaints
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Our Ofsted registration
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/16/2676717
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Illness & Medication
When your child is unwell:
A poorly child is better off at home than here with their peers. If your child becomes ill during the day we will call you to collect as soon as possible and care for them somewhere quiet and calm until you arrive, and we always let parents know if a contagious infection is identified in the nursery. Please keep your child at home if:
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They have had sickness or diarrhoea, until they have been clear for at least 48 hours
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They have started antibiotics, for the first 24 hours of the course
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You have given Calpol or similar that morning, as it masks the illness underneath
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They have hand, foot and mouth, until all blisters are free from pus or have scabbed over
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They have any other infectious illness, where we follow UK Health Security Agency exclusion times
Giving medication
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Written consent first
We give nothing without your prior written consent for that specific medicine, recorded on Famly before the first dose.
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Prescription medicines
Prescribed for your child by name, in the original container, given at the stated dose. A second member of staff checks every dose, and you are told the exact times at pick-up.
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Emergency medication
Inhalers and adrenaline auto-injectors stay within easy reach of staff. Long-term needs are covered by an Individual Health Care Plan agreed with you.
Attendance & Absense
Telling us your child will be away
​Regular attendance helps young children feel settled and secure, and it helps us keep them safe. Please let us know on or before the first day of any absence, through Famly or on 01225 791742.​
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If we have not heard from you
We take the register within ten minutes of each session starting. If your child is not here and we do not know why, we work through your contacts in order: a Famly message and call to the main carer, then any second carer, then both emergency contacts.
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If we still cannot reach anyone and we are concerned, we contact the health visiting or Children and Family service, and in urgent cases ask the police for a welfare check. That is a safeguarding step, not a judgement.
Authorised absence
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Where you tell us on or before the first day:
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Illness of your child, a sibling or a parent
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Bereavement
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Health service appointments
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Holidays, including extended visits overseas
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Religious observance
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Emergency or exceptional circumstances
Funding & Fees
Help with the cost of childcare
Most families at ABC use some form of government support towards their childcare. The two that apply most often are below. Eligibility rules are set by the government and change from time to time, so we always point parents to the official checker rather than working it out for them.
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Tax-Free Childcare
For every £8 you pay into a Tax-Free Childcare account, the government adds £2. You can receive up to £2,000 per child per year, or up to £4,000 per year for a child with a disability.
You can use Tax-Free Childcare alongside funded hours. You cannot use it at the same time as Universal Credit, tax credits or childcare vouchers.
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Best Start in Life​
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To qualify for the working families entitlement, each parent generally needs to earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Living Wage, and neither parent can have an adjusted net income over £100,000. Because the earnings threshold is tied to the National Living Wage, it changes each April.​​​
Funded Childcare (15 & 30 Hours)
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Funded early education is available to families in three main ways:
Working families
Up to 30 hours a week, from the term after your child turns nine months until they start school. This works out as 1,140 hours a year, usually taken as 30 hours a week over 38 weeks.
All 3 and 4 year olds
15 hours a week of universal funded childcare, regardless of whether parents are working.
Eligible 2 year olds
Up to 15 hours a week for families receiving certain qualifying benefits.