Nursery

Starting Nursery

Welcome to Riverside Nursery!

You will find ideas here for how to support your child- if you have any questions please do come in and ask us!

Is your child soon to start Nursery?

Below are a few photos to share with your child - the entrance, the cloakroom, some of the activities they may be doing.

Hopefully they will help prepare your child for a wonderful start at Riverside!

The Nursery Extended Entitlement Offer

Nursery Extended Entitlement (30 hour offer) at Riverside

Nursery Admissions

The nursery can accept a maximum of 26 pupils in any one session. We tend to have a much larger number of pupils on roll. Our provision provides nursery education for pre-school children aged between 3 and 4 years old for those parents who wish to accept such an opportunity. The curriculum follows the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Guidance.’

Children are admitted to the nursery for various offers depending on parental eligibility.

All families are entitled to 15 hours of ‘free’ provision - up to five ‘free’ sessions per week. These sessions are 3 hours in length and can be taken as mornings or afternoons or a mixture of both. We also operate a Lunch Club for a small extra charge to facilitate full day care.

If eligible, families can also claim up to 30 hours provision, which is operated on a 6 hour session length, with lunch taken as part of the session. Parents claiming 30 hours provision can also buy a ‘bolt-on’ session in effect extending the school day for their child by 30 minutes.

Where possible, ‘vacant’ nursery sessions will be offered to parents for a charge, to allow parents to take more than the usual five sessions offered. These are only available on a term-by-term basis.

Nursery sessions:

The morning session for pupils not taking extended entitlement: 9am to 12noon

Lunch Club bolt on to normal 3 hour session: 12-12.30pm

The afternoon session for pupils not taking extended entitlement: 12.30-3.30pm

6 hour session for those claiming extended entitlement: 9am-3pm

Optional bolt-on for extended entitlement families: 3pm-3.30pm

Where fees are chargeable, these are should be paid in full within the first 2 weeks of the ½ term for which they are due. Failure to make prompt payment may result in paid sessions being withdrawn. If you experience difficulty in making payment, please contact the School Office to discuss payment plans.

Should the number of children registered for the nursery be over the maximum limit (26 per session) then priority will be determined as follows, following the North Yorkshire County Council protocol:

Children with Statements of Special Education Needs.
Children who are recommended by The Director of Social Care, including children in the care of the Local Authority or by the appropriate Designated Medical Officer.
Children from homes disadvantaged by poor housing conditions or overcrowding, or from a background which is prejudicial to the child’s normal educational development.
Children from one parent families.
After the priority admissions described above have been determined other admissions will then be made for children within the school’s normal catchment area, this being within the ‘triangular’ region set between Tadcaster west of the River Wharfe, Papyrus Villas and Towton.

Children from outside the school’s normal catchment area with siblings in school. Allocations based on age – oldest first.

Children from outside the school’s normal catchment area (nearest to the school first).

Notes

Offers of places for the Nursery will usually be made to parents, in writing, just prior to the preceding half term before the children are due to start.
It is expected that families requesting a place on one of the grounds (a) to (d) above will provide documentary evidence to support their application. Wherever possible this should include a supporting statement from a third party e.g. Social Services, Local Education Authority, Medical Officer etc.
In the case of difficulty in deciding on the admission of a pupil not in receipt of a Statement of Special Education Need then the following procedures will be followed:

The needs of the specified child must be balanced against the needs of the other children attending the Nursery Unit
Discuss with parents the child’s difficulties and needs
If possible the Headteacher should arrange for him/herself, the SENCO and/or the Nursery Teacher to meet and observe the child, if possible, away from the parent/s
Obtain relevant reports from those involved with the child e.g. Pre-school Peripatetic Special Needs Teacher, Speech therapist, Child Development Centre, Educational Psychologist, Health visitor etc
Engage assistance of Special Education Advisory and Support service
Request advice of the Area Education Officer
Headteacher and the Governors’ Admissions Committee to make a decision on admission. The decision must have due regard to all the above statements. If doubts still exist as to the suitability of provision, the Headteacher, with approval of the child’s parents, will request a formal assessment be carried out to determine the future educational needs of the child, before admission be considered further

In the case of over-subscription for ‘full day care’ spaces will be allocated with priority given to criteria a-d and also to the oldest pupils (in readiness for full-time schooling)

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