All Ofsted quotes have been taken from our last inspection operating as Home from Home Day Nursery School, and our latest inspection operating as Home from Home Day Nursery School Academy.

Settling-in at Home from Home

At Home from Home we want every family to enjoy the time they and their children spend with us. We recognise that starting in a group setting can be an exciting but unsettling process for both children and adults and will do everything possible to make the transition as easy and enjoyable as possible. Every child is different and each will react in different ways to the experience of being with a group of other children in a different environment. At Home from Home we respect these differences and will use our knowledge and experience to help every child and family to settle in comfortably and become a part of the Home from Home ‘family’.

To help us do this we have a routine that we follow when new families start in the setting. This involves a home visit and at least two introductory visits, around your own diary, when you and your child come and spend time in the setting together. This gives you the opportunity to get to know the Key practitioners who will be looking after your child to see how the daily routines of the setting operate, and to understand some of the experiences and activities that your child will be taking part in during the day. This time is an opportunity for you to ask any questions about how the setting operates, and for us to check that we have all the necessary information on your child, including dietary requirements and allergies, as well as up-to-date contact information.

Following these joint visits, your child will probably be ready to stay in the setting on his or her own. For the first few sessions we recommend that children are left for a shorter time, where possible, so they are reassured that you will come back to collect them. Children frequently become upset and cry at the time parents/carers leave, but with lots of attention from the practitioners they quickly settle and become involved in the activities going on around them.

When you return to collect your child, practitioners will let you know and provide you with a written record of how your child’s day has gone, what your child has enjoyed, eaten and when they have slept etc. Parents/carers are encouraged to ring or pop in at any time during their child’s day to support the transition process.

The setting also has a Transition Coordinator who supports children internally to be ready and confident within their new environment, and to ensure communication is effective between key people and parents. 

“The quality of the provision is ‘outstanding’” – Ofsted