01. What is Acorn’s approach to operating nurseries during the Covid-19 pandemic? Expand Supporting our families and the health, safety & wellbeing of children in our care is Acorn’s key priority during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, we are trying to offer childcare to all those that need it, whilst following all current Government guidance and adhering to strict H&S measures. We are monitoring all advice and guidance released by the Government, as well as lots of other sector-related information. Based on this, we have been maintaining dynamic risk assessments and procedures specifically related to the Covid-19 outbreak, some of which are summarised in these FAQs for parents. Having continued to operate half of our nurseries during lockdown, and all nurseries since 1st June, our procedures have proved highly effective.
02. How are we limiting access to the nursery, and how will drop-off and collection look like? Expand We are putting place several measures to reduce the number of people coming into the setting, including: Wherever possible, parents will not be entering the nursery building. If children are happy, they will be collected and dropped off by a member of staff at the door. Any settling in visits will happen without the parents, or with the parents in the nursery gardens (accessed by outdoor gates) where possible – see Q3 for more information. Drop off and pick up will be limited to one parent per child, and parents will be encouraged to not bring siblings unless it is absolutely necessary We will encourage parents to stagger arrivals where possible, and, if multiple parents arrive at once, they will need to remain in an orderly queue outside the building and maintain safe distancing (2m) protocols All deliveries will be dropped outside the door for staff to bring into the setting We will restrict access to contractors, agency workers, and other professionals/adults (including Acorn staff not based at the setting), so that people are only entering the setting when it is absolutely essential. Where it is necessary, access will be allowed out of hours or, if appropriate, during the day but keeping to social distancing and Acorn’s hygiene measures. All visitors will be required to sign a risk assessment.
03. How will you settle children back into the nursery? Expand We are committed to ensuring that parents and children feel emotionally secure when returning to nursery. We therefore strongly recommend booking in a settling in session with the nursery manager. Due to social distancing measures in place, parents will not be entering the nursery building. Parents are encouraged to leave their child with a member of staff for the duration of the visit to reduce the number of adults within the setting. Parents may wait in their car or return to the nursery at the end their child’s settling in session. If a parent needs to stay at the nursery to support their child emotionally during the settling in session, we will try to ensure the visit take place in the nursery gardens (accessed by outdoor gates), or we will ensure there is a safe place to facilitate the settling in session where social distancing measures can be maintained.
04. Will my child’s key person be the same? Expand Where possible, we aim to keep children within the same bubble as their key person to continue to provide a safe and secure base, emotional support and engage in high-quality interactions with children, while continuing to build on professional relationships between the home and setting. While we aim to keep key persons with their children, there may be circumstances when this may not always be possible. For example, if a child’s key person is currently on furlough - in this case, we will place children within the same bubble as their key person buddy or a familiar adult from the same group.
05. What is your approach to social distancing? Expand We are making lots of arrangements to keep staff, children and families safe during the day, including: Both children and staff will remain in ‘social bubbles’, and all interactions with others in the nursery will remain within their bubble We will be considering which activities are suitable to deliver, and encouraging as much time as possible spent outdoors (which is considered a safer environment) We will ensure all toys, resources and equipment are appropriately cleaned between groups of children using them. We will temporarily remove from the environment any unnecessary items, soft toys and furnishings, and any toys and equipment which are not easily cleaned Visits to the outdoor community will be limited, and only take place in areas where it is easy to maintain social distancing with other community members (such as forest school) We are limiting unnecessary visitors to the nursery (see Q2 for more information) While older children may have already learned to keep their distance from others during the lockdown, we should not expect very young children to keep any distance between themselves and adults and children in their bubble. All children in nursery will need physical contact, whether for assistance or comfort, and children need to feel relaxed and comfortable. They may need additional reassurance and comfort as their emotional needs are as important as their physical wellbeing. Measures put in place to minimise potential transmission of the virus will be done without alarming or upsetting children, and staff will be incorporating new routines such as hand-washing and constant cleaning into the normal day with as much fun and loving care as possible.
06. What are some of the changes to everyday routines? Expand We will do our best to maintain our normal routines for consistency and continuity for our children, however some adaptions may have to be made to ensure the safety of the children. We will be limiting the number of staff and children using the toilet facilities at the same time, taking children regularly in their bubbles. Our normal practice is to encourage children to self-serve their own snacks and meals; however, to ensure safety, our staff will be serving the children to limit the amount of people touching/coming into contact with the food. Where appropriate, we will be encouraging snack and mealtimes to be held outside in the fresh air. To ensure children have a safe and healthy sleeping space, we will be encouraging children to sleep outside in the fresh air (if weather permits), in shaded areas to ensure good ventilation. This has already been adopted in some of our nurseries and will be promoted across all nurseries, where possible.
07. What should/can my child bring to the nursery Expand Toys or other objects from the family home should not be brought into the nursery. Comforters are an important transitional object to help support children’s emotional security during unsettling times. Therefore, we will not be stopping children from bringing these into nursery to have them when they are needed. However, to prevent the risk of spreading the virus further, we will be putting the following measures in place: Dummies and hard surface toys will be sterilised on arrival to the setting and before returning home. Blankets and soft toys will remain in the child’s bag throughout the day and given to children at sleep times and at times during the day when needed. If children need their comforter during the day outside of sleep times they will be given to children for a period of time and removed when the practitioner feels they are able to support children through positive interactions. Parents may bring duplicate comforters to keep at the setting and these will be washed daily. Parents will be required to bring clean clothes to nursery each day for their children – we will not be using nursery spare clothes for children at this time. Parents will be required to bring a sun hat for their child to keep at nursery – nursery will not be providing sun hats at this time. Practitioners will safely apply sun cream to all children whilst adhering to strict cross contamination preventative measures by washing hands and disinfecting the bottle after each application.
08. How will you support children’s understanding of the new measures and practices? Expand Key persons will be supporting children's understanding of the new measures by using resources such as books to help children understand and by talking to them about how to keep safe and clean in ways which is understandable for young children.
09. Can I amend the days & times that my child comes to nursery? Expand We will try to be as flexible as possible with sessions and times. If you are looking to amend your booking pattern, please liaise with your nursery manager who will be able to assist you with this.
10. How will you be supporting my child’s learning and development? Expand Our main priority will be to support the emotional well-being and social interactions for children to ensure they feel safe and secure when returning to nursery, especially with the new measures and practices in place. We will be continuing to support learning and development of children through different activities; however, this may not be as regular as before the pandemic and activities may be adapted to ensure they follow our health & safety guidelines during this time. If your child is leaving to go to school next year, we will be liaising with you and the schools and providing them with a written report which will support with their transition to school.
11. What will happen if a member of staff or another child shows symptoms of Covid-19? Expand We will follow the Government guidance relating to Covid-19 at all times. We have also put in place an ‘Emergency Action Plan’ that outlines the procedures that staff will follow for any suspected cases of Covid-19 in the setting. This action plan covers communication protocols, what staff will do whilst waiting for children to be collected, what staff need to do to keep themselves and other children safe, cleaning protocols, and disposal of PPE, clothing and other things that might be infected with the virus. The basic process is summarised below. Should a person (staff or child) develop symptoms (new persistent dry cough, high temperature and/or loss of smell and taste) the nursery manager must be notified immediately, and the person should remove themselves from the setting – if it is a child, their parents will be contacted to collect immediately. Anybody infected will be advised to follow the guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection, and get tested as soon as possible. If a test has been carried out and it returns negative, the symptoms will be managed like any other illness absence – parents should liaise with the nursery about when it is safe to return. If a test returns positive, the nursery must be informed immediately and the person who has tested positive must adhere to the self-isolation rules. If the child or staff member tests positive, the rest of their immediate group (or 'social bubble') within their setting should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days, as per the Government's guidelines. However, the guidance states that the household members of those in that group do not need to self-isolate unless the children or staff member who they live with develops symptoms themselves. If your child has to isolate due to having covid-19 symptoms, or any other reason for self-isolation (such as travel abroad), fees are payable in line with our normal terms & conditions.
12. What should I do if my child has symptoms, or anybody in the household has symptoms? Expand If your child, or anybody else in your household develops the following symptoms, you should let the nursery know immediately: a new continuous cough a high temperature a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia) Anybody with the above symptoms will be advised to follow the guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection, and get tested as soon as possible. Unless an official test returns as negative, we will be unable to accept your child back to nursery until the self-isolation periods outlined in the above guidance are over. Symptomatic cases may still be chargeable as per the usual T&Cs. If a child becomes unwell whilst in our care the we will contact the parents/carers, or the emergency contact detailed on the registration form. If senior staff feels the child is not well enough to remain at nursery, you may be asked to arrange collection of the child. If a child is unwell at home, we ask that you contact the nursery to inform them of the absence. The nursery must be informed if the child is suffering from any covid-19 symptoms, or other contagious disease to ensure we can effectively communicate to all parents any communicable diseases in the nursery. For the benefit of other children, we ask you to withhold the child from the nursery if they are suffering from a contagious disease that could easily infect others.
13. What is in place for other illnesses? Expand If any symptoms presented are those of COVID-19 then the actions will be followed as in question 11 and 12 above to enable this to be confirmed either positive or negative to protect the children, staff and setting. Otherwise the current policies and agreements remain in place. Acorn Terms and Conditions Infections Disease Control Infectious Disease Procedure
14. Will staff be wearing PPE? Expand The government guidance states that: “Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended” and that: “Schools and other education or childcare settings should … not require staff, children and learners to wear face coverings.” However, if an employee feels more comfortable wearing PPE (i.e. a face mask) during child drop off and collection, they will be free to do so. PPE that we already use will remain the same, as outlined in company policies: Infections Disease Control Child Food & Nutrition Intimate Care & Wellbeing PPE is used for cases if a child or staff show signs of COVID-19 as set out in the emergency plan. See question 11 above.
15. Are staff being tested? Expand In line with the current government guidelines staff will not be routinely tested at this stage. However, any staff displaying symptoms will be asked to complete a test before returning to work.
16. What cleaning & hygiene measures do we have in place? Expand Cleaners are being provided with a strict ‘cleaning rota’ to ensure that everything gets cleaned thoroughly. All staff will be provided with appropriate on-site training in cleaning and infection control, and procedures for cleaning toys, resources, equipment and furniture throughout the day have been put in place. We are making lots of arrangements to keep staff, children and families safe during the day, including: Upon arrival at nursery, both staff and children will be asked to wash their hands, and good hand washing practices will be encouraged regularly throughout the day. We will be considering which activities are suitable to deliver, and encouraging as much time as possible spent outdoors (which is considered a safer environment). We will ensure all toys, resources and equipment are appropriately cleaned between groups of children using them. We will temporarily remove from the environment any unnecessary items, soft toys and furnishings, and any toys and equipment which are not easily cleaned. Where possible, toys, equipment and resources will be organised into three groups and put out on a two-day rota (which means each set gets at least four days of no use and will kill the virus naturally). Hourly cleaning is taking place on all high usage touch points such as door handles, taps, electronic equipment, keypads etc. Nightly thorough cleaning is taking place using chemicals that clean and disinfect.
'A Natural Handmade Christmas' by Donna & Gemma - £45 Expand Upcoming Courses: There are currently no upcoming dates for this course, however if you wish to book this course in house then please contact us. To book a course, please find the date you desire on our booking page and select 'book now' Summary: This course will teach you how to use natural materials to make: Winter Trees Wooden tree decorations Popcorn Garlands Ice Decorations Stick Reindeer Woodland Wreath Salt Dough Decorations And many more... Location: Acorn Training Centre, 6 Wimborne Crescent, Westcroft, Milton Keynes, MK4 4DE
Alex Mayes - Payroll Administrator Expand (Alex at 3-years-old) Alex joined us in September 2021 and brings payroll and accounts experience gained in a variety of sectors including manufacturing, local authority and accountancy practices. In her spare time, Alex enjoys holidays with her family (preferably somewhere sunny with good restaurants nearby, although her two boys love camping during thunderstorms!) playing tennis and watching a good film!
Allawee Albaghdadi Expand Allawee joined Acorn as a trustee in February 2020. Allawee is a real estate lawyer and partner at national law firm Shakespeare Martineau LLP based in their Milton Keynes office. Prior to that he headed up the real estate development team of a large regional law firm and has also spent time as global real estate counsel for both FTSE250 and Fortune 500 companies. He has over 15 years of experience advising on transactional and operational real estate. Allawee is also a trustee of a Milton Keynes based arts centre.
'An Introduction to Food and Nutrition for Childcare Providers' by Nigel Denby - £45 Expand Upcoming Courses: There are currently no upcoming dates for this course, however if you wish to book this course in house then please contact us. To book a course, please find the date you desire on our booking page and select 'book now' Content: As well as providing some of the fundamental knowledge and skills for developing balanced and healthy meals/snacks, this course will introduce delegates to some of the key child nutrition challenges, including: Poor weaning practice Over dependence on milk Problem/fussy or faddy eating Low iron intakes Low calcium intakes poor fruit and vegetable intakes Childhood obesity/overweight Dental caries Packed lunch provision Social eating Inappropriate requests for special diets from parents for children Managing food allergies and food intolerances in childcare Appropriate portion sizes Location: Acorn Training Centre, 6 Wimborne Crescent, Westcroft, Milton Keynes, MK4 4DE
'An Introduction to Forest School' by Donna & Gemma - £80 Expand Upcoming Courses: There are currently no upcoming dates for this course, however if you wish to book this course in house then please contact us. To book a course, please find the date you desire on our booking page and select 'book now' Summary: This course will introduce you to the forest school ethos and will help you to develop some of the skills and knowledge required to enhance learning in the outdoors. The course includes both theory and practical, and at least half of the course will take place outside in a forest. Learning Outcomes: You will develop an understanding of the principles and ethos of Forest School, and understand the structure of a forest school session You will develop your understanding of the woodland environment, including identification of species, uses of different natural resources, and understanding the impact of educational activities on the environment You will gain some educational activity ideas and how these activities can be linked to the EYFS or National Curriculum Location: Salcey Forest, NN7 2HX
Arts, Crafts & Creativity in the Outdoors' by Donna & Gemma - £45 Expand Upcoming Courses: There are currently no upcoming dates for this course, however if you wish to book this course in house then please contact us. To book a course, please find the date you desire on our booking page and select 'book now' Summary: This practical course will introduce you to a range of natural crafts that you can take back to your setting. It will also help to develop your understanding of the properties of different natural resources which will help you to create your own crafts using resources available to you in the outdoors. Location: Acorn Training Centre, 6 Wimborne Crescent, Westcroft, Milton Keynes, MK4 4DE
Aysha Yarsley - Office Administrator Expand Aysha (Aysha at 6 years old) Aysha is our Office Administrator. She started at Acorn as a Nursery Administrator in July 2023 before joining us at the Central Support Office in January 2024. Aysha comes to us with a background in nursery management with Qualified Teacher Status and a Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Otago in New Zealand. She side-stepped into administration after taking an extended break when she had her first child in 2021. Aysha is originally from New Zealand but has been living in the UK since May 2017, settling down to start her family here. Aysha also volunteers remotely as the Treasurer for Queenstown Playcentre which is an Early Childhood Education charity based in New Zealand. In her spare time Aysha enjoys spending time with her husband, son, dog, and cat as well as knitting, cross-stitch, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
'Basic Safeguarding Awareness' Delivered by Tammie Redman. £35 for online and face to face courses. Expand Delivered by Tammie Redman Dates & times available for the online version of the course: Wednesday 31st January 2024 (6:30pm - 9:30pm) Our online courses are delivered by Microsoft Teams. Joining instructions for all online courses will be sent 1-2 days prior to the course start date. You will then have ongoing access to the system with the course materials after the course has finished. Dates & times for the face-face version of the course: Tuesday 16th January 2024 (9:30am - 12:30pm) To book a course, please find the date you desire on our website booking page and select 'book now'. Summary: To provide a basic introduction to safeguarding and child protection, covering the requirements for all staff who work with children on a frequent or infrequent basis. Learning Outcomes By the end of the training, delegates should: Be aware of relevant legislation and local procedures Be familiar with sign and indicators of abuse and neglect Understand their own role and responsibility in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people Know what to do if they have concerns about the welfare of a child Understand the concepts of safeguarding and child protection and the difference between the two