The season of autumn brings changeable weather which in the main is still rather warm but frequently wet. The world around us takes on different shades and textures when it rains; outdoors, our nostrils are exposed to different smells (have you ever smelled the rain?), life looks a little different, it certainly sounds different. When it rains, some creatures come out to play whilst other will take shelter. At Huili Nursery, we are the kind of creatures that come out to play, however to be able to do so requires that the children have the required clothing and footwear. I’m a great believer that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing therefore a good rain coat (waterproof) and pair of Wellington boots (where did that name come from, I wonder??) will be a great start. Please do ask your child’s class teacher if anything else is required – happy splashing!!!
Taking the Huili community to the next stage…… are you ready to be a part of Friends of Huili?
Friends of Huili (FoH) is to be an official association which we hope to grow to represent our families and community. This is a separate entity to the parent representatives, although a parent representative can also be a member of FoH. The purpose of FoH is to strengthen our partnership and involve the Huili community members in a broader scope. The objectives of the association are to:
- Develop effective relationships between the staff, former, existing and future parents and pupils and others associated with Huili Nursery
- Develop and foster social interaction between the nursery staff, the parents, guardians or carers of the pupils or former pupils
- Help Huili Nursery to engage in service activities and raise monies for selected charities to benefit the community outside of the College
- Raise funds to support events at Huili Nursery in the interests of pupils, staff and parents
Members of the association are
- Parents, guardians or carers of any pupil currently attending Huili Nursery, and
- Governors and teaching and non-teaching staff currently employed by Huili Nursery
From those members, a core (executive) committee will be formed which will include the following posts:
- The President (who is the Head of Early Years)
- The Chair
- The Treasurer
- The Secretary
- Vice Chair Communications*
- Vice Chair Events
- Vice Chair Coffee Mornings*
- Vice Chair Charities
- Vice Chair ‘at large’*(second wave posts)
For those wishing to find out more and to register their interest, there will be an information session held at 09:00, Tuesday 9
th October 2018 in the multimedia room. Come and join us – I will be delighted to see you.
Approved adults and their role in child protection and safeguarding
Child protection means safeguarding children from harm. Harm includes violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/library/save-childrens-definition-child-protection
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process which relates to the action taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-and-young-people/safeguarding-children-and-young-people
As early years practitioners and educators, we have a duty of care to afford every child an experience through which they feel safe and secure. We clearly state our expectations throughout our recruitment processes (from advert to interview and offer) undertaking thorough background checks on all potential appointments. Rigorous HR processes support confidence in decisions made and this is a continual process throughout probation, appraisal, performance management and monitoring of practice – it never stops, but that is what we want. The trust that is placed in the nursery and its teams promotes a successful partnership with parents and families. However, all this careful practice is diluted when expectations around processes aren’t met. Expectations are set, not to make life difficult, but to support those practices that require strength of partnership. To this end, I ask that every member of the Huili Nursery community adheres to the approved adult process by completing the required paperwork (consent for collection of a child) and adheres to the published protocol for ID cards above. ID cards / passports must be handed in to receive a visitor pass; this is non-negotiable no matter how well-known to us a parent, visitor or family member is. These instructions are clearly displayed outside of the nursery, next to the security office and have been sent to every family via email. We’re committed to always keeping our standards high and I am sure you are too. Therefore I thank you all in anticipation of your help and support – please do pass this message on to all family members and carers involved in bringing / picking your child up from nursery.
Update on uniform
This year’s change in uniform supplier has, in the main been a very positive and successful move. However, it has not been without some problems and I would like to thank the Huili Nursery community for their patience in acquiring smaller sized items. I was recently informed that the uniform supplier has sold over 65,000 items of uniform, which is remarkable considering most of the members of the Huili and Wellington communities are not new to the schools and nurseries. To this end, there has been an underestimation of the demand for uniform, particularly in some smaller sizes. The supplier has planned to go back into production for some pieces which will mean a delay on restocking for some items. The online store will re-launch once stock and production issues are resolved. Once it is re-launched, parents will be able to select delivery direct to home addresses or for collection in the school uniform shop. Lydia Lim, Bursar (Facilities and Operations) and her team are working closely with the supplier to provide regular updates on stock to the nursery. We will, of course communicate updates to you on an ongoing basis and will continue to monitor the standard of uniform at the nursery.
Happy mid-autumn festival – see you back on Tuesday 25th September
