Register your interest with West Norwood

We recognise that each child, parent, and nursery relationship is unique, and we use our experience to support everyone in making that transition into nursery life as smooth as possible.

Gradual steps – 1,2,3 steps

The room leader or a member of the team will contact you approximately 2 weeks prior to your start date. They will introduce themselves, answer any questions you have about Nursery life. They book your settling sessions and send you all the paperwork we require ahead of your settling sessions via our Nursery app. Your child will be invited to 3 FREE consecutive settling in sessions within the nursery that will be organised as follows:

Settling in sessions

Session 1 (30-60 minutes)

We ask that one parent/carer attends the settling session with your little one. This will allow you to meet with the team and your child’s key person and for us to learn about your child. We will go through all your paperwork, an “all about me” booklet with you about your child’s interests, favourite toys, and allergies etc. We will also check their birth certificate and red book. Your little one will have the opportunity to explore the environment with you, once all the paperwork is completed. If your little one is comfortable, we will ask you to leave them with us for 20 minutes. This will also allow your child to spend a short time their key person enabling them to feel safe and secure.

Session 2 (2 hours)

The second settling in session will be for two hours. Upon arrival, your child’s key person will greet you, and toys of interest will be available for your child to come in and play with. Whilst your child is with us, they will experience activities taking place and meet their peers. We will call you if your little one is unsettled. Otherwise, we hope to update you with photos will update you via the app.

Session 3 (3 hours)

The third settling in session will be a three–hour visit. This visit maybe in the morning or afternoon. It could be mid-morning enabling your child to experience having snack and lunch with us, or you may wish to choose mid-afternoon enabling your child to have a snack and afternoon tea and maybe a nap!

Settling in sessions take place with a morning and afternoon session as this enables your child to experience all of the activities and mealtimes that go on throughout the day.

These sessions are always done as 3 consecutive days with the 4th day being your child first full day with us. When build the time your child is with consecutive and incrementally, experience remains is fresh in their minds and helps to create secure bonds.

Strong relationships – Your Key Person

Our experience has shown that having a Key Person for your child is the most effective way of ensuring that children develop a strong relationship with a significant adult in the nursery, giving every child the reassurance to feel secure, familiar, and confident in the nursery environment.

At West Norwood your child’s Key person will:

Be assigned to your child on their first settling-in session, getting to know the child and family well in order to form strong relationships to support emotional needs.
Carry out assessments and plan for your child’s development, ensuring they are always challenged and supported to reach their full potential.
Prepare a report every 6 weeks to ensure you are kept up to date with all of the information about your child and their development.
Ensure they have all of the information about your child and share this with other staff so that your child’s individual needs are cared for throughout each and every day.
Be with your child at every settling-in session in order to make the handover as smooth as possible, providing essential consistency for you and your child.

Where Next?

Environment

Care

Nutrition

Curriculum

Meet the Team

Settling In