Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of the questions that we are asked most commonly by parents. If you have a question that is not covered here, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
- We’re not Christians – can my child still join?
- Can I visit the nursery?
- How will my child be settled in?
- What curriculum will my child follow?
- What will my child eat and drink?
- Will my child be involved in messy play?
- What should my child wear to nursery?
- Will my child need to bring spare clothes?
- Will my child be taken on outings?
- What kind of parental involvement will I have with the nursery?
- How will my child be kept safe?
- What happens if my child has an accident?
- What should I do if my child is ill?
- What if my child needs medication?
- What are the nursery opening times?
- What are your term dates?
- What are the nursery fees?
- If I send my child to a nursery class in a local primary school, will they automatically get a place in that school’s Reception class?
- How can I make an application?
1. We’re not Christians – can my child still join?
Of course – New Life Nursery School is open to families of all faiths or none.
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2. Can I tour the nursery and meet the staff?
Absolutely. You can ring and make an appointment to come and visit the nursery during term time.
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3. How will my child be settled in?
We want both you and your child to be happy to separate and to do so in a safe and friendly environment. We will arrange for you and your child to visit the Nursery school prior to starting, as we believe this helps both of you to settle and become familiar with the setting.
We believe that coming to Nursery should be a positive experience. In order to make the transition from home to Nursery as happy as possible, we would ask you to be available to stay with your child for a short time when s/he first starts Nursery. Children vary in how quickly they settle, and we feel it is important that children have the chance to get to know each other and their teachers and feel confident in their new surroundings before being left without a parent. We are happy to for your child to bring a comfort toy to Nursery if this is helpful in settling him/her, but we would seek this to be taken back by you or left at home as soon as practicable.
We ask that you always say goodbye to your child, so that s/he knows you are leaving; however, we would also advise you that prolonging a goodbye is often more upsetting for children, and they are often better if left promptly, supported by a member of our staff.
We are happy to take your child from you, if you so wish.
4. What curriculum will my child follow?
New Life Nursery School follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, as set out in the Statutory Framework 2021. You can learn more about this on our Learning at Nursery page.
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5. What will my child eat and drink?
Your child will be offered a snack of toast and / or fruit every morning and afternoon, with a choice of milk or water to drink. Fresh drinking water is available at all times.
If your child stays for lunch, s/he will need to bring a packed lunch. As part of Birmingham’s Startwell Initiative, we are committed to promoting healthy eating in children; therefore, we would ask you to follow the guidelines in our Healthy Eating policy when sending food into nursery.
Please see our Food Hygiene and Healthy Eating Policy and Appendix for more information.
6. Will my child be involved in messy play?
Definitely! At New Life Nursery School all children are actively encouraged to participate in messy play activities. We believe messy play offers an outstanding opportunity for children to grow and learn.
We ensure that messy play activities are age appropriate and are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage, which actively promotes children’s creative and sensory development. We ensure that the materials used are inspected to ensure the safety and well-being of the children and that equipment and utensils are thoroughly cleaned after use. We always check for allergies before engaging in messy play and also dietary requirements before using foodstuffs.
We provide aprons for painting and messy play activities. However, clothing may still become stained during messy play activities and you should take this into consideration when dressing your child for Nursery.
7. What should my child wear to nursery?
Your child should be dressed in suitable clothing with fastenings s/he can manage independently where possible, e.g. elasticated waists for trousers and skirts. S/he should wear shoes or trainers / pumps, preferably with Velcro fastenings. Please don’t send your child in open-toed sandals as they can be dangerous in the nursery environment.
Aprons will be provided for messy play; however, you are still advised to dress your child in clothing that will not matter if stained.
Your child will have access to outdoor play for all but extreme weather, and should, therefore bring a waterproof coat to Nursery every day, plus appropriate clothing, e.g. hats, gloves, wellingtons, as required.
During hot and sunny weather conditions, we would ask you to bring a sunhat or cap for your child.
8. Will my child need to bring spare clothes?
We keep a small quantity of spare clothing in the Nursery for changing children who become wet or soiled, but you are welcome to bring a bag with spare clothes in to keep on your child’s peg. If your child’s clothes have to be changed at nursery, his / her soiled clothing will be placed in a bag for you to take home at the end of the Nursery session.
We would ask you wash and return any borrowed items of clothing as soon as possible.
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9. Will my child be taken on outings?
We like to take the children out of nursery to the local park, shops or library. When possible, we organise trips further afield and we will usually invite parents to join us for such visits. Previous trips have included the local fire station, bus garage and the Botanical Gardens.
10. What kind of parental involvement will I have with the nursery?
At New Life Nursery School we believe strongly in developing good working relationships with parents and their children. We acknowledge that parents are the primary caregivers and teachers of their children and welcome their views and comments as important input to support their child’s development.
- Key Worker: Each child is allocated a key worker who is responsible for developing particularly close relationships with a child and their parents, assessing the child’s progress, maintaining the child’s assessment records in the form of a Learning Journal, and passing on information to parents and the teacher in charge.
- Learning Journal: Your child will have a learning journal which is kept on a secure online platform called Tapestry. The journal contains photographs, videos and observation notes on the things that your child has been doing. You will be able to set up a secure password which will allow you to view this journal using your phone, tablet or pc, make comments and add your own observations, photos and videos. We will also use Tapestry to create and publish your child’s progress reports for you. At the end of your child’s time with us, you will be able to download their completed Learning Journal, together with all their photographs and videos.
- Nursery Sessions: We normally welcome parents into the Nursery School at the beginning of each session, to talk to staff and engage with their children in activities. If you have an issue you wish to discuss privately with the teacher in charge, please do ask and we will arrange for this to take place as soon as possible, at a mutually convenient time.
- Parents’ Consultation Meetings: These will be arranged in the term after your child starts nursery, to enable you to have a short, formal meeting with your child’s key worker to discuss how your child has settled in and their progress. A further consultation meeting will be arranged for the end of the summer term to discuss your child’s overall progress during the year. Each child will also receive a detailed written report in the summer term.
11. How will my child be kept safe?
The safety and well-being of everyone at New Life Nursery School is of highest priority. All staff have up-to-date safeguarding training and we observe a comprehensive safeguarding policy which is available on this website. See policies.
All staff aim to know everyone as an individual and to provide a secure and caring environment, so that every child can learn in safety, develop his/her full potential and feel positive about him/herself as an individual. All children will be encouraged to care for and support each other. Parents/carers have an important role in supporting the nursery in safeguarding the children, and you are encouraged to discuss any issues or worries with us.
12. What happens if my child has an accident?
All full-time, qualified members of staff have current paediatric first aid certificates. At least one qualified member of staff will be on the premises at all times when children are present and will accompany children on outings.
There is a first aid box accessible at all times with appropriate content for use with children. This is kept out of the reach of children. Any accidents or injuries will be recorded on an accident form with a note of the injury and any treatment administered. You will be given a slip with this information on and we will inform you of any accident or injury sustained by your child on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable.
13. What should I do if my child is ill?
We ask you to telephone the Nursery as soon as possible to advise us if your child is to be absent due to illness.
- We ask you to telephone the Nursery as soon as possible to advise us if your child is to be absent due to illness.
- If your child presents with any symptoms of Covid, we ask that you keep them off nursery until they have recovered / present a negative LFT.
- If your child has sickness or diarrhoea, you should keep them off nursery for 48 hours after their symptoms are clear. Other contagious illnesses, such as chickenpox, have longer periods where children should not attend nursery and we are happy to advise you, if necessary.
- We ask you to advise us if you discover head lice or nits in your child’s hair. We will inform parents if there is an outbreak of head lice and supply an information sheet to aid you in removing the lice and nits.
- Information is displayed in the nursery for all staff and volunteers, which details pupils with specific allergies or medical conditions. This poster is updated at the start of each academic year, and as appropriate during the year, e.g. when new children start Nursery.
14. What if my child needs medication?
We are willing to administer prescribed oral medicines to children, and some over-the-counter medicines, including Calpol. We will only administer over-the-counter medicines for a maximum of three days, when you should seek further medical advice.
Medicines must be clearly labelled with your child’s name. We will not administer any medicines intended for anyone else. We will ask you to complete a medicines consent form for each medicine, noting your child’s name, the name of the medicine, the date and the dosage.
Staff will record the time and date the medicine has been administered and by whom. All medicines will be stored appropriately out of reach of the children.
We are happy to administer inhalers for asthma as necessary. We would ask you to supply a spare in-date inhaler to leave at Nursery, clearly labelled with your child’s name. Again, we would ask you to complete a consent form, recording the inhaler to be used, and the dosage required. Staff will record the time and date the inhaler has been administered, and by whom. All inhalers will be stored out of the reach of children.
Appropriate training will be given to staff for the administration of medicines that require medical or technical knowledge, e.g. Auto-injectors or Inhalers.
15. What are the nursery opening times?
The nursery is open to children from 8.45am – 2.45pm Monday to Friday during term time.
Children may attend Nursery for half day sessions (3 hours) or for full days (6 hours).
Half day sessions are from 8.45am – 11.45am or 11.45am – 2.45pm. Morning only children may also add lunch club (11.45am – 12.15pm) to their sessions for a small additional charge (see Fees). Afternoon children may choose to bring a packed lunch as their session starts while lunch club is in progress.
Full day sessions are from 8.45am to 2.45pm (6 hours) and include lunchtime supervision).
All sessions offered are subject to availability.
16. What are your term dates?
Our term dates are in line with Birmingham City Council’s school term dates.
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17. What are the nursery fees?
1. Funded Sessions:
We offer up to 15 hours a week funded education for eligible two-year olds, as well as all three- and four-year old children. We also offer up to 30 hours of funded education for eligible parents of three-and four-year old children. Please note that 30 hours funding is not available for two-year olds.
The nursery also provides a small number of additional free sessions in line with our admission policy.
2. Chargeable Sessions:
Parents may also pay for sessions at the following rates:
Two-year olds: £18.00 per session (morning or afternoon) / £36.00 (full day)
Three- and four-year olds: £15.00 per session (morning or afternoon) / £30.00 (full day)
We will review our fee structure in the Summer Term of every year. Any changes to fees will be effective from the following September.
3. Additional Fees:
3.1 Children who attend for a morning session only, may also attend for lunch club between 11.45am and 12.15pm at a charge of £3.00 per day to cover the lunchtime care.
Please note: Nursery will provide a mid-morning and afternoon snack, but children will need to bring a packed lunch if attending lunch club.
Lunch club may be taken on an ad hoc basis. A charge will only be made if the child attends.
Late Collection Fee:
There may be a surcharge of £10 per 15 minutes for the late collection of a child.
Booking Places:
The minimum booking for places is one term’s worth of sessions.
Payment options
Sessions and lunch club payments will be invoiced monthly in arrears. We would prefer that parents pay by bank transfer. We also accept vouchers from an authorised company. Please note, we no longer accept cash payments.
Payment is due within 28 days of the invoice date. If invoices are not cleared by the due date, we may charge a late payment fee of £10 per week from the due date until the payment is cleared.
18. If I send my child to a nursery class in a local primary school, will they automatically get a place in that school’s Reception class?
No. That used to be the case, but it no longer applies. Reception places are now allocated by the local authority, not by individual schools. Being in a nursery class is NOT part of the admission criteria. At New Life Nursery School we endeavour to prepare children for entry into any Reception class in the local area. Once we know which school your child is going to, we will liaise with staff there to ease your child’s entry into their new environment.
Your child can start their nursery education with us during the half term after they turn two, (places permitting) and remain with us until they start in the Reception class of their new school.
19. How can I make an application?
In the first instance, please visit our Contact Us page and enquire by email or telephone. You can read our admissions policy and application form online by following these links.