Burwell Early Learners CIO – Early Years

At BEL we believe that care and education are equally important in the experience which we offer children.

The routines and activities that make up the day in our setting are provided in ways that:

Ensure the safety of each child;

Help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group;

Provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning.

The day

We organise the day so that children can take part in a variety of child-chosen and adult-led activities. These take account of children’s changing energy levels throughout the day. We cater for children’s individual needs for rest and quiet activities during the day. Outdoor activities contribute to children’s health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them.

The sessions

At BEL we offer the following sessions:

Dolphin room

Monday

9:00-12:00

Tuesday

9:00-12:00

Wednesday

9:00-12:00

Thursday

9:00-12:00

Friday

9:00-12:00

Starfish room

Monday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Tuesday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Wednesday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Thursday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Friday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Seahorse room

Monday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Tuesday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Wednesday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Thursday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

Friday

9:00-12:00

12:00-12:30

12:30-3:30

All session are subject to availability.

Funding

Government funding is available for some two, and all three and four-year olds.

Please see these websites for more information www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/free2s or childcarechoices.go.uk.

This funding covers 38 weeks. If your child is eligible for funding, please request a funding form from our office.

Funding can only be applied at the beginning of a term and changes to funding cannot be made throughout the term.

If you wish your child to do extra sessions after the funding deadline these will have to be paid for until the following term when funding can be amended.

Snack and Meals

During each session that your child attends, there will be a time when they have the opportunity for a snack and a drink, milk and water will be supplied. We ask parents to provide healthy and nutritious snacks (i.e. fruit, dried fruit, cereal bar) in a clearly named bag. For lunches we ask that this does not contain chocolate or sweets and adheres to our Food & Drink policy. Children are also encouraged to have water in a bottle for throughout the session.

Clothing

We will provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities. Although staff will do their best to keep your child’s clothing clean there will be times when accidents happen so please dress your child in old clothes that you do not mind getting stains on.

Please name all clothes and supply a spare set in your child’s bag. If you would like to order a BEL t-shirt or jumper to wear this can be ordered on-line through a company called “my clothing”.

Special Needs

To make sure that our provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any special needs a child may have. We work to the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015)

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators are Linda Cooksey and Tracy Parr

Safeguarding children

Our setting has a duty under the law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual ‘significant harm’. Our employment practices ensure children against the likelihood of abuse in our setting and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.

Our way of working with children and their parents ensures that we are aware of any problems that may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies when necessary, to help families in difficulty.