QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN VISITING A NURSERY OR PRE SCHOOL

Nurseries in the UK have become one of the most important focal points of the community in recent years. Studies into the importance of quality pre school education, interaction within a playgroup setting and the educational value provided by a nursery combined with the fact that many traditional families are now facing the situation where both parents go out to work, has meant that nursery school care and pre school education is one of the most important decisions we can make for our child before they begin school full time.

Key to finding the right nursery for you and your child is to do your research beforehand. Use the information available to you from trusted sources, official websites, literature produced by the nursery or playgroup in question. Most UK nurseries will have plenty of information available for any prospective parent, both in the traditional paper format and also online, which will enable you to decide if the nursery sounds suitable for the specific needs of your child or children.

Once you have looked at this information and decided upon a nursery that seems suited for your child, the next step is to actually visit the nursery to gauge whether the environment is suited to your expectations and will care for your child to the highest possible standards, ensuring the transition from “being at home with mum or dad” to “being at school without mum or dad” goes as smoothly as possible.

It is almost unheard of now for a nursery school or pre school not to offer some form of visiting system for prospective parents and you should make it a priority to visit the nursery at least once (more if you remain inquisitive or dissatisfied for any reason) to see how the nursery operates for yourself. Of course bringing your child with you on such a visit is also a positive step as it will allow them to see the nursery, perhaps begin new friendships with the children already there, play with the toys and see the staff who they may be seeing a great deal more of in the coming months. However the visit is only of use to you as a parent if it answers some of the many questions you will no doubt have about the nursery. Listed below are some of the questions that you may wish to consider asking a nursery and which you should expect a positive response to :

1. Does the nursery hold a valid Ofsted certificate ? If so can you see it?  The certificate means that the nursery has been registered with Ofsted and should have their latest Ofsted report available for you to peruse. (It is worth remembering however that Ofsted is in the process of privatising nursery inspections as from September 2010 and this could have a knock on effect on how inspections are carried out from then on) (Source BBC News: 17^th Feb 2010 )

2. What are the ratio’s of staff to children? There are recommended guidelines for how many staff should be working with the different ages of children you may find in a nursery, playgroup or pre school. Does the nursery adhere to this and are the ratios maintained during break time and lunch?

3. How are the parents involved in the nursery? Does the nursery welcome visits from parents and encourage parents to become part of the nursery? Does the nursery have regular parents evenings when their child’s progress can be discussed?

4. What are the security measures of the nursery like? How does the nursery safeguard your child against unauthorised people entering the building? What procedures do they have in place to ensure that the children ge home only with a person authorised to collect them? Are the play areas (especially the outdoor play areas) secure?

5. Where do the younger children sleep? Is this a good environment for sleep (for example, is it in a quiet room away from the chatter of the play area and outdoor play area? If it is too close then it could well be too noisy as the older children play)?  How is this area monitored to ensure any baby who wakes up distressed is comforted immediately?

6. How many accidents have there been at the nursery? How well documented is each incident? Does the nursery have an accident book that is kept up to date with every incident? What are the procedures for letting a parent know if their child has had an accident in nursery? Which members of staff have a qualified first aid certificate? What is the nursery/playgroup policy on sickness within the nursery? This is not assuming that anything bad will happen to your child of course and it is sensible to be wary of any nursery that insists that these issues are not relevant to them. The nursery should be able to give you clear answers to all these important questions and demonstrate a clear plan of action in the case of accidents or illness.

7. Does the nursery have an induction process for new children? Some nurseries run ‘trial sessions’ where parents and children are invited to allow their child to settle in before they start at the nursery. This detracts from the stress felt on the first day and gives the child and parent confidence that the nursery is perfectly suited to their needs. It will allow the parent and child to build trust in the nursery, its staff and also build relationships with the children and parents already there.

8. How is the nursery decorated? Children love seeing their work displayed on the walls. Be cautious if you see a nursery decorated with plenty of posters and drawings, but not of the children’s own work.

9. Is the environment a happy and positive one? Rather than ask this question, you can observe this yourself quite easily. Do the children smile? Are they keen and enthusiastic? Do they smile a lot at staff and each other? Do the staff give the children plenty of positive reinforcement/praise? Do the staff smile? Is the work achieved by the children valued by the staff and rewarded with encouragement and praise? Is there a “happy chatter” in the place? Are the children enthusiastic about the activities they are doing?

10. What does the nursery want to know from you? This is particularly important. Any nursery that insists your child will settle in with almost no information is one to be wary of. The best UK nurseries will ensure that they have as much information as possible about you and your child to ensure that they can tailor their provision to suit the child coming to nursery as best they can. The more information you can give the nursery, the more quickly your child will settle happily at nursery.

11. Finally, it is worthwhile asking about what will happen in the unlikely event of your child being unhappy at nursery or if there is a disciplinary issue, what the policy is. Again, the nursery should be able to give you clear guidance on the procedures they follow on the rare occurrences these happen.

While this list is by no means exhaustive and may not cover any specific questions you may wish to ask the nursery school about your child, it is an excellent starting point to cover the key issues faced by any parent when their child begins life at a nursery or pre school. By being as prepared as possible, you are giving your child the best possible chance of having a stress free, enjoyable start to their life at nursery.