COVID-19 UPDATE
25 July 2021
We intend to operate normally from September in line with the latest government guidance issued on 23 July 2021. I have copied the guidance below for your information. The biggest change for us is that children under the age of 18 will no longer have to self-isolate is they are contacted by NHS test and trace.
COVID-19: guidance updates and FAQs
The final roadmap step (Step 4) in the transition out of lockdown commenced on Monday 19 July. DfE have published updated early years guidance, a webinar and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to answer the sector's questions.
Key changes at Step 4 include:
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No longer recommending that it is necessary to keep groups apart as much as possible.
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Settings will no longer be expected to undertake contact tracing but may be contacted to help with identifying close contacts. DfE have produced guidance, FAQs and a template letter for settings to send to parents. These can be found here.
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From 16 August, children under the age of 18 will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case but they will be advised to take a PCR test.
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Face coverings will no longer be recommended for staff and visitors in corridors or communal areas.
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Parent and child groups can operate as normal and without restrictions in attendance.
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Dear Parents
When we were permitted to reopen last June after the first lockdown, we took the decision to temporarily change our billing arrangements. We decided that we would only charge for sessions actually attended, and to invoice you in arrears. This was to provide you with the comfort of knowing that you would not incur any fees while you were self-isolating, looking after elderly relatives, if your child was unwell for any reason, if you returned to your home country to be with family or if you just didn't feel comfortable with your child mixing with others.
As we move out of lockdown, that is not a commercially sustainable position for us to continue with. I am writing to let you know that from June, we will be reverting to our previous policy of issuing invoices for sessions booked, whether or not your child attends the group for those sessions (with two exceptions, below).
We will, however, still issue the invoices in arrears until the end of the summer term so you will not experience any double-month charges.
If you need to self-isolate for COVID reasons, you will not be charged for the sessions missed but you will not be able to send your child to the group before the period of your self-isolation ends. If you are returning to your home country or to be with family before the end of term you will not be charged for the sessions missed.
This means that your May invoice will be for sessions attended, and you can expect to receive this mid-June. Your June invoice will be for sessions booked, and you can expect to receive this mid-July. Your July invoice will be for sessions booked, and you can expect to receive this early August.
For those parents with children staying with us next year, we will revert to issuing invoices in advance at the beginning of the month from September for sessions booked.
We are a family group and never aggressively chase for payment, and nor do we insist on payment up front as some groups do. We believe these changes are fair to both you and us but if you feel that they will cause you hardship, please do not hesitate to get in touch so that we can agree a way forward.
Kind regards
Dan.
Fledglings Montessori Pre-School Group - Tuesday 18th May 2021 at 17:54
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29 January 2021
All of our staff are now being tested for COVID-19 twice a week with lateral flow tests. Results come through within 15 minutes and will enable us to close down any affected social bubble with immediate effect. Parents of affected children will be notified without delay; we will continue to report any positive cases to Public Health England, Ofsted and Bromley Early Years.
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10 January 2021
New government guidelines issued on 8 January 2021:
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Confirm that Early years including nursery classes are expected to open fully.
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Children can still share providers if this is needed, but it is recommended to reduce providers if possible.
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It also confirms that school age children eligible to go to school can still attend their childminder setting.
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4 January 2021
Further to the Prime Minister's statement this evening, we will be opening tomorrow, 5 January 2021.
We are staggering arrival and collection times to avoid too many parents arriving at the same time:
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The children who are attending all day arrive at 9:15am and collection is at 3:45pm as usual.
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The children who are only attending morning sessions will arrive at 9:30am and leave at 12:45pm.
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The children who are only attending afternoon sessions will arrive at 12:30pm and leave at 3:45pm.
Children will be collected by us at the gate and no parents will be able to accompany their child into the group. At home time, we will bring your child to the gate to meet you when you arrive.
Please remember to practise social distancing and wear a face mask (over your mouth and nose) whilst queuing.
We will continue to monitor your child's temperature throughout the sessions. If it exceeds 37.8C, we will call you to collect your child. Please arrange for your child to have a COVID test. They are welcome to return if the result is negative, or if the result is positive, at least ten days after their symptoms started.
Do not bring your child to the group if your child or anyone in your house is going for a COVID test or is waiting for results of a COVID test.
If your child is displaying any cold-like symptoms or any of the recognised COVD symptoms, we ask that they do not attend the group and that you arrange for them to be booked for a COVID test.
The safety of the other children with us, their families and our staff are of paramount importance. Please respect them by following these requests.
It is a challenging time for all of us, so if you have any queries regarding your child, please do not hesitate to give us a call. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Kelli, Sue, Brigid and the team at Fledglings.
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31 December 2020
In line with the latest government guidelines, we will be opening as planned on Tuesday, 5 January 2021.
As we are in a Tier 4 area, the open day planned for 4 January 2021 will not go ahead. Please call the nursery on 07803 310 849 to discuss options.
Although we are not obliged to make changes to our setup, we take the safety of our children, families and staff very seriously and we will be reverting to a 'bubble' setup to minimise the risk of cross infection.
You can read the latest government guidance here.
Best wishes
Dan.
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2 November 2020
We have updated our COVID-19 Risk Assessment and you can see the latest version here. We have not updated our individual policies and procedures to reflect our COVID-19 Risk Assessment because all existing polices are subordinate to the COVID-19 Risk Assessment until further notice. In practical terms, for example, it means that our Nappy Changing Policy is unchanged except that the staff will wear PPE when changing a nappy as they are in closer contact than normal during the teaching day. Please be assured that we are following all of the latest guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of your children, and will make any changes required as soon as they are published.
Parental meetings are taking place by phone call and Zoom. If you have a particular preference as to format, please let any of the teachers know at the group.
Best wishes
Dan.
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1 November 2020
Further to the government announcement yesterday, we will remain open during the period of the second lockdown which is due to start from 00:01 on Thursday 5 November 2020. There has been no change to the guidance that we are required to follow (the link is in the paragraph below and was last updated on 21 October 2020). If or when any changes to the way we need to care for our children come into force, we will update our procedures to reflect this. Please be assured that we are taking every possible precaution to ensure that everyone in our group is kept safe. We cannot allow any adults (except teachers) into the group, and we will continue to collect your child from the gate when they arrive. We will bring your child outdoors to meet you or your designated collector at the end of the session.
We will be carrying out parental update meetings over the phone or Zoom this term.
Kelli, Sue, Brigid and the team at Fledglings.
31 August 2020:
We will be offering all morning and afternoon sessions as normal from September, as well as Breakfast Club where there is demand.
We will be following the government guidelines last updated on 24 July 2020.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures
We are no longer required to keep children in isolated bubbles but we will ensure that the children are outdoors as much as possible and that they wash their hands regularly. We will be taking the temperature of each child as they are arrive. This will be taken in front of you and from the wrist if you do not want your child's forehead to be checked.
We will be collecting your children at the gate and ask that you do not enter the premises. We will call you if your child is not settling or if there is some other issue you need to be aware of.
We will review these procedures as and when we receive updated guidance from the government. Needless to say, we cannot wait to see those of you returning to us, and to meet our new starters!
Kelli, Sue, Brigid and the team at Fledglings.
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Dear Parents
You will no doubt be aware that preschools in England have been asked to prepare to reopen from 1 June. Before we do this, we have to conduct a risk assessment for the premises and to implement changes to our routine to minimise the risk of any viral infection. It is going to be practically impossible, however, to impose social distancing on such young children, but please be assured we will doing everything we possibly can to protect our children and staff. We have plenty of hand sanitiser and gloves on order, and have today purchased a large number of pencil cases so that the children do not have to share pencils. We will be implementing further changes before 1 June.
Kelli will be in contact with everyone to see if you intend for your child to return, and to reassure you about the measures we are taking. In the immediate term, my mother will not be returning to teach but will be available should you wish to speak with her. She will also organise the leaver's party which you are welcome to attend even if your child does not return before term ends.
As a goodwill gesture, we will only bill you for sessions that your child attends until term finishes on 17 July. This is not a sustainable financial position for us, and from September bills will be issued for the sessions your child is booked to attend as normal. If lack of demand means that our running costs exceed our revenue for certain sessions, we may need to scale those sessions back, although we hope to maintain a full timetable for the remainder of term and will not do anything without speaking with you first.
If your account is in credit and your child is not going to return, we are still returning credit balances. Details are in the email I sent out on 10 May.
My final exams start in a couple of weeks, so if you have an urgent query, please call or message Kelli on the nursery number – 07803 310 849.
Keep safe, and we hope to welcome you back in a few weeks.
Best wishes
Dan and everyone at Fledglings.
Fledglings Montessori Pre-School Group - Tuesday 19th May 2020 at 16:38
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Dear Parents
Firstly, the team at Fledglings hope you are all keeping well and that you had as enjoyable an Easter as was possible in the circumstances.
As the current lockdown continues, we will not be reopening for the Spring term next week as planned, and nor will we be holding an open day on the first day of term.
I appreciate how frustrating this is for you, and I can assure you that we are all ready to reopen as and when the government allows us to.
Secondly, I am writing to let you know that you will shortly receive the April invoice. I appreciate that some of you have been in touch asking what ought to be paid for this month, or whether last month’s bills still have to be paid in full, so I hope this email will clear up any uncertainty.
I have credited back every session from 23 March to 31 March. This is to reflect that those sessions were already invoiced in March, and so could not be removed from last month’s invoices. I have also credited back your April charges, so your invoice is essentially a credit note for the March sessions that we were unable to provide. Where the March invoice was paid in full (and your account was up to date), your account will now be in credit.
In addition, where deposits were due to be credited against your April invoice (where your child is due to leave us in July), this has been done meaning that if you are in credit, I will be in contact to arrange a direct payment to you. We are restricted by the number of new payees we can create each day with our bank (because of fraud protection restrictions) so I will have to stagger the payments. I understand that with the current uncertainty you may need the money to be repaid quickly. If that is the case, please do not be embarrassed to ask and I will ensure you are repaid as a priority. Where your account is not in credit, the ‘Total to pay’ amount in the summary box is your current account balance taking into account all invoices, payments and COVID-19 credits. You can check your detailed account statement on Parent Admin.
We really hope that we will be permitted to reopen before the end of the Spring term – and we are sure that you are too! If we receive any information about being able to reopen, I will let you know right away.
As ever, do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries. I am in the throes of revision for my final exams so I really appreciate your patience if I am a little slow in replying.
Stay safe and well in these crazy times!
Dan.
Fledglings Montessori Pre-School Group - Thursday 16th April 2020 at 11:53
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Dear Parents
We appreciate that that you have many questions about what will happen over the coming weeks and months. While the situation is uncertain, we wanted to let you know a few answers to common questions that we have received over the past few days.
We will not be billing you for sessions that you cannot attend because of our closure during this term or next. Where deposits are due to be credited next term, (if next term is your child's last term with us) I will be arranging for those to be credited to you directly along with any sessions for this month that could not be fulfilled. I am studying, working and running errands for my parents who are both over 70 so your patience is appreciated. I will get round to everything in time.
We expect to receive government funding for next term, but as a reminder, it is based on a per-child, per-session basis and it takes a huge amount of my time to submit the claims each month. If you remove your child from the group, we will lose that funding which will make our ability to survive until September uncertain. Being paid less than half the rate of a dog walker means that every penny counts. Unless you need those hours to allocate to a childminder, please do not give notice as we will suffer financially as a result.
We appreciate that this is a huge upheaval for both you and your children and we will be sending out activities for you to do to help alleviate the inevitable cabin fever! If you have any ideas or suggestions then please let us know as we can pass them to the rest of the group.
If we are unable to open next term, we plan to arrange some form of get-together for our leavers when it is safe to do so. We will have more details about that closer to the time.
We hope you are all keeping well and following the government's advice about social distancing.
With every best wish
Dan.
Fledglings Montessori Pre-School Group - Monday 23rd March 2020 at 10:44