Do you shop with Amazon???

If so, please help us raise much needed funds for the pre-school.
All you have to do is register with Amazon Smile and select Barking Pre-school as your chosen charity. Follow the link below!
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1159369-0

Once you have completed the registration simply carry on shopping like you have been and Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to the pre-school! It's that simple and there is NO EXTRA COST TO YOU!

I'm delighted to say everything is looking very positive for us to re-open on Monday 7th September!
The Government seems very keen to get our little ones back to school and nursery so let's keep everything crossed there will not be another wave of this nasty virus.
Obviously, we have had to make quite a few changes to the way we will be running the sessions but I can assure you that should your little ones need a cuddle or a high five for reassurance, the staff and I will be on hand to offer it.
A copy of our COVID-19 Policy & Procedure document is available for you to read on our website. 
I will also be posting out a COVID-19 questionnaire which you will need to complete, sign and return to us on your child's first day back.

We will not be able to allow your child entry without this completed questionnaire so please make sure you have it ready. 

You will also receive an arrival and collection procedure along with a clear plastic carrier bag for you to bring your child's possessions in. We realise the new procedures are not creating the warm, personal welcome to you; the parents, we are so used to providing, however we have to do everything possible to keep you and your little ones safe.
Please ensure you read the policy thoroughly and do not hesitate in contacting us if you have any questions.

We all look forward to seeing you all soon.

Kind Regards

Shelley x

​We've been trying to think of the safest way to say our goodbyes to your little ones this year whilst complying with the Government guidelines.
Obviously, parental choice has to be the main factor this year; therefore we have decided to let you all know we, (the staff) will be at Needham Lakes (near the refreshment kiosk) on MONDAY 27th JULY at 2pm in our little bubble of 6!
If you would like to bring your children along to see us, we would love to see them too!

We must follow the social distancing measures at all times which sadly means we won't be able to accept any hugs from your little ones. 

You may decide this is going to be too difficult for them and we totally understand if you decide not to come.
Sadly, this year has caused us a lot of uncertainty and we feel meeting in a public place at a distance is the only safe way to say farewell.
I'm actually quite emotional as I'm typing this and I know my girls all feel the same.

Thank you again for sharing your children with us, we all wish them the very best for their future and will miss them all terribly!

With love to you all

Shelley xx

​With more of the lockdown measures being lifted, it is looking very promising for us to re-open in September! I personally can't wait to get back to some kind of normality and I know my entire team are really missing your little ones.

I am now looking at the intake for September and would be very grateful if you could take the time to reply to this email with the preferred sessions you would like your child to attend. We are all hoping to be able to resume our normal sessions (Mon, Thu & Fri 9.30am - 12.30pm and Tue & Wed 9.30am - 3.30pm) if the COVID-19 regulations allow without causing any more financial harm to the pre-school. 
The Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon session will be dependent upon the number of families wishing to make use of the full day care facility.

I am planning to meet with the staff on Thursday afternoon to discuss planning our re-opening, therefore I would be really grateful if you could reply before Thursday morning.

Really am looking forward to seeing you all soon! Sending lot's of love to you all.

Many thanks
Shelley x

​With the re-opening of schools and nurseries looking more and more likely for 1st June, I am sorry to inform you we will not be able to re-open Barking Pre-school.
After the response we received from parents; we would now only have 4 children returning to pre-school. Sadly; this is not financially viable whilst complying with the guidance.
Please be assured we are regularly assessing the situation and have an on-going risk assessment in place which is being used to write a COVID-19 Policy & Procedure document for when we are able to re-open. We are now aiming for this to be September 2020.

We will continue to liase with the primary school teachers for the children who will be moving on in September and will be creating transition reports which you will find on Tapestry in the next few weeks. We will also notify you when your Tapestry Learning Journey is available for download. If you have any concerns or questions about your child's transition, please email us.

For the children who will be joining us again in September, we will keep you updated on the current situation. We will need parent's to complete a questionnaire before starting back and may need to change the days your child attends to comply with the new guidance. This will all be arranged nearer the time once we have further information.

If you would like any more clarification or information on our decision to remain closed, please email us.
Thank you all for your understanding and co-operation during these difficult and unprecedented times. We really do hope we can all find some kind of normality really soon.

Stay safe everyone!

Shelley xx

Out of the 41 families we currently have in our setting, 9 have said they would feel happy to return, 5 were apprehensive and would like more details, 17 families said they would not be sending their child and 10 parents did not reply.

I am currently reading through all Government guidance, completing risk assessments and following checklists to see whether it would be beneficial to open for those 9 children.
What I can tell you is the pre-school experience would be very different to the experience your children are used to.
Government guidance suggests children are to be kept in small groups of 2/3 with 1 adult (the same staff member each time they visit) and where possible; they should be in different rooms. The children will not be able to mix with other groups. We have been informed we would not be able to use water/sand play, dressing up clothes, play dough and soft play equipment.
All toys and resources used must be cleaned with anti-bacterial cleaner once each child has finished playing with them and children are not to share resources such as pencils, paints etc.
Children would not be able to bring in toys or food from home and we would probably only offer the morning sessions to overcome the packed lunch issue.
Parents would be asked to hand over children in the car park and would not be permitted in the village hall.

This is just a very brief outline of what we are expected to do; in the event we do re-open for the six week period before the Summer holiday I will send a copy of our COVID-19 policy and procedures.

We are still awaiting guidance from Suffolk County Council (they have been extremely supportive) on the issues Early Years Providers face and are speaking to other providers daily to try to overcome the obstacles.

For the children who will be leaving us in July; I can confirm I have begun speaking to Reception teachers and we will do everything possible to make the transition in to primary school as smooth as possible. If you haven't already confirmed which school your child is attending, please do so as soon as possible. Without this confirmation I am unable to share any information with your child's reception teacher.
We will be arranging a leavers picnic/party for those who wish to attend as soon as it is safe to do so; we desperately want to say farewell to the children who will be leaving us.

Thank you again to everyone who replied to my last email, please don't forget to express your opinions on the survey below!

Stay safe

Shelley xx

Following on from the Prime Ministers announcement last night, I have just read through the 60 page document published on the Government website.
The plan outlines possible re-opening of Early Years settings from June 1st 2020, depending on the Government monitoring of the virus. I am still awaiting guidance from Suffolk County Council however I wanted to share the information I have we you as I receive it.


Here is the extract:

Step Two 
The content and timing of the second stage of adjustments will depend on the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus. The five tests set out in the first chapter must justify changes, and they must be warranted by the current alert level. They will be enabled by the programmes set out in the next chapter and, in particular, by continuing to bolster test and trace capabilities, protect care homes and support the clinically extremely vulnerable. It is possible that the dates set out below will be delayed if these conditions are not met. Changes will be announced at least 48 hours before coming into effect. To aid planning, the Government's current aim is that the second step will be made no earlier than Monday 1 June, subject to these conditions being satisfied. Until that time the restrictions currently in place around the activities below will continue. The Government will work with the devolved administrations to ensure that the changes for step two and beyond are coordinated across the UK. However, there may be circumstances where different measures will be lifted at different times depending on the variance in rate of transmission across the UK. The current planning assumption for England is that the second step may include as many of the following measures as possible, consistent with the five tests. Organisations should prepare accordingly.
 ● A phased return for early years settings and schools. Schools should prepare to begin to open for more children from 1 June. The Government expects children to be able to return to early years settings, and for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to be back in school in smaller sizes, from this point. This aims to ensure that the youngest children, and those preparing for the transition to secondary school, have maximum time with their teachers. Secondary schools and further education colleges should also prepare to begin some face to face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams next year, in support of their continued remote, home learning. The Government’s ambition is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review. The Department of Education will engage closely with schools and early years providers to develop further detail and guidance on how schools should facilitate this.


In order for me to start planning for this possible change, could I please ask you to inform me whether you would be happy to allow your child to return to pre-school on 1st June if the Government says it is safe to do so.

The number of parents requiring childcare will determine the measures the staff and I would have to undertake to ensure your child is as safe as possible whilst in our care. This may include partial opening for a small number of children.

I will update you all as soon as I have any further information.

Sending love to all your little ones.

Shelley x

​I'm sure you all saw the Governments announcement to extend the lockdown for another 3 weeks so I just wanted to confirm we will NOT be returning to pre-school on Monday 20th April as stated on our term dates. This will obviously come as no surprise to you but it gives me the opportunity to check in with you and make sure everyone is well.

The families of children due to leave us in July should now have been notified of the primary school they will be attending. Could I please ask you to email me with this information so I can begin to plan the transition with the new schools. Under normal circumstances I would be contacting the foundation class teacher and inviting them in to meet your child; this year I will be emailing the schools and speaking to teachers over the phone until we know when schools and nurseries will be re-opened. Please be assured we will do everything possible to ensure your child has a smooth transition in to the next stage of their learning journey!

I would also like to remind you the staff are unable to access the Tapestry account whilst furloughed. Please don't let this stop you adding observations because I am able to have a sneaky peek on my planned admin days and will catch up with everything your children have been doing. 
The email account is monitored regularly so please feel free to contact us via email. 

It's been lovely being able to contact you all today, as soon as I know anymore about re-opening I will be in touch!
Stay safe everyone!

Lots of love to you all 

Shelley xx

​Morning,


I hope everyone is keeping safe and well in your household?
Unfortunately, I have no further news as to when pre-school will be able to re-open as yet. All staff have been furloughed for the foreseeable future and are unable to do any work for pre-school during this time. As you can imagine, we are all finding it very difficult to switch off! 
I will continue to post the weekly activities on Tapestry during term time but please do not feel pressured to do these. Enjoy the time you have at home with your little ones; they are learning all the time as you play together.

I have received confirmation from Suffolk County Council that funding for next term (Summer 2020) will still be paid; however this does mean I will need you to confirm the days you would like your child to attend once we re-open.
You can do this by replying to this email.

Could I also remind you to pay all invoices in full by Thursday 2nd April to avoid the late payment fee. I will deduct the session fee for closure days from your next invoice where applicable.

Thank you in advance for your prompt reply.

Stay Safe!

Shelley x

Good Morning,

​We have now been given more information on the announcement to close schools and nurseries from Friday 20th March.

The Government have made it clear in their statement that children should be kept at home for their own safety. 
We therefore regret to inform you we have had to make the decision to follow this Government guidance and close our pre-school until further notice.
We are currently contacting other Early Years Providers to see what provisions are in place for families listed as "Key Workers" and will keep you informed as and when we have any further information.
Full details of the closures can be found on the link below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

If you have any further queries or feel you may need assistance with childcare, please email us as soon as possible.

We like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the lovely comments we have received and hope to see you all very soon.

Stay Safe!

Shelley & team x