Coronavirus update
23/02/2021
Great news, lockdown easing should mean we can get back to more of what we love in the outdoors soon. (Providing the data on infections allows easing to continue along the published schedule.)
What’s the roadmap for lifting lockdown?
Our pre-schools have been able to continue running through the winter lockdown and will continue to do so.
From 8th March, our home education groups will return, as well at the possibility of school visits to our Adlington site.
From 12th April we can host parties providing there are no more than 15 people present aged 5 and over. Under 5’s do not count. We will also be able to host toddler sessions providing there are no more that 15 over 5’s present.
From 17th May we can host parties providing there are no more than 30 people present aged 5 and over. Under 5’s do not count.
14/9/2020
New rules have come into place which mean we are not able to run parties at the present time. The rule of 6 means that social gatherings of more than 6 people are not allowed.
27/08/2020
Our pre-school and Home-Ed groups are back in September under some limitations to help prevent Covid-19 transmission.
Parties –
Our parties can only currently take place if;
Only two households (and their support households) are meeting outside,
or / there are a maximum of 5 people from different households meeting outside,
or / all the partygoers are from the same school bubble (ie all from the same class at school).
You are welcome to provisionally book a party but we must make sure the above is in force until any future changes in regulations. If we cannot work within the above restrictions a party would not be able to go ahead.
Our latest COVID-19 procedures;
18/05/2020
Nurseries and some school years are due to return from the 1st of June.
We are working hard to ensure that we are ready for our return the week commencing 8th June, as that is when we are back after the half-term break.
We have produced our Covid-19 control procedures. Please read them here;
We will be opening for children in our outdoor pre-school settings in Grappenhall and Adlington. We will not be resuming the Home Ed groups, toddler groups or parties until a later date. Pre-school children may attend if they are from a Covid-19 free household and do not have any household members who are classed as at severe risk.
We also need to plan around the number of children who may or may not be attending, so we have created a survey for all parents to fill in to help us plan for a smooth return to the woods. We have re-issued this survey in light of our Covid-19 procedures, particularly in light of our procedure in regard to children not attending two different settings.
18/3/2020
As you are by now probably aware, the PM today announced that schools, nurseries and colleges are to close from Friday afternoon to the vast majority of pupils. That means that we will need to follow these rules too.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-coronavirus-18-march-2020
Therefore our Nest in the Woods pre-school will be closed from Friday evening until further notice ………….. unless you are a “keyworker” – more information on this below.
We will still be open tomorrow (19/3/20) in Grappenhall and Adlington, and Friday (20/3/20) in Grappenhall, but will not be open from next week until the government deems it suitable to re-open again.
Invoices
If you have an invoice for the remainder of March, we respectfully request that you please pay it in full. Our staff, who do such a fantastic job of looking after the children deserve to be paid in full for their work. As a not-for-profit community interest company, we do not have any reserve of money in the bank and rely on our income to pay our staff.
Obviously it would not be appropriate for us to request money for childcare we cannot provide from the start of April onwards, so we will not be invoicing from April until we are able to open again.
FEEE Childcare Funding
One way you could help us though, is to claim the maximum amount of the FEEE childcare funding for Nest in the Woods. The government has said that it will continue FEEE funding payments even if nurseries are forced to close. All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours, and some are entitled to 30 hours. If you are able to claim it for us, it would go a long way to making sure we are able to survive long enough to still be here for you when this coronavirus crisis is behind us. The forms for claiming the entitlement are available on our website along with information for other funding streams;
Adlington – https://nestinthewoods.co.uk/childcare-funding-adlington/
Grappenhall – https://nestinthewoods.co.uk/childcare-funding/
I’m due to return the estimates for next term to local councils by Friday so please claim whatever you can as soon as possible. You can return the forms directly to me via mark@nestinthewoods.co.uk
Keyworkers
The government have said that schools and childcare settings should remain open only for the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children (those with ECHP’s). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
- Health and social care
- Education and childcare
- Key public services
- Local and national government
- Food and other necessary goods
- Public safety and national security
- Transport
- Utilities, communcation and financial services
“If workers think they fall within the critical categories above, they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.”
If you are a keyworker and we are your primary childcare setting, please let us know your childcare requirements and your keyworker role. Please respond as soon as possible so that we can make plans accordingly. We are only a small staff team and come under the Keyworker role ourselves. We will do our best to ensure you can continue to get your childcare needs fulfilled. I must warn you though, that there may be difficulties ahead if we have staff who need to self-isolate due to themselves or a member of their household being ill, in that case we will do our best to coordinate with yourself and/or other childcare settings to provide care.
Please note Key principle 1 on the Guidance for schools, childcare providers, collages and local authorities in England on maintaining educational provision published 19 March 2020
1: If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
admin@nestinthewoods.co.uk
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes and stay healthy!
Mark Redford and Sally Cliffe