FAQ Standard Questions

Below are some answers to questions we are regularly asked. If you have a questions which isnt answered here, please feel free to contact us.

How long is the waiting list?

It is very difficult to gauge when a place will become available for you. This is due to the fact that we are so flexible , allowing from a minimum of just two half days. Places that become available are based on children leaving, so it would depend on which sessions they do, as that is what becomes available.

You may be number 15 on the waiting list, but the only person who needs the sessions made available when a child leaves.

We do encourage you to contact us regularly when you are on the waiting list to keep us updates on any changes to your requirements, and to find out of any movement our end.

How many children per class do you teach?

We teach no more then 15 clients at a time here at the Auden Place.

What times are you open?

We are open 24 hours!

Do you offer any disabled facilities?

Yes, we work hard at making sure all children are able to attend Auden Place.

When will I know if I have a place for my child?

You will be contacted by a member of our management team if a place becomes available. If you decide to accept the place, we will request a payment of £150.00 (£100.00 deposit and £50.00 non-refundable registration fee) to secure you’re place. Dates and times will be agreed and on receipt of payment, you will receive a deposit pack confirming your place.

What happens if I change my mind or want to defer my start date?

As long as we receive one month’s notice then you will have your £100 deposit returned. If you wish to defer your start date for more than one month, we cannot guarantee to keep it for you.

When we agree days, do we need to stick to them?

Yes these will be your set days and should you not attend any of these days or they fall on nursery closure dates, then you still need to pay.

We do offer ad hoc extra sessions, but cannot always guarantee them, it often depend on other children being on holiday.

Why do we have to do 2 full weeks of settling even if our child is only going to attend part time?

Starting nursery is a huge change to both you and your child and we aim to make the transition as smooth as possible. We start with a home visit to make the initial introduction in the environment you as a family feel more comfortable.

Parent week not only gets you the parent settled in to the nursery, but also allows your child to explore their new environment, safe in the knowledge that you are there with them. The second week, you start to leave your child for graduating sessions getting them used to you leaving and coming back.

Will someone call me if my child is very upset?

We are there to support your child and understand that more often than not your child is with us when you work or study, so we do not call you every time they cry, but in saying that, we do not believe that a being distraught is good way for a child to develop so we play it by ear and call you if we really feel it necessary.

Will you be teaching my child to read and write?

Our role is to facilitate and scaffold the children’s learning and not to set them up to fail. We will not sit a child down and ask them to write their name, but we will introduce them to print through play and the environment and offer opportunities for them by providing paper pens. We will praise every effort they make in anything they do and celebrate their emergent writing. Children will read and write when they are ready, and we are there to ensure they feel emotionally ready and supported so that they will want to learn.

What is your policy on behaviour?

We focus on the positive behaviour rather than the negative and our approach differs slightly depending on the age group we are dealing with. Our key strategies are distraction and praising good behaviour. We talk to the children (age permitting) about what they are doing and are clear in our explanations about why it is not acceptable. We always focus on the action and not the child e.g. we do not like the way they are behaving…. NOT we don’t like them. We have a detailed “Promoting Positive Behaviour” policy, do ask if you would like a copy.

Who will look after my child if their key-person is not in?

As well as your key-person, you will also have a back-up key-person. Although it is the role of your key-person to maintain your child’s records and be their main support at nursery, the staff team work very closely together and they will all be there to support your child during their time at nursery.

What happens if I am late collecting my child?

We are very strict with our collection times and expect you to make every effort to collect your child on time as our staff work long hours and are ready to go home when their shift finishes. The 1pm finish is equally important, sometimes more so as the afternoon children are arriving and if you are late collecting your child, we may be taken over our legal numbers and staff cover is not adequate.

We do understand that sometimes things go wrong, so we do allow 3 occasions before we start to fine you.

For the 6pm, we do also offer a book of late sessions (10 for £50) and with these you can use them ad hoc when you need them which means you then have until 6.30pm to collect

Why do you not provide aprons when the children are getting covered in paint or water?

The reason we do not provide aprons is that we do not want to interrupt the children’s natural flow of play and exploration. So many times, we’ve distracted a child from what they were so focussed on to put an apron on them and then they just ran off and left what they were doing. Even when preparing them for an activity rather than free flow, putting aprons on them restricts their movement and it’s just not the same.

We do get washable paint and do our best to prevent them painting themselves but children will be children.

We recommend not sending your child to nursery in their best clothes!

Does my child move to the next room on their birthday?

Whilst the rooms are divided by age, this is not done in a rigid way. Occasionally babies or toddlers move up before their birthday, or may stay down longer. This can be to meet their needs or be dependant on availability in the next room. Occasionally a child younger than yours may go up sooner, but this is always for a specific reason and will have been discussed in detail between the key-person, Room Leaders and Management team.

The biggest issue for Auden is that we always run on full occupancy so it can happen that a child has a birthday, but no one has left the next room to open up a space. Our big move each year is from around July through to September when our older children leave for school.

Rest assured that if your child is in their room for quite a bit longer than you’d expect, they will not be the only one and staff will ensure that the activities planned for them will be specific for their personal development. They will not be ‘held back’ in any way. If you are ever in this situation, please come and speak to staff so they can keep you updated on your child’s development.

Why can’t my child just have fruit for dessert instead of what is on your menu?

Management at Auden have worked extremely carefully with the Early Years Nutrition Partnership to ensure that our menus meet every standard that is set by the Children’s Food Trust. Guidelines state how important it is for children to receive all foods including small amounts of sugar. We do always ensure our recipes have a low sugar content. By only having fruit, your child is losing out on many other nutrients that are present in our desserts. Please have a look at our menus here and you will see that our puddings are very fruit-based (crumbles, cobblers, etc.)

We will accommodate your requests until your child reaches 1, when we expect you to then move on to our set menu. (Allergies and religious requests are of course catered to at all ages.) This is not only to provide the full nutrients required, but also because we value mealtimes as wonderful social times to interact with our friends and discuss the day. As children get older, they become aware of differences so even when we cater for allergies etc. we aim to provide an alternative that looks as similar to the main meal as possible. Please do see our Food and Drink policy for further information.

What days are you closed during the year?

The nursery opens from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. 51 weeks of the year (excluding bank holidays).

Our last open day of the year is the 23rd December and we reopen on the 2nd January every year.
We close for 5 Inset days over the year for staff training.
You can find the closure calendar for the current year here.

Can my child use reuseable nappies?

Yes, while we provide disposable nappies as standard we do have the option of parents bringing in reuseable cloth nappies for their child to be changed into at the nursery.