New Update: 3rd June 2020

Dear parents and carers

We're happy to be back welcoming those little smiley faces through our doors again.

Here's just another quick update from us regarding how we are operating at present:

Children Attending Other Settings

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot accept children who are currently attending other settings as well as Pre-school. This is to reduce mixing and risk as much as possible.

Children Displaying COVID-19 Symptoms

As mentioned previously if your child presents any symptoms of COVID-19, please isolate as per the government's guidelines. Please also let us know immediately and seek testing to confirm. You can arrange testing by visiting NHS.UK or contacting NHS 119 via telephone.

If a child or adult from our setting tests positive for the virus, families will be notified and pre-school will close for deep cleaning. Members of staff/children who were in attendance will be expected to self-isolate as per government advice.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on info@stevalpreschool.co.uk or on Pre-school Facebook messenger.

Take care,

Rachael Richards

Update: Reopening 3rd June 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Just an update on our last letter, we are hoping to reopen on Wednesday 3rd June, this will give the team time to prepare the Pre-school for the children. Obviously this is subject to any changes made by the government/ Cornwall Council.

The team have been putting together lots of fun activities for the children to do and will be spending lots of the time outside taking full advantage of the wonderful open spaces we have around us. With this in mind, please can all children have sunscreen applied each day before coming into Pre-school.

I also wanted to clarify what PPE you may see the team using while around others. At least in the initial stages, you might see the team wearing basic disposable gloves, and we have been very lucky to have some pretty, colourful face masks made for us. Hopefully, this will look less clinical to the children.

We are opening at first for morning and afternoon sessions, for the children and team to adjust to the changes. This will be reviewed on a daily basis and we hope to open for full days as soon as possible.

If at any point you wish your child to start back, please contact us on info@stevalpreschool.co.uk or on Pre-school Facebook messenger and we will do our very best to accommodate you. This also applies if you have any questions or concerns, we completely understand that this is a worrying time and for some a difficult decision to make. Please be reassured that we will do everything we can to make the transition as easy as possible, and Pre-school to be the fun and safe place it always has been.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your very kind comments of support. This is an unprecedented time but I know, with the St Eval Pre-school family, we’ve got this!!

Take care and stay safe,

Rachael Richards

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Planned Reopening June 2020

Dear parents/carers

Following the government’s announcement regarding the lifting of restrictions, we plan to reopen Pre-school the week commencing June 1st, subject to safety requirements being met and any change to the government guidelines. At this time, Pre-school will only be open for the children who begin reception class in September 2020.

However there are many changes that have been put into place to comply with social distancing and our duty of care not only for the children, but the staff also.

To comply with government guidelines, we can take up to 8 children at one time, because of this there will NO longer be a full day option. From the above date, morning sessions will start at 9am and finish at 11:50 promptly. The afternoon sessions (including Tuesday for this period) will begin at 12:10 and finish at 3pm. NO LUNCHTIME PROVISION WILL BE AVAILABLE.

The set days that you were allocated before closure will no longer stand and there is also no guarantee of the amount of hours we can offer, this will be subject to the uptake.

Unfortunately, Pre-school is going to be a very different environment, many of the toys and resources we will be unable to use because of cross-contamination. We have also been advised that all staff are to wear PPE, and the children cannot play freely together in or outdoors. Social distancing must be adhered to at all times.

NO parents/carers will be able to enter the building at any point, with this in mind drop off and pick up will run accordingly. On the perimeter fence, there will be 2-metre markings set out, please queue at these points, ensuring social distancing by yourselves and the children.

One at a time parents/carers (one adult only) will bring their child to the bottom of the ramp releasing the child to the member of staff waiting at the front door. Your child will wash their hands before entering the classroom. Please pass this information on to anyone collecting or dropping off your child.

Each classroom will be set up for 4 children and 1 member of staff, throughout the session social distancing will remain. Pick up will follow the same principle, again one adult per child.

Please DO NOT send your child in with bags, book bags, drinks or toys, we cannot accept them. We will supply milk or water to all children throughout the sessions.

Yourself or an emergency contact MUST be available at all times while your child is in the setting.

We have been advised to have an isolation area in which a child can be taken to if unwell, this will be the Snug. If we do contact you due to illness, please come to the front door. Once the member of staff knows you're there, please return to the bottom of the ramp.

We also advise you to continue to follow the government's self-isolation guidelines if your child or anyone in your household presents any symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, high temperature, or loss of/change in your normal sense of taste or smell).

Due to the government guidelines, there will be no new starters or visits until September. We also cannot offer extra or swap sessions.

At present there will be no transition lunches, visits or end of year parties expected, however, this will be constantly reviewed and risk assessments made.

For the remaining weeks, all communication between parent/carers and staff must be done via email info@stevalpreschool.co.uk or through messenger.

Please let me know by Friday 22nd May if you would like to request a place.

I know this is a huge amount of information to take on, but we are trying to make an almost impossible task work and keep everyone safe. If anyone feels they may need any extra support at this difficult time, please contact me and I will do all I can to help.

Take care, Rachael Richards - Pre-school Manager