N and R SINGLE PAGES

MERCHANT TAYLORS’ Prep

Nursery and Reception Handbook

MERCHANT TAYLORS’ Prep

Parents’ Handbook 2024-2025 The Manor (Nursery and Reception)

Ethos ‘A Christian caring environment in which each pupil is valued for himself, in which each is given the opportunity of full development, and in which all concerned, pupils, Staff and Governors strive for excellence.’

Leadership and Governance

Senior Leadership Team

Head - Mr Miles Chester Deputy Head – Mr Tony McConnell Deputy Head - Mr Andrew Crook

Head of Pre-Prep – Mrs Colette Quinlivan Assistant Head (Academic) – Mrs Lisa Waddell Assistant Head (Wellbeing) – Mr Richard Waddington School Business Manager – Ms Colleen Phillips

Governors

The Merchant Taylors’ Company founded the school in 1561 and the Merchant Taylors’ Educational Trust continues to be responsible to the Court of the Merchant Taylors’ Company for ensuring the due governance of Merchant Taylors’ School. The Governing Body consists of: representatives of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors’ of the Fraternity of St John Baptist in the City of London; OMTs; the Head Master of Merchant Taylors' School; Head of Merchant Taylors' Prep; the Bursar; and figures from the world of education and local community. A representative of the teaching faculty also attends meetings. Close links between the Company and the School have helped the school prosper for 450 years and it is our most earnest wish that they continue to do so. Mr Eggar, Chair of Governors, can be contacted via MTS..

Uniform and equipment list

Items marked with an asterisk (*) must be obtained from the official School supplier, Pullens and no substitute will be acceptable. Other items may be bought there or elsewhere. If there are problems over any item please enquire at the School before a substitute is obtained.

Please ensure that all uniform items are clearly named, with your son’s first name and surname.

Pullens Ltd. School Outfitters:

48 – 50 Church Road, Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4AH TELEPHONE: 0208 954 3850 50 High Street, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 1BL TELEPHONE: 01923 840050 https://www.uniform4kids.com/collections/merchant-taylors-prep-school/nwprepnursery

Indoor wear

*White polo shirt with the school motif *Navy blue sweatshirt with school logo *Navy blue jogging bottoms with school logo Elasticated navy shorts (summer Term) Outdoor shoes with Velcro fastenings, black, plain style (with non-slip soles) No slip-on

shoes or laces please. No trainers allowed, no flashing lights A water resistant/proof upper leather or leather-like material

Socks – black or navy blue

Outdoor wear

*Plain navy blue coat (Please sew in a large tape hook, so the children can hang the coats themselves) *Merchant Taylors’ Prep winter hat and scarf *Merchant Taylors’ Prep legionnaires cap for the summer

Black elasticated or Velcro plimsolls for P.E. Wellington boots – any colour is acceptable Navy blue waterproof over-trousers (for outdoor activities at the Manor)

Other equipment

*Shoe Bag overprinted with name (containing a full spare set of clothes in case of accidents, any spare clothes can be ‘non-logo’ uniform) *School Book Bag *Art apron with Velcro fastenings (Please sew in a large tape hook, so the children can hang the aprons themselves) Oversized jumper (to wear over their uniform but under their jackets for very cold days in the forest (during cold weather only)

Toilets

In order to give your child the best start in Nursery and Reception, please ensure that they are happy and confident in using the toilet independently. Please note that children cannot start at Nursery or Reception if they are not toilet trained. Staff are always on hand to help children with any occasional ‘accidents’. Please contact the school if you have any queries.

Daily Routine Nursery Nursery start welcoming the children in at 09:00, with doors closing promptly at 09:15. The Nursery day finishes at 15:00. If you are running late, please contact us so that we can reassure your child. If you are delayed beyond 15:10 he will attend Late Club, for a fee, until you arrive. Reception Reception starts welcoming children in at 08:15, with doors closing promptly at 8:40. Please do not be late, as lessons start promptly and it can be upsetting for your child to have arrived after the day has started. The Reception day ends at 15:20. If you are running late, please contact us so that we can reassure your child. If you are delayed beyond 15:30 he will attend Late Club, for a fee, until you arrive.

Early and Late Club for Reception & Nursery

We offer an early drop-off service for an additional fee:

• Nursery: drop off service at either 08:00 or 08:30 • Reception: drop off service at 08:00

We also offer a Late Club service for Nursery and Reception pupils where activities available are play based, for an additional fee:

• First session: runs until 16:30 • Full session: runs until 17:15 includes a light tea (sandwiches, fruit & water)

If your child stays for either of the above Late Club services, please provide a healthy, nut-free snack.

Further details, such as costings, are available from the School Office.

Travel to and from school Car park

We have our own small car park adjacent to the Nursery and Reception building which is for your use. Should this car park be full, parents are requested to use the main car park which is found along the road past the school building. This car park has plenty of spaces and there is a zebra crossing for you to use to reach the Manor. Please do not park on any roads or on the driveway as this causes problems for larger vehicles passing there.

The safety of all children must be our first consideration. When using the car park please:

Supervise all children, to ensure their safety and that of others. Depart as soon as possible to allow others to park. Keep dogs in the car as they are not allowed on the school premises.

Cars are parked at owner’s risk. The school accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to property whilst remaining in the school grounds or premises.

Different Collection Arrangements

Please let us know by email or by telephone if your child will be collected either regularly or occasionally by someone other than his parents. We will not release your child to someone else without prior arrangement.

Food in School

Snack Time

We provide a range of healthy snacks for your child to enjoy mid-morning; for example bananas, oranges, raisins, apples, grapes and buttered crackers.

Milk & Water Milk is available for morning break and you may order this via the forms in your starter pack. If there are any changes to this, please email the office. Do not order milk for your child if you know he does not like it. Please bring a bottle of water to school for your child every day.

Lunch A hot lunch is provided for all pupils. There is a choice of food, including a vegetarian option. Please indicate any dietary requirements via the forms in your starter pack. We will require a confirmation letter from your doctor of a diagnosed allergy, and this must be dated within the last six months. If there are any changes, please email the office. We cannot guarantee to comply with your wishes if we do not have this form completed. The lunch menu is available every week on the school website. If your child does not eat meat, please ensure that he understands the term ‘vegetarian’ and that it applies to him. We do not offer halal or kosher food Birthday Treats We really enjoy celebrating birthdays in school. You may if you wish, bring in a ‘birthday book’ to celebrate your child’s birthday.: Around the time of your child’s birthday, you may wish to buy a book to donate to the school library in celebration. When the book comes to school, we will put a dedication sticker in the front inside cover, so that in the future, children will be able to remember who donated the book. Your child will present the book to their class, and it will become a gift that will be shared and treasured in our library for many years.

Unfortunately, we are unable to distribute party invitations, bags or gifts.

Contact details

Please ensure that we have up-to-date contact details, including details of emergency non parental contacts, at all times. Please email the Office immediately to update your details if they change. This includes changes in address, telephone numbers, email addresses and family circumstances.

Communication with school

The School Office can be contacted on 01923 825 648 from 08.00 to 17.15 Monday to Friday during term time. An answerphone is used at other times.

You may also contact the Manor, where Nursery and Reception are based, directly on 01923 845 990 (Nursery) and 01923 845 991 (Reception) from 08.00 to 16.00 Monday to Friday during term. In the vast majority of cases where you have a query about your child’s experience in school, his class teacher is the best first point of contact.

All school staff may be contacted via the school office, who will be happy to redirect an email or take a message. School staff are always on hand for quick messages at the beginning of the day and at the end of sessions. However, please be aware that their main focus at this time is to ensure that the children arrive and leave safely. You can always ask for an appointment if you have something important to discuss

If you need to contact the Head out of school hours (in extreme emergencies only) email emergency@mtpn.org.uk.

Our office staff and teachers are here to help you and we are committed to helping resolve any problems or queries that you may have. Our colleagues have the right to work in a safe environment and therefore, verbal abuse, aggressive or other inappropriate behaviour will not be accepted.

Absence

Parents must contact the School Office first thing in the morning (and certainly by 8.30) by phone (01923 845990 – Nursery or 01923 845991 - Reception) or email (office@mtpn.org.uk) if their child is going to be absent from school because of illness. Parents must make this contact themselves: messages sent via friends, au pairs etc. do not fulfil our legal requirements. If pupils have pre-booked medical or dental appointments which cannot be scheduled outside the school day, parents should request permission for absence in advance by contacting the School Office, for the attention of the Head of Pre-Prep. We do not expect parents to request absence during term time for family holidays, or extensions of the holiday periods, as the school holidays are generous enough and absences from school can be detrimental to a pupil’s progress. In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible for the Head to sanction time off school and written permission for absence from school other than due to illness should always be obtained beforehand from the Head. Any such request should be put to the Head before any travel plans are made.

Illness and medical issues

Please do not bring your child to school if he is ill during the night or at breakfast time. Please do not bring your child to school if he has had fever-reducing medicine such as Calpol that morning. If we have to send your child home because of sickness, please wait until he is fully recovered before sending him back to school. Bouts of high temperature, vomiting or diarrhoea require a minimum 24 exclusion period. Please do not send your child back until he has been symptom-free for a full day. Illness which must result in absence from school

Medical issues in school

If your child is well enough to be at school but still requires medicine, please complete a consent form available from school staff. Please note that only prescribed medicine will be administered in school. The school cannot be held responsible for failure of pupils to take medicine, or for any problems arising from the administration of medicine at school.

We have a full-time School Nurse based mainly on the Prep site. Where possible she will take the lead in administering medication and assessing unwell or injured pupils.

If your child has a severe allergy and carries an AAI for emergencies please contact the School Nurse who will advise you of school procedures regarding their use. Parents are responsible for ensuring that their child’s AAI is not out of date. Pupils requiring an AAI may not attend school unless there are sufficient, in-date, AAIs available to facilitate the care plan. If your child requires an inhaler he may carry his own if you inform the School Nurse that you wish him to do this. You must provide us with a spare inhaler. Inhalers If your child has been diagnosed with an allergy or asthma it is important that you provide us with a confirmation letter from your doctor. The School Nurse will make arrangements to see you to discuss a care plan for your child. Parents are requested not to send snacks containing nuts to school. Food cooked on site does not contain nuts. Because of the prevalence of ‘traces of nuts’ in numerous products, the school cannot guarantee that it is completely nut-free. Foods are clearly identified by the catering staff if they contain known allergens (such as egg). Allergies and asthma Adrenaline Auto-Injectors (AAIs) In the event of illness or accident at school your child will be dealt with by the School Nurse, or otherwise by one of the school’s qualified first aiders, and you will be called should be need to be sent home. In the event of a serious injury the school will act in loco parentis, calling an ambulance if necessary. We will make every effort to contact parents in such a situation, but you are asked to sign the medical form giving us permission to approve emergency situation should you be unavailable. In the event of even a minor head injury we do make contact with parents.

Curriculum

The education provided in Nursery and Reception is a very effective, practical and oral curriculum which is taught through a range of exciting and stimulating topics. We encourage the children to develop the following Learning Attitudes: concentration, communication and collaboration, independence, imagination, empathy, wisdom, perseverance, curiosity and risk taking. The children participate in a wide range of teacher led and child-initiated activities in all areas of development in both the indoor and outside environment. They also receive dedicated Music, French and PE lessons delivered by specialist teachers. In Nursery each child has a Journal which is a record of the exciting learning journey that they have experienced during their time in Nursery. It demonstrates how they have learnt new skills, acquired new knowledge and shown their understanding. In Reception the children develop their communication, language and literacy skills through a programme which involves the introduction of reading and writing. In mathematics, practical activities (including applying knowledge to solve problems) are planned to ensure that concepts are clearly understood. This exciting learning is recorded in subject specific books that chart the progress the children make during their time in Reception.

Communication with parents

You will receive regular overviews of topics. There will be an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher in the Autumn and Spring Term. There are interim reports at the end of the Autumn and Spring Terms, and a full academic report at the end of the Summer Term. If your child’s teacher or key adult has any concerns about his development, they will contact you promptly. All pupils in Nursery and Reception require a book bag which is available from Pullens. In Nursery this comes to school once a week as directed by the Nursery staff. In Reception these are needed every day. Each child is given a folder with his name on it at the beginning of the year. This is to ensure that letters from school are delivered safely to parents. Please return the folder with your child the following morning in his book bag. This ensures that any communications from you reach us. Unfortunately, we are unable to distribute party invitations in the folders or book bags. This should be done by you and your child out of school

Fees

Fees and any extras from the previous term are payable in full by the first day of each term. Unless this condition is met, or there is a special arrangement for payment of fees agreed between the School and the parents, pupils may be refused entry to the School, or may be asked to leave. Please note that a 2% late payment charge will be applied monthly on outstanding accounts. There will also be a charge for any returned cheques. Please refer to the Parent Contract for further details.

Jewellery and haircuts

Children should not wear any jewellery or watches to school. Essential religious items are permitted, but these must be removable for P.E. sessions for the health and safety of all pupils. Parents must ensure that their child’s hair is of a reasonable length, off the shirt collar, and is not cut in any unusual or exaggerated style. Hair should be of natural colour only; dying/bleaching is not allowed nor is the use of gel.

Helping at home We positively encourage parents to help with their child’s education. However, Nursery and Reception form a crucial stage of education and development, and it is important that children experience the right kind of activities and direction.

During the summer holiday encourage your child explore the outdoors and visit places of interest together.

Charities Charity events are normally held once or twice a term, with proceeds going to the School's chosen causes. All the pupils help to support the work of a variety of charities and each year we help several worthy causes, international, national and local, with donations. We also support charities by holding Mufti Days at appropriate times in the school year. Complaints Merchant Taylors’ Pre-Prep welcomes suggestions and comments from parents, and takes seriously complaints and concerns they may raise. Please direct complaints to Mr Chester via the School office. In addition, parents may contact Ofsted or ISI if they have any concerns about their child's education experience:

Ofsted: Royal Exchange Buildings, St Ann's Square, Manchester, M2 7LA. Phone: 08456 014772;

ISI: CAP House, 9-12 Long Lane, London EC1A 9HA Phone: 020 7600 0100

Policies available from the School Office:

Recruitment Safeguarding

SEND/EAL provision Curriculum Anti-bullying Health and safety First aid Complaints Risk assessment

MTP Privacy Notice Staff code of conduct Admissions

Behaviour Exclusions

Publications Please let the Head know in writing if you do not wish your child’s name or picture to be included in any of the newsletters, school publications (including school magazine) on the website, filming, on social media channels or on TV by the end of your child’s first week at school.

SITE,

IT OFFICES

GROUNDS &

DOVECOTT

MAIN

GATE

OFFICES &

RECEPTION

MEDICAL CENTRE

HEAD’S HOUSE & MEETING ROOM

DINING HALL

PREP DEPARTMENT

PRE PREP DEPT.

BUILDING

BUILDING

CENTENARY

SIR CHRISTOPHER HARDING

SPORTS HALL

LALANI NEW BARN

THEATRE

STAFF CAR PARKING

EDNA

WRAY

MUSIC

TURF

CENTRE

ASTRO

Assembly Point

J1

J2

J3

L1

L2

L3

YR (if on site) Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4

N1

N2

N3

W1

W2

W3

Other Staff

YN (if on site)

tutor

PLAYING FIELDS

PLAYING FIELDS

FIRE ASSEMBLY POINT

Classes and tutor groups Line up on the edge of the field with teacher /

Moor Farm Sandy Lodge Rd Rickmansworth, WD3 1LW T. 01923 825648