29. Admissions

Policy and Procedure No.29

Admissions

Millfield Pre-school (MPS) is Committee run and we encourage all families to enjoy being involved with the organisation.
The children need to know and understand that other adults care about them. Working together, parents/carers and staff members can ensure that children feel confident coming to MPS.
MPS welcomes all families from the local area.

Basic information on admissions/registrations:

a. All MPS literature stipulates that all families are welcome.

b. Verbal and written information is provided for all new families.

c. As part of the registration process, parents/carers will be required to provide documentation to evidence their child’s date of birth. This is to confirm they have reached the eligible age for the funded entitlements. A copy will not be retained but may be requested again later by the Local Authority for audit and fraud investigation purposes.

d. Families accepting a 2 year old funded place will be able to claim the entitlement until their child(ren)is/are eligible for either the 3- and 4-year-old funding universal entitlement or working parent entitlement.

e. We accept children from their second birthday if they are eligible for the extended, 30 hours working families funding. These are ‘rising twos’ as they can start within the same term as their second birthday. They will be charged our 2 year old fees for any none funded hours.

f. Early education is offered within the national parameters –

no session to be longer than 10 hours
no minimum session length (subject to the requirements of registration on the Ofsted Early Years Register)
not before 6.00am or after 8.00pm
a maximum of two sites in a single day

g. The Admission and Charging policies issued to all families as part of the registration process. It is also available via our website www.millfield-preschool.co.uk

Early Education is offered to families 38 weeks of the year.

The funded hours can be claimed (to the maximum available) –

Monday – 08.00 to 15.30 )
Tuesday – 08.00 to 15.30 ) Breakfast club available
Wednesday – 08.00 to 15.30 ) from 08.00 to 08.45
Thursday – 08.00 to 15.30 )
Friday – 08.00 to 15.30 )

h. We will work with parents/carers to ensure that as far as possible the hours/session that can be taken as funded provision are convenient for parents’/carers’ working hours.

We will work in partnership with parents, carers, childcare providers, the local authority, and other organisations to improve provision and outcomes for children in their setting. Where required we will seek parent/carer consent to collect, share and use your information in accordance with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulations.

Our setting has made a Flourish Pledge, which means we are working together with the local authority to make Flourish the shared ambition of everyone working to improve the lives of children and young people in Norfolk.

To ensure a smooth transition for the child, we will work closely with families to discuss and agree how a child’s overall care will work in practice when an entitlement is split across different providers, and where possible when families transfer their funding claim to a new setting.

We are required to have arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These arrangements should include a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEND. This means we will –

Follow the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework to provide an inclusive environment for all children and their families, together with the requirements to comply with the Equalities Act and Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice.
Monitor and review children’s progress and development in partnership with families. Where a child appears to be behind expected levels of development or where a child’s progress gives cause for concern, a graduated approach will be adopted with 4 stages of action; Assess, Plan, Do and Review.
Provide information to families on how their child’s development is being supported and in agreement, consent will be sought to apply for additional funding and request support from outside agencies where necessary.
Utilise the SEN inclusion fund and Disability Access Fund to deliver effective support.
Publish our contribution to the ‘SEN Local Offer’ in Norfolk. This is available on the Norfolk Community Directory and millfieldpreschool.co.uk to ensure information is available to parents so they can make choices about the right childcare provision for their child with SEN.

We aim to identify all children that may attract any additional funding such as EYPP, DAF, SEND Inclusion Fund and any locally available funding streams with a view to submit a claim/application to support and improve their outcomes. This will be in partnership with families and consent will be sought prior to submitting a claim/application.

When children are ready to start MPS we:

a. Encourage the parents/carers to visit MPS with their child before they are due to start.

b. Talk with the parents/carers about how they feel the child will settle best into MPS. We ask that a parent/carer stays with their child for an amount of time that ensures the child is comfortable in the setting and with the new surroundings. This may be a minimum of ½ an hour to a maximum of 3 sessions, or longer, if necessary, at the discretion of the Lead Practitioner/Manager or Senior Practitioner. Upon this request the 1^st session shall be free of charge.

c. Please refer to the SEND/Inclusion Policy concerning the SEND support on offer to children and how we support families to choose the right setting for their child with SEND.

d. Welcome parents/carers into MPS at the start of each session until they and staff feel confident that the child has settled.

e. Increase the time the child stays alone (from the parent/carer) at each session, if required.

f. Reassure anxious parents/carers by providing them with information about their child’s activities while at MPS.

g. Invite the child to bring in a comforter/toy if they have one.

If a child is, or becomes distressed:

a. We will comfort them and try to occupy them at an activity.

b. We will stay with the child until they become settled.

c. We will contact the parents/carers and ask them to return if we are unable to settle their child.

‘Settling In Period’

There will be a ‘settling in’ period (duration of the child’s first term at Millfield Pre-School (MPS)), in which both parents/carers and MPS have time to consider whether MPS is the most suitable setting for their child and his/her needs.

We do this by:

a. Parents/carers sharing concerns about their child with the Lead Practitioner/Manager and/or Senior Practitioner at all times.

b. The Lead Practitioner/Manager and/or Senior Practitioner will inform parents/carers of their child’s progress within the ‘Settling in period’, any issues regarding behaviour and/or specific needs or concerns.

c. Concerns will be addressed immediately, and every attempt will be employed to resolve these concerns.

d. If at the end of the settling in period, (child’s first term), either party has reason to believe that MPS is not the most suitable setting for the child and/or their needs cannot be met, then the child’s attendance at MPS will cease.

Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from MPS within the settling in period, however MPS will only review and make a decision at the end of the settling in period.

Every parent/carer is required to sign a contract to this effect before their child starts at Millfield Pre-School.

Signed: Clara Hall- Chairperson

Signed: Tegan Kidman- Lead Practitioner/Manager.

Reviewed: 4^th February 2026.

Review: 4^th February 2027.