Parents Area

Settling Into Nursery

For many children, starting at nursery is their first step towards independence, and there are some important lessons to be learnt:


  • That it is possible to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents;
  • That other adults can be a source of authority, security and friendship;
  • That new play and learning experiences can be enjoyed in the nursery and shared with parents afterwards;


To give your child the best start to nursery life, we ask that you follow our settling-in procedure.

Settling visits to the nursery prior to your child's start date will help your child familiarise themselves with the team, children and environment.


When your child is settled and it is felt that they are ready to be left, please say goodbye, do not be tempted to slip away, since this can cause your child to feel let down and distrustful. Your child will find it easier to accept your departure if there is a clear explanation of what is going to happen.


Children develop quickly and will soon be making new friends and enjoying the activities provided. On leaving your child in our care, we hope that you feel secure in the knowledge that they are in safe hands and enjoying their newfound independence.


Once your child has settled in the nursery, we follow a strict procedure for arrivals and departures. This is to ensure the safety of the children. The nursery staff will not allow any child to go with anyone who is not known to the nursery and not named as the authorised person to collect the child. It is essential that parents inform the nursery in writing if someone else will be collecting their child.

Key Person Role:

At Little Cherubs, we realise that your child needs warm and committed care as well as continuity. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to us that we focus on building a friendly, warm and secure relationship for your child to enable them to flourish during their time with us.


A robust key person system provides young children with the opportunity to make attachments in a positive and affectionate way, reducing any levels of anxiety. Parents/carers' anxiety levels are also reduced when they know that the person looking after their child is familiar with his or her likes and dislikes, and the knowledge that their child feels comfortable and at ease.

Therefore, at Little Cherubs, each child has a Key person who works very closely with the child and family to provide every opportunity to help them settle, develop, flourish and achieve. Each key person has an assigned ‘Buddy’. The Buddy (practitioner) will ensure they also spend quality time getting to know a key person’s key group, so in the event that the key person is on leave or unwell, the buddy can look after the key group to ensure each child continues to feel safe and secure.

The Observation, Planning and Assessment Cycle

When a child starts at Little Cherubs, they are assigned a key person who works closely with the child, making secure relationships, getting to know them and their likes and dislikes. This is the settling-in period, which can take up to 6 weeks.

After six weeks, the key person completes a settling-in observation, which highlights the child’s 6-week journey in their new room, along with their needs and development.


Based on the ‘settling in observations’, your child’s next step for learning is planned and shared with the parents. These next steps are used to plan activities and provide opportunities for your child to achieve the targets. Next steps are reviewed regularly during the medium-term planning cycle and are changed accordingly.


Progress Reports

  • The nursery completes 2-year progress checks for every child enrolled before their 3rd birthday, and concerns are shared with relevant agencies on parental consent.
  • The nursery also organises Parents' Meetings where the parents have opportunities to sit with the key person and discuss the child’s progress and development.
  • The nursery completes a yearly report for each child, which highlights their achievements and any concerns.
  • The nursery also completes Transition Reports for Reception leavers and shares them with the school to ensure a smooth transition into the new school.
  • Any child who stays in our care by the end of reception age will have an EYFS Profile report.

Parental Partnership:

In addition to our daily handovers, emails, phone calls, planned meetings and parents’ consultations as part of our parental partnership, we also use Tapestry and WhatsApp group as part of our Parents’ Partnership.


Tapestry is our online app, which the staff uses as the child’s online journal to track their development and also to update their daily routine, which parents can access at any time.


Little Cherubs also use parents’ WhatsApp group, which is on parental consent, to share their contact numbers and nursery uses that group for general day-to-day communication with parents.