Scotland's nursery teachers are being replaced by staff with lesser skills on lower pay, a teaching

union has said.

A report from the Educational Institute of Scotland said children aged between three and five
should have access to a teacher for at least five hours a week.

They added that the worst performing councils should be "named and shamed".

The Scottish government said it did not accept the findings and that it was funding more nursery
teaching places.

The report, prepared by academic George MacBride, pulled together research examining the
provision of nursery education across Scotland.

The EIS said the drive to cut costs among local authorities was lowering the quality of children's
education at a formative stage.

General secretary Ronnie Smith said, "Without teachers in all nursery schools and nursery
classes, there is the risk that this important early stage of Curriculum for Excellence will start to
unravel which will cause greater difficulties for children and their teachers once they reach
primary school.

"It is essential that we get this first stage of CfE right, which means that teachers must be
involved to ensure a quality educational experience for all young children."

In response, Isabel Hutton, from the Scottish council's umbrella body Cosla, said: "We have
known for sometime that the quality of services depends on having a well qualified workforce.

"This remains our aim, and it is the job of local authorities to try and get the right balance of
qualified teachers and other professionals to ensure children and families get the best possible
service."

A Scottish government spokesman said they were "well aware" of the importance of pre-school
education.

He said that there were legal obligations on councils to provide appropriate nursery staff and that
the government had expanded the legal entitlement to 475 hours per annum - "delivering around
eight million more hours for Scottish children".

He added: "We do not accept that the concordat presents a danger to pre-school education, as a
joint commitment to expand access to teachers was, in fact, set out in that document.

"Over the last two years, more than 9,000 more children had access to teachers in pre-school
settings which represents steady progress against a worsening financial picture.
"We are funding Strathclyde, Stirling and Aberdeen universities to provide courses which offer
more specialised early years teaching skills.

"Local decisions on teacher deployment are for councils to negotiate with their partners.

"There is no robust evidence on the amount of teacher time which is needed to improve
children's outcomes but we are clear that occasional or ad hoc access is unlikely to achieve such
improvements."

Scotland's nursery teachers are being replaced by staff with lesser skills on lower pay, a teaching
union has said.

A report from the Educational Institute of Scotland said children aged between three and five
should have access to a teacher for at least five hours a week.

They added that the worst performing councils should be "named and shamed".

The Scottish government said it did not accept the findings and that it was funding more nursery
teaching places.

The report, prepared by academic George MacBride, pulled together research examining the
provision of nursery education across Scotland.

The EIS said the drive to cut costs among local authorities was lowering the quality of children's
education at a formative stage.

General secretary Ronnie Smith said, "Without teachers in all nursery schools and nursery
classes, there is the risk that this important early stage of Curriculum for Excellence will start to
unravel which will cause greater difficulties for children and their teachers once they reach
primary school.

"It is essential that we get this first stage of CfE right, which means that teachers must be
involved to ensure a quality educational experience for all young children."

'Robust evidence'

In response, Isabel Hutton, from the Scottish council's umbrella body Cosla, said: "We have
known for sometime that the quality of services depends on having a well qualified workforce.

"This remains our aim, and it is the job of local authorities to try and get the right balance of
qualified teachers and other professionals to ensure children and families get the best possible
service."

A Scottish government spokesman said they were "well aware" of the importance of pre-school
education.
He said that there were legal obligations on councils to provide appropriate nursery staff and that
the government had expanded the legal entitlement to 475 hours per annum - "delivering around
eight million more hours for Scottish children".

He added: "We do not accept that the concordat presents a danger to pre-school education, as a
joint commitment to expand access to teachers was, in fact, set out in that document.

"Over the last two years, more than 9,000 more children had access to teachers in pre-school
settings which represents steady progress against a worsening financial picture.

"We are funding Strathclyde, Stirling and Aberdeen universities to provide courses which offer
more specialised early years teaching skills.

"Local decisions on teacher deployment are for councils to negotiate with their partners.

"There is no robust evidence on the amount of teacher time which is needed to improve
children's outcomes but we are clear that occasional or ad hoc access is unlikely to achieve such
improvements."

Admission procedure
On arrival at the nursery, parents will be asked to complete an information sheet detailing all
their child’s habits/needs: such as sleeping and feeding patterns and any health issues. It is
absolutely imperative that the Outa staff can contact parents at any time; in case of an emergency
or a problem, so all contact telephone numbers in resort must be given.

The child’s health book is highly recommended and should be kept in the child’s bag. Children
should be vaccinated according to the requirements of each country. In cases where children
aren’t vaccinated, then a Doctors note will be needed to prove that collective childcare is
acceptable for both the child and others in the nursery. Handicapped children can be cared for
dependent upon their needs.

Arrival
Your child should arrive at the nursery, washed, dressed and having had breakfast. (If your child
arrives with a dirty nappy, you will be asked to change it, allowing the staff to correctly deal with
every child’s arrival). For organisational reasons and to ensure meal times flow smoothly, there
is no reception for children or adults between 11.00am and 1.30pm.

Familiarisation
Due to the short stay factor of your child in the nursery, we are unable to carry out a gradual
familiarisation process to the nursery, as is usual in all year round nurseries. However, in order
for your child to be as best prepared as possible, get him/her used to a crèche environment before
arrival.
Here are some tips to help prepare a smooth stay for your child at nursery.

• Make an effort to get to know the nursery staff

• Don’t forget important items such as their dummy or teddy bear etc.
• Don’t let your anxiety show
• Explain fully to your child what is happening
• Don’t leave without saying goodbye to your child properly.
• Fully complete the information sheets, so that we have all the necessary information
• Don’t stay too long in the morning (maximum 15 mins) and ensure you don’t return after
10 minutes if your child is still crying.
• Don’t jump excitedly on your child in the evening, keep it calm.

The professional nursery staff are there to help your child get the most out of his nursery
experience and thus assist you in anyway possible with any separation issues. If the separation is
too difficult for your child, the staff will call you and let you know. The nursery is happy to
accept phone calls from you during the day, should you wish to check on your child’s progress.

Meals and Snacks

Meals can be provided by the nursery. The main school canteen in Morzine provides the hot
meals for the nursery. For children aged 2 or more, it is a freshly cooked meal cut into small
pieces and for children under 2 it is a freshly cooked meal that has been blended. You need to
order and pay for these meals on the first day of arrival at nursery (not before). Meals are served
to the children at 11.30am. The menu of the day is posted up on the door at the reception.

Afternoon snacks are provided for over one year olds. However, if your child still drinks
formula milk, you will need to provide this along with any additional snacks for the under ones.
The snack is served at 3.30pm. It is made up of seasonal fruits, yoghurt or pureed fruit.

For those parents not wishing to have the meal provided by the nursery, only jars of food are
accepted (Heinz/Bledina etc). Strict rules of hygiene are maintained, so bottles of milk and food
already open or started are not accepted, neither are home made meals. Special diets, allergies or
food intolerances need to be made very clear to the nursery staff in advance.

Sleeping
The nursery has 35 beds in total for the children, i.e. 1 bed per child. This ensures that every
child sleeps according to their own patterns and needs and not when a bed is free. Cot sheets are
provided by the nursery and are changed after every sleep.

Illness
In the case of a contagious illness or fever above 38.5 degrees, your child may no longer be
admitted to nursery. The Director of the nursery makes the final decision, in accordance with the
strict health and safety guidelines laid down by local government associations.
In the case of chicken pox, bronchiolitis, gastroenteritis or other contagious infections, the child
will only be accepted back into the nursery upon presentation of a doctor’s note, stating that the
child is fit to resume collective childcare. In the case of conjunctivitis or nits, the child will only
be accepted back into the nursery, two days after the start of the relevant treatment. If a
contagious infection is found present in the nursery, a detailed poster will be put up in the
reception to inform everyone.

All medicines need to be accompanied by a prescription, clearly stating the start and end of the
treatment. Under no circumstances will medicine be accepted that has already been mixed into
formula milk or fruit juice by the parents. We don’t accept self-medication treatment for your
child. No prescription means we do not administer the medication.

Absenteeism, illness, refunds

All nursery places need to be fully paid for in advance. Refunds can only be made if:

• the child is hospitalised

• Upon provision of a doctors note
• Family problems (written proof needed).

The nursery needs to be notified of any absence before 5.00pm. If you do not notify the nursery,
then you could very well lose your nursery place for the rest of the week.
A refund will only be given upon presentation of a medical certificate and will become effective
on the second day of the booked place.

Security
We ask you to kindly respect our security rules for the children which are:

• All jewellery and hair clips are strictly forbidden

• Please close all doors behind you in the nursery, when coming and going.
• Check your child’s pockets to see if they haven’t brought along any small objects with
them.
• Do not bring personal toys
• Check their bag on arrival at nursery to see if their essential ‘teddy bear’/ dummy are
there.
• Ask big brothers and sisters to respect the security rules and to keep calm
• Do not throw paper, bottles or cigarette tabs in the alleyway leading up to the nursery.

The nursery is not responsible for theft, loss of jewellery, loss or deterioration of clothing or
personal objects.

Hygiene
In our nursery, health and hygiene rules are sacred and these excellent standards contribute to the
well being of all the children. Everyone should take personal responsibility towards maintaining
these standards. The cleaning is carried out daily by the staff and also specialist cleaning staff.
Please note: parents and children must remove their shoes on arrival.

Childs bag
What should I bring:

• Child’s health book

• Nappies (minimum 2 for a half day and 3 for a full day).
• A complete change of clothing
• A pair of slippers
• Clothes to play outside, adaptable for the weather. (All children from 18 months upwards
play outside morning and afternoon).
• Sterlised bottles if needed
• Powdered milk or bottled milk (unopened).
• Jars of baby food (unopened)
• Teddy bear or dummy
• Sleeping bag (if needed).

What is provided:

• Bibs
• Baby wipes
• Cot sheet, top sheet and blanket
• Plate, cutlery and beaker
• Tissues
• Mineral Water

We provide plenty of stickers and pens at the reception, so that on arrival you can ensure that all
your child’s belongings are clearly marked with their name. On a daily basis, please make sure
you put their teddy bear, dummy, nappies and any food/milk in their special box, which will
have their name on. The rest of their belongings can stay in their bag, hung up in the cloakroom.

Evening Departure
The departure of each child can be made at any time during the morning or afternoon. When the
parents arrive, the person looking after your child will inform you of how your child got on
during the day (their sleeps, feeds, activities etc). The children will only be given back to their
parents or another specified adult who provides proof of identity with their passport.

In the interests of security for your child and for insurance purposes, you must strictly adhere to
the pick up times for your child. You must arrive at least 10 minutes before the end i.e. 12.50 for
13.00 and 17.20 for 17.30.
If you do not turn up on time, the staff legally have to contact the police.