The Elms Day Nursery Winter Newsletter
Welcome to all our families, old and new, as we step into a brand-new year at The Elms! 2026 is set to be full of exciting events, celebrations, and opportunities for you and your little ones to learn, play, and grow together. From cultural celebrations and special workshops to important updates and achievements, this Winter Edition has everything you need to stay connected and make the most of the months ahead.
Newsletter contents
Dates for your diary; Staff news; SEND Co-production; Reward and Recognition; Funding; 2026 school admissions; Fobs; Building works; Charity; Well Child Policy; Cold weather policy; Adverse weather; Car parking; Mobile phones, Safeguarding and Child Protection.
Dates for your diary
Let’s kick off the start of the year the best way possible. Add these dates to your diary and join the nursery in helping us make 2026 one to remember, with upcoming events, celebrations and workshops for you and your little ones to enjoy together.
Staff news
Raj, our Nursery Practitioner, originally from the Deer Room, will be returning from her maternity leave on 26 February working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. From February until August, Raj will be part of the Badger Room, rejoining the Deers again in September. Maz from the Badger Room will be replacing Raj in Deers during this time. Senior staff will speak to the families that these changes will involve, as well as introducing Maz and Raj to you all.
In other news, Reo from the Rabbit Room will begin her maternity leave in March and is hoping to return early 2026. Dani from the Rabbit Room will begin her maternity leave in April and is hoping to return spring 2026. We will be recruiting into these two vacancies and Priya shall continue as Senior.
In addition to the above vacancies, we shall also be advertising a part time Assistant and part time Practitioner positions and will keep everyone updated with the progress.
SEND Co-production Bronze Award winners
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a Bronze Birmingham SEND Co-production Award. This win recognises that we are committed to working together with children, young people, and parents / carers in promoting their voice and participation in the co-design, co-delivery, and co-assessment of services.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to our next SEND coffee morning, where we will be joined by Lakhvir Sahota, who is the Participation and Co-Production Officer. During this coffee morning, you will have the chance to learn more about what Co-production means for you and how it can help others too. The next session will be held on Monday 26 January 2026, from 10am – 12 noon, at Winterbourne.
To register your interest or if you have any questions, please email Kelly Bailey at [email protected].
Recognise someone who’s made a difference
Has a member of staff made your day exceptional? Or perhaps you’d like to say a special ‘thank you’. The Reward and Recognition Scheme gives you the opportunity to nominate a team member who has demonstrated one of our core values: being Ambitious, Open, Collaborative, Innovative or Responsible.
By recognising those who go above and beyond, you help us to celebrate those individuals who make a real difference.
Funding
Funding forms and fee summary sheets were issued to parents during the week commencing 25 November. If you claimed Working Parents Entitlement funding during autumn term 2025, you would only need to re-sign your paperwork for the spring term section along with your fee summary sheet. Please be reminded that although we do not require you to bring children’s ID in after your first claim, we do require a recent utility bill, bank statement or council tax bill each term to ensure your home address matched our claim records.
Once you have your code, remember to reconfirm it every three months to ensure you remain eligible for the funding.
For more information about Early Years entitlement, eligibility and how to apply, watch the short video created for the Department of Education.
Find out about the financial support available while your child is at nursery, by visiting our nursery fees webpage.
2026 school admissions
Applications are now open for children starting school in September 2026. If you haven’t put an application in yet, please do so by 15 January 2026. School places will be confirmed on 16 April 2026, which is also when nursery begins to prepare your child for their journey into school.
From babies right through to children leaving us for school, our room intentions and expectations always have the end journey in mind. At each age and stage, we continue to teach important life skills and are proud to send children to their reception year as well-rounded learners. Check out some handy tips for you at home to help support and prepare your child to start school. Learn more
Fobs
Fobs are active from 7.30am – 11am from 3.30pm – 5.45pm. If you require access in between these times, please use the buzzer outside the front door and the office team will let you in.
Building works are ongoing
As you will have already noticed, we have scaffolding around the building to investigate and repair some roof leaks. The main areas affected are two playrooms on the first floor: Badgers and Deers.
These rooms will also require redecoration once the walls have dried out. After the internal works are under way, there will be some disruption to the playrooms. We shall of course, try to keep this to a minimum and inform those affected with daily plans in due course.
Our charity work
The Elms will continue to support Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid charity in 2026, with donations of food and hygiene products to be made throughout the year, to help support families in crisis.
We’re also delighted to share the University of Birmingham Nurseries Bull Charity 2025 final donation was over £2,500! Nursery efforts included bunny hops, bracelet making and sales, and so much more.
Well Child Policy
A member of the management team must be informed immediately if a child becomes unwell while at the Nursery. A member of the management team will ensure that their parents are notified as quickly as possible. Children that are not well as per the ‘Well Child’ definition when parents drop them off won’t be accepted, and if they fall ill whilst in our care will be expected to return to their parents as soon as possible or at least within the hour. A child that is not well as above at the point of drop off should not be accepted.
A ‘Well Child’ is…
- not reliant on temperature relief medication
- well enough to participate in all areas of Nursery activities
- a child with their normal appetite, who is happy and sociable
- a child who does not require a greater staff ratio
- a child who has their normal bowel functions
Children with mild, respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend nursery.
Exclusion from nursery is sometimes necessary to reduce the transmission of illness or because the nursery cannot adequately meet the needs of the child. We follow the guidance given to us by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) health protection in education and childcare settings and to safeguard the physical wellbeing of our staff.
Pain Relief/Calpol
Where babies are teething or there is a medical need, parents can provide pain relief which can be administered for up to 48 hours at the discretion of the management team. However non-prescribed medication must not to be left in your child’s bag, but handed to a member of staff from your child’s room and a medication form should be filled out.
Cold weather policy
The nursery exercises an all-weather policy, and all children will be accessing the outdoor area, including the Forest School. This is an important part of our daily curriculum and key to children remaining healthy, so it is not possible for parents/carers to request their children to remain indoors.
Of course, our practitioners and teams review their routines for winter season and reduce the amount of time children are outside for each period. The extra layers they need to keep warm take a little longer to put on, so the time adjustment tends to happen quite naturally. We see the process of getting dressed and undressed for outdoor play as a real leaning experience for all ages, practicing those independent skills, exploring new textures and temperatures, and recognising when they feel hot or cold.
During the winter, please ensure children have the appropriate clothing for exploring the outdoors: an extra jumper or hoodie, a hat, scarf and gloves, wellington boots, and an all-in-one suit or waterproof trousers.
Adverse weather
If you need to collect your child early or the nursery has to close due to adverse weather conditions, we’ll let you know via text message, Parent Zone and, where possible, on University platforms. Therefore, please ensure we have your correct, up-to-date contact details.
Car parking
Your child(ren)’s safety is very important to us, so please drive at a safe speed when entering, manoeuvring around, and exiting the nursery car park. At times you may need to wait for other vehicles to manoeuvre in or out of spaces, could we please ask you to remain patience during this time.
If you accidently hit another vehicle, please report the incident to the nursery office. However, please note that the nursery does not accept any liability if a car is damaged in the car park. The nursery car park is for drop-off and collection only. If you are a University car park permit holder, you must use a designated University car park and cannot use the nursery car park for the duration of the day. Please turn off engines if you are waiting at drop off/collection times air pollution is important to us and this small gesture will help. We thank you for your cooperation.
Mobile phones
For the safety and security of our children, the use of mobile phones, tablets and laptops with camera technology are strictly prohibited within the nursery. If you need to take a call or check a message, please do so in the nursery office or wait until you have left the premises to ensure you’re complying with our safeguarding policy.
Safeguarding and Child Protection
In the interests of safeguarding children, there may be occasions when the nursery must consult with other agencies without a parent’s prior knowledge. The nursery’s first concern is the welfare of the child, and it’s our responsibility to act and protect in line with our Child Protection Policy. A consultation like this may result in formal referral, which can prompt visits from police or the local authority safeguarding team. We understand this can be a very distressing set of circumstances, but we have a legal duty to follow the procedures set out by the Birmingham Children’s Trust.
When entering the nursery keep everyone safe by ensuring nobody follows you into the nursery building, even if you know them. Everyone must either fob in or ring the bell to be welcomed in by a member of the team. This includes your child(ren)’s designated person for drop-off and collection. Please ensure that the next time they visit nursery, the team know they’ve arrived.
Contact details for the team
Selina Hunt, Nursery Manager
Vicki Wall, Deputy Manager
Fleur Hunter, Deputy Manager
Ellie Bartlett-Crumpton, Nursery Administrator
Nursery email
If you have any general nursery enquiries, please email [email protected].