Parent Information

At Droxford Montessori, we want every child to feel happy, settled and ready to enjoy their day. This page includes useful information for parents and carers, from what to bring each day to lunch, collection arrangements and communication with school.

What to wear and bring

Children should come to school in comfortable clothing that allows them to take part fully in all activities, including outdoor play, gardening, cookery, painting, Forest School and messy play.

Some children like to change into plimsolls or slippers when they arrive. Please also make sure your child has suitable outdoor shoes or wellington boots for the garden and outdoor learning.

Each child will need:

A complete change of clothes
Suitable outdoor shoes or wellington boots
Warm and waterproof clothing when needed
Named coats, shoes, plimsolls and bags

Many areas of the curriculum can involve water, mud, paint or other messy materials, so spare clothes are very important. Emergency clothing is kept at school should a child need extra supplies.

Behaviour and positive guidance

We support children with kindness, consistency and positive reinforcement.

If a situation arises where behaviour is unacceptable, a teacher will gently intervene and help the child understand what has happened. We always make it clear that it is the action that is unacceptable, not the child.

Our aim is to help children develop empathy, confidence, independence and respect for others in a calm and nurturing environment.

Timekeeping and attendance

To avoid disruption during the work session, the door will open at the set starting and leaving times.

Please let us know if:

You are going to be delayed
You need to collect your child early
Your child will not be attending a session
Your child is unwell or unable to come in for any reason

Due to our insurance policy, we are unable to accept children before 9.00am unless this has been arranged in advance. Breakfast Club is available from 8.30am and should be pre-booked with a teacher.

Lunch and snacks

Children staying for lunch will need to bring a healthy, balanced packed lunch.

As we may have children with food allergies, please do not include any nut products in lunch boxes. This includes items such as peanut butter, Nutella, cakes containing almonds and cereal bars containing nuts.

Milk, water and fruit are available to children throughout the day.

Children who attend morning sessions may stay for lunch on a regular basis or as a one-off, subject to availability.

Collection arrangements

Children will only be handed over to an authorised collector.

If you would like your child to be collected by someone other than yourself, please speak to a member of staff and complete a collection slip. This will be kept on file so we know who is authorised to collect your child.

For safeguarding reasons, we cannot release children to anyone who has not been authorised by a parent or carer.

Ratios

We follow Ofsted requirements for staff-to-child ratios.

Our teacher ratios are at least:

1 adult to 4 children for two-year-olds
1 adult to 8 children for three-year-olds and above

These ratios help us provide a safe, calm and supportive environment where children are well cared for throughout the day.

Working in partnership with parents

The link between home and school is very important to us.

We welcome parental involvement and love it when families share skills, experiences or interests with the children. Children are also encouraged to bring in suitable items for sound box activities or topic work.

A newsletter is shared each term to keep parents informed about school news, upcoming events and general items of interest.

If you have any concerns about your child’s development, wellbeing or happiness, please make an appointment to speak with Scarlett. We are always happy to talk things through and work together to support your child.

Please also let us know about any medical, emotional or family circumstances that may affect your child’s day. This could include illness, a bump or injury, moving house, a new baby, bereavement or any other change at home.

Sound Box

At Droxford Montessori, we have a weekly sound where we explore letters from the alphabet and objects with the same initial sound during circle time.

The sound box is a lovely opportunity for children to share something from home. This might be food to share, a photograph of a family member, a picture, a toy or another treasured item linked to the sound of the week.

The children love showing their friends and teachers something special from home, and it helps build confidence, communication skills and a sense of belonging.

Questions, feedback and concerns

We want families to feel comfortable talking to us.

If you feel we are not meeting your expectations, or you have a concern about anything we do, please let us know so we can address it. If we do not know about a problem, we cannot fix it.

We also welcome suggestions and ideas that may help us improve the school. Working together with families helps us provide the best possible experience for the children.