Welcome from the Head of Nursery and Preparatory School
Dear Parents,
I am delighted to welcome you and your family to AKS Lytham. We are immensely proud of our school, and I hope that you will be incredibly happy joining us on the exciting journey ahead. We have outstanding teachers who are ready to challenge your child in their learning every day. Attending AKS Nursery and Reception marks a dynamic time for your child’s development. We want your child to be happy at school and we ensure that your child’s wellbeing is at the centre of our curriculum.
We gained the grading of “Excellent” for the whole school in the areas of ‘Academic and Other Achievements” and “Personal Development” from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in October 2022. In March 2023, we gained the grading of “Outstanding In All Areas” for the AKS Baby and Toddler Room from Ofsted. In June 2023, we passed the ISI Compliance inspection, illustrating our commitment to continually improving the school.
We are pleased that we have a whole school ethos to your child’s education: this runs across the Nursery, Preparatory School and Senior School, and ensures that there is a seamless approach throughout their time with us. AKS Lytham has a rigorous attitude towards its academic curriculum, as well as a strong co-curricular programme. We focus on character education to build your child’s self-awareness and independence, to encourage resilience and tenacity, and to develop your child’s skills in communication, teamwork and leadership.
I hope that you find the information in our handbook helpful: if you do have any further questions, please do get in touch. In the meantime, I very much look forward to getting to know you and your family.
Kind regards,
Amanda Ilhan B.Ed,
M.Ed, Head of Nursery and Preparatory School amanda.ilhan@akslytham.com
Ethos and Aims
We aim to provide a happy, safe, exciting and thriving environment where our young people can make their educational journey into the world beyond the school.
We seek to be progressive, working to develop our practice and offering in ways that are future-facing, whilst maintaining the best of the traditional, identifying the knowledge, skills and dispositions that future citizens will need, and offering thought leadership as we continually adapt the education we offer.
We are a community school, with a strong desire to engage in local, national and international communities, supporting initiatives to the benefit of others, embracing the wider AKS world and the community of alumni from our heritage schools; we seek to focus on the wellbeing of all, and to provide opportunities for people to join our school and benefit from the education it provides.
We are internationally-minded, engaging with other schools and groups around the world, with a clear focus on students moving to become global citizens after they leave school.
We are inclusive, and aim to ensure that the opportunities that an AKS education provides are available to everyone who joins the school, whatever their background or ability.
Our education is holistic, providing a broad curriculum, and we consider a wide cocurricular offering, a focus on character education and the development of career knowledge and skills to be as important as our strong academic focus.
AKS is an ambitious school: we actively seek to ensure excellent outcomes for individuals with particular ability in academic, sporting, musical, dramatic and other areas according to their needs and, ultimately, to empower people to make a real difference to the lives of those around them, and to be responsible, compassionate and engaged citizens of the world.
Meet the Team
Headmaster
Mr David Harrow
Email: headmaster@akslytham.com
Head of Nursery and Preparatory School
Mrs Amanda Ilhan
Email: amanda.ilhan@akslytham.com
Nursery Manager
Miss Vicky Reynolds
Email: vicky.reynolds@akslytham.com
Nursery Deputy Manager
Miss Sarah Waddington
Email: sarah.waddington@akslytham.com
Early Years Co-ordinator
Mrs Katherine Barker
Email: katherine.barker@akslytham.com
Director of Finance and Operations
Mrs Annie Millard
Email: annie.millard@akslytham.com
Telephone: 01253 784106
Senior Leadership
MFL and EAL Co-ordinator
Ms Liz Robinson Email: liz.robinson@akslytham.com
Music Co-ordinator
Mr Daniel Thomas Email: daniel.thomas@akslytham.com
Sports Co-ordinators
Mr Richard Chadwick Email richard.chadwick@akslytham.com
Miss Jemima Hall Email: jemima.hall@akslytham.com
Preparatory School Office
Telephone: 01253 784110 or 784152 Email: prep@akslytham.com
Mrs Tracey Jackson Email: tracey.jackson@akslytham.com
Mrs Louise Hartley Email: louise.hartley@akslytham.com
Mrs Rosemary Brown Email: rosemary.brown@akslytham.com
Mrs Fiona Newbold Email: fiona.newbold@akslytham.com
Reception Staff
Mrs Katherine Barker Email: katherine.barker@akslytham.com
Mrs Melissa Jennings Email: melissa.jennings@akslytham.com
Mrs Laura Cooke Email: laura.cooke@akslytham.com
Room Leaders - Middle Leadership
Nursery Manager
Vicky
Nursery Deputy Manager Sarah
Early Years Co-ordinator, Reception Class Teacher and United Learning Early Years North Cluster Lead
Katherine
Ducklings
Lisa D
Pre-School Courtney
Bees Alex Ladybirds Alison
Meet the Team
Pre-School
Reception Staff
Early Years Co-ordinator, Reception Class Teacher and United Learning Early Years North Cluster Lead Katherine
Reception Class Teacher and Forest Schools Lead
Louise Shannon
Ella
Molly Georgia
Angela Jordan
Ducklings
Ellie Charlotte
Lilly
Grace
Lisa G Bees
Cori Lucy
Ladybirds Rose
Victoria
Kayleigh
Leah Kerry
Aaron
AKS Early Years An A-Z Guide
Academic progress
In our Nursery and Reception classes, the welfare of each child is paramount, and we provide a safe, stimulating, and caring environment that promotes happiness, positive self-image and high self-esteem, and where wellqualified and caring adults understand the developmental needs of children. Our educational programme is based on play and aims to be broad and balanced. We give the children in our care strong professional support and provide high-quality resources for their play and learning. In our Nursery and Reception classes, the play experience is highly valued and central to children’s care and education. Through carefully guided play activities, the children are helped to develop physically and emotionally and are encouraged to explore, experience, discover, practise skills and ideas, and interact socially.
All children work towards achieving the age- appropriate EYFS Development Matters statements and these are recorded by the child’s Key Person/ Reception Class Teachers. Key Persons/ the Reception Class Teachers make observations on progress and achievements and record these in the children’s individual records within IConnect. Other members of staff may observe a child during play and record significant comments for that child’s Key Person/ the Reception Class Teachers.
Planning documentation includes:
a. Weekly planning based on the children’s needs and next steps from previous observations or achievements.
b. Spontaneous activities based on children’s comments.
c. Termly curriculum overviews
Admissions
Enquiries from prospective families are welcome at any time, and should be directed to the Admissions Office at admissions@akslytham.com or by telephone on 01253 784104, or directly to the Nursery Manager, Vicky Reynolds, at vicky.reynolds@akslytham.com or by telephone on 01253 784130
In the Nursery, a child will be offered a nursery place dependent upon:
a) availability of spaces, considering the staff/child ratios, and the age of the child
b) if applicable, whether the child has any siblings already in the Nursery
c) minimum number of sessions
The AKS Early Years Department is committed to accommodating the needs of children with disabilities, for whom we can, at the initial point of admission, cater for adequately; if we determine, at our discretion and after appropriate consideration, that reasonable adjustments cannot be made and as such we cannot continue to adequately provide for that child, then we shall be permitted to request that parents withdraw the child without being charged fees in lieu of notice.
Arrival and departure
The Nursery day runs from 8:00am to 6:00pm. Ducklings and Butterflies (under 2’s) enter and exit through the Nursery door; Bees, Ladybirds, Pre-School and Reception children enter and exit through the Prep School front door.
In Nursery, if your child is only staying for a half-day session, please come to the Prep School front door to drop off or pick up your child at lunchtime.
Reception children can arrive from 8.00am and go to the Prep Hall to attend Morning Club. Registration is at 8.45am. Pick up time is 3.35pm from the front door. The children can stay at school until 6.00pm if they have a club after school and/ or attend Twilight Club.
Any specific information provided by the parents will be recorded and passed on to the Key Person/ the Reception Class Teachers.
Communication with parents
As parents, you are the first educators of your child. Therefore, we seek to build a positive partnership between home and school to ensure that your child’s learning is continuous in all environments that they are exposed to during their day. Communication with you takes place in various ways:
• Your child’s Key Person/ the Reception Class Teachers or Teaching Assistant likes to have a conversation with you at the beginning and end of your child’s day at hand over time.
• We use the online system of IConnect to send photographs to you of the tasks your child has taken part in on a weekly basis.
• In Nursery, three times a year, we ask for you to have a conversation on the telephone with your child’s Key Person as part of a Parents Meeting to discuss your child’s development in all areas of the EYFS curriculum. In Reception, you are invited for a face-to-face meeting three times a year.
• In Nursery, twice a year, we send a report to you which tracks your child’s development against the EYFS curriculum. In Reception, the reporting cycle is increased to three times a year.
• In Reception, the AKS Nursery and Prep School Diary can be used as a reading record/ communication/ homework booklet to write short notes to and from home.
Concerns or complaints
Appointments to discuss any concerns or complaints can be made with Amanda Ilhan Head of Nursery and Prep on Amanda.ilhan@akslytham.com, or Vicky Reynolds Nursery Manager on 01253 784130.
A complainant may also make a complaint to OFSTED (EYFS) or ISI. Their contact details are:
Ofsted
Piccadilly Gate, Store Street
Manchester M21 2WD
Tel: 0300 123 1231
Web address: www.ofsted.gov.uk
Email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)
CAP House, 9-12 Long Lane
London EC1A 9HA
Tel: 0207 7768849
Web address: www.isi.net/home/
Email: info@isi.net
Data protection
As a school, and as part of United Learning, we aim to fulfil all our responsibilities regarding Data Protection. Information pertaining to this is included in our Terms and Conditions, and further detail is provided in our local Data Protection Policy, which is accessible in the About AKS-Policies area of our school website
One essential element of our approach to data protection concerns what we do with photographs or videos of pupils, taken for school purposes We will ask you for a signature confirming your consent on the specific questions page of your Nursery/ Reception Admissions documentation
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum
The children in Nursery and Reception follow the EYFS curriculum, please see the Statutory Framework for EYFS, September 2021:
1 4 Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving These are the prime areas:
• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development
1 5
Providers must also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied The specific areas are:
• literacy
• Mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design
If you would like further information on the EYFS curriculum, please contact the EYFS Co-ordinator at katherine barker@akslytham com
Financial matters, including terms and conditions of payments
Nursery session prices: AKS Baby Room
• Full day: £70 50 Over 2s and Pre-School
• Morning session: £38 50
• Afternoon Session: £35 00
• Full day session £65 50
Nursery invoices are to be paid on the 1st of the month, for the month in advance Parents will receive an email invoice around 7 to 10 days before the payment due date for their child’s regular booked session pattern Any bank holidays or days of closure over Christmas are not chargeable
If a child attends an extra session these will be added to the following month’s invoice
For non-attendance such as holidays and sickness, the Nursery fee is payable at the full rate
Reception fees are available on the website and include lunch
A sibling discount of 10% applies.
You may be entitled to government funding in support of a Nursery place
Should parents wish to discuss any financial matter, they should contact Abby Newby, Financial Officer in the first instance by email at abby newby@akslytham com
Food and drink
We are proud of the consistent quality and range of food on offer, all of which is freshly prepared in our own kitchens daily by our dedicated catering staff. More information about our termly menus are available on our website, and examples of our team’s exceptional dishes are consistently posted on social media.
The school kitchen is mindful of the various food allergies that some pupils may have. The catering company, Lexington, will send out information to you regarding allergies.
Throughout the Nursery day, the following meals are provided:
A morning snack, consisting of toast, crumpets or teacake, as well as fresh orange juice or water
Lunch - menus are available on our website
An afternoon snack of fresh fruit and milk or water
A light tea, ranging from sandwiches to beans on toast.
In Reception, please send in a healthy snack with your child and water in a named water bottle. Children will be served lunch. As part of the Twilight Club, the children are served afternoon tea. For example, beans on toast, sandwiches and fruit.
Holiday Clubs for Reception children
As the Reception classes do not run for 51 weeks of the year like the Nursery, Reception children are offered the opportunity to participate in the various holiday/ summer clubs such as Jamie Milligan’s Multi Sports Academy, AKS Achieves, Bikeability and Art Explorers Club. The holiday clubs charge an additional fee. Parents book through the Trybooking system, except for Jamie Milligan’s Multi Sports Academy which is booked directly. These clubs benefit the Reception aged children as they are able to mix with older children from AKS and other local schools.
‘Key Person’ system
As each child starts their Nursery journey, they are allocated a Key Person to ensure continuity of his or her care. The Key Person is integrally involved with all planning for the individual child’s needs, and records information on the child’s progress. This information is shared with the child’s parent or carers during termly parents’ appointments to ensure continuity, consistency and progression for the child. In Reception, the Key Persons are the Reception Class Teachers.
Medical matters
At AKS, we have a term-time Matron, who can be contacted directly at helen.hotchkiss@akslytham.com. In addition, all Nursery and Reception staff are qualified in paediatric First Aid.
If there is anything that relates to your child’s medical wellbeing about which you think we should be aware, please do tell us. If your child feels unwell at school, the staff will seek advice from the Nursery Manager or Deputy who will make any necessary arrangements, whether that is contacting Matron or phoning home.
Our Administration of Medicines Policy is available through our website; however, the main guidelines are:
1. Children taking prescribed medication must be well enough to attend school.
2. We will only administer prescribed medicines.
3. No child will be given medicine without the prior consent and signature of their parent/carer.
4. Prescribed medicines must be in the original container and must be clearly labelled with the child’s name.
5 Prescribed medicines will only be administered prior to the expiry date
6 No medication may be given without these details being provided:
• full name of child and date of birth
• name of medication and strength
• who prescribed it
• dosage to be given
• how the medication should be stored and expiry date.
• any side effects that may be expected should be noted; and
• signature, printed name of parent and date
7 Medicines are kept out of reach of children and are stored in a locked non-portable container, located in the medical room Medication such as inhalers are kept on high shelving in the child’s classroom
8 Written records are kept of all medicines administered to children, and parents sign the record book to acknowledge the entry
9 With written authorisation, Nursery staff will apply nappy cream and sun cream provided by a child’s parent/carer
10 If the administration of prescription medicines requires technical/medical knowledge, then individual training is provided to staff from a qualified health professional Training is specific to the individual child concerned
11 If rectal diazepam is given, another member of staff must be present, who will co-sign the record book
12 We will administer medication such as inhalers on a long-term basis on completion by the parent of the appropriate form
13 The use of long-term medication will be reviewed regularly with parents
14. No child may self-administer. Where children can understand when they need medication, for example with asthma, they should be encouraged to tell their Key Person/ Reception Class Teachers what they need. However, this does not replace staff vigilance in knowing and responding when a child requires medication
Morning and Twilight Club term time only for Reception children
The Reception children are welcome to attend the Morning Club from 8 00am in the Prep School Hall After school, the children can attend the Twilight Club, and an afternoon tea will be served, such as beans on toast, sandwiches or a jacket potato Please note that the Twilight Club has an additional fee as follows:
Session 1 £5 40 from 3 40pm to 4 45pm
Session 2 £5 40 from 4 45pm to 6 00pm
These additional fees will be added to your bill For catering purposes, please sign your child up to the Twilight Club by emailing prep@akslytham com
Parent Ambassadors
Parent Ambassadors are elected every year by the parents, and they meet with Mrs Ilhan once a term to discuss pertinent issues in the Nursery and Prep School Two -way communication between the school and the Parent Ambassadors is of utmost importance to us
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)
The Parent-Teacher Association enables parents to meet socially and to provide valuable financial support for our school. All parents are automatically members of the Association and entitled to join in and attend all events. PTA meetings are normally held each half term, with the AGM in the Autumn Term. Dates of all meetings and social events appear in the school calendar and on the PTA page under the Community tab of our website.
Reception Ready
The Early Years children transition from class to class throughout the Nursery and into the Reception classes with ease. In Ducklings, Bees and Ladybirds classes, the children progress to the next class based on their age and stage of development. In Pre-School however, usually only children that will turn 5 years old in the Reception Class during the following year are placed in the Pre-School class. Every stage of each child’s development is tracked and ‘bridged’ using the IConnect system.
During the Autumn Term for Pre-School children, parents are invited to attend the whole school Open Day to meet the Reception Class Teachers. During this term, the Reception Class Teacher holds a parents’ meeting to discuss the EYFS curriculum.
In the Spring Term, there is a designated Reception Open Day for all parents and children to experience an afternoon in the Reception Classes and meet the Specialist teachers who teach a carousel of Spanish, Sport and Music taster sessions. The Reception Class Teachers also visits the Pre children in their classroom during this term.
In the Summer Term, the children who have signed up for the Reception class visit the Reception class in a series of occasions. The Reception Class Teachers holds a second parents’ meeting to discuss the progression from the Pre-School class to the Reception classes, such as the changes in the curriculum, the uniform and sports kit, and snack times.
The Pre-School children follow the ‘Read, Write Inc’ programme in the Spring/ Summer Terms and this programme continues into the Reception Class.
Round Square
We are proud to be a member of Round Square, a network of leading schools across the world with an exceptional and holistic approach to character education. Built around the six core ‘IDEALS’ (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, Service) and twelve ‘Discoveries’ – dispositions and skills that students will explore as part of their learning journeys – the framework and philosophy of Round Square enables individuals to develop as responsible citizens of the world, empowered to make a difference on both a local and a global scale.
At AKS, Round Square is a fundamental part of our approach, from the youngest children in the Nursery right through to Year 13. We actively dive into the IDEALS and Discoveries, with an explicit focus at key points, and also through their development as part of our academic and wider curricula. Inspired by the prescient thinking of the educationalist Kurt Hahn, whose ideas also led to the Duke of Edinburgh Award, AKS provides opportunities to engage in the international community, through collaborations with schools and groups across the world, as well as embracing the importance of service, and the value of challenge and adventure in every aspect of their school lives.
Student leadership is strongly encouraged at our school: we have Round Square Committee Leaders as well as Student Council Representatives, Music Ambassadors, Reading Ambassadors, Wellbeing Ambassadors, Sports and House Captains, all of which encourage a clear student voice.
Find out more at www.roundsquare.org.
Safeguarding and Child Protection
Looking after the wellbeing and care of our children is our highest priority. We ensure that they feel secure, that they are able to talk, and that they feel that they will be heard.
Our day-to-day contact with the children means that we are well-placed to observe any child protection issues.
Amanda Ilhan is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the Nursery and Preparatory School, with Vicky Reynolds (Nursery Manager) as her Deputy.
All staff receive training on child protection issues, and this training is regularly updated. The Children Act (1989) requires that all school staff pass on to the Headmaster and/or the Designated Safeguarding Lead, information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from non-accidental injury, neglect, emotional or sexual abuse. The school will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with parents and, where possible, seek their consent for any referral to the Social Services Department. However, this can only be done where such discussion and seeking of agreement will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm. In all such matters, the school is bound by, and willingly complies with, its legal obligations and, regarding the above, the school follows the procedures set out in our Child Protection Policy. This policy is available on the school website and from the General Office.
All members of staff, including volunteers, are DBS cleared to Enhanced Level.
Settling in
After your child’s registration has been accepted, we will work in partnership with you to settle your child into the Nursery or Reception environment with arrangements being made for a visit so that your child can familiarise himself/herself with the setting and meet their Key Person or the Reception Class Teachers.
We will ensure that each child’s Key Person/ the Reception Class Teacher has the relevant requirements prepared prior to their start date and provide information about the setting in a format that is relevant to each individual family.
Your child is ‘handed over’ at the door to their Key Person/ the Reception Class Teachers/Teacher Assistant so they can settle quickly into the Early Years setting quickly and without stress.
No child will be taken on an outing from the Nursery until he or she is completely settled.
Staffing
We believe that having skilled staff is the key to success in any environment and so much more where caring skills are involved. As a team of colleagues working day-to-day within the school, we are supported by our Local Governing Body (LGB) and by colleagues in United Learning, the wider group of schools to which AKS belongs.
It is our aim to appoint the best staff available, whilst being mindful of all legal and safeguarding requirements. We consider knowledge, experience and qualifications – all staff have at least a Level 2 qualification or better for Nursery staff, and the Reception Class Teachers and Teacher Assistant hold a relevant degree qualification.
However, as the school has expanded rapidly over the last five years, we now enjoy the opportunity to train the next generation of Early Years staff and encourage Early Careers Teachers (ECTs) and apprentices to apply. We provide thorough ongoing training to ensure that our standards remain ambitious and that the care we provide to our children is exceptional. Our training includes, and is not limited to, child protection, first aid, behaviour management, fire safety, health and hygiene, observation, assessment and record-keeping, and equal opportunities.
Uniform
The school shop, managed by Mrs Kelly Akers, is the sole supplier of school uniform. Full details of opening times and uniform costs are available on our school website under our Admissions tab. Mrs Akers can be contacted at kelly.akers@akslytham.com or by telephone 01253 784 124 should you have any questions about our uniform.
Wellbeing
Day-to-day wellness at AKS is supported by six wellbeing habits:
1) Be Rested: achieve good quality sleep each night, with a regular routine.
2) Be Healthy: make your diet balanced, nutritious and healthy (with regular mealtimes and including breakfast), and drink plenty of water each day (avoiding sugary drinks).
3) Be Mindful: protect some quiet time each day to think about what you have achieved so far, what you want to achieve next, why, and how to do it.
4) Be Productive: focus your attention appropriately, take responsibility, make things happen, and avoid any distractions or time-wasting temptations that do nothing to help you or other people.
5) Be Social: take the time to listen to other people, talk with them face to face, and contribute usefully to the community around you.
6) Be Positive: know your strengths, see any mistakes or failures as something to learn from, look for the good in situations and people, and make each moment of each day the best you can for yourself and others. These habits help provide clarity, guidance and an opportunity for reflection for each pupil, and help to ensure that they are most able to look after themselves and others at school and beyond.
AKS Wheel of Wellbeing
