FAQs

At all three Clever Clogs Nurseries we offer full-time and part-time care. 

Full time care is offered between 7.30am and 6pm, whilst our two part-time sessions run throughout the day between 7.30am-1pm and 1pm-6pm.

We are open every day except for one week between Christmas and New Year and bank holidays.

At all three Clever Clogs Nurseries we offer out of school services for children aged up to 11 years old, allowing us to offer parents flexible childcare solutions. 

Our before and after school club allows parents to leave their child at the nursery in the morning and collect them in the evening; allowing a qualified member of staff to do the school run and care for the child in-between school and working hours. 

School children are able to do homework, play games and make friends in a separate area of the nursery away from the younger children.

Each Clever Clogs Nursery offers before and after school services to a number of local schools – for more information please select the nursery of your choice: Belmont, Bowburn and Hartlepool.

We also provide School Holiday Fun Clubs at all three nurseries during half-term holidays, Christmas and summer holidays for children aged up to 11 years old.

Fun Clubs follow a programme of themed activities which are developed by our highly skilled and experienced team to ensure children are not only having fun but they are also making lots of friends. 

Activities include arts and crafts, indoors and outdoors fun, games and day trips including theatre visits and trips to local farms. 

Children also have access to games consoles, computers, TVs, and games including table football, pool, table hockey and board games meaning there is never a dull moment at Clever Clogs School Holiday Fun Club.

For more information on the Holiday Fun Clubs click here. 

Babies can start at Clever Clogs Nurseries from as young as six weeks old but most start between 6-9 months, often when their mothers or fathers return to work.  Your baby can attend nursery as much as you like from one full day (or two half days) to full time care, five days a week.

We understand that leaving your child for the first time can be very upsetting for parents so we will do all we can to make the transition as easy as possible for everyone.

Before your little one starts at one of our nurseries, we will offer you and your child the opportunity to attend "settling in sessions". This experience is invaluable to helping your child feel comfortable in the nursery and will enable us to build important relationships with you.

Settling in is a gradual process and we will work with you on each visit to help you feel more comfortable and confident in leaving your child for longer periods of time.  You are welcome to stay with your child as long as you like, until you are satisfied that they have adapted to the new environment and our staff.  We are sure that by their first day, you will be happy and reassured that your child is content and settled.

We serve healthy and nutritious meals in all three of our nurseries.  Our qualified chefs prepare fresh fruit and vegetables in our top-of-the-range kitchens and ensure each meal or snack includes fresh fruit, vegetables or salad. Children are also encouraged to try new food in tasting sessions.

We develop our menus on a four weekly rotation to ensure variation and use of fresh seasonal produce.  Our team use recipes from child nutrition expert Annabel Karmel.

All of our menus include a morning snack, afternoon snack and a hot two-course lunch while diluted fruit juice, milk and water are available throughout the day. 

Cost for food is included in the price of the sessions.

For sample menus please click here.

You are very welcome to prepare a packed lunch for your child to eat at nursery and we would recommend including some snacks such as fruit or yoghurt for them to enjoy throughout the day. They will eat alongside those having a nursery lunch in the dining room or specified eating area of the nursery.

At Clever Clogs Nursery we follow vigorous security checks – including electronic door entry systems, sign-in books, CCTV, asking visitors to sign our visitors book, or asking for proof of identity if necessary, secure fencing and thorough staff security training. Visitors are never left unattended within the nurseries.

Our admissions policy is meticulous and when you register your child you will be asked to complete an "Authorised Persons to Collect your Child" form. Only nominated people on this form will be allowed to collect your child and if staff have any concerns they will phone you. 

Health and safety is also very important, and we carry out regular risk assessments with qualified fire assessors and security experts. 

All of our staff also receive regular training to ensure that procedures are followed and our nurseries provide a safe environment for all children, parents and staff.

At all three Clever Clogs Nurseries we offer extracurricular classes including Tumble Tots physical activity programme, Leaps and Bounds for pre-schoolers, and Tiny Talk baby sign language.

For more information on the classes offered by each Clever Clogs please select the nursery below:

Belmont

Bowburn

Hartlepool

Within our age-specific rooms, we provide a comfortable and caring environment for children to learn and explore.  Our rooms are designed to stimulate children and provide a colourful and safe space for them to grow, learn and have fun.

We use creativity, fun, communication and relationships to develop each key element of Early Years Foundation Stage to bring out the best in our children through play and planned activity.

At Clever Clogs we organise age-specific mental and physical activity that takes place both indoors and outdoors. Daily activities include informal song and dance, arts and crafts, one-to-one and group reading, talks, question and answer sessions, play, and drawing and writing.

For more information on the age specific rooms of each Clever Clogs nursery please go to: Belmont, Bowburn or Hartlepool.

Yes, we provide regular nursery care for under 5s during school holidays except bank holidays and an out of school Holiday Fun Club for children aged 5-11 years old.

For more information on our School Holiday Fun Clubs please click here.

Yes all of the staff at Clever Clogs Nurseries are qualified.  Across our nurseries we have staff who have worked in the industry for over 20 years right through to students who work with experienced team members and are working towards recognised childcare qualifications.  

At a very minimum all staff at Clever Clogs hold Basic First Aid training and Basic Food Hygiene certificates.  We also ensure staff undergo regular internal training on issues such as education, health and safety, security and policy.

On starting with us, all staff undergo an intensive induction training programme to familiarise themselves with our standards and procedures and to get to know the parents and children they will be working with on a daily basis.

With over 70 staff across all three Clever Clogs nurseries it would be impossible to list all qualifications here but if you do choose to visit any one of our nurseries we would be more than happy to explain to you exactly which qualifications each member of the team holds.

All of our staff must be Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) approved before employment begins with us.  

We are fully OFSTED registered and inspected, ensuring our practices and procedures are in accordance with the Department for Education and Skills Welfare Requirements. We aim to exceed expectations at all times.

Our Belmont site is one of just 7 per cent of nurseries in England to be awarded an outstanding rating from Ofsted.  If you would like to view the report please click on the link below: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY347008 

Within just six months of opening our Bowburn site also received a positive Ofsted grading: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY425224

An Ofsted inspection for the Hartlepool site, under the new management is still to take place – as soon as the report is produced we will post it here.

Our prices are highly competitive and we will work with parents to discuss budget and advise on financial support where possible.  We know how big of a decision nursery care is so will happily discuss costs with you in person and discuss options before you agree to anything.

At present all children aged between 3 and school age are entitled to 15 hours of free nursery care where a nursery can accommodate this.  This is paid for by the Government and is given to children the term after their third birthday.  For more information on this please go to: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Preschooldevelopmentandlearning/NurseriesPlaygroupsReceptionClasses/DG_10016103

Child tax credits can also greatly help parents financially – go to: www.hmrc.co.uk for more information.

Although it is often believed that children who attend nurseries linked to a specific primary school are more likely to be accepted by the school, this is not necessarily the case. 

In our experience schools do not favour some nurseries over others.  We would be happy to discuss acceptance figures for specific schools with you in person.

All three Clever Clogs Nurseries follow a stringent sickness policy and all parents and carers are given a copy which is discussed prior to a child enrolling in a nursery.

 The Clever Clogs team will monitor children for any signs/symptoms of illness at all times and will act accordingly to contact parents for further instruction, if the team fail to reach parents a named emergency contact will be approached. 

A senior member of staff will assume control in all situations and take the child to a medical room, where they will be made comfortable until they are collected or contact with parents/carers can be made.

In the event of a serious accident or illness an ambulance will be called and a senior member of staff will accompany the child. Parents/ carers will be contacted and informed of the situation immediately. 

We follow Sickness and Exclusion policy set out by our local authorities which outlines the number of days children should be away from the nursery to ensure any virus etc is not passed onto the other children or staff. This will be discussed with parents as appropriate.

Only prescribed medication can be given to a child and written permission must be obtained when the child is brought into nursery at the start of their session.  Only qualified staff will administer medication to children and there will always be a second person witnessing any administration.

A medication record form will also be fully completed and signed, and will be kept confidentially on file.

At all three Clever Clogs Nurseries we ensure we meet legal requirements regarding the ratio of nursery staff to the number of children they are looking after, even at busy times of the day such as lunch hours and breaks.

The staff to child ratio is 1:8 for children aged 3-5; 1:4 for children aged 2 years and 1:3 for children aged under 2 years.

Good communication between the Clever Clogs teams and parents is of key importance to ensure staff fully understand the needs of your child and you as a parent have any concerns or requirements addressed as soon as possible. 

At all Clever Clogs Nurseries we have an open door policy and provide daily written reports on the progress your child is making and will happily answer any questions you may have.

Parents know they can talk to us at anytime and many regularly chat to us about their child’s progress when we meet them in the morning and in the evening.  We also have procedures in place to ensure formal paper trails and progress updates exist.

Parents receive regular progress reports, attend parent evenings and receive a USB stick which is frequently updated with pictures of their children during their time at nursery, reports, development observations and notices.  Parents are also asked to upload their own pictures from home which are placed at child-height around the nursery to help children settle in and to and create a strong link between the nursery and home.

We hold fun nights for parents so they can meet the teams, see the nursery and have informal chats with the other parents.  This is great for those who may not have time during the week to talk to us and gives parents the opportunity to get to know each other.

At Clever Clogs we also listen to ideas from our parents and welcome feedback either face to face or via our anonymous bi-annual questionnaires.  We understand that grandparents, parents and carers want to be involved in the nursery so we regularly hold classes such as baking and arts and crafts with them and we also have guest sessions from pillars of the community such as one fireman dad who regularly brings his fire crew in to teach the kids about fire safety.

Newsletters are also produced for parents detailing nursery activities, changes to policies, general information, updates on the nursery staff team and any other information which you, as a parent, should be aware of.

There are notice boards around each nursery, which contain specific information for each play room and the activities or events taking place.  We also place wishing trees where parents are encouraged to write and hang up their wishes for their child's development while they are at nursery.

Each child at all three of our Clever Clogs Nurseries is allocated a key worker who will be the first point of contact for you and your child.  The key worker is chosen after the initial settling in session where we observe the child and staff to see who the child naturally bonds with. 

Of course all staff will get to know your child and you will be welcome to speak to any of the team about your child, but we will also ensure that you are given every opportunity to talk to your child's Key Worker.

Yes.  We want to make the transition between home and joining nursery as smooth as possible for parents and children so at Clever Clogs we replicate your home routine within the nursery. 

In each nursery we follow your sleeping and eating routines and when it comes to potty training we work with you to establish a system that works both at home and at the nursery. 

We do encourage pre-school children to follow a basic routine during nursery hours, particularly during lunch time, which allows us to prepare children for the move into school.

Clever Clogs Nurseries practice an approach that supports children’s development of self-discipline and which promotes positive behaviour.  We have established policies regarding behavioural management which all parents are given prior to their child starting at any of our nurseries.

Clever Clogs staff continually treat children equally and with respect and physical punishment is never an option. We believe that engaging children in appropriate activity and understanding why they are acting the way they are and helping them to recognise why it is not appropriate usually deals with disruptive behaviour.

How different types of behaviour are handled will depend on the child and the individual circumstances.  We will always positively promote good behaviour and a caring attitude.

We believe that children benefit most when adults adopt a consistent and positive approach to the management of their behaviour so we establish clear boundaries according to a children’s level of understanding.

At Clever Clogs we always work in partnership with parents and carers by communicating openly with them, discussing any issues and following their lead.

Each nursery has a named behaviour management coordinator and any incidents will be recorded on a form which is signed by the behaviour management co-ordinator, an action plan will be written and the issue will be discussed with the child’s parents / carer before it is implemented.

Yes at all three Clever Clogs Nurseries we provide dedicated sleep rooms where babies and children are able to have restful sleep without any disturbance from other activities.

Babies and children are able to sleep in cots, in pushchairs or on bed mats - this will be in accordance with their home routine and your personal wishes. The sleep room has vision panels and is monitored by staff at all times.

We play soothing music and carefully monitor the temperature of the room ensuring relaxation and comfort and any dummies, teddies or blankets are given to children for sleep times.  Bedding is changed and washed after use by each child.

In the rooms of the older children, we have quiet areas where children are able to relax on beanbags or comfy seats – we regularly read to children in this area and children are encouraged to read books on their own here. 

We consider Early Years Foundation Stage to be a baseline framework from which we can build on.  Using creativity, fun, communication and relationships we develop each key element to bring out the best in our children through play and planned activity.

Education and fun are at the forefront of our minds at all times and all of our activities are planned to bring out the best in children.  For instance, if we notice a child is particularly interested in one subject we hinge activity around this topic to encourage enthusiasm and boost learning.  Alternatively if a child is struggling at co-ordination for example, we encourage the whole group to take part in activity that boosts this skill such as throwing and catching.

We work closely with local authorities to ensure we are at the forefront of educational requirements and are in-line with any suggested measures or programmes.

Our close relationships with parents also allows us to work with them to support their desires for their children and encourage development where need be.

We believe that physical growth is just as important as mental development for the health and well being of children so physical activity is a key element to our daily routines.

Whether this involves playing in the gardens of our sites, taking part in one of our extracurricular classes such as Leaps and Bounds or our regular physical education classes held within the nurseries children are encouraged to develop their co-ordination, listening and communication skills through physical activity.

We always say there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing so we have lots of wellies and raincoats on standby to encourage children to play outside and we regularly take children on walks and trips out.

Parents are asked to provide all nappies and wipes their child will need while at nursery. 

Classes provided by external operators are charged per class or are block booked and prices are set by the individual provider.

We charge a small registration fee to help cover administration costs which we will agree with you in person prior to you signing a contract.

No a child can attend Clever Clogs Nurseries from anything between a half day a week up to full time care five days a week.  We will happily discuss your requirements with you and work out a childcare solution that works best for you.

At Clever Clogs Nurseries we aim to provide a harmonious and happy environment for our staff which consequently creates a nurturing, supportive and caring environment for children and parents.

Because of our great reputation we attract the highest calibre of applicants for every vacancy and our effective staff recruitment and selection procedures mean we are able to appoint staff that are of the highest possible standard and are an asset to the Clever Clogs family.

Training is continually provided to ensure that we keep up-to-date with the latest and best practices and regular personal development reviews give staff the opportunity to continually improve and grow.

We have an incredibly high staff retention rate which shows our staff are happy in their jobs and this reassures parents that their child’s care is at the forefront of our minds. 

Our team will go above and beyond to look after the children in our nursery and will work tirelessly to provide tailored care to suit each and every child.  We will work with parents to provide appropriate care and will happily accommodate needs and meet any special requirements.

Yes.  You are welcome to visit any of the Clever Clogs Nurseries at any time of the day and as often as you feel is necessary.  We understand how difficult it can be to choose a nursery so we are more than happy to show you around the nursery and answer any questions you may have at a time that suits you.

Planned trips are organised twice a term with smaller trips such as visits to the allotments organised on an ad-hoc basis in-line with activity planning for each nursery and age group.

Some of the trips are free while others such as theatre visits at Christmas cost a few pounds.  You will be asked to approve any costs in writing prior to the trips taking place and we will always look to make trips affordable.