Prospectus

Play

Play is the most effective tool for early learning. It is the child’s ‘work’ and should be respected for its powerful impact on their social and intellectual development. Our curriculum is delivered through a wide range of play activities. These are opportunities for both child-initiated and adult-led play. Spontaneous play is shaped by available resources and the indoor/outdoor environment. Staff may well interact with the children during such activities in order to extent learning.

More structured learning opportunities take the form of focus tasks and children’s next steps activities. These involve a high degree of teacher input. We aim for these tasks to span the breadth of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum over each term.
Children’s play is most often of a practical nature, which does not have an end product. If your child has not produced anything to bring home it does not mean s/he has not been busy!

Assessment

The main strategy for assessing young children is observation. Children’s skills, knowledge and experiences are monitored on a daily basis. This helps us to target their emotional and educational needs more precisely and understand children’s next steps, so children are always developing, learning and moving forward. Observation of activities and learning documented in individual on-line Learning Journals.

You will be invited to parent consultation with the Pre-school staff at intervals throughout the year. This provides a more formal opportunity to discuss and celebrate your child’s progress and to talk about the next steps for their learning. We will often talk informally with you about your child and always welcome your questions and comments.

Major changes at home can affect a child’s behaviour and performance. In order to support your child, please inform us of any personal changes.

Play

Play is the most effective tool for early learning. It is the child’s ‘work’ and should be respected for its powerful impact on their social and intellectual development.
Our curriculum is delivered through a wide range of play activities. These are opportunities for both child-initiated and adult-led play. Spontaneous play is shaped by available resources and the indoor/outdoor environment. Staff may well interact with the children during such activities in order
to extent learning.

More structured learning opportunities take the form of focus tasks and children’s next steps activities. These involve a high degree of teacher input. We aim for these tasks to span the breadth of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum over each term.
Children’s play is most often of a practical nature, which does not have an end product. If your child has not produced anything to bring home it does not mean s/he has not been busy!

Assessment

The main strategy for assessing young children is observation. Children’s skills, knowledge and experiences are monitored on a daily basis. This helps us to target their emotional and educational needs more precisely and understand children’s next steps, so children are always developing, learning and moving forward. Observation of activities and learning documented in individual on-line Learning Journals.

You will be invited to parent consultation with the Pre-school staff at intervals throughout the year. This provides a more formal opportunity to discuss and celebrate your child’s progress and to talk about the next steps for their learning. We will often talk informally with you about your child and always welcome your questions and comments.

Major changes at home can affect a child’s behaviour and performance. In order to support your child, please inform us of any personal changes.

Absence

It is important for your child’s progress that s/he attends regularly. If your child is unable to attend, please let us know by telephone.

If your child is unwell or taking a course of antibiotics, please keep him/her at home as s/he will not enjoy pre-school and may infect others. If s/he has a tummy upset, allow a full 48 hours before sending them back to class.

If your child becomes ill during pre-school, we will contact you. It is important that you keep us informed of any change of phone number in case of emergency. Minor bumps and injuries will be dealt with by a qualified first aider. We will always inform you if your child has had any injury at nursery.

Clothing

Please send your child in clothes that they can manage themselves. Joggers and sweatshirts are ideal for the winter and shorts and t-shirts for the summer. Clothing should be easy to launder, as preschool activities can be very messy! All items of clothing should be named. Children should not wear jewellery for reasons of safety.

Children have access to outdoor activities in all weathers, so please ensure they have waterproof coats and wellies for the rain, hats and gloves for the cold and sun hats when it’s hot. Shoes should have easy fastenings, Velcro is ideal, as we encourage children to do as much as they can for themselves to ensure they are school ready.

Absence

It is important for your child’s progress that s/he attends regularly. If your child is unable to attend, please let us know by telephone.

If your child is unwell or taking a course of antibiotics, please keep him/her at home as s/he will not enjoy pre-school and may infect others. If s/he has a tummy upset, allow a full 48 hours before sending them back to class.

If your child becomes ill during pre-school, we will contact you. It is important that you keep us informed of any change of phone number in case of emergency. Minor bumps and injuries will be dealt with by a qualified first aider. We will always inform you if your child has had any injury at nursery.

Clothing

Please send your child in clothes that they can manage themselves. Joggers and sweatshirts are ideal for the winter and shorts and t-shirts for the summer. Clothing should be easy to launder, as preschool activities can be very messy! All items of clothing should be named. Children should not wear jewellery for reasons of safety.

Children have access to outdoor activities in all weathers, so please ensure they have waterproof coats and wellies for the rain, hats and gloves for the cold and sun hats when it’s hot. Shoes should have easy fastenings, Velcro is ideal, as we encourage children to do as much as they can for themselves to ensure they are school ready.

Snacks

All of the children in pre-school are entitled to free milk, which will be available during snack times. Children will also have access to water should they prefer it or need another drink.

We also have snack time in the morning and afternoon so the children can boost their energy levels. We ask for a weekly fee of £1 to cover snacks and other preschool consumables. Children eat and drink at the snack table and are encouraged to independently choose and prepare their own snack. If your child has any special dietary requirements, please discuss this with a member of staff.

Drinks

Please provide your child with a drinks bottle filled that they can identify, but also named to help staff. This should be filled with water and we will top up when needed. We ask you to not provide squash or juice as drinking this throughout the day can cause tooth decay.

Lunchtime

If you choose a lunchtime session, your child will need a packed lunch. We are a healthy pre-school so ask that there are no fizzy drinks, sweets or chocolate bars in them. Lunchtimes will be fully supervised.

Toileting

Do not worry if your child is still in nappies we will change them until they are ready for potty training. We will then work with you to get them dry. If your child is still in nappies please send enough nappies, baby wipes, nappy sacks and anything else they may need for their personal care in a named bag each day.

Toileting

Do not worry if your child is still in nappies we will change them until they are ready for potty training. We will then work with you to get them dry. If your child is still in nappies please send enough nappies, baby wipes, nappy sacks and anything else they may need for their personal care in a named bag each day.

Starting Pre-school

We will discuss the start date and register you and your child into our online learning journal and ask you to complete the All About Me Form, as this will give us a real insight to your child’s home life and how to best support them during their settling in period. Your child will be allocated a key worker who will discuss their wellbeing and development with you.

Preparing your child for Preschool

We would like your child to be as independent and self-managing as possible. This will boost his/her confidence and self-esteem.

Please encourage your child to do simple tasks themselves such as:-

  • Dress and undress themselves. (help your child by providing clothes with easy
  • fastenings, eg. Velcro, zips, large buttons).

  • Go to the toilet and flush the system.
  • Wash and dry hands afterwards.
  • Blow their own nose.
  • Tidy away toys and hang up coats.
  • Learn to share toys
  • Be independent – ensure that your child has spent time away from you. S/he will then learn to trust and seek comfort from other adults.
  • Be able to eat their packed lunch independently.