Term Time:

Monday – Friday

Breakfast Club – 8am – 8.30am

Morning Session – 8.30am – 11.30am

Lunch Club – 11.30am – 12pm

Afternoon Session – 12pm – 3pm

Our day to day activity reflects and embraces the diversity of the local community. We aim to offer a welcome to each individual child and family and aim to make every group feel included.

Learning through play is very important to how a young child develops. During each session, children have a choice of activities including:

sand and water;
painting;

sticking and other arts & crafts;

a home corner;

a small world playset, e.g. a farm, castle, dinosaur island or space station;

different construction bricks;

ICT toys;

a cosy book area with cushions.

As well as this, there are other activities such as making playdough, cooking, puzzles,games and much more!

Toys and activities are changed daily and we try to find different ways of presenting familiar activities. In addition, we put out greengrocers, supermarket, bakers, hairdressers, puppet theatre, office, hospital on a rota system. Every session provides a physical time when the children can use large and small physical toys and equipment, for example, tricycles, scooters and climbing frames. We have use of the outdoor patio, substantial grounds and tennis court all year round.

The Pre-school Curriculum follows the new statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This places stronger emphasis on three Prime areas:

personal, social and emotional;

physical and communication

language.

Growth and development in the Prime areas will help children in the additional four Specific areas of

literacy,

maths,

understanding the world

expressive arts and design.


Throughout the year, we have visitors such as musicians and artists, celebrate different annual festivals and events and take the children on outings to places both local and further afield. The tennis club’s instructor runs tennis sessions for the children during the warmer months.

Once we have received all applications we will invite you in for a walk around the setting with the opportunity to a Stay & Play with your child. 

If you are interested in taking your application further then you’ll be invited back for two additional Stay & Play sessions before your place is confirmed. 

‘2 Year Olds – All 2 year olds can attend morning and afternoon ( full day sessions). They need to attend a minimum of three sessions.

3 Year Olds and over – All 3 year olds and over are to attend a minimum of five session. These sessions are to include two full days and sessions must be a mix of full days/mornings/afternoons.

The Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) is a government grant which enables eligible children to have funded nursery or preschool education each year until they are compulsory school age.

All children from the age of 3 are eligible for Free Early Education Entitlement funding for 15 hours of childcare. 

We also offer 30 hours of funded childcare to those 3 year old that qualify and provide 2 year old funded places for those children that are eligible.

The date you can start claiming depends on your child’s birthday.

Child’s birthday – 1 January to 31 March

When you can claim – The beginning of term on or after 1 April 

Child’s birthday – 1 April to 31 August

When you can claim – The beginning of term on or after 1 September

Child’s birthday – 1 September to 31 December

When you can claim – The beginning of term on or after 1 January

For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/take-up-of-free-early-education-entitlements

During the age of 2 your child will have a progress check which is a requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Every child we have enrolled in our school must have one during their time at preschool. Your child’s Key Worker will be completing the check and will complete this when they best know your child.

The Key Person approach is a way of working where the whole focus and organisation are aimed at enabling and supporting close attachments between a child and individual preschool staff.

The Key Person will never replace the parent but is the special member of staff who will be there for a child when they settle into preschool and they will get to know the parents and the child. As the child gains confidence, he or she will move happily away from the Key Person and get to know the other members of staff in the room. But the Key Person is still there for the child as the special individual who knows them and is there whenever they are needed.

Role Of A Key Person

• Developing secure, trusting relationships with their key children and parents.
• Settling new key children in.
• Settling new key children as they arrive each day.
• Changing and toileting key children, using sensitive handling and familiar words.
• Dressing their key children, offering help as needed but also supporting their growing skills.
• Interacting with key children with reciprocal sounds, words, facial expressions and gestures, according to their individual temperament.
• Providing a secure base for key children by being physically and emotionally available to them to come back to, by sitting at their level and in close proximity to them.
• Using body language, eye contact and voice tone to indicate availability and interest, gauging these according to the child’s temperament and culture.
• Understanding and containing children’s difficult feelings by gentle holding, providing words for feelings and empathy in a way suited to each individual child.
• Comforting distressed children by acknowledging their feelings, offering explanations and reassurances calmly and gently.
• Acknowledging and allowing children to express a range of feelings such as anger, joy, distress, excitement, jealousy or love.
• Spending quality time with a group of key children every day: either quiet time with stories or other activities.