FAQ’s

What is our ethos?

We believe children learn best when they are engaged in their own interests, and our role is to provoke those interests and curiosities by providing interesting, open-ended resources and experiences for them to engage with, and to extend the children’s learning by identifying teachable moments within their play.

What is the cost per hour?

£5.25 per hour paid monthly in advance.

What age can children start, and do we accept 15/30 hour funding?

Children can start from 2 years old, they are funded for 15 hours starting the term AFTER their third birthday, unless they qualify for 2-year funding (working families or disadvantaged two-year funding starts from the term AFTER they turn two). 30-hour funding for three-year-olds also starts the term after their third birthday, to find out if you qualify for any of the funding mentioned above please visit childcarechoices.gov.uk.

What days/times/terms are we open?

Monday to Friday, 9.15 to 14.15 term time only.

What do parents need to provide?

Please provide a bag containing at least one spare outfit, including socks and underwear, wellies and waterproofs. For children who are newly toilet trained, please provide extra underwear, socks and trousers.

Children should bring in a lunchbox, no sweets, nut products or fizzy drinks please. Children will also need a water bottle.

 For children in nappies, please provide plenty of nappies and we will provide the wipes etc.

 In colder weather, please send your child with a warm coat, hat and gloves.

 In the summertime, please make sure your child has sun cream applied before they attend as staff cannot apply this unless there are special/medical circumstances which need to be followed.

Is there a uniform?

Although uniform is not compulsory, we do recommend it. Happy Fish have supplies of our branded uniform including lovely warm jumpers available at very reasonable prices. Uniform is available from the Happy Fish website: https://www.happyfish.co.uk/3-2-5-preschool

what is Our SENDCO awareness?

All our staff have experience of working with children with SEND, and we have all completed training on different areas of Special Educational Needs. We use Makaton as a communication method, allowing all children to learn to interact with others in a simple, effective way. This approach is also great for supporting children who do not speak English as their first language. We have a highly trained and dedicated SENDCO, Debbie Harrison co-ordinates further support and referrals for the children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities. Debbie is also available for support with behaviour management, and for general advice for parents who have concerns about their child’s development.

What happens if my child is upset when entering pre-school?

Your child’s key person will come to the pre-school entrance and help support your child into pre-school. Once in pre-school the keyperson will continue to reassure your child and try to engage them in play using resources, they find interesting. If after a short while your child is upset, we will phone you and make you aware and discuss what you would like to happen next.  

What would happen if my child refused to eat their lunch at lunchtime?

Lunchtime begins at 12 o clock, for the children who only stay until 12.15 this is not enough time to eat a full lunch, therefore we recommend that those children only have a very small lunch of one or two items so they can join their friends without feeling hurried to finish the contents of their lunch box. The children eat together under the supervision of the staff, who are always there to encourage them to eat and try new things. We would never try to force your child to eat their lunch, we would ask them to try some more but if they refuse after several attempts then they will be allowed to leave and go back to engaging in play. We will put any leftover food back into their lunch box and let the parents know that they still have food remaining.

My child would like to bring a toy from home into pre-school?

Unfortunately, we do not allow for children to bring their own toys into pre-school. Pre-school is an environment were every item has been risk assessed and deemed safe for use in pre-school. Toys from home have not been risk assessed by us at pre-school and therefore could present a risk. We also would not like your lovely toys from home to get broken/damaged at pre-school.

How much outdoor space do we have and is it free flow?

The garden is always accessible for the children due to the free-flow environment. Our outdoor area is open throughout the session, except for between 11.45 and 12.45 during lunchtime. This is to allow all the staff to be available to support the children during the busy lunch hour.

Are most toys plastic or do we have a range of textures and materials available?

We avoid plastic resources where possible and encourage our children to explore different sensory experiences through a range of different items and materials, including fabrics, scented items for sensory play such as frozen herbs, wooden toys, malleable materials and many more. We prefer to use real world items for role-play such as porcelain cups, real cutlery, and our play food is wooden or fabric. Our construction resources are mainly wooden, we avoid plastic items such as Duplo and prefer to encourage the children to use natural materials within their play.

How often do we track the child's development and how is it communicated?

Due to the updated EYFS Framework, from September 2021 there is no longer any expectations to track a child’s development in the traditional ‘tick-list’ sense, and the Department for Education have recognised the need to focus on children’s individual strengths and interests, rather than having a ‘one size fits all’ approach to assessment. This updated Early Years Curriculum fits perfectly with our child-led approach, and we will be continuing to assess our children’s learning and development through high-quality interactions, open-ended questioning, and termly progress reports.

Do we involve the parents in what their child likes to do at Pre-School?

The settling-in process involves Parents at every step of the way, and our home visits provide an effective way for Parents to get to know the staff in a comfortable environment, allowing them to collaborate and share information about their child’s likes, dislikes, interests and strengths. Parents are encouraged to share their home experiences by uploading photos from the weekends to Tapestry, we love to talk to the children about their weekends, and having photos to share helps them make links between home and Pre-School.

Do we have a range of different activities and experiences with the children?

We provide many learning-rich activities on a daily basis at Pre-School, we also offer extra experiences such as Community Walks, Yoga, and Language Groups. To ensure our environment is always fun and exciting for the children, we use a variety of methods to refresh the learning opportunities:

·         Key Workers share their knowledge of their Key Children’s interests with the team to enhance the environment to suit their learning needs. For example, if a child is talking about a holiday they have been on, their Key Worker will provide resources to extend that interest, such as a map to find that location, postcards of other holiday destinations etc.

·         We monitor the effectiveness of our environment through tracker observations. These tracking tools allow us to identify areas of weakness within the environment, for example, if the children are not making use of the role play area, we will change the resources and offer a new range of items to provoke curiosity from the children.

·         Tapestry cohort trackers identify areas of learning that are not being met across the environment, allowing the leadership team to make plans to improve the activities being offered and enhance the opportunities for learning within that area.

Are toys locked away or placed on high shelfs or do children have access to choose what they want to use?

Our resources are accessible to the children at all times, most are kept at floor level and displayed in a way that allows the child to choose how they use them. As a child-led environment, the children always choose what they want to do, and, although the adults offer a range of activities for them, there is no expectation or obligation to participate.

Is there a book corner that's snuggly for when the children need time to wind down or take a breather?

Our book corner is a calm, comfortable environment with cushions, blankets and even a cosy tent for snuggling up with a nice book for some quiet time. We offer lots of books and materials which talk about understanding our feelings, and the adults use the well-being area, along with puppets and other resources, to model and discuss positive choices with the children through role play.

Do we encourage children to be independent by having low down sinks, toilets, and are they encouraged to get themselves ready for going outdoors?

All our facilities are fully accessible for the children, we provide steps and easy-to-use taps for independence with toileting, and there is always an adult present to help the children when they need it. Children are encouraged to be independent with their self-care, such as putting on their own shoes and coats or clearing their own plate after snack.

What is the meal structure/routine like?

We offer all the children a snack of either fruit and vegetables or a dry option such as crackers between 10 am and 11 am. Snack is a self-service, free-flow experience, staff encourage the children to cut their own fruit and pour their own drinks under supervision. Children bring their own lunch to Preschool, lunch time is between 12.00 and 12.45, however this is flexible for children who take a little longer to finish their food.

What is the allergy action plan/awareness?

Allergies and intolerances are discussed during the child’s home visit, and a health plan is put in place detailing the medical condition, action plan and details of meditation. This is displayed within the room for all staff to refer to when needed. Children with severe allergies will always sit with a member of staff during mealtimes to ensure there is no cross-contamination of food.