We are a small, friendly Playgroup with an outstanding reputation and a ‘good’ Ofsted inspection. Through the skills, knowledge and expertise of our friendly and caring staff, children follow a structure of learning, development and care which enables them to learn through a range of activities and experiences. We ensure that children in our care learn through play and develop to their potential. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in our planning.
Your Child’s Learning
We welcome all the children into the Playgroup. Parents/Guardians are welcomed in with them and they supervise the children to hang up their coats and if needed go to the loo. The room is ready for the session activities. There are several areas of learning set up within the room and the activities planned within them are to the child’s individual needs. Incorporating the guidelines from the document DfE Development Matters. It covers the 7 areas of learning and development.
Curriculum
We have been using the new curriculum since September 2021. By way of a short introduction, here is a summary of how our sessions support the children’s learning:
- Communication: This underpins all seven areas of learning and development. This is achieved by supporting back and forth conversations and reading to them adding new words which they can use throughout the day. By giving the children the opportunities during circle time and role-play to develop a vocabulary with which to share thoughts and ideas. The staff will model simple sentences, sensitively question children enabling them to build confidence in using new words and building better language skills.
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development: This development is crucial to lead healthy and happy lives, building strong cognitive development and building strong positive relationships. By supporting the children in managing emotions (self-regulation), developing a positive sense of self and of their abilities, will support the setting and achieving simple goals. With these skills, they will learn to persist to achieve goals and finish tasks. We will guide and support how they look after their bodies and manage personal care and the choices they make for healthy eating building their self-esteem and confidence. All these things support children building on positive attributes for school and later life.
- Physical Development. By supporting this development, the children go on to have happy healthy active lives. By supporting children to use fine motor skills using a range of activities, they support bilateral movement as with scissors and other skills in art and craft activities, building hand eye coordination which has links with early literacy. The children need staff support, guidance, and practise to build on their control, proficiency, and confidence. Developing Gross motor skills supports healthy bodies, social and emotional development. We build on the children’s skills and abilities by staff guidance using a variety of resources and activities.
- Literacy: The development of these skills is essential if children are to have a joy of reading and writing. We support both the language comprehension and word reading. These skills are individual so staff support children individual building on skills using a variety of resources and activities. Writing skills again are 1-1 and built on a child’s skills. Staff ensure that children are supported and guided to meet their potential. Building confidence in their own abilities.
- Mathematics: Children are supported individually in acquiring skills in mathematics. We support and guide children in a deep understanding of numbers 0-10, and in shape space and measuring. We provide and guide activities to build their skills, knowledge and understanding. Developing language around mathematics confidently. Staff support children who have fears about getting things wrong and encourage a ‘have a go’ attitude, building confidence.
- Understanding the World: We support this development by giving the children experiences that guide the children’s awareness to their physical world and community. By walks around the village and visits from professionals. A range of fiction and non-fiction books. Gardening and growing and cooking. Widening their horizons.
- Expressive Arts and design: We support this development to encourage a child’s artistic and cultural awareness, in turn this supports imagination and creativity. The children daily have opportunities to engage with the arts, by exploring a wide range of media and materials including natural materials. Listening to different genre of music. Looking at art works. Using computers safely to engage with information.
Our learning environment
We are aware that not all children learn the same way, and we prepare the environment for effective learning.
We want the children to play and explore – engaging them in activities of their choosing so that they will:
- Find out and explore
- Play with what they know
- Being willing to ‘have a go’
We want the children to be active learners – to be motivated to learn, we will support them-
- Being involved and concentrating on tasks
- Keeping trying
- Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically – supporting them to learn how to think for themselves, by listening and respecting
- Them having their own ideas
- Making links
- Choosing ways to do things
How we track children
Daily we shall be offering a variety of activities that will challenge and stimulate the children. The children make choices on when and what activities they participate in in that session. We understand that children learn in different ways and have different interests and we will ensure that whatever the child’s choice with the staff support and guidance they will cover the areas of learning needed.
The key worker system that we have in place ensures that each child has a member of staff who is responsible for writing up Development Pathway folders, these are weekly diaries of activities the children have done and the learning outcomes that have been achieved and the implementation of a child’s individual needs in relation to the curriculum. This is formalised by key workers giving a written report on weekly events for each child, this is then incorporated into the weekly plans. The manager oversees the process, supporting staff in writing up observations and tracking children’s progress
We also use a programme called Letters and Sounds which is designed to help practitioners to teach children how the alphabet works for reading and spelling. We use the phase 1 aspects 1-7. Which concentrate on developing children’s speaking and listening skills. We also use a “little Talker’s” language enrichment programme.
The playroom is designed to offer the best opportunities for the children to enjoy all the activities on offer and we use the outside play areas daily. Opportunities are also given to the children to go out into the local community e.g. Clifton School, farm, pocket wood, park and local shop.
Other information
Snacks will be given to the children each session, following a healthy eating plan. Water is available throughout the session at the children’s discretion.
Quiet Times: the playroom is planned to have areas where children can go to have a quiet or quieter play. After lunch, we offer time looking at books as a rest period for the pre-school children.
The CUBS group will be offered an adult-led storytime giving them time to recharge their batteries especially for those who have spent the morning with us. We do not have cots or a room for children to take a nap in. A floor cushion with a clean blanket is provided, in a quiet area of the room.
Opening Times and Session Fees
Monday to Friday – full day (2 sessions) 9am-3pm.
- Morning session 9am-12pm
- Afternoon session 12-3pm inc. lunch (parents to provide packed lunch)
- Cubs 2.5-3 years and Bears 3-4 years in preschool.
Uniform/Clothing
We want the children to be comfortable and free to play and enjoy all the activities on offer without concern for the care of clothes they are wearing.
We suggest:
Clothes that are easy to use. When children need assistance when toileting or washing
hands). Clothes that lend themselves to children’s growing independence with toileting
and hand washing.
Welly boots during the winter months /shoes to wear in group if welly boots are worn to
group.
Aprons in their lunch bags if you wish.
Aprons will be provided for messy play but sadly no guarantee the children will be returned
spotless.
We have new and preowned uniform to purchase and red bags for sale.
Sweat jumpers: Small 3-4 years £7.50 / Medium 4-5 years £8.50
T-shirts: Small 3-4 years £5.00 / Medium 4-5 years £6.50
Red ‘Book Bags’: £6
Working with Parents and Carers
Communication with parents:
Termly newsletters will be given out and or put on our website for all parents to read. Along with term dates and any special notice about the term.
Home learning book (contains weekly sheets to complete) will be emailed out ½ termly and can be returned weekly to go into the Child’s Learning journey.
Facebook page: will keep you up to date with what we are doing weekly as part of our term projects etc. Any special notices about illnesses or celebrations.
Coronavirus information will be sent out separately.
Joining Us
We welcome children from the age of 2½ years to 4 years until they reach school age.
Although we are a village Playgroup, we accept children beyond the village boundaries.
We welcome and strongly encourage visits to see us in action! However, please phone for an
appointment as we do not accept cold callers for safeguarding.