Practical Information

Daily routine

AM	PM
9.00	12.30	Welcome
9.00-9.15	12.30-12.45	Free Play
9.15-9.25	12.45-12.55	Registration
9.25-9.40	12.55-1.10	Small group activities
9.40-10.25	1.10-1.55	Free Play
10.25	1.55	Tidy Up
10.30-15.50	2.00-2.20	Wash Hands Snack Wash Hands
10.50-11.10	2.20-2.40	Out-door play
11.10-11.30	2.40-3.00	Group/Story time
11.30	3.00	End of Session

Curriculum and Planning

For small group activities, children work in groups of 5-6 at a time to complete activities, which are prepared and led by an adult.

These will cover six Areas of Learning:

1. Language, Literacy and Communication Development
2. Mathematical Development
3. Personal and Social Development
4. Knowledge and Understanding of the World
5. Creative Development
6. Physical Development

Also the setup of every session will cover the above mentioned.

Every half term we cover different topics, which rotate in our 2 year long term plan. Our daily activities and games are planned to cover these topics. We also make visits or outings, which are planned in connection to the topic.

Children are welcome to bring objects for ‘Show & Tell’. These need to be in relation to the topic and labelled with their name.  

Opening Days and Times

Monday AM

Tuesday AM & PM

Wednesday AM & PM

Thursday PM (4 year old session only)

Friday AM & PM

AM Session 9.00 - 11.30

PM Session 12.30 - 3.00

The First Days

A child who is tense or unhappy will not be able to play or learn properly, so it is important for parents and pre-school staff to work together to help the child feel confident and secure in the group. This takes longer for some children than for others and parents should not feel worried if their child takes a while to settle. The Pre-school has a policy on settling, which is enclosed in Policies and Procedures booklet.

What to Wear

In order to feel free to explore and experiment with all kinds of materials, including messy ones, it is best to send children dressed in clothes that are easily washable. It is essential to clearly mark all clothing with the child’s name.

Simple clothing, which they can handle themselves, will enable them to go to the toilet when they want to and to put on and take off their outdoor clothes without being too dependent on other people’s help.

It is good to practise skills that will make them independent.

We like to take children out to play whatever the weather, therefore please ensure that your child always wears appropriate clothing.

Snack

At snack time, we believe in healthy eating. Therefore, all children are asked to bring in a piece of fruit or vegetable for the session they attend. We then share this between the children to offer them a variety of tastes and textures in food. The children are also encouraged to drink either fresh water or milk at snack time, although water is available for the children to drink throughout the session.

Safety and Security

The outside door of the building is locked from approximately 9.15am every morning and 12.45pm every afternoon. If you need to gain access after this time, a member of staff will let you in. We do not allow children to leave pre-school until a parent/carer arrives to collect them. If your child is to be collected by someone other than the usual person, you must let a member of staff know, who that person is to be. Please write the information into the book provided and sign. You and the person who is collecting must agree on a password, which should be provided at the time of picking up.

If we do not know in advance, it can cause problems to the staff (and possibly the child) as to whether or not we should let the child go. We prefer to be safe than sorry. It is essential that we have contact numbers in case of emergency.

In an emergency please telephone us with a description of the person collecting your child and also your chosen password. Under no circumstances will a child be able to leave the pre-school with anyone under the age of 16.

Parents/Carers have 15 minutes post session time to collect their child/charge. After this time, a fee will be levied to cover the time for 2 members of staff up to 1 hour.

Over this time we will call on emergency contact numbers.

After an hour, we are duty bound to inform Social Services who will take over the care of the said child/charge.

Toys

We do not allow toy guns, knives etc. in pre-school. There are ample toys to play with during the sessions so there is no need for children to bring toys from home (except for ‘show and tell’).

There are times when your child may need a ‘comfort’ toy, but please label these if possible.