Welcome

Our Mission Statement

Collingham and District Preschool offers a dynamic and family friendly learning environment in the heart of our community.

Staff work closely with parents and families to provide a curriculum tailored to each child’s needs.

Children are offered an experience rich education, making the most of the many learning opportunities available to us through the people and facilities in our local area.

Staff plan for their key children, taking into account their interests and preferred play choices, but also introducing new cultural and diverse activities to teach children about the world beyond their experience.

We work closely with our local Primary school, John Blow School, to ensure that children are prepared and ‘school ready’ and that they have a smooth transition into full time education.

Welcome to Collingham and District Preschool

To a child the pre-school years are a time of wonder and exploration; a time to learn and play. Our pre-school offers children a chance to have fun, make friends and learn through a varied programme of stimulating and enjoyable activities, using a range of resources all tailored to this age group.

This website is intended to inform you about our programme of activities and how they will contribute to your child’s development. It will also provide information about our organisation and how we are run. We regard the pre-school experience as a partnership between parents/carers and our setting looks forward to working with you to make your child’s stay happy and rewarding.

Our overall aim as a pre-school is to enhance the development and education of children below statutory school age within a parent and staff managed community based group in close cooperation with parents

We hope that you enjoy your visit to our website, and that you find the information you are looking for. Please feel free to contact us direct with any queries you may have.

WE AIM TO:

• Provide high quality care and education for children below statutory school age
• Work in partnership with parents to help children to learn and develop
• Add to the life and well-being of our local community
• Offer children and their parents a service which promotes equality and values diversity

AS A MEMBER OF COLLINGHAM AND DISTRICT PRE-SCHOOL, YOUR CHILD:

• Is in a safe and stimulating environment
• Is given generous care and attention, because of our high ratio of adults to children
• Has the chance to join with other children and adults to play, work and learn together
• Can access a specially tailored curriculum leading to the Early Learning Goals
• Is helped to take forward his/her learning and development by being helped to build on what he/she already knows and can do
• Has a personal key person who helps your child make progress in all areas
• Is in a pre-school which sees you as a partner in helping your child to learn

ADULT STAFF RESOURCES

• give time and attention to each child
• talk with the children about their interests and activities
• help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide
• allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety

STAFF DEVELOPMENT & PROFESSIONAL UP-DATING

Our membership of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) and support from our designated Early Years Teacher ensures that we are constantly in touch with new thinking and best practice in the field of early years care and education. We have a strong commitment to continual improvement of the pre-school through staff development, training and self-evaluation. As well as gaining qualifications in early years care and education, the pre-school staff access a range of on-going training courses and workshops to help them keep up-to-date with thinking about early years care and education and to provide ideas and inspiration for new activities. The current copy of the PLA’s magazine Under Five is available for you to read.

KEY PERSON

The pre-school has a key person system. Upon joining the pre-school, each child is allocated a key person. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/he is particularly responsible. This member of staff will seek to tailor our programme of activities to the needs and interests of your child. The key person will also work with you, through regular informal discussions and shared record keeping, to enable your child to fulfil his/her potential. When your child first starts at the pre-school, your key person will help your child to settle and throughout your child’s time at the pre-school, she/he will, along with all members of staff, help your child to benefit from the pre-school’s activities.

THE PARENTS ROTA

We operate a system of parent/carers helping at sessions on a rota basis and hope that you are able to contribute. Usually you will be asked to help at one or two sessions per half term. Helping at the session enables you to see what the day-to-day life of the pre-school is like and to join in helping the children to get the best out of their activities.

It is stimulating and fun. Your child will love to share their pre-school experience with you. This parental help is invaluable and enables us to offer a very high adult to child ratio and widens the scope of activities we can offer to each child. If you have any ideas for helping, making equipment or new activities, we would be delighted to hear from you.

SHARING YOUR INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE

The rota is not the only opportunity for you to join in a session. You can offer to take part in a session by sharing your own interest and skills with the children. This could be to play an instrument, introduce a pet or share with the children customs and traditions practised in you and your child’s home. Not only is this of great value to the pre-school and all the children but your own child will be delighted! Please feel free to discuss any possible visits with our staff.

HOW PARENTS SHARE IN THE LIFE OF PRE-SCHOOL

As a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, we recognise parents as the first and most important educators of their children. All of the staff see themselves as co-workers with you in providing care and education for your child. There are many ways in which parents take part in making the pre-school a welcoming and stimulating place for children and parents, such as:

• exchanging knowledge about their children’s needs, activities, interests and progress with the staff
• helping at sessions of the pre-school as part of the parents’ rota (see above)
• sharing their own special interests with the children (see above)
• helping to provide, make and look after the equipment and materials used in the children’s play activities
• being part of the management of the pre-school
• helping with fundraising activities and events
• taking part in events and informal discussions about the activities and curriculum provided by the pre-school
• joining in community activities in which the pre-school takes part