Prospectus
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". Nelson Mandela
PROSPECTUS
1. Mission Statement
2. Admissions
3. Pre-school Curriculum
a) Sample Daily Session
b) Sensorial Activities
c) Language, Communication and literacy
d) Mathematics
e) Creative Development
f) Knowledge and Understanding of the World
4. Daily Diaries
5. Learning Journeys- Records of Achievement and Progress
6. Two Year Progress Reports
7. Safeguarding Children
8. Special Educational Needs
9. Partnership with Parents
10. Inclusive
11. School Hours
12. Prices & Fees
13. New Children
14. Behaviour
15. Sickness
16. Uniform, Clothing & Personal Property
17. Birthdays and Festivals
18. Snacks & Drinks
19. Outdoors Access
FORMS
i) Admission Reservation Form
ii) Admission Form
iii) Emergency Treatments Form
1. Mission Statement
We provide children with a caring and stimulating environment in which they can flourish and develop.
We have a professional and dedicated team, committed to providing a high quality education in which the individual needs of the child is fundamental.
Our aim is to guide your child, with emphasis placed on supporting the child’s learning whilst allowing the development of self-discipline and independence, important attributes towards being ‘School Ready’.
Little Barn Pre-school is located behind The Barn Theatre, Bluehouse Lane, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0AA. The school welcomes children aged between 2 and 5 years.
Ultimately we want your child to have an enjoyable and rewarding time with us and leave with skills, which will allow him/her to meet new challenges in a happy and confident manner.
2. Admissions
The Pre-school is registered to accept children from 2 years of age until they start school. A child’s name may be added to the waiting list on completion of a registration form (attached) and payment of a non-refundable fee (£20). Places are offered on a first come first served basis (the Pre-school reserves the right to override this policy in exceptional circumstances).
3. Pre-school Curriculum
a. Sample Daily Session.
On arrival, children are invited to find their name and place it on to our name board. An adult can help them if desired.
At 9.05 children should come and sit down together for the register to be taken. The children answer their name, discuss the weather board and count the number of children and adults in that day. Adults will also talk about the letter or theme of the week and special activities planned.
During the next hour and a half, children are free to choose from a variety of activities and equipment available each day. Different resources and equipment are included in planning each week to support children’s development in all areas of learning. Children will have the opportunity to go outside and play during this time, as we operate a Free Flow opportunity as the double entrance doors are opened and children can play inside or outside in the secure garden. If necessary they will change into their outdoor shoes or wellies.
Rolling snack-time operates during the morning period, when children can sit at the table with their friends and enjoy a choice of healthy snacks of fruit, vegetables and healthy carbohydrates, such as pitta bread and breadsticks and a drink of milk or water. Children can bring their own drink in a labelled cup if preferred.
The second half of the session is a little more structured. When the bell is rung for tidy up time the children are encouraged to help pack away some of the toys and then we gather together for a story, sometimes in smaller groups.
After the story table activities on offer are changed and adults will join children in playing games, construction activities and mark making.
Circle time - singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and doing “show and tell”.
Children then prepare to go home. Bags are given out and parents collect coats and shoes on their way into the hallway.
b. Sensorial Activities
Sensorial materials allow the child to develop their senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing allowing the child to fully explore and understand the environment in a meaningful way. Through these activities the child’s vocabulary is extended and the child is preparing for reading, writing and mathematics.
c. Language, Communication and literacy
We provide a variety of ways to enrich vocabulary and develop the child’s social skills. Children learn the phonetic sounds of letters in a concrete manner and progress to build words, read and write.
d. Mathematics
Children are introduced to the concept of Maths in a structured and fun method through play.
We have created a Mud Kitchen in our outdoor area which is an excellent way to allow the child to gain a concept of quantity and volume. Children can weigh, measure, compare, count, sort and share with the use of containers, jugs, scales, stones, leaves, sticks and pipettes. In this way the child really grasps not only how to recognise numbers but also understand their true value. This provides the child with an excellent foundation for the development of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
e. Creative Development
Our Pre-school encourages the child to develop their creative skills by providing a wide variety of art and craft activities.
The children also have the opportunity to participate in music and movement during which they are encouraged to gain a musical appreciation as they sing, dance and play instruments.
f. Knowledge and Understanding of the World. We encourage children to have an awareness of themselves as individuals. We aim to nurture love, respect and friendship to all.
Children are exposed to Geography in a fun and varied way which allows them to gain an understanding of our planet, peoples and customs.
Children are introduced to Science through simple experiments, which help them appreciate how things work in a fun and exciting way.
Through a nature table, children gain a greater appreciation of their environment and they will also study life cycles of animals and plants. French is introduced in a fun way through songs, games and simple vocabulary.
4. Daily Diary
Each child has their own Daily Diary which is completed by their Key person at the end of each day showing what activities, notes, observations, dietary information, comments and any incidents are available for parents.
We also available to communicate verbally at the end of the day as we appreciate a more personal approach is often preferred, allowing parents to ask questions and discuss any concerns.
5. Learning Journeys - Records of Achievement and Progress
Your child’s key person will keep a progress and development record for each child and this is documented in your child’s Learning Journal.
We observe your child’s learning and development, take photographs and use this information to plan for your child’s next steps in a particular area of the EYFS. This is used to enhance your child’s learning experience and encourage further activities to extend learning and development. This is one of the ways in which the key person and parents work in partnership.
These records help us to celebrate achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs to continue their learning journey towards their Early Years Goals and are given to parents to the end of each term to review and add any suggestions or comments.
6. Two Year Progress Reports
Each child receives a Pre-school report between the ages of 24-36 months which is a summary of the child’s learning and development in the three Prime Areas of ‘Personal, Social and Emotional Development,’ ‘Physical Development’ and ‘Communication and Language.’ We also review the EYFS Specific Areas.
The information we produce from observations, planning and next steps in the Learning Journals is assessed with a Progress Checker to see how each child is progressing.
7. Safeguarding
Safeguarding is an essential element of our setting. We have a duty to help safeguard children against suspected or actual ‘significant harm’.
Our employment practices ensure children against the likelihood of abuse in our settings and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff. Please see our Safeguarding Policy for further information.
8. Special Educational Needs
As part of the setting's policy to make sure that its provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any special needs a child may have.
The setting works to the requirements of the 1993 Education Act and The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2001).
9. Partnership with Parents
We recognise parents/carers as the first and most important educators of their children. All of our staff regard themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their child.
We therefore welcome news and feedback from home to add to the children’s progress records. Parents are welcome to take part in a session by sharing their own interests and skills with the children.
We provide a termly newsletter for parents to keep them informed on all our previous news and planned activities. Parents are kept informed on their child’s learning and development through their child’s Daily Diary, Learning Journal and End of term Report.
10. Inclusive
The Little Barn Pre-school welcomes children from all backgrounds, cultures, faiths and abilities. We aim to meet children’s needs in a positive and respectful manner.
11. School Hours
Children may attend the following sessions:
Monday – Friday Mornings - 9.00 am. - 12.00 pm.
Monday – Friday Afternoons - 12.00pm - 3.00 pm.
We run an optional lunch club from 12-1pm, please ask availability.
The school is open term time only.
12. Prices & Fees
Prices & Fees Updated since July 2020
Morning 9-12pm £19.50
Lunch club 12-1pm £ 6.50
Afternoon 12-3pm £19.50
Full day 9am-3pm £39.50
Fees are calculated termly in advance and are payable during the first 2 weeks of term. A fee envelope will be given to you confirming the total fees due.
No refunds are available for sickness or holidays due to the continuing costs of keeping a child’s place open.
If you need to discuss payment of fees or your child has to be absent over a long period of time please talk to Nicci Perry.
A receipt is available on request.
We can apply for the free entitlement grant for 3 & 4 year olds.
Funding applicable to 2 year olds who meet the specific criteria for FEET (Free Early Years Education) is accepted. Where funding is not received, then fees will apply.
Childcare vouchers are accepted.
In addition we are always happy to discuss any concerns, suggestions or complaints as they arise.
13. New Children
We strive to ensure that the transition from home to preschool is an enjoyable experience.
We offer children an individual induction related to their specific needs.
We offer children the opportunity to come along with their main carer to the Pre-school for induction play sessions before they start in order for them to gain confidence and get to know staff and the other children.
We recognise that Separation Anxiety is very common and understandable with young children when they first start pre-school. All our staff are trained and experienced in this area. Please see attached Settling in information sheet provided and speak to your child’s Key worker if you need any advice.
14. Behaviour
We feel it is important to encourage positive behaviour by establishing clearboundaries according to the child’s level of understanding. Children learn courtesy, good manners and consideration for others, which are all valuable life skills.
Any behavioral difficulties are discussed with parents to find a mutually agreeable solution. Our Behaviour Management Lead is Nicci Perry.
15. Sickness
Any child, who has a temperature, infection or symptoms of illness, must be kept at home until symptoms have disappeared.
Please notify the Pre-school if your child is absent for any reason.
In the interests of safety to other children we ask that you keep your child at home for 48hrs if suffering from any of the following: - high temperature, diarrhoea, sickness or unknown rash.
16. Uniform Clothing and Personal Property
All clothing should be comfortable and suitable for Pre-school activities. We request that clothing be clearly labelled and ask that a spare set of clothes remain at school.
Little Barn has introduced a school uniform comprising navy sweatshirt and yellow tee shirt with school logo. Uniform is available to purchase from the Pre-school (Sweatshirt £7 and tee shirt £5).
17. Birthdays and Festivals
We recognise the importance of your child’s birthday and on this occasion we are happy for the child concerned to share a treat with the other children.
Cultural festivals are celebrated within Pre-school e.g. Harvest festival, Easter, Christmas, Diwali and Ramadan. In doing so, we aim to extend your child’s appreciation of the diverse world; promoting understanding and awareness.
If you would prefer your child not to participate, please advise staff accordingly and your wishes will be respected.
18. Snacks and Drinks
As part of our Healthy eating activities, the children help with the preparation of the snacks, ie wash and peel fruit, chop up with assistance and then at snack time they choose which fruit and vegetables they would like and enjoy with their friends.
Nicci Perry has an Honours Degree in Applied Nutrition and will plan our children’s snack menu each week to ensure that we provide healthy, nutritious foods and that the children learn about different types of foods and are encouraged them to try them.
A child attending for a full day will require a packed lunch. We are a nut-free pre-school, therefore please ensure that there are no traces of nuts.
We request that the children do not bring in sweets unless for special occasions e.g. birthday.
We provide fresh milk and water and with snacks. Water is available throughout the day.
Please let us know of any dietary requirements for your child and any known allergies.
19. Outdoor Access
We strive to give the children maximum access to our safe and secure child outdoor play area. This area is seen as an extension of the classroom and helps the child develop not only physically but also socially. All curriculum areas can be addressed through outdoor play.
We offer a free flow system and this can be used throughout the year and provide extra waterproof clothing. Our garden is secure with a fence and locked gates.
We are very fortunate to be situated in the heart of Oxted town, with all amenities very close by. We are walking distance to Master Park and the library, to which we make frequent trips. We have a safety system where each child has a safety harness that is attached to an adult and also a personalized hi visibility vest.
