Prospectus

Prospectus

Our Playschool has been open since 19th november 1969 and has seen many children come and go onto reception class willing to learn and enjoy school.
The playschool is a registered charity and is run as a partnership of staff, committee members and parents/carers. It is a non-profit making organisation and is also a member of the pre-school learning alliance.
We are regularly inspected by Ofsted and all staff have been cleared by the disclosure and barring services.

Facilities
We are registered to look after up to 24 children during a session. Our Playschool is made up of one large room, a separate kitchen, an entrance foyer/cloakroom, storage cupboard, three children’s toilets, disabled/staff toilet and an office.
In our outside space we have a large all weather artificial grass with climbing frames, a slide and a paved area where the children enjoy playing in the mud kitchen and riding on cars and bikes.

Our setting aims to:
To provide high quality care and education for children. We strive to work in partnership with parents to help children to learn and develop. We offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.
Parents are regarded as members of our setting, where they are valued and respected, we will keep you informed at every step of your child's development and progress.

As a community based, voluntary managed setting we also depend on the good-will of parents and their involvement to keep going. Without a voluntary committee our playschool cannot run.

Our aim for our children
Our main aim for each and every child is to provide a safe and stimulating environment. We ensure your child is given generous care and attention, because of our ratio of qualified staff to children. We feel it is important for all children to have the chance to socialise with other children and adults to develop their ability to live, play, work and learn together. Every child has a personal keyworker who ensures each child makes positive progress in all key areas of development. Your child's keyworker will build a nurturing and supportive relationship where they will endeavour to understand what drives your child academically to help them grow and achieve. In our setting we see parents as partners in children's learning and we are passionate about building strong links with a child's home life.

Children's development and learning
As a Playschool we follow the early years foundation stage framework for every child's learning and development.
In the early years foundation stage framework there are seven areas of learning and development which guide us as early years practitioners. We follow these seven areas to structure your child's play into exciting activities where they can learn new skills and knowledge.
The EYFS framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development.
Your child will be learning skills, acquiring knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development, these areas are;

-Personal, social and emotional development
-Communication and language
-Physical development
-Literacy
-Mathematics

-Understanding the world
-Expressive arts and design

Learning and development

Children are known to learn through play which helps them to develop. Our setting uses the EYFS to plan and provide a range of play activities that help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development.
We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them. We use information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs of the children, to document their progress. We believe that parents know their children best and we ask them to contribute to the assessment by sharing information about what their children like to do at home.
From September 2012, all children starting at a setting between the age of two and three years have an EYFS progress check completed by a practitioner at the setting, this check comprises a written summary of the child's development in the three prime areas of learning.
We undertake assessment summaries twice a year on all children, as well as at times of transition, such as when a child moves into a different setting or when they go on to school.

All our staff warmly welcome any parents who would like to come and discuss their child's learning. Please don't feel you are restricted to parent consultations, as our door is always open.

Our setting recognises parents as the first and most important point of call for their children. All of our staff see themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their children. The exchanging of knowledge about their children's needs, activities, interests, and progress helps us to improve how we plan for the individual child.
Our setting uses a key-person approach. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/he is particularly responsible. Your child's key person will be the person who works with you to make sure that we provide the right approach for your child's particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at our playschool, a key worker will help your child to settle in throughout your child's time at the setting.
As well as gaining qualifications in early years care and education, our staff take part in further training to help them to keep up-to-date with new ways to bring exciting care and education to our early years setting.

Our setting believes that care and education are equally important in the experience that we offer children. The routines and activities that make up the day are intended to provide each child with a feeling that they are a valued member of the setting. Our activities are always planned with safety in mind and we ensure, through risk assessments and evaluations, that all activities are carried out carefully and safely.

The session

We plan fantastic activities to help your child develop into a confident learner. We value the importance of learning through play and plan activities to help each child develop at their own pace, children are skillfully supported to reach their full potential. The activities we offer are wrapped around the children's interests, and we believe in building strong foundations for lifelong learning.

Snacks
The setting makes snack time a social event in which children eat together using a rolling snack system. We plan the menus for snacks so that they provide the children with healthy and nutritious food. A jug of water is always available throughout the session for the children to help themselves. Do tell us about your child's dietary needs and we'll make sure that these are met.

Policies
Copies of the settings policies and procedures are available for you to see at the setting.

The management of our setting
A parent management committee manages the playschool. The members of this committee are elected by the parents of the children who attend the setting. The elections take place at an annual general meeting. The committee is responsible for:
-Managing the setting's finances;
-Employing and managing the staff;
-Making sure that the setting has, and follows, policies that provide high-quality service;
-Making sure that the setting works in partnership with the children's parents.

The annual general meeting is held once a year and is open to the parents of all of the children who attend the setting. It is our shared forum for looking back over the previous year's activities and shaping the coming year's plan.
We would like to point out that without a committee the playschool will be unable to run.

Fees
The fees are £13.50 per session and are payable on the first of each month, in advance. These fees are reviewed annually. If paying in one go is a problem, please see a member of staff so a more flexible way can be arranged. The fees are collected in the first 2 weeks of the start of the new term. Fees must still be paid if children are absent without notice for a short period of time. For your child to keep her/his place in the setting, you must pay the fees.

Your child will receive 15 hours a week of government funding from the term after their third birthday. Where funding is not received, then fees apply. For eligibility for 2-year funding and 30-hour funding, please check the government website. http://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children-families-education/early-years/Pages/free-childcare.aspx

If you qualify for either of these additional government funds, please inform a playschool manager when applying for a place for your child.

Lunch club (optional)
A lunch club is available from 12 noon to 12.30 pm each day. There is an additional cost of £2.50 for this service. You will need to provide a packed lunch and a drink in a named lunch box.

Absence

If your child is going to be absent due to a holiday etc please could you let a member of staff know so we can mark this in our records. If your child is not well and will not be attending playschool please could we ask that you call the setting between the hours of 8 am to 9 am.

We have a fantastic team, who are dedicated to giving your child high-quality early years care and education. Our staff are chosen for their ability to nurture and create an effective environment for every child.