Little Spring Primary and Pre School offers high quality provision, learning and care for children aged two to five in their Early Years setting. The department is organised into three classes within the setting. Pre School, for our youngest children, Nursery and Reception. They work closely together developing themes throughout the term into many diverse learning activities. The Early Years department also works with older classes in the School making the transfer through the school a much easier process.
Our aim is to provide “Learning through Play” enhancing the development and education of your child in a caring, safe, secure and stimulating environment. Children are given the opportunity to learn together using both indoor and outdoor learning areas.
From September the Pre-school and nursery opening hours will be Monday to Friday 8.30 to 11.30 noon. Reception children stay all day from 8.30 until 3.00. These are the same hours as the rest of the school
All our Early Years staff are well qualified and experienced Early Years practitioners.
All staff regularly attend training courses run by the Buckinghamshire Early Years Team.
We work very closely with our parents and stakeholders.
There are a number of policies relating to the running of Early Years which are available for you to read at any time.
Each child is allocated to and supported by a Key Person so that we are able to get to know parents and children. We plan for each child's individual needs, which helps them progress at the pace most suited to their development, through activities and experiences designed for them.
COME AND PLAY MORNINGS
We regularly hold "come and play" mornings where parents are invited into the Pre-school, Nursery and Reception classes to join in with the activities and see their children working and playing. All the dates are on our weekly newsletters and on notices in Early Years. We also hold story telling sessions with our parents.
Little Spring Pre-school (Wren Class)
Little Spring opened a Pre-school on site in September 2009. We are delighted to announce that in our last Ofsted Inspection the Pre School and our Early Years Department [Nursery and Reception] was graded as good in every category.
The Pre-school is registered with the Early Years Development and Childcare partnership and regularly inspected by Ofsted.
It is registered to take up to 20 children between the ages of two and three years, per morning and provides a staff ratio of 1:4 for under three’s, and 1:8 for children who are three years old. Children can attend from their 2nd birthday. We welcome parents in to play and work with their children from 8.30 until 9.00 every day.
Children are able to choose from a wide variety of toys and activities throughout the morning such as duplo, jigsaw puzzles, playdough, sand, water, outdoor activities, climbing frame and more.
Some of these take place in our secure outside soft play area or on the large early years playground. We have a mid morning break where the children sit down for a drink of milk or water and a wide range of healthy snacks. Weather permitting, the children go out onto the main playground area to play on equipment such as tricycles, scooters or use balls and hoops. Before going home they gather together for story time or singing.
Our own outdoor soft play area can be used in all weathers. The larger early years play area is shared with the nursery (sparrow) and reception (robin) classes.
Nursery (Sparrow Class) and Reception (Robin Class)
Children enter the Sparrow Class (Nursery) in the term after they are three. They attend for five mornings each week from 8.30am to 11.30am. There is an opportunity to stay for lunch club on one day per week. They move up to Robin Class (Reception) in the September term before their fifth birthday.
Our team of friendly staff are committed to
- making your child's first experience of school happy, positive and fun
- ensuring that your child feels valued and secure
- helping your child develop positive relationships with other children and staff
- getting to know your child as an individual and developing their confidence,
enthusiasm and curiosity for learning.
Children start to learn about the world they around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our setting will help your child to continue to do this by providing them with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
We offer a carefully structured curriculum based on the "Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage".
The Areas of Development and Learning comprise of:
- personal, social and emotional development
- communication, language and literacy development
- problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
- knowledge and understanding of the world
- physical development and
- creative development.
During the September Term we settle our new children in with an emphasis on personal routines such as handwashing, hygiene, preparing fruit and drinks for snack time and tidying away.
Our classroom and outdoor areas are separated into different areas of learning which the children can access during our free flow times. We have recently installed a lovely new natural play area and the children use this during the free play sessions each morning.
If you would like to arrange a visit to see our Early Years Department, please call Mrs Annette Sweet, School Secretary on 01494 783070.