EST.1969 St Richards Pre-School, Park Road, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 8DT Registered charity number 1068465 www.strichardspreschool.org.uk OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY RISING 5’S SESSION FULL VARIED & BALANCED CURRICULUM QUALIFIED CARE & EDUCATION SAFE & STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT LINKS WITH LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS HIGH RATIO OF ADULTS TO CHILDREN OFSTED APPROVED CONTACT LISA JOHNSTON ON 07751072765 TO ARRANGE A VISIT OR FOR MORE INFORMATION Last modified 27th May 2010 1 Welcome to St Richard’s Pre-School, here are a few points to note:Times: 9.00 am – 12.00 noon 12.00 - 1.00pm (lunch club session) It is important to keep to these times, as our insurance does not cover children outside state sessions. Suitable clothing and shoes, preferably old as they may get messy. Uniform is available. If your child is bringing his/her own drink, please ensure it is labelled with their name. The children are encouraged to bring an item from home to show at carpet time. Please ensure it is related to the week’s theme to avoid disappointment. If anyone other than yourself will be collecting your child, please inform supervisor as your child will not be released to someone unknown to us. If your child is ill and will not be attending Pre-school, please ring the Supervisor on the first day of absence, as a record of an illness is kept:07751072765 There is no need to ring on consecutive days if your child continues to be poorly. Parents are asked not to bring into the pre-school any child who has been vomiting or had diarrhoea until at least 48 hours has elapsed since the last attack. Last modified 27th May 2010 2 WELCOME We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new families and hope that the following will go a little way towards explaining what we are able to offer you and your child/children. We value the opinions and ideas of parents/carers, so please do not hesitate, after all, we all have one very important thing in common, our children and their well being. Although we do not operate a parent rota system, parents/carers are always welcome to stay and help. If anyone has any special skills or interests that they would like to share with the group, we would be delighted to welcome you. Please speak to a member of staff. INTRODUCTION TO PRE-SCHOOLS Pre-schools nationwide exist for children, particularly those in urban areas without the freedom of space. They allow children to learn through play, to develop and stimulate the senses, prepare for the school years ahead – not to formally educate, but to encourage a health social interaction with other children, to nurture friendships and self confidence. ST RICHARD’S PRE-SCHOOL St Richard’s Pre-school (formally St Richard’s Play group) began in 1969 to help cater for the needs of the ever-increasing younger population in Heathfield. Like other pre-schools, St Richard’s exists through the support of parents, both financially – from fees and through the tremendous time and effort given by them during annual fund raising events; all of which are essential to provide the necessary resources, equipment, summer outings and Christmas parties! St Richard’s Pre-school is a registered member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (P.L.A) which is an organisation set up to liase with the registered members nationwide, offering advice, tutoring and a limited amount of funding. Last modified 27th May 2010 3 OUR AIMS At St Richard’s Pre-school, we aim to provide quality care and education, meeting the child’s individual needs and building upon existing knowledge in a safe and stimulating environment. We aim to provide favourable conditions for each child to develop his/her potential. We aim to encourage a good partnership with our parents/carers and to provide equal opportunities for all families within the community of the pre-school. Our team of qualified, experienced and motivated staff members aims to provide a full, varied and balanced curriculum in consultation with the parents and to support the children’s learning where appropriate, enabling the children to become confident and independent workers. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR GROUP St Richard’s Pre-school is a community run group. It means we are run by a committee, who consists of you, the parents. Each October we have our Annual General Meeting, at which a new committee is elected. Without a committee the group cannot function. It is the committee’s responsibility to oversee finances and the general running of the group, although it seems a big responsibility, with support and cooperation from all those involved, this can be a very rewarding, enjoyable experience. Committee meetings are aimed at being a social get together, it is also an opportunity to make new friends. PRE-SCHOOL TIMES & INFORMATION Monday (rising 5’s) - 9.00 am until 12.00 noon Tuesday to Friday - 9.00 am until 12.00 noon Lunch club - 12.00 until 1.00 pm It is important to keep to these times, as our insurance does not cover children outside the stated sessions. Please be prompt when collecting your child, as some may be upset if their parent/carer is not waiting at the end of the session. If for any reason your child is not collected by 12.30 pm, we are obliged to inform Social Services, but before doing so every effort will be made to contact the child’s parent/carer and any emergency contacts numbers given to us. Be prepared to stay with your child for as long as it takes him/her to settle in. Some take a short time, others take longer to become happily settled. Each child is different. Always say ‘goodbye’ when you leave your child at pre-school. Never try to slip away unnoticed, as this nearly always ends in disaster and leaves the staff with the hard task of restoring your child’s shattered confidence. If there are any problems, please discuss them with the supervisor. If anyone other than you (parent/carer) will be collecting your child, please let the supervisor know, as he/she will not be released to someone unknown to us. Last modified 27th May 2010 4 You can contact the pre-school during opening times on the following mobile number: 07751072765 The supervisor can be contacted on the above mobile number at all other times. Please bring your child into pre-school through the side door into the main hall. Outside shoes and coats can be left on the named pegs in the hall by the double doors. Please make sure that your child is wearing suitable clothing, old clothes are best, as they may come home with glue or paint on them. It is a good idea to provide soft shoes such as trainers or your children, which are safer when the climbing frame is being used. Pre-school sweatshirts and T-shirts are available to purchase but are not compulsory. However if you purchase items please ensure they are clearly marked with your childs name. During the Summer your child will need a sun hat and please apply sun-cream prior to pre-school. The children are given a healthy snack and a drink of milk or water each morning, but if you may bring juice, in a clearly marked beaker for your child. We ask parents to keep us supplied with a range of healthy snacks i.e. cream crackers, bread sticks etc. and fresh fruit and vegetables. Please make staff aware of any food allergies your child may have. At the end of the session the children are taken into a side room for a short story. At 12 noon the children will be released one at a time to their respective parent/carers. Lunch Club This is available several times a week. We ask that you provide your child with a packed lunch (with ice pack if possible). No fizzy drinks, glass bottles or sweets. We are a nut-free Pre-school due to children with related allergies. Last modified 27th May 2010 5 INFECTIOUS DISEASES Please notify the pre-school of any infectious diseases your child may have contracted, such as chicken pox, measles etc. For your information below is a list of the incubation and exclusion periods of the common infectious diseases: Disease Usual incubation Appearance of rash on child 10-21 Interval between onset of illness & exclusion 0-2 Chicken Pox – appearance of rash; all the scabs need not have disappeared Dysentery after diarrhoea Food poisoning German measles recovery Infective jaundice recovery Measles recovery Meningitis (bacterial) Recovery & (viral) examination Mumps disappearance of all swelling Scarlet fever recovery Whooping cough recovery 1-7 - 0-2 14-21 0-2 Until 48 hours cessation Until declared fit Until clinical 14-42 - Until clinical 7-21 2-10 3-5 - Until clinical Until clinical 0-21 - Bacteriological 12-28 - Until clinical 2-5 1-2 Until clinical 5-14 - Until clinical 7 days from Exclusion periods of the common infections: Disease Minimum periods of exclusion Impetigo Until spots have healed, unless lesions can be covered Pediculosis (head lice) Until treatment successfully Ringworm of scalp or body Until adequate treatment instituted, provided lesions are covered Threadworm Until adequate treatment instituted Last modified 27th May 2010 6 has been carried out Scabies Until adequate treatment instituted If your child is ill and will not be attending Pre-school, please ring the supervisor on the first day of absence as a record of all illness is kept: 07751072765 There is no need to ring on consecutive days if your child continues to be poorly. You will need to complete an absence form on your child’s return to Pre-school. The named Health visitor for St Richard’s Pre-school is Nicky Learmount on 01435 865811 Last modified 27th May 2010 7 HOW CAN HEADLICE BE DETECTED AND CONTROLLED? Wet combing using a detection comb (control method). Wash hair thoroughly using normal shampoo, rinse, condition with normal conditioner, rinse and comb hair thoroughly, section by section, using detection comb. Adults and children, whether head lice are detected or not, should be encouraged to do we comb detection on a weekly basis throughout the year. If lice are found, wet comb detection should be done on alternate days for two weeks. WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR HEADLICE? 1. If treatment with an insecticide is necessary. First choice – Suleo M or Prioderm Lotion which are both alcoholic based, Malathion products. For young children, asthmatics or those with skin problems, use Derbac M which is Malathion in solution. (It should be noted that some cases of Malathion resistance have been identified in a local study) Other alternatives are – Lyclear Cream Rinse or Full Marks Lotion (Alcoholic) but full resistance to both these incsecticides has been demonstrated in a small local study. 2. Use of Carbaryl Carbaryl is available on prescription only, limiting its use to cases of multiple resistance only. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE TREATMENT WITH LOTIONS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT ONLY WHEN LICE ARE FOUND Last modified 27th May 2010 8 FEES We prefer fees to be paid either half termly – this should be paid within 10 days of the beginning of each term, or weekly. Unfortunately, we are unable to make allowances for illness or holidays (except in exceptional circumstances), as even in your child’s absence the running costs of the group remain the same. Monday (rising 5’s) - £9.00 per session Tuesday to Friday - £9.00 per session Lunch club - £3.00 per session We also require a one off non-refundable registration fee of £20.00 from children who are not yet entitled to the government funding. OUR STAFF SUPERVISOR DEPUTY SUPERVISOR PRE SCHOOL ASSISTANT Lisa Johnston Emma Keeley Janice Sherwood Qualifications Lisa Johnston Diploma in Pre-school Practice – Level 3 Paediatric First Aid Emma Keeley BTEC National Diploma in Nursery Nursing Advanced Diploma in Child Care and Education Janice Sherwood Paediatric First Aid Staff update qualifications regularly by attending various courses and training workshops. COMMITTEE: Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, Committee Members Last modified 27th May 2010 9 THE COMMITTEE What does the committee do? The supervisor is responsible for providing quality care, education and supervision on a daily basis. She/he is also responsible for his/her staff and for those children attending each day. Working alongside, supporting the staff member is The Committee. The Committee runs the business and financial sides of the pre-school. They are responsible for employing trained and qualified staff to supervise the children, participating in the interviewing for job vacancies and negotiating their wages. The Committee also set fees, which cover the cost of rent for the hall, wages milk and insurance. As fees only cover the above mentioned, one of the major roles of the Committee is to raise funds for the pre-school to provide the following: paper, pens, pencils, new equipment, Christmas part, “leavers party and if possible to subsidise a summer outing. The Committee holds regular meetings to discuss any forth coming events and to decide any policy matters. Subcommittees may be elected for some fundraising events e.g. sponsored bike rides. HOW DO WE RAISE FUNDS? We are always pleased to hear of any new fund-raising ideas; even if you do not choose to sit on the Committee. Each year we hold some of the following fundraising events: jumble sales, Christmas Bazaar, Easter Fayre, a sponsored event and raffles. SHOPPING ONLINE We use www.edupayment.co.uk a school fundraising marketplace. Any of your online purchases through edupayment’s participating retailers ill raise vital funds for Pre-school. You do not pay extra for your purchases, you won’t have to register and all sales are completed direct with the retailer. 350+ leading online brands are participating in this service including Amazon, Play, B&Q, Tesco, Toys R us, Mothercare, Currys, Thomas Cook, and many more. Providing you go through edupayment.co.uk selecting our Pre-school we will receive commission on your purchases at an average of 5.9%. You will find special offers and discount codes to use with your orders to make shopping cheaper for you as well. So don’t forget www.edupayment.co.uk when purchasing online. Last modified 27th May 2010 10 SUGGESTIONS/COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE If you have any suggestions or complaints, please initially speak to the Supervisor, who will then forward it to the Committee if it is felt that the matter needs to be taken further. Please read the attached policy for further details. PRE-SCHOOL POLICIES Attached are the two policies for you to read our Complaints Policy and our Procedure for Child protection. The group’s remaining policies are available for you to read and sign. All our policies are designed to offer the best possible experience for the children and families in our group. Our policies are reviewed on a regular basis and comments and suggestion from parents are always welcome. NURSERY EDUCATION FOR 3 AND 4 YEAR OLDS St Richard’s Pre-school is a member of the Early Years Development plan. This mean that we are inspected by OFSTED who will aim to ensure that we, as a pre-school, are offering your children a suitable well balanced curriculum that will enable them to make maximum progress towards the Early Leaning Goals. All OFSTED information can be found at: www.ofsted.gov.uk CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING The provision for children’s development and learning is guided by The Early Years Foundation Stage (DCFS 2007). From September 2008 the Early Years Foundation Stage became law. This brings together Birth to Three Matters and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. Our provision reflects the four key themes and 16 commitments of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A Unique Child Child Development:Skilful communicator, competent support. Inclusive Practice: Equality and diversity, children’s entitlements, early support. Keeping Safe: Being safe and protected, discovering boundaries, making choices. Health and well-being: Growth and Developing, physical and emotional wellbeing. Positive Relationships Respecting Each Other: Understanding feelings, friendship, professional relationships Parents as Parents: Respecting diversity, communication, learning together. Supporting Learning: Positive interactions, listening to children, effective teaching. Key Person: Secure attachment, shared care, independence Last modified 27th May 2010 11 Enabling Environments Observation, Assessment and planning: Starting with the child, planning, assessment. Supporting Every Child: Children’s needs, the learning journey, working together. The Learning Environment: The emotional environment, the outdoor environment, the indoor environment. The Wider Context: Transitions and continuity, multi-agency working, the community. Learning and Development Play and exploration: Learning through experience, adult involvement, contexts for learning. Active Learning: Mental and Physical involvement, decision making, personalised learning. Creativity and Physical Thinking: Making connections, transforming and understanding, sustained shared thinking. Areas of Development and Learning. How we provide for development and learning Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our setting helps children to continue to do this by providing all the children with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development. The Areas of Development and Learning comprise: 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. For each area, the practice guidance sets out the Early learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their education. The practice guidance also sets out in ‘Development Matters’ the likely stages of progress a child makes along their learning journey towards the early learning goals. Our setting has regard to these matters when we assess children and plan for their learning. CURRICULUM Within the group, all children are supported in developing their potential at the own pace. Our key worker system enables us to ensure a planned curriculum tailored to the needs of each individual child. By means of developmentally appropriate play activities and a high level of individual adult input, we offer a curriculum which leads to nationally approved learning outcomes and prepares Last modified 27th May 2010 12 children to progress with confidence to the National Curriculum at the age of five years. COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY In both small and large groups, children are encouraged to extend their vocabulary and fluency by talking and listening and by hearing and responding to stories, song and rhymes. Children are helped to understand that written symbols carry meaning, to be aware of the purposes of writing and when they are ready, to use drawn and written symbols for themselves well-stocked book corner gives every child the opportunity and encouragement to become familiar with books, able to handle them and aware of their uses, both for reference and as a source of stories and pictures. PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Within a nurturing environment, children are individually supported in developing confidence, autonomy and self-respect. They are encouraged to work and concentrate independently and also to take park in the life of the group, sharing and co-operating with other children and adults. Through activities, conversation and practical example, they learn acceptable ways to express their own feelings and to have respect for the feelings of others. All children are given the opportunity, as appropriate, to take responsibility for themselves and also for the group, its members and its property. MATHEMATICS By means of adult-supported practical experience, children become familiar with the sorting, matching, ordering, sequencing and counting activities, which form the basis for early mathematics. As they use their developing mathematical understanding to solve practical problems, children are assisted to learn and use the vocabulary of mathematics, identifying objects by shape, position, size, volume and number. Songs, games and picture books help children become aware of number sequences and when they are ready, to use simple mathematical operation such as adding. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD A safe and stimulating environment allows children to explore and experiment with a range of natural and manufactured materials. They learn to observe the features of objects and substances, recognising differences, patterns and similarities and to share and record their findings. Children are assisted in exploring and understanding their environment. A range of safe and well maintained equipment enables children to extend their technological understanding, using simple tools and techniques as appropriate to achieve their intentions and to solve problems. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT A range of equipment and opportunities, both indoors and out of doors, allows children to develop confidence and enjoyment in the use and development of Last modified 27th May 2010 13 their own body skills. A very high level of adult supervision enables children safely to create and meet physical challenges, developing increasing skill and control in moving, climbing and balancing. At the same time, children are supported in the development of the fine motor skills required to use tools, including pens and pencils and to handle small object with increasing control and precision. CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT Children are encouraged to use a wide range of resources in order to express their own ideas and feelings and to construct their individual response to experience in two and three dimensions. Art equipment, including paint, glue crayons and pencils as well as natural and discarded resources, provides for open-ended exploration of colour, shape and texture and the development of skills in painting, drawing and collage. Children join in with and respond to music and stories and there are many opportunities for imaginative role-play, both individually and as part of a group. NURSERY EDUCATION GRANT FUNDING As a pre-school that is a member of the Early Years Development Plan, we are entitled to receive funding for all 3 + 4 year olds. Eligible children may claim 15 hours a week over a 38 week year. Children will receive funding starting from the term after their third birthday. For more information, speak to a member of staff. When your child joins our pre-school, he/she will be allocated a key worker (staff member) who will have a special responsibility for your child ensuring that his/her specific needs are met within the group as a whole. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS If certain criteria are met, children may be able to obtain early intervention funding from the term before their third birthday via a referral. Referrals can be made by Health Visitors, Social Workers, Early Years SEN teachers, local Sure Start teams, Lone Parent Advisors or the Ethnic Minority Pupil Service. For more information, please talk to the Supervisor. ST RICHARD’ PRE-SCHOOL COMPLAINTS POLICY (Taken from our Policy folder) Safeguarding children 1.10 Making a complaint Policy statement Our setting believes that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt careful attention to their needs and wishes. We welcome suggestions on how to improve our setting and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about the running of the setting. We anticipate that Last modified 27th May 2010 14 most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal approach to the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns. We aim to bring all concerns about the running or our setting to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved. On starting Pre-school you will be given the opportunity to read our policy folder and sign to say you have read them. Our Policies include: Safeguarding Children Equality of opportunity Promoting health and hygiene Employment Health and safety Administrations Child care practice Partnership FURTHER REFERENCE In the event of a complaint being referred to the Committee and not being resolved due to the seriousness or the complexity, further advise will be sought from OFSTED Early Years, Complaints, Investigation & Enforcement Team (CIE Team) Freshford House, Redcliffe Way, BRISTOL, BS1 6NL 03001231231 Last modified 27th May 2010 15 ST RICHARD’S PRE-SCHOOL PROCEDURE FOR CHILD PROTECTION We comply with the procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee. We intend to create in our pre-school an environment, in which children are safe from abuse and in which any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to. In order to achieve this we will: EXCLUDE KNOWN ABUSERS It will be made clear to applicants for posts within the pre-school that the position is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All applicants for work within the pre-school, whether voluntary or paid, will be interviewed before an appointment is made and will be asked to provide at least one reference. All such references will be followed up. In the case of applicants with unexplained gaps in their employment history, or who have moved rapidly from one job to another, explanations will be sought. All appointments, both paid and voluntary, will be subject to a probationary period and will be confirmed unless the pre-school is confident that the applicant can be safely entrusted with children. SEEK AND SUPPLY TRAINING We will seek out training opportunities for all adults involved in the group to ensure that they recognise the symptoms of possible physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. PREVENT ABUSE BY MEANS OF GOOD PRACTICE Adults will not be left alone for long periods with individual children or with small groups. An adult who needs to take a child aside – for example, for time out after behaviour, which need improvement – will leave the door ajar. Adults who have not been registered as “fit” persons will not take children unaccompanied to the toilet. Children will be encouraged to develop a sense of autonomy and independence through adult support in making choices and in finding names for their own feelings and acceptable ways to express them. This will enable children to have the self-confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches. The layout of the hall will permit constant supervision of all children. RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO SUSPICIONS OF ABUSE The first concern will be the child. Children whose condition or behaviour has given cause for concern will be listed to, reassured and helped to understand that they themselves are valued and respected and have not been at fault. Last modified 27th May 2010 16 Changes in children’s behaviour/appearance will be investigated. Parents will normally be the first point of reference, but if they are not in a position to allay any legitimate anxieties, the matter will also be taken up with the Duty & Assessment Team within Children’s Social Care and OFSTED. In exceptional circumstances, the Duty & Assessment Team may be the first point of reference. All such suspicions and investigations will be kept confidential, shared only with those who need to know. The people most commonly involved will be the member of staff/key worker, the Supervisor and the Chairperson. If a volunteer or member of staff is accused of any form of child abuse, the person in charge of the group will interview him/her. The person accused may choose to attend the interview accompanied by a friend or colleague. The interview will usually be with the Supervisor. However, if the allegation is against the Supervisor, the Chairperson, may conduct the interview. The person against whom the allegation is made will be informed of the allegation and will be immediately be suspended on full pay while an investigation is made. Investigations will be in line with Area Child Protections Committee procedures and conducted with the ACP Committee. Confidential records will be kept of the allegation and of all subsequent meetings. KEEP RECORDS Whenever worrying changes are observed in a child’s behaviour, physical condition or appearance, a specific and confidential record will be set up, quite separate from the usual ongoing records of children’s progress and development. The record will include, in addition to the name, address and age of the child: timed and dated observations, describing objectively the child’s behaviour/appearance, without comment or interpretation; where possible, the exact words spoken by the child; the dated name and signature of the recorder. Such records will be kept in a separate file and will not be accessible to people other that the Supervisor, Chairperson and Key worker. SUPPORT FAMILIES The pre-school will take every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relationships between families and staff and volunteers in the group. Where abuse at home is suspected, the pre-school will continue to welcome the child and family while investigations proceed. Confidential records kept on a child will be shared with parents. With the proviso that the care and safety of the child must always be paramount, the pre-school will do all in its power to support and work with the child’s family. Last modified 27th May 2010 17 LIAISE WITH OTHER BODIES The pre-school operates in accordance with guidelines laid down by the registering authority. Confidential records kept on children about whom the preschool is anxious will be shared with OFSTED, if the pre-school feels that adequate explanations for changes in the child’s condition have not been provided. OFSTED Early Years Telephone: 0300 1231231 Last modified 27th May 2010 18