Early Explorers Pre School, Mile Oak Community Centre, Chalky Road, Portslade, BN41 2WF

Early Explorers Pre School, Mile Oak Community Centre, Chalky Road, Portslade, BN41 2WF

Telephone: 07758 201 464

Email: Website:

Welcome to Early Explorers, this pack provides an overview of Early Explorers and details our practice on a day to day basis. If you have any queries please come and see us at the setting or contact us using the details above.

Our setting aims 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 the local community; and
• offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.

We will ensure thisby providing each child:

• a safe and stimulating environment;
• generous care and attention by a high ratio of adults to children;
• the chance to join with other children and adults to live, play, and explore together in a positive and supportive environment;
• support to take forward their learning and development by focusing on individual interests and providing activities/resources of interest to each child;
• a personal key group who support each childs’ emotional and social needs as well as their overall development;
• a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop; and
• a setting in which parents help to shape the service it offers.

Early Explorers was opened in September 2010 with a firm commitment to offering quality experiences for pre school children to explore and play using large indoor and outdoor areas. We have a very clear vision of Early Explorers as a caring and supportive preschool, responsive to each individuals needs.

Children's 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 of the children with activities that are planned relatedto their own interests as well as being appropriate for their age and stage of development.

Early Explorers follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, revised in September 2012. It consists of seven areas of learning: three prime areas and four specific areas.

Prime Area - Personal, Social and Emotional Development-

Within a nurturing environment, children are individually supported to develop confidence, independence and a desire to explore. Children learn to value and respect themselves and others.

Prime Area - Communication and Language

Throughout the setting children are encouraged to use language for communicating and thinking, whilst involvement in small group sessions focuses on attention, understanding and developing their vocabulary and fluency. Children can listen and join in with stories, rhymes, sing songs or explore rhythmandsound. A cosy book corner gives every child the opportunity to become familiar with books. Each half-term we choose two focus books, sharing these regularly and undertaking related activities, eg designing characters or making resources to aid the retelling.

Prime Area - Physical Development

A range of equipment and opportunities, both inside and outside, allows children to develop confidence and enjoyment of their own physical skills. A very high level of adult supervision enables children to safely create and meet physical challenges, developing skill and control in moving, climbing and balancing. Children are supported in the development of the gross and fine motor skills needed to use tools, including pens and pencils, and to handle small objects with increasing control and precision.

Specific Area - Mathematics

Through adult-supported play children become familiar with sorting, matching, ordering, and counting activities all of 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 mathematical vocabulary, within the concepts of shape, position, size, volume and number. (e.g. weighing ingredients to make porridge for the three bears or counting out the plates we need for lunch) Children will also have daily opportunities to engage with songs, games and books to aidawarenessof number sequences and early addition and subtraction problems.

Specific Area - Understanding the World

Children will be encouraged to explore features of objects and substances, using all of their senses.Forest School sessions encourage children to participate in a wide variety of activities and reinforces the need to take care of their environment Children are assisted in exploring and understanding their environment, both within the group and the wider community. They will develop an understanding of the cultures and beliefs of others and learn that people speak different languages. Children will begin to program a simple toy, record activities using cameras,

videos and microphones.

Specific Area - Expressive Arts and Design

Children are encouraged to use a wide range of resources to express their own ideas and feelings, and develop their imaginations. A permanent creative area allows children to use a wide variety of materials to design and make models and pictures.Three separate tables within the creative area encourage children to follow their own interests. 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.

Specific Area - Literacy

We support children’s natural curiosity of written language and reading through our literacy friendly environments. We use written words and signs to support our learning environment,We follow a ‘Write Dance’ movement program which combines music, movement and materials to develop gross motor skills, for example, making circles or squiggles in shaving foam. Opportunities for mark making are available throughout the setting, both inside and out. Older children are encouraged to participate in ‘Letters and Sounds’ activities, focusing on rhyming games, exploring sounds in words and the environment.

Key groups and your child

Our setting uses a key person approach. Children within a key group which includes two or three key workers, one of which will be given particular responsibility for your child. Your child's key group worker will be the person who works with you to make sure that we provide opportunities suitable for your child's particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at the setting, she/he will help your child to settle and throughout your child's time at the setting, she/he will help your child to benefit from the setting's activities.

Learning Journals

The setting prepares an online Learning Journal for each child, securely accessible by password only. Your child's Learning Journal helps us to celebrate together her/his achievements on a daily basis. Detailed observations of play as well as photos and videos, provide families with a clear view of the child’s day to day experiences. Staff use the online learning journal as well as personal knowledge to assess their key children’sdevelopment and plan possible next steps.

The session

We organise our sessions so that the children can access a range of activities and in doing so, build up their ability to select and attend to a task to its completion. Continual freeflow between the indoor and outdoor areas is available with the exception of twenty minutes at the beginning and end of each sessions. Children are encouraged to take part in adult-led small group activities which introduce new experiences and help them to gain skills in sharing, turn-taking and problem-solving.

We provide outdoor activities in all weathers as they contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. The garden is accessible all year round and we undertake Forest School activities each session. We provide weatherproof clothing/footwear during the winter months to ensure all children can comfortably access the activities.

Snacks and meals

The setting makes snacks and meals a social time at which children and adults eat together. We plan the menus for snacks so that they provide the children with healthy and nutritious vegetarian food. We are a nut free nursery and strongly encourage children to eat a healthy lunch. Do tell us about your child's dietary needs and we will make sure that these are met.

Working together for your children

In our setting we maintain the ratio of adults to children in the setting in excess of that set through the Welfare Requirements. This enables opportunities for staff to

• talk with the children about their interests and activities;

• help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide; and
• allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.

The staff at Early Explorers are:

Name / Job Title / Qualifications and Experience
Alison Wakeford / Manager/ SENCO / Qualified Teacher (3-8 years)
MA Early Childhood Education (Level 7)
Laura Standen / Deputy Manager (Online Tapestry and Health/Safety) / Qualified at CEYP Level 3
Natalie Dawson / Deputy Manager (Safeguarding) / Qualified at CEYP Level 6
Studying Forest School Trainer Level 3
JosephNixon / Key Worker / Qualified at CEYP Level 3
Sam Clarke / Key Worker / Qualified Teacher (3-8 years)
Lisa Holmes / Key Worker / Studying CEYP Level 2
Melanie Brand / Key worker / Studying CEYP Level 2
Qingling Li / Key worker / Qualified at CEYP Level 3
Angela Evans / Resident Artist
Tony Edes / Cover Staff

How parents take part in the setting

Our setting recognises parents as the first and most important educators of their children. Staff see themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their child. There are many ways in which parents take part in making the setting a welcoming and stimulating place for children and parents, such as:

• exchanging knowledge about their children's needs, interests and progress with the staff;
• helping at sessions of the setting;
• sharing their own special interests with the children;
• taking part in events
• building friendships with other parents in the setting.

Policies

Copies of the setting's policies and procedures are available for you to see at the welcome table. The setting's policies help us to make sure that the service provided by the setting is consistently of the highest standard.

Safeguarding children

Our setting has a duty under the law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual ‘significant harm’. Our strict employment practices ensure against the likelihood of abuse in our settings and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.

Our way of working with children and their parents ensures we are aware of any problems that may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies when necessary, to help families in difficulty.

Our Safeguarding Co-ordinator is / Natalie Dawson

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 SEN Code of Practice 2014.We liaise closely with parents if there any concerns either from home or at the setting.

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is / Alison Wakeford

Session Times

Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
8.30 - 12.30 / 8.30 - 12.30 / 8.30 - 12.30 / 8.30 - 12.30 / 8.30 - 12.30
12.30 - 3.30 / 12.30 - 3.30 / 12.30 - 3.30 / 12.30 - 3.30

Sessions are available as morning, afternoon or full day.

Fees and funding

The fees are £5.00 per hour are payable weekly in advance. All sick days and absent days, including holidays taken in term time, must be paid for and cannot be exchanged for other days. Funded sessions are available for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.

Starting at our setting

Before starting

A home visit will be arranged at a time convenient to you. A manager and the lead staff member of your child’s key group will visit to develop a supportive relationship and understanding of your child’s interest and individual needs. At this time we will discuss and plan the settling in process, suitable for yourself and your child.

The first days

We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, a member of your child’s key group will support your child, play alongside and will continue to do so each session until it is felt that a little more independence is suitable. This supporting can vary from just an hour to several weeks and is led by each child’s individual needs.As parents ourselves we understand that the first few sessions can be very daunting for parents and for this reason we will send regular text updates to ease any worries.

Toilet Training

It is not our expectation that your child should be “dry” before they start preschool we are happy for the children to be at any stage of toilet training and will work with you as the skills are developed.

Clothing

We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities, but it is advisable to send them in with old clothes that can get messy. We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves, including taking themselves to the toilet and taking off, and putting on, outdoor clothes. Clothing that is easy for themto manage will help them to do this, for example velcro fastening on shoes.

If you have any further questions please let us know. We also have a website that provides further information and photos.