Our Curriculum Here at Upottery Pre-school, we have one main room, a small sensory space and two outdoor play areas. All spaces are free flow enabling all children to access freely the resources they require. We believe that children learn best when they follow their own interests and have hands-on experience. The environment is set up for children to have time to explore, revisit and repeat activities with experienced staff who can support and encourage their learning further, when needed.
We encourage conversations with parents to try and strengthen the relationship between pre-school and home. Working together allows us to share children’s current interests so that we can support and build on these whether the children are at home or in the pre-school setting. In pre-school the adults observe the children and really get to know them to help plan and support them with developmentally appropriate activities. The information gained from observations and from parents forms the basis of our planning. These activities can then be adapted and supported by adults to enable all children to ‘have a go’ should they wish too.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (Prime and Specific areas alongside the characteristics of effective learning) is used by all staff alongside other frameworks which aid us including Schemas (Athey 2007), Scales of Well-being and Involvement (Laevers 2005) and Development Matters (2020).
When setting up in the morning we look to see which children are in and how we can promote all aspects of their learning and development. Resources we might put out include malleable materials, books, dressing up, mark making to name just a few. With a child-led approach, activities can be changed or introduced at any time to reflect current interests.
At Upottery Pre-school, we want all the children to feel happy and secure and to get the best possible start in an educational setting.
Dropping off and collecting your child In the reception area you will find a daily signing in sheet where you will need to write your child's name, whether they are having lunch, what time they will be collected and who by. In the Summer we also ask you to indicate whether your child is wearing sunscreen.
If someone other than the person listed will be collecting your child we would ask that you kindly call the pre-school to let us know. We ask the person collecting to sign the daily signing in sheet to confirm that they have collected their child.
Settling your child Parents are very welcome to stay at a couple of sessions to help the settling in process. The time for your child to feel settled will vary and we are happy to work with parents so that each child feels happy to be left. Our staff are all very experienced and our staff ratios mean that we always have time to settle a nervous newcomer.
Snacks and lunches A drink (milk or water) and a snack are offered to the children mid-morning and mid-afternoon. The snack will be either fruit, vegetables, breadsticks or a healthy alternative. Drinking water is available to all children at any time.
For those children staying for lunch we have a fridge where the lunchboxes can be stored safely.
If you would prefer your child to have a hot meal, we can order this for you from Upottery Primary School. The cost for a hot meal is currently £2.60 and you will be billed for these along with your fees on a half-termly basis.
Communication
Key person One of our staff team will be assigned to your child as a key person, their role is to help you and your child's journey through pre school.
Tapestry We use an online tool 'Tapestry' to record your child's learning journey through photographs, videos, 'diary entries' to include group activities. Tapestry has been popular with parents and staff who enjoy the real time feedback and opportunity to look back on past experiences. You will be provided with account details when your child enrols.
Weekly E-Newsletter A weekly e-newsletter is sent each Friday, telling parents a little bit about what has been happening at pre-school during the week. The e-newsletter includes any important information such as term dates, special occasion dates and any fundraising news. A paper copy can be provided for parents to take home on request. A paper copy is available to read in the Pre-school foyer.