Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

On behalf of everyone here at Peter Pan Preschool, we welcome you and your child/children and trust that your involvement with us will prove to be enjoyable and rewarding.

From the time your child enters our preschool, it is our aim to meet his or her individual needs to enhance development at a pace which is right for them, and we look forward to sharing this learning journey, together with your participation, to help achieve this.

In this prospectus, we hope to give you an impression of the atmosphere of our preschool. One of our most distinctive features is our strong relationship with parents and carers. We believe it is the happy child with high self-esteem, who will achieve personal success. We provide each child with opportunities to develop in an atmosphere of stability, care and friendliness. This environment is fostered by the commitment of our well-qualified and enthusiastic staff.

We are here to assist you and your child, and we look forward to developing a mutually supportive relationship with you

 

Yours Faithfully

Amanda Holmes

Preschool Manager

 

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Peter Pan Pre School is to offer a high standard of care, which will enable your child to develop in a calm and well-ordered environment, stimulating their natural curiosity to explore and develop.

AIMS

To achieve this purpose, we aim to work together with parents/carers, Cambridgeshire County Council, and OFSTED to enable each child to reach his/her full potential.

With the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage and meeting the individual needs of the children within our care, each child will successfully meet their full potential. The staff at Peter Pan Preschool will foster the development of self-worth in each child, in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and concern and in a happy and caring environment in which children may live in harmony with one another regardless of race or religious beliefs. They will encourage each child to have self-discipline, self-respect and respect for other people and people’s property.

 

 

About Peter Pan Preschool

Peter Pan Preschool is registered with OFSTED. We were established in 1975, caring for children aged from 2 years to 5 years. The Preschool caters for children from diverse backgrounds with either full or part time places available. We open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 3:30pm, 38 weeks of the year.

We aim to work with you to ensure we are not only meeting the needs of your child, but your needs as their parents and carers. We will be offering a variety of additional services for the children in our care which include.

• 15 Hours Free Entitlement (only) for 2,3- and 4-year-olds

• Additional hours for those parents accessing the free entitlement

Our Staff

Our staff have been chosen with care in the hope we have ‘teamwork’, always creating a friendly atmosphere. We ask parents and carers to share this relaxed atmosphere with us and work together in all instances.

Three times a year, we hold parents and carers meetings, where you will be able to discuss your child’s progress and voice your opinion and tell us of any new ideas you may have. We will always welcome your feedback and suggestions regarding any area to allow us to always be fully reflective upon practice.

 

Admissions/Settling in:

We understand how distressing it can be for children and their parents/carers on the first day of preschool. This is why at Peter Pan Preschool we follow a gradual admissions process.

Once you have had a viewing of the setting, with a member of staff, we encourage parents to come for several 1-hour visits with their child to meet the staff caring for them and become familiar with the environment.

During the initial visit, you will learn about the key person system and who I nominated Key person will be. Our staff are readily available and happy to assist with any queries, questions or concerns you may have.

During the second 1-hour visit, parents are encouraged to leave their child in our care for a short period of time. All admission visits are completely free of charge, and if parents/carers or Pre School staff feel more visits are necessary before your child’s start date, these can easily be arranged.

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Fees

All fees are billed half termly. The methods of payment we accept are as follows.

• Bank Transfer

• Childcare Vouchers

• Cash

• Tax free childcare

Fees are payable all year, even when your child is absent due to illness or holiday. A 10% late payment fee will be added if these are not paid by the date stated on the bill.

 

Early Years Funding Entitlement

If your child is in receipt of the Early Years Entitlement of either the 2-year-old funding or 3–4-year-old funding, you will only be charged for any additional hours that your child attends if it exceeds your entitlement.

The funding can be accessed 38 weeks of the year on a term time only basis. This will entitle you to the following options,

• Term time only claim: 30 hours per week or 15 hours per week

Funding is subject to meeting the specified criteria on the GOV website and is only applicable from the term after your child becomes that age.

January to March (Spring)

April to August (Summer)

September to December (Autumn)

If you are unsure whether you are eligible or how to apply for your child’s funded hours, please check on the government website, www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Our fees are as follows: 

£………. Registration fee to be paid at the time of registration.

£………. Each session.

£………. Per lunch club.

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Education

Preschool recognizes the importance of providing children with the best standards of education appropriate to their age. Staff training and curriculum reviews will take place regularly to ensure a high standard is maintained and the guidelines set by OFSTED are followed. We are committed to working towards the “Early Years Foundation Stage” which covers seven areas of learning in child development.

The seven areas of learning are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Communication and Language

• Physical Development

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the World

• Expressive Arts and Design

Continual monitoring of the curriculum ensures that we are offering a progressive range of activities and experiences, which enable us to meet the individual needs of each child.

Each child is encouraged to reach his/her full potential by offering a warm and caring environment, with simulative toys and activities to enhance his/her all round development. A positive image will be encouraged from an early age. This will continue throughout their duration at our preschool. It is our aim when children leave, that they have gained self-confidence and a positive attitude towards life.

We believe in promoting equal opportunities as an everyday occurrence in a child’s experiences and not as a token gesture.

The Pre School operates a key person system with carefully planned activities for children. This enables children to work in small groups and have one-to-one support to ensure they develop a wide range of skills.

 

Curriculum

Communication and Language

Listening and Attention: children listen attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.

Understanding: children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories and events.

Speaking: Children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas and events.

Mathematics:

Numbers: children count reliably, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find an answer.

Shape, Space and Measures: children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. They recognize, create and describe patterns. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.

Understanding the World:

People and Communities: children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know that other children don’t always enjoy the same things and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.

The World: children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur and talk about changes.

Physical Development:

Moving and Handling: children show good control and co-ordination in large and small movements. They move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space. They handle equipment and tools efficiently, including pencils for writing.

Health and Self-care: children know the importance for good health and physical exercise, and a healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe. They manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently.

Expressive Art and Design:

Exploring and using media and materials: children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design and texture. 

Being imaginative: children represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role-play and stories.

 

Personal, social and emotional development:

Personal, social and emotional development is a very important aspect of the child’s life. We therefore encourage the children to know who they are and where they fit in. They are made to feel good about themselves and to develop respect for others. This helps us to become more independent.

SEN:

We have 2 SENCO’S (special education needs coordinators), however, all staff are knowledgeable about this area. We have an inclusive ethos at Peter Pan, and all activities are tailored to include SEN children, we run specific groups to meet each individual child.

Additional Information:

Clothing:

Parents are advised to send children in suitable clothing. Each child must have a change of clothing, which will be kept at the Preschool. It is vital that all children’s clothing is clearly labelled. Please do not send your child in precious clothes. If your child is still in nappies, please ensure that these, together with wipes, are provided on a regular basis.

Childhood Illness:

Please refer to the infectious diseases list included in your welcome pack.

Medication:

We will be happy to administer any prescribed medication if prior written consent has been given. A form will be available for you to complete. Prescribed medication you will be asked to complete a form on the morning you drop your child to give staff permission to administer it.

First Aid:

All staff are trained and qualified to administer first aid and will always be onsite.

Fire Precautions:

The premises have been inspected and approved by a fire officer. The staff and children will practice half termly, so they are aware of what noise the alarm makes and how to exit the building safely in the event of a real fire. Fire drills are activated by the management team of the King Edward Centre.

Outings:

Subject to written parent/carer consent, occasionally we may take children on walks or other trips. These outings are designed to give children experience of different environments.

 

Confidentiality:

All matters relating to your child will be treated as confidential; any incidents that may happen will not be discussed in public.

 

Policies and Procedures:

Equal Opportunities Policy:

At Peter Pan, each individual child is encouraged to develop his or her own abilities. Through everything we do, we aim to help children to respect each other’s cultures, religion, language, likes, dislikes, and different outlooks. Children are encouraged to participate in all activities, to avoid gender stereotypes. We take special care to encourage less verbal or confident children and value their contributions. We try to provide play/teaching materials to reflect our multicultural society and believe that all children should have equal access to play and learning.

Special Educational Needs Policy:

It is our policy to ensure that the individual needs of children are met and to have regard to their special needs and disabilities. This is carried out in line with the Governments and Cambridgeshire Early Years Special Needs Policy and the code of practice on the identification and assessment of Special Educational Needs.

The staff team, work in cooperation with parents/carers, support workers and the Pre Schools-Special Educational Needs Coordinator, to ensure that appropriate planning for the children’s development is made and where necessary further action is taken to prepare a child for school and gain additional support. Our preschool recognizes the right of every child to an appropriate quality early years’ experience, which includes a combination of care, play and education.

Child Protection Policy:

At Peter Pan, we believe that children have the right to be cared for in an environment where they will be protected and where they will have the freedom to learn about the world around them. We aim to create an atmosphere in which children feel safe and learn to trust the adults who care for them.

We all have a duty to protect children. It is our responsibility as a staff team to monitor each child’s progress, as their welfare is paramount. We have a legal duty to report any concerns that we may have about a child’s well-being to Social Care and Health.

Although staff will aim to discuss any concerns with you, sometimes incidents may need to be reported without your consent. Confidential information about children and families will not be discussed outside the nursery but will be shared with the statutory agencies in the best interest of a child.

 

Behaviour:

It is the basic philosophy of Peter Pan to encourage thoughtful behaviour to others. We aim to achieve a happy and caring setting, which will lead to a safe environment. Children are taught respect and value to each other as individuals. If there is any ongoing concern about a behaviour problem, we will speak to parents/carers and work together to bring about an improvement.

 

Uncollected Children:

If a child has not been collected by the end of their session and only if a parent or carer has not made contact and we have been unable to contact you or one of your emergency contacts, a telephone call will be made to the duty officer or social services who will investigate the matter further. 

Smoking Policy:

We operate a strict no smoking policy for staff and parents/carers alike on the premises.

Queries or Complaints:

Please note that we will always be happy to discuss your child’s progress and answer any queries. 

If there is anything you are unhappy with or you wish to make a complaint, please do not hesitate to speak to a member of management who will investigate this fully in accordance with our complaint’s procedure.

If you feel that you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint you can refer to a member of the committee, preferably the Chairperson. Please ask a member of staff for these details.

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Tapestry Interactive Learning Journey:

As part of the requirement s of children being in an Early Years Setting, whereby the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is being used, it is compulsory that we, as practitioners, document a child’s progress through the form of a ‘Learning Journey’. Traditionally a paper format has been used in settings throughout the country, however, after careful consideration and much research, we have decided to create individual ‘Learning Journeys’ for your child through a piece of educational software called ‘Tapestry’.

What is ‘Tapestry’?

Tapestry is an online software which enables practitioners to use iPads/tablets securely, to photograph, write notes, and video your child’s progress within the setting. We then link these through software to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum so that practitioners can immediately record observations directly into your child’s personal Learning Journey.

Parents and Tapestry

One of the key reasons we chose Tapestry over many other learning journey systems was because of the interactive opportunities for parents and carers. With Tapestry, parents can view, add comments and photographs from the comfort of their home via a secure password system. At Peter Pan, links between the home and setting is key to ensuring we meet each individual child’s needs. We love to celebrate achievements that have happened at home whether big or small, be this getting dressed by themselves, sleeping though the night, coming out of nappies or swimming without aids. Tapestry is a simple tool that we hope you will find easy in sharing progress with practitioners.

How do I view my child’s learning journey?

By logging on with a secure username and password you will be able to view all of your child’s observations, photographs and even video from their time at Peter Pan. You will receive an optional email telling you when a new observation or piece of work is available for you to view. This will enable you to follow your child’s individual progress closely and you can reflect upon their achievements with your child at home. You will be given the opportunity to add your own comments, photographs and videos which will allow practitioners to see what activities your child enjoys at home. Practitioners will then be able to reference your child’s learning to the EYFS so you will know which area of learning your child is achieving in and the age-band they were working in for that activity. All this information is stored on a highly secure server which is managed closely.

 E-Safety

E-safety is extremely important to us at Peter Pan; therefore, we ask you to sign an agreement to show that you understand and will agree to adhere to our guidelines.