Without a Management Committee, for legal and practical reasons, Yarnton Preschool cannot remain open.

As parents you really can make a difference to what happens at Yarnton Preschool. Since the parents manage the Preschool’s staff and other resources, they are, ultimately, responsible for how good the Preschool is. The committee meets once a month during term time and the decisions its members make affect your child’s experience of Preschool.

The responsibilities of the committee include the employment and management of staff, day-to-day management and looking after the finances, including managing the fees, grants and fundraising. The committee is always pleased to hear your comments and suggestions. New committee members are always welcome.

Can I help with fundraising?

Regular fundraising events are organised by the Committee and cannot be operated without the support of parents. Any help that you can provide is appreciated and new ideas are always welcome.

Communicating with parents

For important notices there is a white board outside the Preschool building. There is also a Parents’ Notice board inside and a regular Newsletter.

You and your child will be assigned a member of staff as your keyworker.  It is the keyworker’s responsibility to ensure that your child settles in and to keep you informed about your child’s progress at Yarnton Preschool.

Please feel free to talk to your keyworker about any concerns you may have about your child and keep them up to date on your child’s progress at home, but obviously you can speak to any other member of staff at any time as being a small team we all work closely with the children.

Throughout your child’s time at Yarnton Preschool, your key worker will make informal observations and assessments of your child.  These are part of the everyday activities of playgroup and your child will not be aware they are taking place.  They form the basis of the records that we are required to keep by Ofsted and will be passed on to your chosen school.

These records are confidential and viewed only by staff and yourself.  We also use these observations to plan the activities for your child based on their interests, needs and abilities.

The key worker is also responsible for your child’s portfolio where their work and photographs are kept. Not only are these folders an invaluable source of evidence for Ofsted, but a fantastic record of your child’s time at Yarnton Preschool to take with them when they leave. These folders are kept in drawers by the front door and are available at any time for parents to see.

Your child’s key worker will update this record on a regular basis and it helps us share achievements and to work together to make sure your child fulfils his/her potential. Not all children make things that can be easily put into a folder or even handed to a parent/carer at the end of a session. Staff will try and take digital photographs of your child involved in activities or of the things that they have made.

Yarnton Preschool is lucky to have very experienced staff who have worked here for many years.  They provide a stable environment for the children and continually work to improve their professional development to best serve the children.

All staff attend relevant training courses in order to update and extend their knowledge and to continue to provide the children with the best education possible.

Activities are planned around the children’s particular likes and developmental needs.

As well as the planned activities, children have the freedom to choose as we have labelled drawers throughout the room with different resources for them to access independently.

We also spend time during the sessions as a group. We take the register and look at the calendar together as well as reading stories, doing “show and tell”, playing games and singing, all of which help build relationships and encourage self-confidence. This also gives the children opportunities to sit, listen and take turns, as these are skills they will need as they progress through school.  Most of the children which attend Yarnton Preschool go on to William Fletcher School. We have strong links with the Foundation class, taking the children to school for a storytime session in the weeks prior to them starting school.

Children are encouraged to participate in activities indoors and outdoors. The children play outdoors every session, whatever the weather. Outdoor activities contribute to children’s health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. We encourage the children to plant flowers and vegetables and to care for them, as well as playing in the sand pit, with water, or in the playhouses of with a wide range of outdoor equipment.

Healthy snacks (fruit etc.), milk and water are provided for the children. Snack time is supervised and aimed at enabling the children to develop social skills, learn basic hygiene (e.g. wash hands before eating) and table manners.

**Please ensure that you tell staff of any food allergies or special dietary requirements.

Children are discouraged from running indoors: this is to avoid accidents due to limited floor space because of the many activities on offer.

We encourage children to help with the tidying away of the toys and the setting of the snack table.

We ask the children for their help should they spill or drop something – mopping up spilled water or brushing up dropped sand can be fun.

We discourage children from bringing a favourite toy from home – this can cause problems in three ways. Firstly – if your child goes home without their toy, this can cause great upset for your child and you. Secondly – if a toy is cleaned away with playgroup equipment, it can prove impossible to locate straight away, it will come to light again but who knows when? Thirdly – if another child takes a liking to your child’s favourite toy.

Once term starts, parents/carers can stay with their child for as long as it takes to help them settle in. When you do leave it is really important for you to say goodbye (even if this involves some tears) and reassure your child that you will return later. All children are different and we will work with you and your child during this settling in period to make it as easy as possible for everyone.

Dropping your child off

Please always use the entrance on the school side of the Preschool building and not the private lane at the side.

Doors open at 8.45am for the morning sessions and 12.45pm for the afternoon sessions. The gate is locked for safety reasons as soon as the children have outside access. After these times you will have to ring the door bell which is on the wall of the Preschool building, just by the gate.

Please put your child’s bag and coat on the named peg. Help your child to move their name tag from above their peg to show they have arrived. Put anything that has been brought for “Show and Tell” in the “Show and Tell” box.

When to chat to staff

If you have any concerns about your child please talk to a member of staff at the beginning or end of the session. If your key worker is working that session, try and talk to her/him, but any member of staff will help you. Alternatively you can make an appointment out of session time.

Collecting your child

Please wait outside the Preschool gates. The staff bring the children to the gate. This is to prevent children rushing out of the doors to try and find their carer and getting lost.

Children should be collected promptly at the end of the session to avoid them being caused any unnecessary anxiety. If you cannot collect your child the Supervisor must be told who will be collecting the child and you should write the details in the appropriate book. Please phone if you are going to be late.

What should your child take to Preschool?

A bag containing:

• A  change of clothes/shoes
• If needed, nappies, wipes and nappy bags
• Necessary clothing depending on the weather as we do go outside every session

All items should be NAMED

If you want to, you can leave a named beaker or bottle containing water only on the water bottle tray, so your child can drink whenever they want. Please only put water in the bottle as we want to encourage children to drink water rather than sugary drinks. Milk or water is offered to the children at snack time. Children may ask for a drink at any time.

Clothing

Preschool is a messy place because children like MESS. The Preschool cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to clothes. It is therefore sensible to dress children in older clothes for their sessions. Spare clothes are kept in case of the occasional accident.

All clothing should be EASY for your child to put on and take off. Children thrive on independence so, although there will always be a staff member on hand to help, we recommend elasticated waists and no belts or braces to avoid delay when needing the toilet.

Please make sure your child has a coat even if it isn’t raining when you deliver the child. The children enjoy going out to play even if it is cold and wet.

On wet or muddy days (so most of the time really!), please send your child with a pair of indoor shoes/slippers AND a pair of outdoor shoes/boots. Only children wearing Wellington boots will be allowed on the grass when it is muddy.

On sunny summer days children must wear a sun hat. Please make sure you put sun tan lotion on BEFORE you take them to Preschool.

Open-toed sandals are NOT allowed at Preschool. It is just too easy for the children’s toes to be scraped whilst they play.

“THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER,
ONLY BAD CLOTHING!!”

Please ensure that all clothes and footwear are NAMED.

If you order name tags and stickers from a company called Easy2Name and quote Yarnton Preschool’s reference, you will be helping to raise funds for Preschool as well as getting good quality labels and ensuring your child’s belongings do not get lost.

We offer an environment where children’s emotional, physical, social and intellectual development are encouraged by stimulating their natural thirst for knowledge and their desire to explore their surroundings.

Our friendly and dedicated staff work hard to create an environment which is not only engaging and exciting for the children, but also somewhere they feel safe and secure.

We are LEA registered, OFSTED inspected and a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

Our Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of the group are:-

• To provide high quality provision for children age 2 to 5 years.
• To provide a safe and secure environment where the diversity of individuals and communities is valued and respected.
• To provide experienced and qualified staff who ensure all children are able to learn and develop as individuals to fulfil their full potential.
• To provide suitable opportunities for learning regardless of ability or special needs.
• For parents to feel welcome and involved in the care and education of their child.
• To forge strong links with William Fletcher School in order for the children to feel happy and confident upon starting school.
• To work alongside other agencies involved in the care and education of a child