About Us

 

Capel Preschool has been part of the village community since 1986, beginning in the village hall and moving to a purpose built building in 2006 within the grounds of Scott Broadwood CofE Infant School.  Set in the very heart of Capel village, our self-contained building allows us to create a unique environment where the children make it their very own, decorated with their paintings, drawings, models and writing, along with photos of our Preschool outings into the local village and beyond!

 

The Preschool is a charity, run by a committee of parents/carers, and provides early learning for children aged 2-5 years.

 

Our Philosophy

 

Every day there are a variety of activities both inside and outside which allow the children to play in small groups, experimenting and exploring alongside each other, developing social, physical and language skills through this interaction and with the support of a team of dedicated staff.

 

We believe that our Preschool should be a happy and safe place where children can meet, socialise and learn through play.  We aim to offer a nurturing environment where children receive a positive learning experience that prepares them for the more formal school setting.  We work in partnership with parents/carers to promote the learning and development of all children in our care. We believe that being ready for school is not simply about knowing letters and numbers, it is about making sure that our children are ready to make friends, to play and to ask for what they need and say what they think.

 

We aim to achieve this by:

 

• Having fun.

   

• Providing supervision by experienced and appropriately qualified staff.

   

• Providing opportunities to meet and socialise with other children in a supervised environment.

   

• Providing a wide variety of learning activities that will "spark" their imagination and stimulate their learning.

   

• Understanding each child’s needs and treating them as individuals in their own right irrespective of gender, race, religion or disability.

   

• Promoting good health and positive behaviour.

   

• Providing opportunities to meet and maintain regular contact with parents/carers.

   

  We know that while at Preschool, children learn best when:

   

• They are healthy, safe and secure.

   

• Their individual needs are met.

   

• They have positive relationships with adults caring for them.

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The Early Years Foundation Stage

 

The Department of Education’s Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe and sets four guiding principles to shape practice in early years settings.

 

• Every child is a Unique Child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured;

   

• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;

   

• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers; and

   

• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

   

  The Early Year’s Foundation Stage promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘social readiness' and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

   

  There are seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational programmes in early years settings. All areas are important and inter-connected.

   

  Three areas are crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

  These three areas are the Prime Areas;

   

• Communication and language

   

• Physical development

   

• Personal, social and emotional development

   

  Providers must also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.  These Specific Areas;

   

• Literacy

   

• Mathematics

   

• Understanding the world

   

• Expressive arts and design

   

  At Capel Preschool there is always plenty to do!

   

  Our activities include:

   

• Imaginative play through: toys, dressing up, home corner, arts, crafts, books, sand, water, play dough and other media, puzzles, small world play and design and technology.

   

• Structured play through: cooking (we bake 4 times a week), story time and themed activities, ICT in 1:2:1 sessions and in groups with programmable toys, group games and activities along with our ‘coming together time’ to discuss ideas, experiences and requests for the next day.

   

• Active play through: the use of indoor equipment, such as building toys, and the use of the outdoor playground, (slide, climbing frame, bikes, trikes, scooters, tractors and trampoline).

   

  The favourites such as play dough, musical instruments, craft, painting, books, sand and water, writing and puzzles are accessible every day (in accordance with Ofsted guidelines) so as to encourage children to be independent and develop their confidence, allowing them to choose where they want to play and move freely to new activities.  In addition other activities and equipment is stored in child-friendly units allowing the children to further self-select.

   

  Being in the heart of a vibrant local village we are also lucky to be able to introduce the children to a variety of local experiences.  We are able to take the children to visit the local village store, garage and the church as well as receiving visits from the milk man and the police community support officers.

   

  We take advantage of the immediate space around us by visiting the village allotments to learn how to grow vegetables as well as growing fruit and vegetables with the children ‘in house’ in our playground planters, and taking walks in the woodland surrounding the nearby cricket pitch, collecting conkers, acorns, leaves, daisies and buttercups enabling the children to constantly explore the different seasons.

   

  When you come to Capel Preschool you'll take part in:

   

• Finding your peg and tray for your coat and snack.

   

• Finding your name teddy and placing them on the self-registration board.

   

• Baking.

   

• Free play inside and outside.

   

• Snack time.

   

• Coming together time (music time/story time/discussion and celebration time).

   

• Home time or lunches.

   

• More play inside and outside or maybe a walk around the village.

   

  We ask that each child brings in a healthy snack for each morning session they attend in a named container to have during snack time.  If your child is attending both the morning and afternoon sessions on the same day, please pack two snacks for your child.  Independence is encouraged as we allow the children the opportunity to pour their own drinks and to clear away their own containers/plates and cups.  Sitting together in small groups helps the children learn to feel comfortable eating in a social setting away from home.  Prior to snack time, the children visit the toilet and wash their hands under the staff’s supervision.  The morning’s delicious baked tarts, pies, pizzas or muffins (to name but a few!) are offered to everyone in the session or the children take them home to share with their familes.

   

  Lunch

   

  Children are welcome to bring a packed lunch and stay with us at our lunch club every day.  All children who attend the morning session only are also welcome to stay for the lunch club and go home afterwards.  Children should bring their own packed lunch and a drink in named containers.  The children will all sit together making it a social time where the morning activities will be talked about, ideas and requests for the next day and general shared conversation takes place.  After lunch, children are free to choose from the available activities again both indoors and outdoors.

   

  Settling in

   

  We recognise that starting Preschool can be a daunting experience for some children.  For some this can be the first time they have been separated from their parent/carers. Therefore we have three settling days:-

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•  1 hour   -  Play and stay 

• 1 hour    -   Play, stay and leave for a short while 

• 3 hours  -  Session where (if all ok) you leave for the whole session

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• Children will be allocated their key person, this gives the child the chance to become familiar with the staff, children and new surroundings. After these sessions we believe that as long as the child is happy to say goodbye, then they are confident enough for the parent to leave.

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• Special Needs

   

  Our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) is Tracy Norton. The SENCO will liaise with parents/carers and outside bodies (the health service and/or the social services) with parent/carers consent, to ensure continuity of care and to decide what extra support/facilities would be required.

   

  The SENCO will ensure that the Individual Support Plan (ISP) is produced for the child to meet their individual needs. The ISP will set out learning goals and show how this will be achieved. This is reviewed regularly with the parent/carers and Preschool staff.

   

  The SENCO attends on-going developmental courses.  All staff will attend training on how best to support the care of your child, as all children with special needs are considered on an individual basis.

   

  Capel Preschool is a member of the Preschool Learning Alliance (PSLA) which offers practical advice and support.

   

  You can find further guidance on the Early Years Foundation Stage from the government which guides many areas of the Preschool, including approaches to teaching and expected learning outcomes.