The children move into the Pre-school unit when they are eligible for their 15hrs free nursery grant. This is accessible the term after a child’s 3rd birthday. The room offers a large range of resources and experiences for the children to explore, and promotes independent play and learning. The children have access to the outdoor play area throughout the day, and because of this, we ask all parents to provide appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear for their child. Pre school children have recently learned how to use Makaton to communicate with children who have speech and language difficulties. The children have also been teaching their parents to use it too.

 

The Transition to School

The staff working within Pre-school help to prepare the children for their transition to school by modelling and encouraging the children to gain some simple self-help skills, e.g. putting on their own coat and shoes, washing their hands before and after every meal etc. Lots of parents ask us what it is we teach the pre-school children before they go to school.  The answer to this is that we allow the children to guide their own learning, and we respond to this appropriately through individual planning and experiences. When the time comes for the children to make the transition to school we invite all schools to visit the children in nursery.  The schools are sent individual reports for each child, detailing their achievements and their interests, dislikes and learning styles etc.