Birdlip & Brimpsfield Playgroup and Breakfast Club
Charity no. 1064812
Prospectus
Charity no 1064812
Early Years Prospectus (August 2022)
Setting: Brimpsfield & Birdlip Playgroup
Address: Birdlip Village Hall, Birdlip, Gloucestershire GL4 8JH
Birdlip & Brimpsfield Playgroup is a small community Playgroup based next to Birdlip School
We run 3 sessions a week
Monday,Tuesdays & Thursdays
From 2 years to 4 years (Pre school)
08.45am - 12.45pm
Parents are asked to provide a small packed lunch
Our setting aims to:
§ provide high quality care and education for children below statutory school age;
§ work in partnership with parents to help children to learn and develop;
§ add to the life and well-being of the local community; and
§ offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.
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Parents
Parents are regarded as members of our setting who have full participatory rights. These include a right to be:
§ valued and respected;
§ kept informed;
§ consulted;
§ involved; and
§ included at all levels.
As a community based, voluntary managed setting, we also depend on the good will of parents and their involvement to keep going. Membership of the setting carries expectations on parents for their support and commitment
We aim to ensure that each child:
§ is in a safe and stimulating environment;
§ is given generous care and attention, because of our ratio of qualified staff to children, as well as volunteer parent helpers;
§ has the chance to join with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together;
§ is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by being helped to build on what she/he already knows and can do;
§ has a personal key person who makes sure each child makes satisfying progress;
§ is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop; and
§ is in a setting in which parents help to shape the service it offers.
Children's development and learning
The provision for children's development and learning is guided by
Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework
The EYFS framework:
sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well
ensures children are kept healthy and safe
ensures that children have the knowledge and skills they need to start school
This statutory framework is for:
school leaders
school staff
childcare providers
childminders
out of school providers
It relates to:
local authority-maintained schools
non-maintained schools (schools not maintained by a local authority)
independent schools
academies and free schools
nurseries
private nursery schools
pre-schools/playgroups
childminding
A Unique Child
Child Development: Skilful communicator, competent learner.
Inclusive Practice: Equality and diversity, children’s entitlements, early support.
Keeping Safe: Being safe and protected, discovering boundaries, making choices.
Health and Well-being: Growth and developing, physical and emotional wellbeing.
Positive Relationships
Respecting Each Other: Understanding feelings, friendship, professional relationships.
Parents as Partners: Respecting diversity, communication, learning together.
Supporting Learning: Positive interactions, listening to children, effective teaching.
Key Person: Secure attachment, shared care, independence.
Enabling Environments
Observation, Assessment and Planning: Starting with the child, planning, assessment.
Supporting Every Child: Children’s needs, the learning journey, working together.
The Learning Environment: The emotional environment, the outdoor environment, the indoor environment.
The Wider Context: Transitions and continuity, multi-agency working, the community.
Learning and Development
Play and Exploration: Learning through experience, adult involvement, contexts for learning.
Active Learning: Mental and physical involvement, decision making, personalised learning.
Creativity and Physical Thinking: Making connections, transforming and understanding, sustained shared thinking.
Areas of Development and Learning.
How we provide for development and learning
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our setting helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
For each area, the practice guidance sets out the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their education.
The practice guidance also sets out in ‘Development Matters’ the likely stages of progress a child makes along their learning journey towards the early learning goals. Our setting has regard to these matters when we assess children and plan for their learning.
The early learning goals
The prime areas
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 they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention 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 or 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 or events.
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 effectively, including pencils for writing.
Health and self-care: children know the importance for good health of 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.
Personal, social and emotional development
Self-confidence and self-awareness: children are confident to try new activities, and say why they like some activities more than others. They are confident to speak in a familiar group, will talk about their ideas, and will choose the resources they need for their chosen activities. They say when they do or don’t need help.
Managing feelings and behaviour: children talk about how they and others show feelings, talk about their own and others’ behaviour, and its consequences, and know that some behaviour is unacceptable. They work as part of a group or class, and understand and follow the rules. They adjust their behaviour to different situations, and take changes of routine in their stride.
Making relationships: children play co-operatively, taking turns with others. They take account of one another’s ideas about how to organise their activity. They show sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings, and form positive relationships with adults and other children.
The specific areas
Literacy
Reading: children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.
Writing: children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.
Mathematics
Numbers: children count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, 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 the answer. They solve problems, including doubling, halving and sharing.
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 recognise, 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.
Technology: children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes.
Expressive arts 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, texture, form and function.
Being imaginative: children use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role-play and stories.
Our approach to learning and development and assessment
Learning through play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. Our setting uses the practice guidance Early Years Foundation Stage to plan and provide a range of play activities which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities information from the practice guidance to the Early Years Foundation Stage has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.
Assessment
We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs or videos of the children, to document their progress and where this may be leading them. We believe that parents know their children best and we ask them to contribute to assessment by sharing information about what their children like to do at home and how they as parents are supporting development.
We make periodic assessment summaries of children’s achievement based on our ongoing development records. These form part of children’s records of achievement. We undertake these assessment summaries at regular intervals as well as times of transition, such as when a child moves into a different group or when they go on to school.
Records of achievement
The setting keeps a record of achievement for each child. Staff and parents working together on their children's records of achievement is one of the ways in which the key person and parents work in partnership. Your child's record of achievement helps us to celebrate together her/his achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for her/his well-being and to make progress.This is known as their Learning Journey
Your child's key person will work with you to keep this record. To do this you and she/he will collect information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will enable the key person to identify your child's stage of progress. You and the key person will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage.
Working together for your children
In our setting we maintain the ratio of adults to children in the setting that is set through the Welfare Requirements. We also have volunteer parent helpers where possible to complement these ratios. This helps us to:
§ give time and attention to each child;
§ talk with the children about their interests and activities;
§ help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide; and
§ allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.
Opening Times
We are open for
38
weeks each year.
We are closed
School Holidays & Bank Holidays
We are open
Mondays/Tuesdays /Thursdays
each week
The times we are open are
8.45am – 12.45am
We provide care and education for young children between the ages of two and five years
How parents take part in the setting
Our setting recognises parents as the first and most important educators of their children. All of the staff see themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their child. There are many ways in which parents take part in making the setting a welcoming and stimulating place for children and parents, such as:
§ exchanging knowledge about their children's needs, activities, interests and progress with the staff;
§ sharing their own special interests with the children;
§ helping to provide, make and look after the equipment and materials used in the children's play activities;
§ being part of the management of the setting;
§ taking part in events and informal discussions about the activities and curriculum provided by the setting;
§ joining in community activities in which the setting takes part; and
§ building friendships with other parents in the setting.
Joining in
Parents can offer to take part in a session by sharing their own interests and skills with the children. Parents have visited the setting to play the clarinet for the children, show pictures of the local carnival held in their neighbourhood, talking about their own work (Vet /Nurses etc) and show the children their collection of shells.
We welcome parents to drop into the setting to see it at work or to speak with the staff.
Key persons and your child
Our setting uses a key person approach. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/he is particularly responsible. Your child's key person will be the person who works with you to make sure that what we provide is right for your child's particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at the setting, she/he will help your child to settle and throughout your child's time at the setting, she/he will help your child to benefit from the setting's activities.
Learning opportunities for adults
As well as gaining qualifications in early years care and education, the setting staff take part in further training to help them to keep up-to-date with thinking about early years care and education.
The setting also keeps itself up-to-date with best practice in early years care and education,
The setting's timetable and routines
Our setting believes that care and education are equally important in the experience which we offer children. The routines and activities that make up the day in the setting are provided in ways that:
§ help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the setting;
§ ensure the safety of each child;
§ help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group; and
§ provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning.
The session
We organise our sessions so that the children can choose from, and work at, a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping them to learn to work with others.
Outdoor activities contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. The children have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to take part in outdoor child-chosen and adult-led activities, as well as those provided in the indoor playroom.
Snacks
The setting makes snacks a social time at which children and adults eat together. We plan the menus for snacks so that they provide the children with healthy and nutritious food. Do tell us about your child's dietary needs and we will make sure that these are met.
Policies
Copies of the setting's policies and procedures are available for you to see at the setting or on our website.
The setting's policies help us to make sure that the service provided by the setting is a high quality one and that being a member of the setting is an enjoyable and beneficial experience for each child and her/his parents.
The staff and parents of the setting work together to adopt the policies and they all have the opportunity to take part in the annual review of the policies. This review helps us to make sure that the policies are enabling the setting to provide a quality service for its members and the local community.
Safeguarding children
Our setting has a duty under the law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual ‘significant harm’.
Our employment practices ensure children against the likelihood of abuse in our settings and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.
Our way of working with children and their parents ensures we are aware of any problems that may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies when necessary, to help families in difficulty.
Our Child Protection Officer is Babs Hannis
Special needs
As part of the setting's policy to make sure that its provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any special needs a child may have. The setting works to the requirements of the 1993 Education Act and The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2001).
Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is
Louise Turner
The management of our setting
A parent management committee - whose members are elected by the parents of the children who attend the setting - manages the setting. The elections take place at our Annual General Meeting. The committee is responsible for:
§ managing the setting's finances;
§ employing and managing the staff;
§ making sure that the setting has, and works to, policies that help it to provide a high quality service; and
§ making sure that the setting works in partnership with the children's parents.
The Annual General Meeting is open to the parents of all of the children who attend the setting. It is our shared forum for looking back over the previous year's activities and shaping the coming year's plan.
Fees
The fees per session are £15.00 (School meals are available at £2.37 per meal or Parents are asked to provide a small packed lunch) Fees must still be paid if children are absent without notice for a short period of time. If your child has to be absent over a long period of time, talk to Beverley Smith who is the Financial Administrator or Barbara Hannis who is the manager.
For your child to keep her/his place at the setting, you must pay the fees. We are in receipt of nursery education funding for Two, three and four year olds; where funding is not received, then fees apply.
A terms notice must be given should you wish your child to leave the setting or a Terms fees paid in advance.
We also charge a yearly fee of £20 towards the children’s snack.
Starting at our setting
The first days
We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, the staff will work with you to decide on how to help your child to settle into the setting. The setting has a policy about helping children to settle into the setting: a copy is enclosed in this prospectus or is available from Barbara Hannis (Play Leader)
Clothing
We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities.
We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves. These include taking themselves to the toilet and taking off, and putting on, outdoor clothes. Clothing that is easy for them to manage will help them to do this.
We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our setting and that you both find taking part in our activities interesting and stimulating. The staff are always ready and willing to talk with you about your ideas, views or questions, at the beginning of each session.