Prospectus

GENERAL INFORMATION

Introduction Welcome to Crosspark Pre-School. We
are a community group with charitable status, owned and run by the parents of the children attending the group. We would like to make sure that coming to pre-school is a happy time for your child. He or she will find it easier to settle in if they know we are friends, can find the playroom and the toilet, and are familiar with the building, toys and the pre-school routine. An open day/evening is held once during the year for parents and children to come and find out what goes on at our sessions. New parents are also welcome to pop into a pre-school session with their child before he or she starts properly. NB – Throughout this document, whenever the term ‘parent’ is used, please read to include carers and guardians.

Aims of the pre-school

The aim of the pre-school is to enhance the development and
education of the children primarily under statutory school age, by encouraging
parents to understand and provide for the needs of their children through
community groups and by:-

(a) Offering appropriate facilities and training courses, together with the right of parents to take responsibility for and to become involved in the activities of such groups, ensuring that such groups offer opportunities for all children, regardless of race, culture or means.

(b) Encouraging the study of the needs of such children and their families and promoting public interest in and recognition of such needs in the local area.

(d) Adhering and following the guidelines laid down by Ofsted.

When you start
Pre-school is registered for children from 2 years to 5 years of age.
Sessions

We are open Monday - Friday term time only and can offer the following sessions:

3 Hour Sessions

8.30am- 11.30am
12.30pm- 3.30pm

4 Hour Sessions

8.30- 12.30pm
11.30pm- 3.30pm

All day (7 Hour) Sessions

8.30am- 3.30pm with children bringing in their own packed lunch.

Packed lunches are refrigerated as required
by a staff member at the beginning of sessions
Settling In
Most children settle very happily into pre-school within a week or two. On the whole we would advise you not to stay and a quick, firm goodbye is best, telling your child you will see him/her soon. Now and then a child will need his or her parent to stay longer, but please don’t worry, it is quite normal, and your patience will be rewarded as you watch him/her becoming more socially confident. We hope you will also enjoy becoming involved in the group’s activities. Separation is a big step for any child but gradually their confidence will grow and they will embrace their new venture.
Just occasionally, a child is not ready to start pre-school. Please chat to the staff at pre-school if your child is unhappy about coming. It may be best to leave it for a while and try again the following term.
Delivery and Collection (Security Password)
If anyone, other than yourself is likely to pick up you r child, it is very important that you tell the staff at pre-school. Staff will not allow your child to leave with someone they do not know. You will be asked for a password and anyone other than yourself will be asked for this. When you collect your child at the end of the session, please be prompt – staff may not mind, but your child most definitely will!
Staff
The staff at pre-school consists of the following:
Pre-School Manager
NVQ 3 - Early Years Care & Education
Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling

Early Years Practitioners
NVQ 3 or NVQ 2 - Early Years Care & Education

All staff are qualified in
Safeguarding, First Aid, Food Hygiene, Extremism and Radicalisation.
The Manager is present at most times but if not, the other staff will be more than happy to see you. At each session there will at least one Early Years Practitioner, qualified to level 3, who will be supported by three other practitioners, qualified to either level 3 or level 2. A list of the current staff and their qualifications are always displayed and available at pre-school.
Committee
The committee help to maintain the policies of the pre-school.
The committee frequently help to raise funds for pre-school, e.g. fetes, bazaars, and other sponsored events in order to buy equipment and resources. Support the staff in the running of the group.
Be involved in interviewing new staff and monitoring staff issues.

The committee meets at pre-school approximately once every term. New committee members are elected throughout the year, and a list of current committee members is posted on the notice board, along with other current information. Resources
We have a wide variety of toys and activities for the children to play with, such as puzzles, playdoh, creative activities, painting, imaginative play, construction kits, social activities,
life experience corner, songs, water play, sand play, parachute play, secure outside area and gardens for them to look after! In the garden they plant bulbs, grow flowers, herbs and even vegetables! They also tend some fruit trees during the summer months. We use the outside environmental area as much as possible, the children love to be able to play with sand, water, bark, peat, inspect the mini-beast area, ride on the bicycles and cars, kick and throw the balls, bean bags, play basketball, practice balancing, and choosing their own resources on a daily basis, AND LOTS MORE!!
Sickness
Please let pre-school know if your child has anything infectious. There are certain isolation periods for various diseases. Children suffering from tummy bugs and sickness/the runs must have a clear period of 48 hours before they can return to pre-school. A poster from the Health Protection Agency is held in the Managers Office for reference.
Parent/Carer Rota
We operate this rota to help the staff run the session more efficiently and to give you the opportunity to get to know us better. It also gives you the opportunity to find out what your child does during their stay at pre-school, and a chance to speak to your child’s key-person and other staff. This usually means you attend once every half-term. Please help as much as possible!
Parents should be aware of the need for confidentiality at all times.
Pre-school also has close links with the local colleges and the secondary school. We provide a valuable opportunity for students to experience the world of work in childcare before they make their career choice. As a result you will see different students at the pre-school throughout the year.
Key-person Scheme

Staff hold planning and staff meetings on a very regular basis, to plan the curriculum and discuss the progress, care and development of the children. A keyperson is a member of staff who takes responsibility for individual children and monitors their needs, progress and development.

Observations are kept on the children regularly throughout the term to build up an accurate picture of the children’s progress. We use the online Tapestry programme and parents are able to log onto their own account, to see what their child has done that week at pre-school. Parents can also add their own photos and comments. Staff are available at any time to discuss, with parents, their children’s progress. A Parent’s Evening is held towards the end of the summer term, where you can discuss your child’s achievements before they move onto school, or their second year with us. More information on 'what is a keyperson' can be found at the bottom of this page.

Clothing
Please dress your child in suitable play clothes as paint and glue have a tendency to get everywhere on occasions! Also clothes the children can manage themselves for going to the toilet. It would be very helpful if all clothes could be named to prevent any losses.
Pre-school accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to clothing.
Refreshments
We are in the Early Years Healthy Eating programme, which means that we provide the children with a drink of milk or water and a variety of healthy snacks, e.g. fruit and vegetables, yoghurt, multi-cultural foods, cereals, toast, teacakes, pasta etc. If your child does not like milk or water and cannot drink it, please provide a drink in a marked container. At approximately 10 am/2 pm, the children will be able to visit their ‘café’ and chose their snack and pour their own drink. Water is always available to the children throughout the session times.
Fees
Fees are payable at the beginning of each half-term. We request that they be paid within three weeks of the bill being sent out. Please pay fees online if possible (details are National Westminster Bank account number 41645103 sort code 56-00-63). If you cannot pay online, you can pay cash by putting monies into an envelope, with the amount and your child’s name written on the outside, and given to the member of staff on the door, at either the beginning or end of the session. This member of staff will enter the fees into our payment records. We cannot accept any cash if it is not in the envelope, with the appropriate information written on the outside. If fees are not paid within three weeks, your child could lose its place at pre-school. You will be asked to sign an accompanying agreement regarding fees and other issues when completing the enrolment form.
Government Funding
We offer all three and four year olds, whenever possible, 15 hours per week, in accordance with our Admissions Policy and government policy. The funding is for 38 weeks throughout the year, up to 15 hours per week. Where the total terms are more than 38 weeks in one year, parents are responsible for the deficit and will be issued with the appropriate request for fees. Parents do have the option to not pay this deficit and not send their children the last week/weeks of that particular term, whichever is the case. The enrolment fee, for funded children, is voluntary. We also provide for 30 hours funded children.
Photograph Album
We have produced photograph albums to show prospective parents, Ofsted Inspectors, and other Early Years Agencies, of some of the activities we offer at this pre-school. These are updated occasionally and your children may be featured in them.
Confidentiality
All workers, volunteers and carers, must read and familiarise themselves with pre-schools confidentiality policy, which must be observed at all times.
Accident and Incidents
All accidents and incidents are recorded in the accident/incident books, which are checked by the manager at regular intervals. Existing injuries or marks must be reported before the session and recorded by a member of staff.
Medicines
Any medications given are recorded in a medicine book, which is signed by the parent and two members of staff.
Insurance
Pre-School has Public Liability and Employers Liability Insurance.
P.L.A.
We are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, a national organisation, whose aim is to promote the work of pre-schools in the community.
Policies
We use the policies and procedures for the Early Years Foundation Stage as published by the Pre-School Learning Alliance.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
SAFEGUARDING
AND PROMOTING CHILDREN’S WELFARE

Safeguarding children

Incorporating - Children’s rights and entitlements
Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation
Female Genital Mutilation – Keeping Children Safe
Identifying Disadvantaged Children
Safeguarding children and child protection (including managing allegations of abuse against a member of staff)
Children in Care
Confidentiality and client access to records
Information sharing
Uncollected child
Missing child
Supervision of children on outings and visits
Maintaining children’s safety and security on premises
Making a complaint

Equality of opportunity

Incorporating - Valuing diversity and promoting equality
Supporting children with special educational needs
Achieving positive behaviour

Promoting health and hygiene

Incorporating - Animals in the setting
Administering medicines
Managing children with allergies, or who are sick
of infectious (including reporting notifiable
diseases)
Nappy changing
No smoking

Food and drink
First Aid

SUITABLE PEOPLE

Employment

Incorporating - Employment and staffing (including vetting,
contingency plans, training and development)

Induction of staff, volunteers and managers

Student placements

SUITABLE PREMISES, ENVIRONMENT AND EQUIPMENT

Health and Safety

Incorporating - Risk assessment

Health and safety general standards
Fire safety and emergency evacuation

Recording and reporting of accidents and
incidents (including procedure for reporting to
HSE, RIDDOR)

Food Hygiene (including procedure for reporting
food poisoning)

These policies are kept on the
pre-school premises and are available to all parents.
Links with Schools
Pre-School has close links with St. Stephens School, for the obvious reason we are next door. Throughout the year, we are sometimes invited to go into the school, maybe to see a show the infants have taken part in, and we also invite the reception class to some of our productions, e.g. nativity, Christmas concert etc.
Although we have our own outside play area, sometimes we share the St. Stephens school playground with the reception children.
We also have good links with the other three schools in the area, with children leaving us to attend
Burraton, Bishop Cornish and Brunel primary schools.
National Curriculum
All staff are trained to work towards the national curriculum which is in accordance with the EYFS Guidelines.

They fall into the following categories:-
Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Communication, Language and Literacy

Physical Development

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Designs
Don’t throw away list
We are always in need of resources such as bits of materials, card, envelopes, ribbon, yoghurt pots, wrapping paper, any sort of paper, coloured tiles, and a variety of cardboard boxes.

We cannot accept toilet rolls.

WHAT IS A KEYPERSON

Definition – A keyperson has special responsibility for small groups of children. Parents and children know the name of their keyperson from the beginning of their involvement with thepre-school. We use the Tapestry online programme for all observations.

Aim – A keyperson will ensure that the needs of each child are recognised within the pre-school so that, within the overall curriculum framework of the group, an individual curriculum or play plan is devised to meet these needs.
Main duties - To assist the child to settle into the pre-school by:

introducing the child and parents to the pre-school
talking with parents, carers, and other relatives
keeping a special watchful eye on the child in the first few sessions
assisting the child to integrate into the pre-school

To provide for the emotional needs of the child e.g. to comfort and reassure at any times of distress

To care for the child e.g. to assist with toileting as necessary, at snack time etc.

To plan, in conjunction with other staff, and sometimes parents/carers, a curriculum plan for each child, ensuring that account is taken of each child’s race, culture, religion, language and family values.

To keep observations and records and to monitor the child’s progress.

To liase with parents, encouraging them to contribute their expertise and knowledge.

To develop a day-to-day rapport with parents, informing parents of their child’s activities and being available, especially at the beginning and end of each session, to answer queries.

To contribute information about individual children’s needs to the planning of the pre-school’s curriculum framework, whilst respecting confidentiality as necessary.

To attend and meet with parents and carers at the designed date for Parents Evenings, sharing their child’s development and achievements.

To liase, in conjunction with parents and carers, with statutory/professional personnel, as necessary.

It is important to recognise that a keyperson does not:-