WELCOME TO MITTON MANOR PRE-SCHOOL AND AFTER SCHOOL CLUB
Charity Registration No: 900034
Ofsted Registration No: 101658
Community Pre-School for 2 -5 year olds
At Mitton Manor Pre-School:
- We treat others as we would have them treat us
- We forgive others
- We share
- We are truthful and live with integrity
- We are kind and helpful
- We listen carefully to each other
- We do our best to be our best
CONTACT DETAILS
Mitton Manor Pre-School
Charity Registration No. 900034 Ofsted Registration No. 101658
Our address is:Mitton Manor Pre-School
Carrant Road
Mitton
Tewkesbury
Glos
GL20 8AR
Tel no: 01684 275426Mobile no: 07833303954
Email:
Website:
Blog:mittonmanorpreschool.blogspot.co.uk
This document was updated on 3rd March 2017.
The Play Practitioners
Mrs Angela Walker, Jill Croker, Jane Moore, Melanie Hill,Rachel Perks and Georgina Packer would like to welcome your family to Mitton Manor Pre-School.
All the above staff are fully trained Play Practitioners.
Children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure, when their individual needs are met and when they have a positive relationship with the adults caring for them.
At Mitton Manor Pre-School we provide a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment where children are able to enjoy learning and grow in confidence.
Staff Roles
- Angela WalkerSpecial Educational Needs/Disabilities Co-Ordinator
Behaviour Management Co-Ordinator
- Jane MooreSpecial Educational Needs/Disabilities Co-Ordinator
Communication, Language and Literacy Co-Ordinator
- Jill CrokerAdministration and Admissions
- Melanie HillParent/Carers’ Support Worker
- Georgina PackerPlay Practitioner
- Alison JonesAdministrator
Casual assistant helper
- Rachel Perks Casual Play Practitioner
- Clair ParslowCasual assistant helper
OPENING TIMES AND SESSIONS
We offer the following sessions:
MorningAfternoon
Monday8.30am – 12.30pmNo session
Tuesday8.30am – 12.30pm12.30pm – 3.30pm
Wednesday8.30am – 12.30pm12.30pm – 3.30pm
Thursday8.30am – 12.30pm12.30pm – 3.30pm
Friday8.30am – 11.30amNo session
Sessions can be combined so that children can stay from 8.30am – 3.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sessions must be booked in advance by completion of a booking form, and are subject to availability.
When can my child start at Mitton Manor Pre-School?
Children can start at pre-school the termafter they are 2 years old, subject to spaces being available. Your child may be eligible for 2 year old funding if the family meets any of the following criteria:
Stage 1:
- Incomesupport
- Income-basedJob Seekers’ Allowance
- Income-relatedEmployment and Support Allowance
- Supportunder Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- TheGuaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- ChildTax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and havean annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’sRevenue and Customs
Stage 2:
- Achild in need
- Achild with a disability or Special Educational Need
- Achild/family who meet the local definition of ‘Greatest Need’
For more information on 2 year old funding, please contact the family information service: Tel: 0800 542 0202 Email:
Website:
If you do not meet any of the above criteria, you will be charged for your child’s sessions until they become eligible for the 15 hours of “free for 3 and 4” nursery education funding, the term after their 3rd birthday. Our charges are as follows:
Morning session (4 hours):£20Friday morning session (3 hours): £15
Afternoon session (3 hours):£15
All day (7 hours):£35
Once your child is funded, if they attend pre-school for more than 15 hours a week, you will be charged at a rate of £5 per hour for any extra hours.
Early Years Education Funding for 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds
All children in Gloucestershire are entitled to the Universal 15 hours a week funded early years education, which can be claimed from the term after your child is 3 years old. For more information, please visit:
Some working parents may be able to claim the Extended 30 hours funding for working parents, which can be claimed from the term after a child’s 3rd birthday – please visit for more information.
Early Years Pupil Premium
From April 2015 all early years providers who deliver Government funded early years education will be able to claim the Early Years Pupil Premium for three and four year old children whose parents are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:
- Income support
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
- Universal Credit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Registering could result in extra funding for your child’s early years provider
The Early Years Pupil Premium provides an extra 53 pence per hour for three and four year old children whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits or who have been in care or adopted from care. This means an extra £302 a year for each child taking up the full 570 hours funded entitlement to early education. This additional money could make a significant difference to us.
We will provide you with a form to fill in to determine whether you are eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium, and would be grateful if all parents could complete it.
Preparing for School
Throughout their time with us, your child will be involved in fun, educational activities which will support their learning and development in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. In addition, we work on preparing our children for their move to primary school, by including classroom visits, sing-a-longs, story times and P.E for children once they are in their pre-school year. We have excellent links with all the local schools in the Tewkesbury area, and work with them to make sure that all our children have a smooth transition to whichever primary school they are allocated.
We must point out that attending Mitton Manor Pre-School does not ensure a place at Mitton Manor Primary School.
THE FOUNDATION STAGE
The foundation stage is the period of education from age 2 to 5 years. The last year of the foundation stage takes place in primary school and is often called the Reception or Early Years class. This period is a distinct stage with its own Early Learning Goals. These are:
Prime Areas:
Personal, social and emotional development
Physical development
Communication and language
Specific Areas:
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
Most children will achieve these goals by the end of the foundation stage.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
Playing and exploring – engagement
-Finding out and exploring
-Playing with what they know
-Being willing to “have a go”
Active Learning – motivation
-Being involved and concentrating
-Keeping trying
-Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically – thinking
-Having their own ideas
-Making links
-Choosing ways to do things
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet. At Mitton Manor Pre-School, we seek to provide:
- Quality and consistency so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind;
- A secure foundation through learning and development opportunities which are planned around the needs and interests of each individual child and are assessed and reviewed regularly;
- Partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers;
- Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported.
The learning and development requirements cover:
- The areas of learning and development which must shape activities and experiences (educational programmes) for children in all early years settings;
- The early learning goals that providers must help children work towards (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five; and
- Assessment arrangements for measuring progress (and requirements for reporting to parents and/or carers).
The safeguarding and welfare requirements cover the steps that providers must take to keep children safe and promote their welfare.
Overarching Principles
Four guiding principles should shape practice in early years settings. These are:
- 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 framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
WHAT HAPPENS AT PRE-SCHOOL?
In Pre-School we aim to help the children to:
Share and play with other children
Experiment with all sorts of different materials and activities
Express themselves in many different ways
Develop their language skills
Work things out
Do things for themselves
The children are encouraged to explore and learn from different materials such as water, paint, glue and clay. They may get messy, so please dress your child so that they feel comfortable in some easy to wash clothes; nothing too special! Please try to name all outdoor clothes, shoes and sunhats. As we have underfloor heating, please bring a change of footwear if they come to Pre-School in wellington boots s that their feet do not get too hot.
Some of the activities your child will take part in include: painting and drawing, water play, sand play, books, music, dough and clay, and junk and collage. We also make regular use of our outdoor area, which includes an undercover area, a patio and a number of grassed areas. We have lots of outdoor toys, including hoops, balls, bikes, slides and a play tower with climbing wall.
Confidence comes from being able to do things for yourself. We encourage the children to learn how to use the fastenings on their clothes, so that they can go to the toilet an put their coats on by themselves. Children learn at their own pace, so we support and encourage but resist the temptation to be over helpful.
Food and Drink
Children are provided with regular drinks and snacks in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, is nutritious and complies with dietary and religious needs.
Water is available for children to help themselves throughout the session.
During the course of the session, we have snack time where children are offered water or milk to drink along with a healthy snack. Our morning session also starts with an optional light breakfast (cereal, fruit and drink) from 8.30 until 9am.
Children attending an all-day session will need to bring a healthy packed lunch.
- No fizzy drinks
- No sweets
Food Allergies and Intolerances
If your child suffers from any food allergies or intolerances, please ensure that the Playleader is aware of these before your child starts at Pre-School, so that we can take steps to ensure that all members of staff are aware.
From December 2014, we as a Pre-School are required to inform parents and carers of the presence of certain allergens in the food we provide. The 14 allergens we must inform you about are: celery, molluscs, cereals containing gluten, mustard, crustaceans, nuts, eggs, peanuts, fish, sesame seeds, lupin, soya, milk and sulphur dioxide.
We keep packaging information showing the ingredients in all the food we provide at Pre-School, and if you would like more information about allergens in our food, please speak to the Playleader.
STARTING PRE-SCHOOL
A happy introduction to the Pre-School is important. To begin with, you may have to attend several short sessions with your child so that you both get to know the people there and how the group operates. If your child sees that you are friendly with the Play Leader and other staff, they will soon become friendly too.
When your child first starts, be prepared to stay for as long as they need you, joining in with all the activities taking place. Having you there will give your child confidence in their new surroundings. Let them take their time to establish contact with the children and adults and they will be happy for you to go home and leave them at Pre-School.
Please note that we operate a no mobile phone policy within pre-school – please place your mobile phone and any other valuables in the office when you arrive.
At Mitton Manor Pre-School we introduce your child’s first sessions in the following way (Afternoon session times shown in brackets):
Session One:Parent and child arrive at 8.45am (12.45pm) and stay as long as the child is happy.
Session Two:Arrive at 8.45am (12.45pm). Parents may leave their child if they are settled and happy.
Session Three:Parent and child to arrive at 8.30am (12.30pm) and the child stays for the full session, provided that you and the Play Leader are happy that your child is ready to start. Please return promptly as this is very important to your child.
When you collect your child at the end of the session, PLEASE BE PROMPT. The staff may not mind but your child will. Please wait outside to be called in. If you cannot collect your child yourself, please be sure to let us know who will come instead. For safety reasons, please ensure the side gate and Pre-School door is closed when entering and leaving the building.
Please note that Pre-School does not open until 8.30am for the morning session and 12.30pm for the afternoon session. Staff will be in the building before the start time, setting up and organising the activities for the session. Please do not enter until a member of staff opens the door.
Contract
When your child starts pre-school, you will be asked to sign a contract stating the hours you have agreed upon for your child to attend. If you wish to change your child’s hours, we ask that you give us 4 weeks’ notice.
Fees
The fee for non-funded children is £5 per hour.
You will receive an invoice in advance at the start of every term, for that term’s fees. If paying in this way is not suitable for you, please speak to the Play Leader to make alternative arrangements. If your child misses a session due to absence, any fees paid will not be refunded, as the Pre-School running costs in terms of staff wages remain the same even if your child is away. However, in the case of longer term illness, the fee will be reduced to half-fee for the second and subsequent weeks of absence.
Absence
If your child is unable to attend Pre-School because of illness or any other reason, please contact us in the morning by telephone to let us know. For children due to attend a morning session, we would prefer to be advised of absence by 8.30am. Under the Prevent Duty, we are required to contact parents of all absent children on the day of the absence, unless you have already let us know that they will not be at Pre-School.
Please also inform the Play Practitioner if your child has any infectious illness or has had to go to hospital.
Tel: 01684 275426 Email:
Communicating with parents
Whiteboard
There is a whiteboard on the wall near the side gate entrance to Pre-School, where we write reminders, information about what the children have been doing, and information about our events. Please check this board daily when dropping off and collecting your child.
Website
Our Pre-School website can be found at
Here you will find lots of information about what is happening at Pre-School including contact details, times of sessions, term dates, pre-school policies, details of upcoming events and fundraisers, a staff and committee member list, and committee meeting dates.
Blog
Our Pre-School blog can be found at:
Our blog is a diary of what we get up to at Pre-School. It is updated weekly with information about the different topics the children are learning about, as well as pictures of the different activities and learning opportunities the children are involved in. We also write about our events and fundraisers.
Follow us on Facebook by “liking” our page:
We post information about events, reminders and other news, and all our newsletters can also be viewed from the page.
HOW OUR PRE-SCHOOL RUNS