Key Staff
Pre-School Manager: Mrs Caroline Stoneham CACHE 3 DPP
Joint-Leaders: Mrs Su Parsons CACHE 3 DPP, Mrs Catherine King MA NVQ3
Administration: Mrs Janet Matthews CACHE 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
Fees
All sessions that a child is registered for must be paid for and this includes holidays taken during term time and absence due to sickness. Six weeks notice must be given if a child is to be taken away from the Pre-School and fees for this period are payable in full regardless of whether the child actually attends or not. Children are entitled to government funding the term after they turn 3.
Structured Learning Activities
A wide range of activities are provided daily and each child will be invited to participate in these activities at his/her own level. Free play, yoga, story, music, painting, sticking and constructing, playdough, sand and water, physical activities and group work are all included. Work becomes more structured as the children mature and each child can progress from one level to the next at his/her own pace. We feel that outdoor play is an essential part of the curriculum and whenever possible, we offer a free flow from inside to out. Weather permitting, our curriculum will always include the opportunity for some kind of outside play.
The Butterfly children are also given the opportunity to participate in the Pre-School Home Learning. From time to time other visitors will assist us with a wide range of activities including music sessions, dentistry, storytelling and road safety.
Groups
The children are grouped according to their age and stage of development. Each child is allocated a key person who will act as a point of contact for parents/carers and who will familiarise themselves with their appointed child and his/her needs/achievements. The afternoons are run as one group of mixed age children.
The Value of Play
During the time children are at The Pavilion Pre-School, we aim to prepare them for school and the outside world, through a combination of play and work, which we believe to be very important in their overall development. We encourage children to play, not only because they enjoy it, but because they can learn so much from play: learning to share, good manners, taking turns, making friends, understanding that we are all of equal value, learning to be truthful, learning to make choices and decisions, and expanding their language and imagination.
Individual needs
Children are individuals; each child learns at his/her own rate and in a different way. We carefully monitor a child’s progress enabling us to develop specific programmes for individuals.
Parent Participation
We aim to build on the foundations you have laid with your child at home and to work with you to further your child’s progress. We believe that encouragement and praise – both at pre-school and at home – are powerful rewards to enhance a positive self-image and motivation. Furthermore, the realisation that learning is rewarding helps to foster a good attitude to learning in later life. We like to give reading books to older children to take home as and when appropriate so that you are involved in the learning. Your key person is always pleased to discuss your child’s progress with you, together with any comments or suggestions you may have. We also hold a New Parents Lunch in October and regular parent consultations throughout the year.
Parents are always welcome to volunteer/help with the children in the group. It gives parents the opportunity to take an active part in the group, to see what happens there and to talk about it at home afterwards.
