ST JAMES’ PRE-SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
St James’ Pre-School
St James The Great R.C. Church
The Church Hall
Lakeswood Road
Petts Wood, Kent
BR5 1BJ
Telephone during pre-school hours: 07815 464837
OFSTED Registration No 137349
Member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance
St James’ Pre-School
The pre-school was founded in 1983 and whilst it has changed enormously over the past decades so as to constantly meet new Government demands, evolving parents’ expectations and changes in early years education policies, it has always remained faithful to the core principles at the heart of its foundation: providing excellent early years education in a happy, stimulating, caring environment with a strong catholic ethos that values and respects other beliefs and cultures.
At St James’ pre-school we see each child as a unique individual and our aim is to help each of our children feel happy and confident, develop their independence and progress in their learning. We promote the overall development of the children through their own play experiences and adult led activities within the learning guidelines laid down by OFSTED.
At the pre-school stage, the learning approach is informal and the children enjoy a freedom to direct their own learning which they will not have again until much later in their formal education. St James’ pre-school provides a broad curriculum with a full range of equipment, which will give each child appropriate help to meet their particular needs and the opportunity to develop their individual potential.
We wish to help and encourage all children within our community, including those who have, temporarily or permanently, a special education need or physical disability and establish a close working partnership with parents and outside agencies to ensure that such children will receive the extra support they need to achieve their full potential.
The pre-school had its last OFSTED inspection in May 2007. One area was ranked as outstanding, outstanding being defined as ‘this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality’. The remaining areas were ranked as good – ‘this aspect of the provision is strong’. The report can be found on the OFSTED website, also by clicking here, and a hard copy is available on the notice board.
A full set of policies is available for inspection.
PLEASE NOTE that St James’ pre-school is an independent organisation and that attending the pre-school does not give automatic admittance to St James’ Primary School.
Your child at St James’ Pre-School
The pre-school is open from 9am – 12 noon during term time.
At St James’ pre-school we would like to ensure that joining and attending the group is a happy time for each child. Therefore, it is requested that parents be prepared to stay for the first few sessions, or as advised by the staff, until both parents/carers and teachers feel content that the child has settled.
There is generally a theme for each half-term, broken down for each week of the term. Children are encouraged to bring in an item (pictures, books, any object) appropriate to the theme of the week which will then be talked about during “circle time”.
Please note that whilst we welcome items connected with our themes, children are asked not to bring in other toys from home. These can easily get lost or broken. We do, of course, understand that some of our new children may need to bring in something from home to help them settle.
Your child will be allocated a member of staff referred to as a key worker who will be responsible for recording progress in line with Early Years goals. Please be assured however, that all members of staff are responsible for all children. If you have any issues you would like to discuss, please feel free to talk to a member of staff.
We operate a “meet and greet” system with one member of staff being in the small hall every morning from 9.00-9.15am to answer any quick question parents might have.
If you wish to discuss your child’s progress, please speak to this member of staff to make an appointment with your child’s key worker. Key worker lists are on the notice board inside the pre-school.
As St James’ is a catholic pre-school, prayers are said at the end of the session. The children also, occasionally, attend Mass.
Leaving and collecting children
All children must be brought to and collected from the premises by an adult.
When children arrive at pre-school they should hang up their coats, find their name and go into the large hall. When leaving your child, please ensure that they have gone into the main hall for registration. Whilst they are in the small hall they remain the responsibility of their parent/carer.
If anybody other than yourselves will be collecting your child, please tell the staff when you drop them off in the morning so that a note can be made in the diary. Children will not be released into the custody of a person unknown.
Please do not park directly outside the entrance gate to the pre-school as this causes a potential hazard for the children entering and leaving the pre-school. Use the church car park instead. The car park is busy so please park considerately and bear in mind that not all the cars will belong to parents of the pre-school children and may need to be moved while you are dropping off/picking up.
The pre-school day:
9a.m. Free play, with structured activities to fit in with the early learning goals and the curriculum. Free-flow between the indoor and outside areas (weather permitting)
Between 10am and 11am a ‘Snack Bar’ is available to the children. This arrangement enables them to choose when they want to take a snack and drink, and thereby encourages further independence. The staff monitor the snack area closely to ensure that all children do, eventually, take their turn.
11.00a.m. Circle time. The group then splits into three smaller groups for story time. This is when we talk about the items children might have brought in related to the current theme.
11.15a.m. Free play, with structured activities to fit in with the early learning goals and the curriculum. Free-flow between the indoor and outside areas (weather permitting)
11.45a.m. The group is all together again for singing, final prayer and coats.
Daily activities include stories, singing, painting, drawing, sand, water, dramatic play, construction toys, pre-reading games such as lotto and snap, pre-maths games such as dominoes and puzzles, physical and outside play. Craft activities vary daily. Other activities include gardening, cooking or music sessions that are held on a different day each week so that all children have the opportunity to be involved.
Prayer.
We thank you God and everyone,
For helping us have so much fun,
But now our play is at an end,
We very quietly wave good-bye to all our friends.
Amen.
Clothing
Please send your child in suitable clothes because although aprons are provided, glue and paint often find their way onto uncovered parts. We recommend that best clothes aren’t worn to pre-school and that children wear appropriate footwear, that is trainers or shoes (no sandals please), and socks to protect their feet, as we use the outside space on a daily basis.
We like to make the most of the outdoors regardless of the weather, so in case of heavy rain please bring in wellies and a hooded coat, together with some indoor shoes so that they can be comfortable and dry inside as well.
As some children do not recognise their own garments, parents are asked to ensure that all outdoor clothes, coats, cardigans, jumpers and wellies are labelled with the children’s names.
On starting at St James’ pre-school, your child will be given a school t-shirt. Additional t-shirts and sweatshirts in various sizes are available to purchase through the pre-school. It is not compulsory to wear the pre-school t-shirt but children are encouraged to wear them, especially on days when we all go to Mass or on outings.
In the warmer months, please ensure that your child brings a named hat and that they have sunscreen on when necessary. There will be a bottle of sunscreen on the table in the small hall if you forget to apply it, but we are not allowed to apply it to your child.
In the interest of safety, only stud earrings should be worn.
Health and Hygiene
Hygiene is of paramount importance at the pre-school. Children should be kept at home if they have a bad cold, particularly if they have a very runny nose, and should not return to pre-school for 48 hours after the last symptoms of sickness, or an upset stomach, to prevent spreading any nasty bugs. We rely on you to be vigilant and to encourage your children to wash and dry their hands when they have been to the toilet and also to blow their noses.
Please advise a staff member if your child develops an infectious childhood illness such as chicken pox, or other contagious complaints e.g. headlice, threadworm.
If your child is coming to pre-school with a bump or bruise, please send them with a brief note about how and when they got it – this is for the pre-school’s child protection responsibilities.
St James’ pre-school is committed to working with all parents and carers to support children in developing independent toileting and we will not exclude children using nappies, regardless of the reason they are a nappy user. If this applies, parents/carers will be asked to sign a form agreeing to allow staff to change their child’s nappy according to the pre-school Nappy Policy, which is available on request.
Fees and Regular Information
The pre-school is a non-profit making organisation. All incoming money is put back into the funding and running of the pre-school. Fees are charged per session, payable half termly in advance. Any increase in fees will be advised in writing a half-term before taking effect. Please note that fees are still payable for days unattended.
The current cost of each session can be obtained from the group leader.
Children become eligible for Government funding, which covers most of the fees, from the term starting after their 3rd birthday.
If for any reason your child should leave the group, then half a term’s notice is required in writing. Please note that fees paid are non-refundable.
A newsletter is distributed with the fees letters, which are handed out at the beginning of each half term. The newsletter contains information on the period’s themes, future events and other general information. A copy of the newsletter is also available on the interior and exterior notice boards.
Please check the outside notice board regularly for any information update and details of what the children should bring in.
Management
The day-to-day running of the pre-school is under the care of our group leader, who is also in charge of the staff. However the pre-school is under the overall management of the parents of the children attending the group.
It is a community group managed by its members, the parents, as an independent organisation on a not-for-profit basis, so we do dearly need parents to participate, not only with ideas but also with practical help in whatever way may be possible.
An Annual General Meeting, to which all parents are invited, is held each Autumn to help elect a Management Committee to run the group. This Committee meets regularly and a notice of the AGM will be posted in the pre-school.
Every parent is warmly encouraged to attend the AGM as it is a very good opportunity to hear about the pre-school activities over the past year and discuss what is planned for the forthcoming year. It is the parents’ chance to have a say in how our pre-school is run so its importance cannot be over-emphasised. Other Open Meetings are held for parents during the year.
The Management Committee is composed of:
A Chair who is the registered person with OFSTED, takes overall responsibility for the pre-school and is the group leader’s line manager,
A Vice-Chair to support and shadow the chair with a view to take over that role,
A Secretary who manages the waiting list, keeps minutes of meetings and undertakes various administrative duties,
A Treasurer, responsible for the financial management of the pre-school
A Vice-Treasurer who has responsibilities for fees and claiming the Government grants from the Local Authority,
A Communication Officer in charge of the Newsletter and the overall communication with parents,
A Fundraiser who coordinates a team of helpers to organise social and fundraising events to support the work of the pre-school.
A list of the current Committee is on the notice board inside the pre-school, together with a list of all our current staff members and their qualifications.
At St. James' Pre-School we are proud to offer the children a fun environment in which to explore, develop and learn. In order for the group to continue to grow please remember that we need to involve all parents in the running of the Pre-School.
Final Notes to Parents
If there is anything you are not sure about or if you have any concerns relating to your child attending the group, please feel free to speak to the group leader, your child’s key worker or a Committee member.
Should you have any complaints please contact the group leader or the Chair of the Committee. If you wish to take the matter further please contact the Pre-School Learning Alliance (Bromley Branch) on 020 8464 9039 who will advise you of the best course of action. You are at liberty to contact OFSTED if you would prefer to do so.
If you have an issue regarding government funding please contact Bromley Early Years Services on 020 8313 4166.
We are proud of our warm and family atmosphere in which we hope children will feel comfortable and happy. We would be happy to give you any further information that you may require in order to make a suitable choice of Pre-School for your child.