Our Pre-School
Outstanding OFSTED rating (2016). Well-equipped outdoor play areas, rights respecting culture, forest school, exceptional range of toys and play activities: wonderful facilities to help each child grow.
Learning Through Play
Our children love their time at Pre-School! We focus on developing each child in-line with the EYFS curriculum in a fun, friendly, caring environment, smoothly the transition to school life.
Our team
The exceptional care our dedicated, experienced team of childcare professionals provide each child is regularly praised. Whilst our community focus is ensured by our committee of parents.
Why Seer Green Pre-school
Both children and parents love Seer Green Pre-School. In the 2019 parent survey 100% of parents who responded would recommend the Pre-School to another parent.
They also 100% Strongly Agree that the Pre-School was well led and managed.
They stated some of the key strengths as:
Such a caring and nurturing environment with experienced and approachable staff. The staff turnover is very low so the consistency of care is great. Communication with parents is excellent as they use various methods: reports, communication books and through the online journal. It is so well run with dates for your diary always given far in advance. The systems and routines are very structured which aids the children with stability. Facitilites are great including a variety of learning aids and a fantastic outdoor area. From my perspective it is fantastic on every level.
Other highlights include: Forest School, School transition programme, Parents community, Dedicated Early Years Advisor.
Meet Our Teachers
The exceptional staff at Seer Green Pre-School provide a caring, friendly environment for all the children, supporting each individual child’s development through a carefully designed combination of free play and adult-led activities. Click here for a full staff list.
Facilities
Seer Green Pre-School boasts an array of facilities ideal for the needs of 2&1/2 – 5 year olds:
Plenty of indoor space complete with:
- comfy reading area, home corner, computer corner, water play area, painting easels, wide array of (regularly changing) craft and learning activities
Spacious outdoor covered and open areas including:
- Large sandpit, the very popular mud kitchen, climbing frame, playhouse, a variety of ride-ons/scooters and countless other toys
Early Years Development
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and look for every opportunity to encourage children’s personal, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development through play.
Our weekly focus and termly themes provide a fun basis, and the little extras – this has included looking inside a real ambulance, watching tadpoles turn into frogs, eggs become chicks and caterpillars metamorphose into butterflies – provide wonderful opportunities for children to better understand the world. The older children also go on a school trip each year (recently to the Chiltern Open Air Museum) adding a new experience and enough dimension to their understanding of the world.
We are particularly fortunate to have a dedicated Early Years Advisor (Alison Austin, previously Pre-school Leader) who constantly provides fresh ideas from the Early Years community to further improve our already fabulous pre-school.
Understanding the world – a visit from a real ambulance
Forest School
Offered for the first time in Summer 2016 to children in their last term during 5 of their Friday sessions, Forest School has been a huge success.
As Alison, our Early Years Advisor, explains:
“The Forest School approach provides unique opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland environment.”
Toasting marshmallows on the campfire
Rights Respecting Environment
We believe strongly in a rights respecting culture at pre-school in which we advocate the rights of the children, listen to the children’s voice and help them become global citizens.
In 2013, we were awarded our level 1 Rights Respecting Setting Award by UNICEF. Since then, the principles have become embedded in our ethos and everyday life helping us to increase children’s self-esteem, global awareness, and positive behaviour and help us create a culture of respect in which children can express their views in matters that affect them and children become advocates for other children.
Celebrating children helping and respecting each other.
School Transition
The Friday session at Seer Green Pre-School is reserved for the older children in their year before starting school and is carefully design to support their transition to school offering:
- Opportunities to join the school children at Seer Green CE School for morning break-time and lunchtime
- Opportunities for all relevant reception class teachers (from all schools) to come in and meet with their new charges and their key person in a familiar environment
- Visits to Seer Green CE School Reception class
- PE lessons – active play in the school hall, plus practice changing to and from their kit!
- Forest school
- Activities in line with EYFS to support development in preparation for school from literacy and numeracy to emotional development
Sessions
Before your child joins Seer Green Pre-School you will be asked to select your preference of sessions following the below guidelines:
The younger academic year will attend a minimum of 4 CORE 3 HOUR SESSIONS between Monday and Thursday which must consist of two mornings (08:50-11:50) and two afternoons (12:10-15:10).
The older academic year will attend a minimum of 4 CORE 3 HOUR SESSIONS PLUS A FULL DAY ON A FRIDAY.
The CORE sessions (apart from the Friday) can be distributed across the week depending on the parents preference. For example you could select 2 mornings, or 2 afternoons, or 2 full days etc.
Should there be availability your child may attend for more sessions.
For Parents
We are proud of the strong links we have with parents in terms of communication, parental involvement and enabling great friendship amongst the parents not just the children.
For example, you can:
- Communicate as often as you like with your child’s key person via observation books or in person
- Hear what’s going on via daily ‘today at Pre-School’ notice (also on closed facebook group), weekly ‘This Week at Pre-School’ emails and twice termly newsletter
- Attend termly events i.e. Christmas Raffle, Summer Fete and Casino Night (or equivalent)
- Visit pre-school during regular drop-in sessions
- Help out in anything from helping with cooking to washing tea towels
The Committee
The Seer Green Pre-School staff are all well-qualified, paid professionals.
However, the Pre-School is run by a committee of volunteers (typically parents) who meet monthly to oversee the running of the Pre-School and are responsible for everything from fundraising to policy matters.
The committee is elected each year at the AGM – let us know if you want to get involved.
Key Person System
Children are assigned a ‘key person’ (or occasionally 2 key persons where staff work part-time) when they start Pre-School. Whilst your child will get to know all the staff well, they will have a special relationship with their key person who particularly looks out for them ensuring they are happy and secure at Pre-School.
This key person also becomes a parent’s best point of contact. They track your child’s development, keep you regularly informed of their progress, speak to you at the annual parents evenings.
You will also be given an Observation Book when your child starts which you can use to communicate with your child’s key person in case you don’t get a chance to see them in person and to share in your child’s learning progress. We are interested in knowing: what they did at the weekend, a new toy they love, a new skill they’ve learnt at home or anything else you’d like to tell us about.
Fees & Funding
All 3 and 4 years old and some 2 year olds (see eligibility requirements) receive either 15 or 30 hours free childcare which can be used at Seer Green Pre-School.
Children not eligible for this or any hours over and above these funded hours are chargeable. Parents can opt to attend for only their funded hours if preferred.
Your children’s development and welfare are our main priorities
Seer Green Pre-School News
Highlights
Parent Feedback Survey 2018/2019
Friday 1st February 2019 : Closed
Wednesday 23rd January 2019 : Change of opening time
Quality Improvement Plan (2018-2019)
Newsletter November 2018
Highlights from the last half term
Literacy
Newsletter September 2018
