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 2018 parent survey 100% of parents who responded would recommend the Pre-School to another parent (Strongly Agreed 16 parents, Agreed 1 parent).
They also Agreed or Strongly Agreed that the Pre-School was well led and managed and that their child was: happy, safe, well looked after, and making progress.
They stated some of the key strengths as:
Caring staff, warm and friendly family environment for children to enter into and form friendships, flexibility regarding hours that children can go to the preschool to help suit family life (ie parents commitments to work etc), clean, organised and stimulating surroundings, I am absolutely confidently my child’s needs will be met, emotionally secure – there is always an adult on hand to give a hug, read a story or comfort, healthy snacks, a community feel, great leadership and amazing practices in place.
Our unique ‘Lion’, ‘Tiger’ and ‘Cheetah’ session approach is specifically designed around the children. Whilst some flexibility for extra sessions is possible subject to availability, the groups mean:
- Children attend Pre-School with a consistent group leading to strong friendships and strong bonds with teachers
- Sessions are 3 hours long: optimising learning and fun (not exhaustion)
Other highlights include (click to find out more): Rights Respecting Environment, 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 (8.50 – 12.50) 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
When your child joins Seer Green Pre-School they will either be offered a place as a Lion, Tiger or Cheetah – this dictates the sessions they will attend.
Whilst unusual, we see this approach as a real strength. The consistency in attending every day and with the same children promotes quick settling and strong friendships. The 3 hour sessions are a perfect length to engage and develop children without over-exhausting them. This format also allows us to maximise the number of local children who can benefit from the Pre-School.
Many of our children have parents who both work, utilising local child minders and nannies to provide wrap-around care around pre-school hours. Just ask if you would like contact details for wrap-around care providers in the area.
We may also be able to offer some additional sessions (subject to availability) so that your child can attend for one or more full days. Also, once a child turns 3 they are given the opportunity to sign up for additional lunchtime sessions – just ask for more details.
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 from the Chair
- Attend termly events from Friday Fizz to Quiz Night
- 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 15 hours free childcare which can be used at Seer Green Pre-School.
Children not eligible for this or any hours over and above these 15 hours are chargeable. If older children attend their Lion & Tiger sessions plus the full Friday session this totals 16 hours – there is a charge for this hour, although parents can opt to attend only for 15 hours if preferred.
Your children’s development and welfare are our main priorities
Seer Green Pre-School News
Highlights from the last half term
Parent Feedback Survey 2017/2018
Areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage
Friday 2nd March 2018 : Pre-School Closed
Thursday 1st March 2018 : Pre-School Closed
Newsletter February 2018
Lunchbox Leaflet
Spring term,- first half
Newsletter January 2018