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Our Preschool room Intent.

“To promote school readiness through the consolidating of skills and challenge.”

Preschool

In our Preschool room we care for children aged 3 to 4 years old and work on getting them school ready throughout their Preschool year. Our room is set up with various areas of continuous provision that each lend themselves to the areas of learning in the EYFS, allowing skills and abilities to be consolidated through play. We plan our environment from child interest but also skilfully add inviting provocations that have the intention of either teaching new things, consolidating current knowledge or skills or next stepping a child’s learning to progress further. Each day our children are engaged in small group times that are planned by key workers to meet the needs of the children, differentiating the learning intention as necessary. Group times can vary daily as they are planned on the needs of the children but we aim to keep them at set times during the day to mirror such school routines - in turn familiarising our children of what school may be like for them as well as providing some structure to their day. Our children play outside daily and can choose whether they want to be indoors or outdoors throughout the morning and afternoon session. The outdoor environment is an extension of what is offered indoors but can be done on a much larger scale such as large scale construction with tyres, planks and crates or large scale water play with pipes, tubing and trays - all in turn supporting, extending and consolidating children’s skills. There are many aspects of learning that should take place in order to prepare children for the wider world and to be school ready. Please download the document below to support us in ensuring your child is given the best possible support.

Preschool Readiness Poster

Some children within our Preschool room qualify for extra funding in the form of EYPP (Early Years Pupil Premium). This is used by us to provide further specific resources and learning opportunities for such children. At present our EYPP children are engaged in a specific group time with ‘Literacy’ as it’s main aim in ensuring children make steady progress to become confident readers and writers once in school. This is all documented in scrapbook form and shows the progress the children make week to week which is all based around a story book. See further information below on qualifying for EYPP and to read more on our EYPP Project.

Our children that are getting ready to transition to school take part in group times that specifically support writing skills; unpicking what that entails - whether it be early mark making, the recognition of letters and sounds or forming actual letters of the alphabet as well as covering all areas of further learning such as maths, physical skills, social skills etc. This is done based around children’s interests and the things they are intrigued by. See further information below on our Floor Books session.

No two days are ever the same for us in Preschool as we thrive on working in the moment with our children and running with their interests
— Teigan - Senior Practitioner

Further Information.

 
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EYPP.

As mentioned above some 3-4 year old children qualify for further funding that is to be used within setting to provide further experiences for them in support of their learning and development. If you are unsure whether this applies to your child then please visit the link below to read more on eligibility criteria. Once we identify which Preschool children qualify, we engage them in a specific ‘EYPP Project’ session each week which we base around a story book to further embed early literacy skills promoting the ability to read and write. Such sessions are documented by the adult and the children taking part in scrapbook form to show progress over time and the learning that has taken place. Please speak to a member of Preschool staff if you would like to see one of these in more detail.

EYPP - Wigan.gov.uk

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Floor Books.

Floor Books is a project that we engage our children in during their time in Preschool which specifically focuses on writing abilities as well as developing talking and thinking skills through enquiry based learning. This is only practised when the children are ready for such experiences.

The floor books are based on the children’s interests and any aspects they are captivated by. For example Easter, The Weather or Spring. The adult then uses their own pedagogical skills in providing specific items that they then present to the children to explore from a mystery box. The adult skilfully guides the children’s learning but continues to allow them to explore their own thoughts. This is an ongoing process and the mystery box of items can be explored for weeks; each week having new learning that takes places, different lines of inquisitiveness as well as revisiting the aspects they have already explored. Our Preschool practitioners have all received some form of training in this element of practice whether this be externally through Wigan Council or internally through management. The whole process is documented in scrapbook form that the children take great part in that shows their progress journey. If you would like to take a look at one of our Floor Books then please speak to a member of Preschool staff.

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Funded Places.

Every child qualifies for government funded childcare the term after their 3rd birthday whether this be the universal 15hrs entitlement or the 30hrs entitlement which is granted to working parents and carers. If you feel your child would qualify for the 30hrs entitlement then please visit our funding page via the link below.

Childcare Funding

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Letters and Sounds - Phase One Phonics

Phase one of the Letters and Sounds program falls largely within the Communication, Language and Literacy area of learning in the EYFS. Ultimately, it supports children with linking sounds and letters in the order in which they occur in words as well as naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet. This is done ‘loosely’ within Preschool during group times as well as during play and exploration. Staff support children to begin to hear the sounds in words used, to develop an awareness of rhyming words and to begin to segment and blend words. Staff are trained in this aspect on how to embed letters and sounds throughout the day to ensure children are exposed to the program in order to support school readiness.

 
 

Take a virtual tour of our Preschool

 
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Infant Room