Culford Pre-Prep SchoolInduction Booklet

2014-15

PP1 & 2

Welcome to Culford Pre-Prep School

We believe that Culford Pre-Prep is the very best start you can give your child. Our small class sizes provide a warm and nurturing environment and our well-established and knowledgeable team will always go the extra mile for you and your child.

We believe passionately that every child is unique and we give them opportunities to explore their interests, find their strengths, to develop their personalities and their sense of humour. To allow this growth we offer an incredibly wide curriculum and promote exploration and investigation through activities such as Forest School.

Culford is underpinned by Methodist beliefs which runs through all that we do here. You will quickly become part of the Culford family, a community which establishes lifelong friends and a strong sense of belonging. Parents are a significant part of the learning journey and we love to welcome you throughout the year to celebrate your child’s achievements and happiness.

Culford will provide an education which is challenging, enriching and fun.

We are very proud of Culford Pre-Prep and Nursery and look forward to you joining us soon.

Sarah Preston BAPre-Prep Head

Structure of the Day

8.00am A Teaching Assistant will be on duty to receive your child.8.20-8.50am Classrooms are open from 8.20am

The children will undertake their Early Morning Work (EMW) which could include reading or practising their keywords

A staggered drop off allows time for you to talk to your child’s class teacher if required

8.50am Registration9.00-10.40am Curriculum

10.40-11.00am Break and Snack11.00-12.00am Curriculum12.00-1.10pm Lunch1.10-3.50pm Curriculum

3.50pm End of School Day3.50-6.00pm After School Care

Please sign your child into after school care on the sign-up sheets situated in the main entrance.

After School Clubs are usually between 4.00-5.00pm

Useful Things to Know

• The School Calendar highlights our main events.

• The weekly Fieldgate Newsletter, sent via e-mail, keeps you up to date with useful information.

• The children’s Home and School Diary contains information about how you can help your child in his/her learning and also highlights the rewards/sanc-tions used in school. We often put a ‘sticker’ in the diaries to remind parents about events/trips – so it’s worth checking every day.

• One small toy may be brought into school which will fit inside your child’s drawer. It is your child’s responsibility to look after this toy.

• Library books must be returned weekly on the chosen Library day. This will be confirmed at the beginning of term.

Please ensure your child has the following in school every day:

Wellington bootsSchool coatSchool book bagSchool water bottle(Please make sure these are clearly named)PE kit Monday - Thursday Swimming kit - Friday

These items are available from the Pre-Prep School Office:

Book bag £4.50 eachWater bottle £1.50 eachSun hat £3.75 each

These will be charged to your end of term bill.

Early Years Foundations Stage Framework

What is the Early Years Foundation Stage?

Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which is how the Government and Early Year’s professionals describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5.

This is a very important stage as it helps your child get ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. From when your child is born up until the age of 5, their early years’ experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs.

What is the EYFS Framework – why do we have one?

The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help your child, and was developed with a number of early year’s experts and parents.In 2012 the framework was revised to make it clearer and easier to use, with more focus on the things that matter most. This new framework also has a greater emphasis on your role in helping your child develop.

It sets out:

• The legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare • The 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge • Assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS, we use the Orbit programme to track your child’s developmental progress.• Expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”

There is also guidance for the professionals supporting your child on planning the learning activities, and observing and assessing what and how your child is learning and developing.

What does it mean for me as a parent?

Ensuring my child’s safetyMuch thought has been given to making sure that your child is as safe as possible. Within the EYFS there is a set of welfare standards that everyone must follow. These include the ratio of staff to children required in nurseries and reception classes, and things like administering medicines and carrying out risk assessments.

How my child will be learningThe EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are: • Communication and language; • Physical development; and • Personal, social and emotional development.

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are: • Literacy; • Mathematics; • Understanding the world; and• Expressive arts and design.

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it’s suitable for very young children, and it’s designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child’s unique needs and interests.

Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.

As a mum or dad, how may I help with my child’s learning?

All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting eff ect on your child’s learning as they progress through school.

Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child it will make a real diff erence to your child’s confi dence as a young learner.

If you’re looking for new ideas for things to do then fi nd out what is on off er at your local children’s centre. Many off er ‘messy play’ activities which you and your child can join in with, and many of the activities they provide are free. Staff can also give you advice about the kinds of books or other activities your child might enjoy at diff erent ages.

How is my child developing at Culford

It is important that you and the professionals caring for your child work together. You need to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child. These conversations will take place with their class teacher. This is the person who:

• Is your main point of contact within the setting• Helps your child to become settled, happy and safe• Is responsible for your child’s care, development and learning• Takes a careful note of your child’s progress, sharing this with you and giving you ideas as to how to help your child at home

When your child is 5

At the end of the EYFS – in the summer term of the reception year in school – teachers complete an assessment which is known as the EYFS Profile. This assessment is carried out by the reception teacher and is based on what they, and other staff caring for your child, have observed over a period of time.

Another important part of the EYFS Profile is your knowledge about your child’s learning and development, so do let your child’s class teacher know about what your child does with you: such as how confident your child is in writing their name, reading and talking about a favourite book, speaking to people your child is not so familiar with or their understanding of numbers.

All of the information collected is used to judge how your child is doing in the 7 areas of learning and development. Finding out at this stage how your child is doing will mean that the teacher your child has in their next school

year – Year 1 – will know what your child really enjoys doing and does well, as well as helping them decide if your child needs a bit of extra support, what that support should be and if they are already getting it.

The school will give you a report of your child’s progress, including information from his or her EYFS Profile.

We use the online assessment programme Orbit, to record our observations of your child.

We believe that engaging with all parents and carers enables a greater level of understanding about the role that we play in a child’s learning development and enhances positive involvement from all parties.

Sharing all types of information regarding each child is essential to maintain a good level of understanding about your unique child; it opens up avenues that can be explored with the children and helps us to understand any extenuating circumstances. Any information regarding your child can help us keep each child’s Learning Journey updated and celebrate your child’s achievements.

It is known that what parents do at home with young children has the greatest impact on a child’s social, emotional and intellectual development. A digital display is on the wall in Reception to update you on what the children have been learning in class along with ideas and useful websites to use at home.

We hope you will find the following information useful.

StickersYour child will be awarded stickers for good behaviour, effort and manners.

Star of the WeekEach week a ‘Star of the Week’ is awarded to a child in each class who is deemed to have made extra effort. His or her name will appear in the weekly Fieldgate newsletter.

Culford PostThis is an electronic means of regularly passing information to parents. You will receive the weekly Fieldgate newsletter by this means. A Nursery newsletter is also produced every half term. A copy of the newsletter may be found on the Culford website under ‘Info for Parents’. In the event of school closure due to bad weather, you will be notified by Culford Post.

Parents’ Evenings and Information EveningsThese are noted in the school calendar and on the website. A sign-up form will be placed on the door of the classroom during the week prior to the meetings. These take place in the autumn and spring terms.

ReportsYou will receive a short report at the end of the autumn term and an extended report at the end of the summer term. This will be placed in your child’s book bag on the last day of term or sent in the post on that day.

Lost PropertyAny unnamed items found will be kept in the lost property box for the term – please ask a member of staff if you have lost anything. At the end of the term this box will be placed in Reception so everyone may check for items they are missing.

Show and TellThe children will take it in turns to participate in show and tell on a Friday afternoon. There will be a rota outside the classroom.

Days offIf your child is unable to attend school due to illness you must let the office know by phone or email. If they require a day off for any other reason you must ask permission from Mrs Preston in advance. Children whose birthdays do not fall in the first term are allowed one day off a week; please arrange this with their class teacher.

Policies and Inspection ReportsIf you wish to browse a copy of our policies or inspection reports, these are located in a file in the Pre-Prep office.

MedicationWe are only able to administer prescribed medication and this must to be signed into the office daily.

PTA: Parents Teachers Association

The Pre-Prep Parents Teachers Association is the social and fund-raising arm of Culford Pre-Prep School. It is run by a committee of parents and friends of the School who, by working closely with the Staff, become more involved in school life as they support the School and its chosen charities.

Through such events in recent years they have raised tens of thousands of pounds to provide the School with valuable extra resources to benefit the children e.g. the Adventure Play Area; After-School Care toys; classroom equipment and, a children’s garden in the Nursery.

All parents automatically become members of the PTA when their child joins the School the opportunity exists for them to become involved in committee work, helping at some of the events, or merely supporting these occasions as time permits. It’s great fun and a very friendly Association.

The success of the Pre-Prep Parents PTA depends entirely on this support and we are forever thankful for that given in the past. If you are interested in finding out more please contact the Pre-Prep School office on 01284 385412.

How is my child developing at Culford

Culford Forest School

What is Forest School?

Forest School is a specific way of learning outdoors that helps children to develop personal, social and technical skills in a forest or woodland setting. At Culford, we are extremely lucky to be based in such beautiful parkland with woodland on our doorstep. We are therefore able to use our location as a means to encouraging independence and self-esteem in our pupils.The topics that are covered in our forest school sessions can be quite broad in subject and cover areas from across the curriculum, from ecosystems to mathematics, as well as teamwork and problem solving.

What does Forest School offer?

• a classroom where the carpet changes four times a year;• a diversity of natural resources to develop children’s natural curiosity;• it encourages children to take manageable risks;• it enables children who find the traditional classroom environment challenging with the opportunity to engage in an environment where they feel they can succeed.

There is also a close link to our Building Learning Power initiative where our ethos is one of encouraging success and building aspirations. All members of staff have high expectations of learners, believing that everyone has something to offer and the capability of rising to the challenge. We reinforce this by encouraging learners to reflect on how and why a success, however small or large can be achieved.

Our Activities Our children take part in the following PE sessions with specialist teaching staff.

Dance

Ms Rogers, a qualified dance teacher, teaches the children on Thursday mornings. The children follow a specific age-related dance program concentrating on moving freely in a variety of ways including skipping and hopping. The children work towards having the necessary control to hold a fixed shape. They experiment with different ways of moving and are encouraged to match their movements to music, moving with control and co-ordination.In the autumn term the children put on a Dance show. Parents are invited to come and see what they have been learning in their dance classes.

You will be required to fill out a uniform order form for this activity.

Tennis, Gymnastics and Outdoor Games

The Culford sporting journey begins, as soon as children join the school, at the age of four. A clear and progressive pathway, underpinned by respected principles, is essential to ensure the long term athletic development of each child. The sporting ethos of Culford places the individual pupil at the centre of the decision making. The opportunities we provide reflect our aim to meet each pupil’s aspirations and ambitions to enable them to meet their sporting goals. The children will take part in tennis, gymnastics and outdoor games lessons every week with a member of the sports department.

Swimming

Mrs Almond, a qualified swimming instructor, teaches from Stage 1 awards and beyond at the Sports Centre swimming pool on Friday afternoons. The children will be grouped according to ability and confidence in the water. In May the children will take part in an annual Swimming Gala to demonstrate their skills and determination.

Music

Children in the Pre-Prep are taught by our specialist music teacher Mrs Combes. She takes the children for music lessons and weekly music and movement activities.

The children learn to play many percussion instruments, exploring different sounds they make. They also sing lots of songs, adding actions to accompany their singing and explore the pitch of their voices. In the Music and Movement lessons they move to the music acting out stories. The Reception children take the lead roles in the nativity.

Events in the Calender

Autumn Term • Parents meetings• Harvest festival and sale• Book fayre• Dance show• Christmas Nativity• Christmas PTA fayre

Spring Term• Parents meetings• Music performance• Speech and drama week• Individual musician concerts- by invite only

Summer Term• Tennis Tournament• Swimming Gala• Sports Day • Leavers play• Leavers assembly• PTA Summer fayre

Tel: 01284 385308 Email: admissions@culford.co.ukwww.culford.co.uk/preprep