Pre-Prep at Birkenhead School

Birkenhead School Welcome to Pre-Prep

Welcome to

NURSERY

Contents 3 Welcome to Pre-Prep 4 Our Mission Statement 5 The Early Years Staff 6 The Daily Routine 7 The Early Years Foundation Stage 9 Working in Partnership 10 Health Matters 11 Outdoor Play 12 Outdoor Classroom & Forest School 13 Stepping Stone to School

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Welcome to Pre-Prep Birkenhead School Pre-Prep is the second phase of our Early Years Department and caters for children from ages three to four years.

Pre-Prep offers a caring and stimulating environment overseen by a team of Early Years Professionals and Graduates who have an excellent knowledge of child development.

Pre-Prep is an exciting and fun environment with bright, spacious and modern classrooms with its own dedicated outside play area and terrace.

Children wear the Pre-Prep Uniform during term time. In the holiday periods, they wear their own non-uniform clothes as we promote a more relaxed atmosphere during school holidays.

Pre-Prep is open for 50 weeks of the year from 8.30am to 3.30pm daily. For parents requiring additional care outside of these hours, we offer an early-morning drop-off option and Fun Club from 3.30pm to 6pm.

Pre-Prep is the stepping stone to school, with children moving on to our Reception class in Prep in the September following their fourth birthday.

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Our Mission Statement At Birkenhead School we believe in encouraging children from 3 to 4 years to reach their full potential, with help from parents/carers and staff.

All Early Years Practitioners are committed to implementing effectively the key areas of children’s learning and development.

We believe that positive relationships with parents and children should be established before children join Pre-Prep, allowing children to feel safe and secure in their environment, and parents confident that their child’s well-being is catered for.

At Birkenhead School Pre-Prep, we strive to develop and maintain a supportive and caring environment where everyone feels valued. We believe that every child is an individual and every child matters.

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The Early Years Staff Head of Prep (including Early Years) Harry FitzHerbert, BA (Hons) Head of Early Years Samantha Mason Early Years Professional Status Pre-Prep Lead Professional John Davies Pre-Prep Deputy Angela Pratt Pre-Prep Early Years Graduates Alison Singer Alexandra Sadlers Sophie Griffiths Pre-Prep is led by a Lead Professional, with the support of a Deputy. All of our staff hold level 6 qualifications, and some have achieved QTS and Early Years Professional Status. A number of the team have been employed in the School's Early Years Department for more than 11 years.

What makes Pre-Prep a successful team is their ability to deliver a challenging and fun-filled curriculum that takes account of children's educational and pastoral needs. They are competent nurturers, helping children excel to become the best they can be.

‘Skilled staff seize opportunities to extend children’s thinking through child-initiated and focused group activities.’

Independent Schools Inspectorate 5

The Daily Routine 8.30am—9.00am

Children and parents are welcomed by the Pre-Prep team.

9.00am - 9.15am

An introduction to the day’s activities

9.15am - 10.10am

Indoor and outdoor activities

10.10am - 10.20am

Tidy Up Time

10.20am - 10.40am

Snack Time and Time with Key Person

10.40am - 11.05am

Outdoor play

11.05am - 11.20am

Preparing for Lunch

11.20am - Noon

Lunch in the Dining Hall

12.00pm - 12.40pm

Outdoor play

12.45pm - 1.00pm

Rest time

1.00pm - 2.25pm

Indoor and outdoor activities (including tidy-up time)

2.25pm - 2.35pm

Key group time and snack time

2.35pm - 2.55pm

Outdoor play

2.55pm - 3.15pm

Story and rhyme time

3.15pm - 3.25pm

Getting ready for home time

3.30pm

Home time

Early Drop-Off: To help working parents, Pre-Prep is open from 8.30am for children to be dropped off.

For those parents needing an earlier start to the day, early morning drop-off in Old School House is available and provides a variety of supervised, fun activities from 8.00am.

Lunch: A hot lunch is served in the Dining Hall each day. Pre-Prep children are accompanied by their key person to the Dining Hall with their key group.

Snack: Children are provided with a snack twice a day. A piece of fruit is offered in the morning, followed by a carbohydrate based snack in the afternoon. Water is freely available throughout the day and milk is offered in the afternoon.

Holiday/Star Activities: Our holiday curriculum has a more relaxed focus of arts and crafts so for those families wishing to take holidays they can be assured that children aren’t missing out on the educational programme. Children wear their own non-uniform clothes during these weeks. The days run from 8am 4pm and our Pre-Prep children ‘Little Stars’ may be joined by other children and/or supported by additional practitioners from the Star Activities team. A light breakfast of toast is offered to children between 8 and 9am.

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The Purpose and Aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential.

A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right as it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): 

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sets the standards for learning, development and care that young children should experience. provides for equality of opportunity and non– discriminatory practice ensuring that every child is included.

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creates the framework for partnership working between parents and professionals and between all the settings that your child attends.

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helps improve quality and consistency in the Early Years’ sector through a universal set of standards.

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lays the foundation for future learning, built around the individual needs and interests of the child.

EYFS Seven Areas of Learning: Prime Areas Personal, Social and Emotional Development Physical Development Communication and Language Specific Areas Literacy Mathematics Understanding the World Expressive Arts and Design

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The Early Years Foundation Stage We see Pre-Prep as an extension of your child’s home and we recognise that every child is unique. We are sensitive to their individual needs and will provide appropriate support with care and attention. The environment is planned to encourage discovery, independence and social interaction and children are given opportunities to learn through a carefully planned, well-balanced, topic-based curriculum.

Play is key to the way young children learn. Through play children can develop, for example, the confidence needed for learning, the social skills needed for personal development, and the skills needed for reading and writing. We also encourage independence from an early stage to aid problem solving skills.

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Working in Partnership We work in partnership with parents and there are many ways in which we look to work together with you.

The ‘Settling in’ Visits Prior to starting you are invited to settle your child into Pre-Prep. The number of visits will depend on your child’s individual needs. During this settling-in period, you will be shown around Pre-Prep and have the opportunity to discuss your child’s needs with the Pre-Prep team.

The Key Person Approach The key person ensures your child’s needs are met and planned for. They share with you what your child has been doing during the day and listen to what they have been doing at home.

They are responsible for observing your child throughout the Pre-Prep sessions and will keep your child’s learning journal up to date, discussing their progress and next steps with you at Parents’ Evenings. eyLog An essential feature of parental involvement is an on-going dialogue reporting progress and achievements throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage via our online eyLog programme. eyLog is a web-based environment through which you can view your child’s learning journey; this allows the team to plan for your individual child’s development and to provide you with pictures, memories and information on what your son or daughter has been learning during their time in Pre-Prep.

Proud Moments In Pre-Prep we enjoy seeing the children grow and develop whilst in our care. We encourage you to let us know when your child achieves something for the first time so that these milestones can be shared and celebrated within Pre-Prep.

Mystery Reader The children love their regular story time with Mr FitzHerbert and we also like to surprise them with ‘Mystery Readers’, where someone new to the children will read a story to them. We encourage parents to take part, as well as members of staff from across the School, as it is a delight for children to hear a story being told from a new and friendly person.

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Celebrating Children’s Health Matters Achievements The School Nurse Our School Nurse oversees all medical matters and is available daily during term time to advise staff and support families. The School Nurse aims to meet the identified and potential medical needs of all our children. You can contact the School Nurse on 0151 651 3089, during term

time, between 8.30am and 3pm.

Early Years Partnership

Pre-Prep works alongside the Wirral Community NHS Trust 0-19 Health and Well-Being Services. A Link Health Professional works with the Head of Early Years to: 

Meet with children, staff and parents

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Provide support and advice on a range of health and development issues

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Enable suitable interventions to be put in place to help promote progress

Meals Hot cooked lunches and snacks are provided by our Catering team. Our menus are nutritionally balanced with input from the Pre-Prep team and Catering staff.

As everything is prepared on the premises, specific diets and allergies are easily accommodated.

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Outdoor Play

Our outdoor area is secure and gives the children the scope to experience new challenges, assess risk and develop the skills to manage different situations. It provides rich opportunities for imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness by giving the children contact with the natural world, offering them the opportunity to respect the outdoor environment, care for living things and experience a variety of weather and seasons.

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Outdoor Classroom & Forest School Using the School grounds, Pre-Prep children are able to use the School’s Outdoor Classroom and Forest School enclosure.

Mr Davies is a Level 3 Forest School Leader and he and other members of the team inspire the children to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through a wide range of hands-on learning experiences in a natural environment.

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Stepping Stones to School Throughout their time in Pre-Prep, children have opportunities to play, explore and take part in a range of activities in the wider school setting so that, when the time comes, they feel happy and confident about moving on to Reception and the next stage of their educational journey at the School.

Children in Pre-Prep have their lunch in the School Dining Hall.

Children take part in performances in the Prep Hall at Christmas and in the Summer Term.

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Stepping Stones to School

Pre-Prep take part in the annual Pre-Prep and Little School Sports Day on School Field.

Pupils from Prep regularly help and support children from Pre-Prep encouraging children to make friendships across the different year groups.

Year 6 pupils also act as ‘Reading Buddies’ and visit Pre-Prep each week to read with the younger pupils.

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Ref: 04.19 —Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is correct at the time of printing. The School reserves the right to make changes and will notify parents of any changes made.

Birkenhead School, 58 Beresford Road, Oxton, Wirral, CH43 2JD Tel: 0151 652 4114 (Prep) Fax: 0151 651 3091 Email: prep@birkenheadschool.co.uk

www.birkenheadschool.co.uk