Mission and Values

Learning and Development

Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

 

The environment aims to support and enhance learning, social, emotional and physical development through a well resourced environment both within the setting, outside area and within the local community. The setting is set out to enable the children to explore their own ideas, with the support of the staff to extend their learning.

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The welfare of the child is paramount.  As a setting we do all can to safeguard and promote the children’s welfare and well being.  We maintain records, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the playgroup, and to meet the needs of the children.  We aim to offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.

 

We comply with the requirements of the Prevent Duty Guidance and its aim to protect children from radicalisation, extremism and being drawn into terrorism.

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Parents

Parents are regarded as members of our setting

who have full participatory rights.

These include a right to be:

• valued and respected;

• kept informed;

• consulted;

• involved; and

• included at all levels.

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Children's development and learning

The individual planning for the children ensures that each individual is supported in their personal development to enable them to reach their full potential and transition to school as the time comes. The staff at Hanborough Meadows Pre-School are qualified early years professionals who are committed to providing the highest quality of care through continuous professional improvement.

 

We aim to ensure that each child:

• is in a safe and stimulating environment;

• is given generous care and attention, because of our ratio of qualified staff to children, as well as volunteer helpers;

• has the chance to join in with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together;

• is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by being helped to build on what she/he already knows and can do;

• Our setting uses a key person approach. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/he is particularly responsible;

• is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop; and

• is in a setting in which parents help to shape the service it offers.

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How we provide for development and learning

Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered at Hanborough Meadows Pre-School helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development. The Areas of Development and Learning comprise:

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For each area, the level of progress that children are expected to have attained by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage is defined by the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know, and be able to do, by the end of the reception year of their education.

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The Early Years Outcomes (DfE 2017) guidance sets out the likely stages of progress a child makes along their progress towards the Early Learning Goals. Hanborough Meadows Pre-School has regard to these when we assess children and plan for their learning. Our programme supports children to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need for:

 

Personal, social and emotional development

• self regulation

• managing self; and

• building relationships.

 

Physical development

• gross motor skills; and 

• fine motor skills.

 

Communication and language

• listening and attention;

• understanding; and

• speaking.

 

Literacy 

• comprehension;

• word reading; and

• writing.

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Mathematics

• number; and

• numerical patterns.

 

Understanding the world​

• past and present;

• people and communities; and

• the natural world.

 

Expressive arts and design

• creating with materials; and

• being imaginative and expressive.

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Our approach to learning and development and assessment

Characteristics of effective learning

Being active and playing supports young children’s learning and development through doing and talking. This is how children learn to think about and understand the world around them. We/I use the EYFS statutory guidance on education programmes to plan and provide opportunities which will help children to make progress in all areas of learning. This programme is made up of a mixture of activities that children plan and organise for themselves and activities planned and led by practitioners.

 

Learning through play

We understand that all children engage with other people and their environment through the characteristics of effective learning that are described in the Early Years Foundation Stage as:

• playing and exploring - engagement;

• active learning - motivation; and

• creating and thinking critically - thinking.

We aim to provide for the characteristics of effective learning by observing how a child is learning and being clear about what we can do and provide in order to support each child to remain an effective and motivated learner.