Indoor and outdoor learning through play is of equal importance to a child’s development. All seven areas of the curriculum are taught both indoors and outdoors. The children can access both areas in all but extreme weather conditions. We provide the children with all-weather playsuits so even on rainy days children can still play outside.

Routine is an important part of our Pre-School day, this helps to support children’s learning and development and their sense of security providing them with structure and consistency. 

Check out some of these great activity ideas below :

Family Time Tips – free children’s activities to try | early years alliance

BBC Tiny Happy People

                        How is my child developing?

We use an on-line learning journey which records photos, observations, and comments in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), to build up a record of your child’s experiences during their time with us. We use the educational software programme called “Tapestry” which is hosted within the EU on secure servers. Tapestry is a GDPR compliant company using secure servers in the UK to store data. 

Careful assessment, record keeping, observations and discussions with parents provide the basis for recording how your child is developing. We welcome close dialogue between home and Pre-School in support of your child’s learning and development. All information about your child is confidential to you. Your child will have a designated Key Person whos role is to ensure each childs care is tailored to meet their individual needs aswell as help your child to feel safe and cared for within the setting and support their individual learning and development.  They will also help families engage with more specialist support if appropriate. This is reviewed after 6 weeks to ensure the Children have time to form bonds and supportive relationships with their allocated key person.

      Progress Check

The two-year progress check is an opportunity for parents, guardians, carers and professionals to come together and collaboratively review where a child is on their learning journey. It identifies their strengths, interests, and any further support or intervention required. This will be completed if the child hasn’t already had one completed by another setting regardless of their age. 

How we identify and support children’s learning and development needs

 The setting uses visual timetables and other visual aids to support children to anticipate events and times during the session.

Children work in mixed groups to enable all children to support and encourage each other in their development and learning, and to ensure all children’s learning and developmental needs are met. We work closely with other early years professionals to ensure all children’s learning and development is individually supported to ensure they thrive at Pre-School. 

Where a cause for concern is raised by staff or parents, staff would then make an assessment, create a plan involving parents, implement the plan and review the situation going forward. Following this process staff will decide how best to support the child further. ILP’s (Individual learning plans), help children where a specific need is identified and ensures an intensive programme for staff to work with the child to provide extra support. 

Links we have to other agencies

The pre-school works alongside many professionals and will seek out new links to anyone they feel will add to the support that can be given to the children. This includes health visitors, area SENCO, social workers, speech and language therapists, the early help hub, support workers and inclusion workers. 

The link below can provide further information of the services available in cornwall.

Teams that support children and young people with SEND – Cornwall Council

Specialist skills and  training our staff are given

Lead SENCO is Hayley Hall

Our Lead SENCO has SEND training, all staff have SEND guidance training. The Lead SENCO also has behaviour training and visual aid training which has been disseminated to all staff.

Tizzy Time 

Tizzy Time is designed for children aged 3-4 who are experiencing a delay in their language but is of a benefit to all children aged 3-4. It is delivered in small groups of 6-8 children to boost their language skills. 

 The sessions include activities that cover the foundation skills in speech, language and communication that children need for learning and understanding new words, as well as having conversations and will support:

• Attention and listening as a foundation skill for speaking and listening
• Developing vocabulary; as research shows that children with weaker vocabularies are at risk of difficulties with reading.
• Building sentences; putting words together is a vital skill for having conversations and telling stories

The interactive sessions are supported by characters Jake and Tizzy, with a different story each week that features these characters. A copy of this book is taken home by each child taking part so that it can be shared together with their parents/carers to support their learning at home.

Signs and symptoms – Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

How we support children transferring to school

The pre-school has excellent links to local schools; most notably to Pensilva school. Our staff and the primary school staff work closely together to ensure a smooth transition.

Children are encouraged to try school meals at pre-school which parents can choose to sign up for and are supplied by Aspen through Pensilva Primary school kitchen. These are prepared freshly each day and brought over to the pre-school ready for lunch time. This can help to prepare children for school meals at primary school.

Throughout the year we have access to the main school hall for gym activities, and this helps them to familiarise themselves with the school and manage the difference in scale and acoustics within the primary school.

In the summer term children have transition days at primary school and this is supported by the pre-school staff. The teachers of the reception classes of all of the primary schools where children will be attending, are invited to the pre-school to meet the children, talk to staff, look at learning journeys and observe the children. Teachers are also invited to special events such as the leaving performance.