For the most part, children’s play is natural and spontaneous, although some children may need extra help from adults. Play takes place indoors and outdoors and it is in these different environments that children discover and explore their immediate world. Within their environments, children are able to practise new ideas and skills, they take risks, show creativity and imaginative ability, and solve problems on their own or with others.

The role that adults have is crucial. Adults provide time, space and appropriate resources. These might include clothes, boxes, buckets, old blankets that will inspire play and fire children’s imaginations. They observe play and join in when invited, watching and listening before intervening. They value play and provide safe but challenging environments that support and extend learning and development.

Providing high quality experiences for children’s play is an important inclusion for adults to support children’s learning. When children play, they are learning at their unique, peak level. Play can extend certain areas of their learning – for example, developing language skills by promoting talk between children or introducing new vocabulary that they use and act out in their play.

Reflected in the Pre-School walls are passion, enjoyment and endless opportunities. A big part of our values at Pre-School are to provide children with continuous provision where they are able to lead us through their own learning. Playful approaches to learning that are shaped around children’s interests and recognise their ideas for play, allows for possibility to structure events to teach specific skills and knowledge.

Following a child’s interests allows us to introduce and extend on their existing knowledge, enriching each unique child with a more in-depth learning experience. Research shows that within these crucial early years, children learn best through play, and you will observe practitioners waiting for that teachable moment. Introduction into a child’s play is not to test what they already know, but to model, suggest, demonstrate, and explore to advance your child into their next steps. The most powerful interactions are not planned in writing, enthusiasm is captured and exploited immediately to maximise learning and progress.

Our work at Micklands is rewarding and exciting. We are always looking for new adventures and opportunities to explore with each child to help them reach their full and unique potential. Each child is able to explore new ideas and concepts with us, and therefore, reach their own milestones without pressure, in a safe and nurturing, fun and exhilarating environment.

Lyndsey Wiesblatt, Pre-School Supervisor

]]> https://www.micklandspreschool.co.uk/learning-through-play-at-micklands-pre-school/feed/ 0 https://www.micklandspreschool.co.uk/new-pre-school-year/ https://www.micklandspreschool.co.uk/new-pre-school-year/#comments Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:45:37 +0000 http://www.micklandspreschool.co.uk/?p=6179 Continue reading →]]> We have reached the end of our first half-term. It has been a really wonderful start to the 2017/2018 school year and it has been a pleasure getting to know all the children and their families. The children have been keen to investigate their new environment and have settled really well into their new routines. Our existing children have returned bright-eyed and fresh for another year with us at Pre-School and it was a delight to see your smiling faces.

Our focus this term has been finding out about each individual. We pay close attention to how children learn and how we can extend their learning at every available opportunity.  The staff at Micklands Pre-School are outstanding at helping each child reach their individual milestones through play activities and a child’s interests.

This term we have been fortunate to make several trips out of the Pre-School including going to the local Co-op, and the children were super excited to take the bus up to St. Barnabas Church and participate in an Autumn walk. We also welcomed parents in for a Macmillan Coffee Morning where we raised an incredible £117. 27. Thank you again for your donations for both harvest and our coffee morning.

We have celebrated Eid, Rosh Hashannah and Diwali in a range of ways and it has been beautiful to see the children welcoming each individual religion and culture into the Pre-School environment.

At Pre-School, we encourage kindness to others and our Pre-School values radiate through our children at all points throughout the day. We have seen kind and caring gestures, helpful hands and some really beautiful play amongst the children and I am so proud that our values here at Pre-School are reflected in each and every one of our unique children.

We look forward to the coming term, full of colour, sparklers and glitter no doubt!

Lyndsey Wiesblatt

Additional 15 hours or the 30 hours Entitlement – September 2017   

From September 2017 the Government is launching its extended early years offer for eligible working families. This will mean eligible working families could double their early years entitled to a further 15 hours a week. The full criteria can be found here on the Reading Borough Council Family Information Site:

http://servicesguide.reading.gov.uk/kb5/reading/directory/advice.page?id=dRa1RB6GBgg

Please note that not all providers will be able offer the full extended entitlement, they may be limited by their building design, opening times, staffing or simply that they are full to their capacity.  You will be able to split your funding between a max of 3 providers but no more than 2 on 1 day, therefore you may wish to look at solutions such as shared care and wrap around care to enable you to take up the extended entitlement.

We have attended the first ‘Briefing for Childcare Providers in Reading’ and the pre-school is likely to take part in this extended offer by providing a limited numbers of places. We will keep you updated on this.

Tax Free Childcare Scheme – Early 2017

From early 2017, the Government are rolling out the introduction of the ‘Tax-Free Childcare Scheme’. It will replace the existing Childcare Voucher Scheme in April 2018. You do not have to switch to Tax-Free Childcare if you do not wish to. Employer-Supported Childcare will continue to run. The current scheme will remain open to new entrants until April 2018, and parents already registered by this date will be able to continue using it for as long as their employer offers it. For more information about the new scheme, please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tax-free-childcare-10-things-parents-should-know

Here is a link to a useful childcare calculators to work out what the best option is for you:

https://www.gov.uk/childcare-calculator

Parents will be able to apply for both the 30-hour scheme and the Tax-Free Childcare scheme through a joint online application being developed by HMRC, as the eligibility requirements for both schemes are aligned.

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) 

If you are in receipt of certain benefits, the pre-school may be entitled to claim an additional funds to enhance the education offered to your child.  The full criteria can be found on the Reading Borough Council Family information Site:

http://servicesguide.reading.gov.uk/kb5/reading/directory/advice.page?id=Xx6yL9nn5Do

Are you applying for a school place? If your child is eligible for EYPP it may increase your chances of getting a place at your preferred primary school as EYPP eligibility is part of the admissions policy for community primary schools in Reading.  For more information on admissions please visit the Reading Borough Council website:

www.reading.gov.uk/schoolsadmissions

As there has been a case of head lice in the setting recently, I would like to take this opportunity to give you some information regarding checking your child’s hair and treating any infestations. Head lice are a common problem in children and they are largely harmless but can live in hair for a long time if not properly treated, and can be irritating and frustrating to deal with.

Please be aware that it is the parent’s responsibility to check their child’s hair regularly and treat it as soon as possible if any head lice are found. Please note that staff are unable to check through a child’s hair for you in case of head lice dropping off on to clothes, toys or their own hair. This is our prevention procedure.

What to look for:

• Adult lice are small (about the size of a sesame seed).

• Eggs (nits) are usually found firmly attached to the base of the hair shaft.
• Lice stay near the scalp, often behind the ears, near the neckline, and back of the head.
• Head lice hold tightly to the hair. They move by crawling. They cannot hop or fly (they do not have wings), but do move quickly making it difficult to find in a child’s hair and can be passed on by head to head touching.
• Signs of a head lice infestation include: itchy scalp, tickling sensation in a person’s hair. Head lice are most active in the dark.

If parents find their child has head lice, it is important to for parents to begin treatment straightaway and before the child returns to pre-school. Prompt treatment action is requested so that we reduce the risk of head lice being passed on to others.

Parents must also report if their child has head lice to a member of staff so that we can make other parents aware. This is done confidentially and no names are mentioned. Please look out for our sign on our outside pre-school door which will notify you if we have any infestations.

Tips for over-the-counter head lice treatment:

• When using an over-the-counter head lice product, it is very important that you read and follow all directions on the product’s label.
• Do not treat someone who does not have live lice (or nits close to the head). Do not use these products as a prevention method to avoid lice.
• Do not use a cream rinse, combination shampoo/conditioner, or conditioner on the hair before using the lice medicine.
• It is recommended that both the person getting treated and the person administering the treatment put on clean clothing after the treatment is completed in case any lice fall on to clothing.
• Be cautious not to use more than one head lice medication at time.
• Examine your child’s head again 8-12 hours after treatment,. If you see a few lice still around, but they are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb the dead lice and any remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed nit/lice comb.
• To comb through the hair, sit in a well lighted area. Part the hair into small sections and comb through one section at a time. Be patient and thorough, it can take a lot of time.
• If no dead lice are found and lice appear to be as active as before 8-12 hours after treatment, the medicine may not be working. Do not re-treat until speaking with your GP or Health Visitor. Your health care provider may recommend using a different lice medicine.
• Re-treatment is generally recommended for most lice medicines after 9-10 days. This should kill any newly hatched lice before they produce new eggs. Be sure to follow the instructions for the product you are using.
• It is important to check the hair and comb through it with a nit comb every 2-3 days. This will help to remove nits and lice and can decrease the chance of self re-infestation. Do this for 2-3 weeks to be sure all lice and nits are gone.
• Wash combs, brushes, hats and other hair accessories of the affected person in hot water.

Tips for combing out head lice and nits:

• Use a fine-toothed louse or nit comb. These combs may be included within packages of medicated head lice treatment or you may buy one from most chemists. Combs with metal teeth spaced close together seem to work best.
• Sit behind your child, and use a bright light (and magnification if needed), to inspect and comb through the hair, one small section at a time.
• Repeat combing until no more active lice are observed.
• Comb daily until no live lice are discovered for two weeks. It may take several nights to tackle the problem.
• Adult female lice cement eggs to the base of a hair shaft near the skin.  As the hair grows, eggs are moved away from the scalp. Eggs more than ¼ inch from the scalp are nearly always hatched and do not mean live lice are present.
• Combs, brushes, hats and other hair accessories in contact with someone who has had head lice should be washed in hot water each day to dislodge any lice or nits.
• Combing is sometimes painful to the child or it may be impractical for other reasons. In these cases, consider using conditioner on the hair as you comb through to help with tangles and allow the lice to be removed easily.
• Tying long hair back and spraying a light mist or hairspray over your child’s hair can make it more difficult for lice to get into the hair.

Treatment of clothes and other items:

• A clothes dryer set at high heat or a hot pressing iron will kill lice or their eggs on pillowcases, sheets, nightclothes, towels and similar items your child has been in contact with during the previous two days. (Lice and their eggs do not live more than one to two days off the head).

Deanna Stone, Pre-School Supervisor

Our Lunch Club runs from 11.45am to 12.15pm each day and it is run by our designated Lunch Club Assistants. In addition, there is always an NVQ Level 3 practitioner with paediatric first aid training on site at lunch time. The operation of Lunch Club is overseen by the Pre-School Supervisor and Deputy Supervisor.

The cost of each Lunch Club session is currently £2.00. Lunch club fees must be paid half-termly in advance. Please note that Lunch Club fees have to be paid for every Lunch Club session booked for the half term (even if the child is unfortunately unable to attend a session due to illness or any other reason) as they are directly used to pay for the running costs of the club.

We understand that some children at this age can be fussy with eating, especially when it comes to eating a healthy, balanced diet. So, here are a few useful and practical ideas on how to pack a healthy lunch box for pre-school:

1. We encourage parents to prepare the lunch freshly on the day of the lunch club session to ensure maximum freshness and to comply with food hygiene regulations. Try using an insulated lunch box and always include a small ice pack to keep the food as cool and fresh as possible. Please remember that we are unable to reheat any food.
2. It is important to make sure that food is wrapped well and that fruit and salads are washed prior to being packed.
3. As well as being nutritionally balanced, your child’s lunch box should be interesting and attractive too. Try and involve your child in deciding some of the contents of their lunch box, for example, which piece of fruit they would prefer, or whether they would like a sandwich or a salad. The chances are, if they have helped to prepare their lunch, they will be more interested in eating it.
4. It is important to avoid putting too many items in the box. This can be overwhelming for children and discourage eating. We advise a maximum of 5 items including a drink.
5. To add interest, you could try cutting the sandwiches into shapes.  Does your child want triangles or squares today? Your child could help you do this; you could even use some cookie cutters to make the sandwiches extra special. Take time to try different breads, for example,  bagels, pitas, rolls, or even oatcakes, rice cakes or crackers. Some great fillings for sandwiches are cheese, ham, chicken or tuna.
6. If your child isn’t fond of sandwiches, why not try a salad including pastas or even cous cous. Other options may be a sausage /vegetarian cheese roll, breadsticks and a dip or a slice of cold pizza providing that the rest of the lunch box is nutritionally balanced.
7. Children love snack sized foods so try thinking small. Cherry tomatoes and grapes are brilliant as long as they are chopped in half to avoid any choking hazards. Slice or chop bigger fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, melon, carrots, peppers or cucumber. This makes them easier to hold in little hands and your child can also use them to dip in some yoghurt or vegetable dip.
8. Small boxes of dried fruit and raisons are always a favourite; you could even try small pots of fruit in natural juice or yoghurt coated fruit flakes.
9. Choose a different ‘extra’ everyday to add some variety. Suggestions of these could include yoghurt, fruit loaf, cheese sticks or cubes, malt loaf or a pot of sugar-free jelly.
10. Avoid giving treats such as cakes and crisps every day; try once a week or alternate days and only one at a time. We do discourage packed lunches that consist largely of crisps, sweets, cakes, sugary drinks or biscuits and we reserve the right to return this food to the parent as a last resort.
11. Water is best; alternatively try pure fruit juices or as a last resort, a carton of milk. Milk can at times be too filling and then discourage the rest of the packed lunch from being eaten. We provide the children with the option of milk or water during our snack times at 10.30 am and 1.30 pm.   Please remember to provide a drink in your child’s packed lunch as we only offer water during lunch club.
12. Please note that Micklands Pre-School is a permanent “nut free zone” and the packed lunch you provide for your child must not include any nuts, or anything containing nuts or nut products.

From 1 July 2015 the Prevent Duty became law. This is a duty on all schools and registered early years providers to have due regard to preventing people being drawn into terrorism.

In order to protect children in our care, we must be alert to any reason for concern in the child’s life at home or elsewhere. This includes awareness of the expression of extremist views.

“British Values” are a set of four values introduced to help keep children safe and promote their welfare – as is the duty of all providers following the EYFS; specifically to counter extremism.

Although the term ‘Fundamental British Values’ is a new requirement, it is not a new concept and has been securely embedded within the Early Years Foundation Stage and within the day to day teachings of our pre-school.

The Fundamental British Values are:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual and mutual respect
• Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

How do we promote these?

Although these terms seem a little daunting, the way in which we implement them in pre-school is actually quite simple.

Democracy

Democracy in our pre-school is ensuring that we are a setting where everyone is treated equally and has equal rights. We continuously encourage democracy through activities and experiences that support your child’s Personal, Social and Emotional development.  We organise and provide opportunities for children to develop their ability to make choices and decisions about what they want to explore, how they are going to use the resources we offer to achieve what they have planned and develop their self-confidence and self-awareness.  This is the way we help develop their skills in turn taking, collaborating and making decisions together. All these are skills that are essential to progress in the adult world.

Rule of Law

This element is also linked to Personal, Social and Emotional development and is continuously catered for within our pre-school.  The Rule of law is about helping our children to manage their feelings and behaviour, ensuring that they learn right from wrong, mix and share with others , encouraging children to behave within clear, age appropriate boundaries and learning and about dealing with the consequences of their actions.  Quite simply, it’s about teaching right from wrong.

Individual Liberty

Individual liberty is embedded within the Personal, Social and Emotional and Understanding the World areas of development where we focus on our children’s self-confidence and self-awareness as well as people and communities.  By providing opportunities for our children to make their own playdough, gather sticks and leaves in the woods or taking part in a superhero race, we are supporting them to have confidence in themselves and their abilities.  It is also about teaching our children that they have similarities and differences that connect them and distinguish them from others and confirming that this is perfectly acceptable.

Our recent ‘All About Me’ explores individual liberty perfectly as our children were able remember and talk about special times in that they have shared with friends and family and talk about what their families do and explore different occupations and ways of life. This was also the perfect opportunity for the children to challenge negative attitudes and stereotypes such as “The mummy stays at home and daddy goes to work”.

Mutual respect and tolerance

This is where we encourage our children to be part of a community, manage their own feelings and behaviour, form positive relationships with others and essentially, to treat others as they wish to be treated themselves.  These values are again strongly embedded in the Personal, Social and Emotional and Understanding the World areas of learning and development of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Our recent Harvest Festival trips to St Luke’s Residential home and Caversham Baptist Church are both great examples of how we have been encouraging the children in our care to explore and engage in their local community and to show care, respect and tolerance regardless of race, culture, gender, age etc.

As you are aware, we are a setting which actively encourages its families to share their cultures, beliefs and traditions. We help our children to gain knowledge and acceptance of these by including them within our planning and giving our children the opportunity to celebrate these first hand.  Again, this element also highlights the importance of challenging stereotypes. We are continuously promoting positive images through the sharing of stories, resources, activities and role play opportunities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.

In Summary

Here at Micklands Pre-School we recognise how British Values are part of our everyday teaching and link directly to the Early Years Foundation Stage.  We are confident that we demonstrate these values on a daily basis, building the solid foundations our children need to develop, learn and succeed.

Volunteering Matters works with companies nationwide to set up volunteering projects that give the benefit of voluntary action for employers, employees and the community as a whole. The team work closely with a wide range of organisations large and small, including major international financial groups, media organisations and well-known high street retail brands.

Volunteering Matters provided us with a small budget  and a team of  8  enthusiastic  volunteers who came along for the day. During their time with us,  the volunteers helped the staff and the children to spruce up the pre-school. We were able to decorate the kitchen area and brighten up our lobby. The garden fence was painted and the volunteers helped to make our “fantasy garden” which the children are thoroughly enjoying.  We are delighted with everything that we achieved on this day.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the individual volunteers for their time, effort, enthusiasm and motivation.  We would also like to say a huge thank you to Volunteering Matters for organising this wonderful project and look forward to working with them again in the future.

As you may be aware, we finally received our routine inspection visit from Ofsted on 5 May 2015 and I am delighted to be able to tell you that we have once again received an “outstanding” judgement in all areas of the inspection.

I am very proud of this achievement and this success is down to the sheer hard work of so many people. I would like to praise the management team on their leadership and vision in making our pre-school what it is and also commend the staff team and committee for their dedication, loyalty and commitment to the setting.

The report has now been officially published on the Ofsted website – please click here to read the full report.  Although the new Ofsted report format is quite brief, the inspector was thorough and meticulous on the day. We found the inspection a very positive experience and it reaffirms that our interpretation of the guidance available and our implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage are correct and that we are continuing to move the pre-school in the right direction.

Of course we won’t be resting on our laurels now that the Ofsted visit has finally taken place.  We will continue to develop and grow – and we are already thinking about investing in some exciting new technology in the near future!

Finally, thank you to the parents who spoke to the inspector on the day and to all of our families for your ongoing support for our pre-school; we could not have achieved our outstanding result without you.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Collie, Chair of the Committee

Please find below a link to a presentation on a recent children’s dental health promotion from Karen Gonzalez, Oral Health Advisor, Berkshire Healthcare:

Early Years Smiling for Life Training Reading

If you have any concerns or worries about you child’s teeth or diet, please come and speak to me.

Deanna

Last year the children were consulted about the type of equipment and resources they would like in the garden as part of our garden development project. There was a majority vote for a large wooden train and over the following weeks, the children helped to design and pick the type of train they would like. This idea was then presented to the Committee to make the final decision.

The children have been eagerly awaiting its arrival into the pre-school station and there were many faces of joy this week as they discovered the new installation!   They have already begun role playing and incorporating the train into their imaginative play. It has been a coal train powered by steam and a super high speed passenger train taking passengers to work. The children have made trips to China town, the desert, a treasure island and the city aboard the “Micklands Express”.

The train is also promoting turn taking and peer play, and it is supporting gross motor skills as they get to grips with climbing up the large sturdy frame. The children are sharing train knowledge with each other and expressing views and ideas with one another as they develop stories within their group play.