Vision Statement

At Collingwood Pre-school the children, staff, management committee and parents/carers work together to provide a happy, healthy, safe, secure, exciting environment where everyone feels valued.

We all have high expectations and ensure that our children learn and develop through quality play experiences, develop their individual strengths and fulfil their aspirations while at our pre-school.

Starting at our Setting

At Collingwood Pre-school we arrange an induction session with the parents or carers before the child starts school. The family is introduced to the child's key person and they have the opportunity and are encouraged, to share their child's strengths and any concerns they may have. The parents complete a registration pack including passwords, emergency contacts, medical history, dietary requirements, toileting needs, allergies, health issues and consents.

We offer home visits to all new families with verbal and written information. 

The family is encouraged to complete the About Me page on Tapestry in time for when their child starts pre-school. 

Parents can view this at any time and add comments if they wish.

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We want your child to feel safe, happy and secure with us. To ensure this, the child's key person and staff will work with you to decide on the appropriate strategy to help your child settle into pre-school.

We believe that children settle best when they have a key person to relate to, who knows them and their parents well, and who can meet their individual needs. Research shows that a key person approach benefits the child, the parents, the staff and the setting by providing secure relationships in which children thrive, parents have confidence, staff are committed and the setting is a happy and dedicated place to attend or work in.

We want children to feel safe, stimulated and happy in the setting and to feel secure and comfortable with the staff. We also want parents to have confidence in both their children's well-being and their role as active partners in the setting.

We aim to make the setting a welcoming place where children settle quickly and easily because consideration has been given to the individual needs and circumstances of children and their families.

 

 

 

In pre-school, we provide protective clothing for the children when they play with water, paints and messy activities.

We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves. These include taking themselves to the toilet and taking off - and putting on - outdoor clothes. Providing clothing that is easy for them to manage will help them to achieve this. It is very helpful to staff to send your children with a small bag or backpack with a change of underwear and clothes, as we have found that children prefer to be changed into their own clothes. However, we do have plenty of spare clothes should the need arise. Please also ensure that no food, drinks, sun lotions or medication are included in their bags. This ensures the safety and well-being of all our children on the session.

Appropriate footwear in pre-school is essential, especially in the garden area. Closed in shoes or trainers are safe and appropriate for outdoor equipment and indoor play.

All parents and carers are given our policies and procedures either by email or hard copies. 

 

We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our setting and that you both find taking part in our activities interesting and stimulating.

 

The staff are always available to talk to you about your ideas, views or questions.

 

The Management of our Setting

A management committee - whose members are elected by the parents of the children who attend the setting - manages the setting. The elections take place at our Annual General Meeting.

The committee is responsible for:

• managing the setting's finances;

• employing and managing the staff;

• making sure that the setting has - and works to - policies that help it to provide a high-quality service; and

• making sure that the setting works in partnership with the children's parents.

 

The officers elected are - The Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. They not only have the responsibility for the administration of the group but also to fund-raise.

The committee meets once every half term and members and staff discuss the organisation, fund-raising and the committee receives various reports.

 

A list of the management committee is displayed in pre-school.

 

The Annual General Meeting is open to the parents of all of the children who attend the setting. It is our shared forum for looking back over the previous year's activities and shaping the coming months ahead.

 

Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

Collingwood Pre-school has achieved the Good Beginnings: Early Years Autism-friendly  Setting Award Level 1 (Bronze).

We are also very proud to be the first setting in South Woodham Ferrers to achieve this award!

To celebrate receiving our certificate from Stephanie Glover, SEN CPD Quality Assurance Officer, we also had in attendance; our pre-school staff, children on session, Liz Burgess, Nicola Wiseman, Town Mayor Councillor Peter Wyatt, accompanied by the Deputy Town Mayor Councillor Alan Shearring.

Special thanks are extended to Vicky and Louise for their support with the documentation. We now look forward to working towards achieving the Silver Award.

Many thanks to all the staff team for their continued hard work and to our parents and their families, for all the support they give to pre-school throughout the year.

 

 

 

 

Our setting is thrilled to have also achieved the Good Beginnings: Early Years Autism-friendly  Setting Award Level 2 (Silver).

Our staff continue to attend training and as a team, we hold training sessions at our regular staff meetings.

 

 

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The Lunch Club

The lunch club is available every day, between 11.30 and 12.30. This allows children to attend pre-school for an extended morning or afternoon session, or if you wish, to attend for a full day from 08.30 until 15.30.

Please consider the needs of your child if thinking of taking up a full day. You know them best, and as we have limited facilities for children to sleep, it may not be suitable as a long-term option for younger children, or those who still enjoy an afternoon nap.

Children will be fully supervised by at least two members of staff at all times and will be supported in washing their hands,  eating their lunch and playing or relaxing for the remaining time, before the afternoon session begins.

Please supply your child with a clearly named, healthy packed lunch. Please do not send any sweets or chocolate (biscuits will be fine). We will supply fresh drinking water and/or milk, though please feel free to send in a drink – but no fizzy drinks, please.

If you wish to send your child in with their own toothbrush and toothpaste, in a named bag, we will be happy to support them in cleaning their teeth after eating. We will be happy to store these in pre-school for children who may be attending the lunch club regularly. We will store lunches in a cool area of pre-school, but during hot weather, you may wish to include a cool block or frozen drink in the lunch box.

As some of our children have serious nut allergies we ask that no products containing any types of nuts be sent in with packed lunches.  Children will be encouraged not to share food but some allergic reactions can be triggered by traces of products in the air.

The cost for the lunch club is £6.00 per child. This will allow us to cover our staffing costs.

Please do feel free to ask any member of staff should you have any questions.