Edwinstowe Pre-School Playgroup

 

• When is my child funded for a free place, and how many sessions are they entitled to?
• What training and experience do staff have?
• How can I/Parents/Carers become involved in the Playgroup?
• Are snacks available and if so are they healthy and nutritious?

 

When is my child funded for a free place, and how many sessions are they entitled to?

The government state:
All 3 and 4 year old children are entitled to a free part time Early Education place. This entitlement is for five 2½ hour sessions per week. At the beginning of each term parents are asked to fill out an entitlement form on which they confirm that they wish their child to receive free childcare entitlement through Edwinstowe Pre-School, and also how many sessions per week they will be attending. For 3 year olds this entitlement starts from the term after the child’s 3rd birthday (see table of school terms below).

Parents / carers do not pay for this entitlement but may be charged fees for any services or childcare that is additional to the free session, such as the Lunch Bunch sessions held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The Month your child is born	School Terms
January - March	Summer - from 1st April
April - August	Autumn - from 1st September
September - December	Spring - from 1st January

 

 

 

Edwinstowe Pre-School Playgroup

The Village Hall
Mansfield Road
Edwinstowe
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
NG21 9NJ

Tel: 07989 892831
E-mail: enquiries@edwinstowepreschool.com

 

 

 

This page is currently under construction.

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Our Pre-School Staff at Playgroup and Toddlers

Angela Umphray - Pre-School Manager
I have been supervisor since 2000. I have a level 3 qualification, two grown up children and over 12 years experience in childcare. We pride ourselves on having a friendly professional environment so please feel free to come to me with any comments or suggestions.

Amanda Fletcher - Pre-School Assistant
I have a Btec 1st and Btec National Diploma in Childcare (level 3) and over 16 years experience in various childcare settings. I have a daughter and particularly enjoy the fun element of looking after children.

Claire Knowles - Pre-School Assistant
I have a level two qualification and several years experience in childcare. I am a mother of two children, and particularly enjoy messy play and baking.

Heather Meynell - Pre-School Assistant
I am currently undertaking my NVQ level 2 and am working towards my level 3. I have two children. I particularly enjoy art and craft activities.

Joanna Busby - Supply Pre-School Assistant
I have two children and have been working at the pre-school since September 2007. The forest sessions and allotment are the elements of playgroup that I enjoy the most.

Our Pre-School Committee

The Pre-School committee, along with their designated responsibilities, consists of

Diane Berry - Chairperson, Suitable Person Organisation

Jeanette Hooper - Secretary, Special Needs

Sarah Hodgson - Treasurer, Health, Toddler Support

Katherine Smith - Payroll, Child Protection,Care, Learning & Play

Tracey Ailward - Partnership with Parents, Behaviour, Equipment, Toddler Support

Dean Fletcher - IT Support, Marketing

Dawn Farrar - Safety, Equal Opportunities, Toddler Support

Nina Baker - Physical Environment, Food & Drink, Toddler Support

 

 

 

This page is currently under construction.

Please call back soon.

 

 

 

Tuesday & Friday - 9:10am - 11:40am

 

A unique feature of Edwinstowe Pre-School are our innovative and widely acclaimed Forest Sessions.

Our Forest School is committed to encouraging child led exploration of the local environment and foster a caring and preserving attitude towards the world around them. Additionally, we aim to support each child within our care to gain independence and increase their self esteem, thus enabling each child to access risk taking safely.

Ofsted have been particularly impressed with these sessions, and as part of our Outstanding rating for 'Helping children to be healthy', the latest report says 'Older children have the exceptional opportunity of attending sessions in the forest twice a week. There they are provided with all-weather gear that allows them to be outside at all times. They run around, jump in puddles, crawl, balance and climb freely. They soon learn to recognise when their bodies are hot or cold and they need to reduce or increase their clothing.' The report then goes on to say'All in all, children have, amongst other things, used their imaginations, explored the natural world, held conversations, practised their hand-eye co-ordination, exclaimed at the wonders of the world, recognised shapes, listened to each other and worked together to get an end result.'

This is an all weather activity, where the children are actively encouraged to climb trees and take part in puddle/mud exploration ... they can get rather wet and muddy so they need to be suitably dressed! During wet conditions waterproof jackets and trousers are provided but wellington boots are recommended.

When the weather is hot, light clothing that covers the children’s arms and legs and suitable footwear like trainers are advisable.

Open toe sandals, shorts and T-shirts are not recommended as they offer no protection against brambles and nettles situated around the forest.

 

The finest possible levels of sessional childcare in the heart of Sherwood Forest

 

To find out more about us please enter the site by clicking the link below.

Monday, Wednesday & Thursday - 9:10am - 11:40am

 

At Edwinstowe Pre-School Playgroup we aim to give our children the very best start in life, we strive do this by offering a caring and stimulating environment where they can socialise and make new friends while learning and developing through play. We actively encourage the children in our care to respect themselves and others, whilst taking their first steps in an independent world.

A wide range of toys, climbing/play equipment and crafts are always available for the children, with many activities designed and built around a nominated termly theme. This theme is often driven by subjects which are of current interest to the children themselves. An example of this would be 'The Weather', with discussions about snow and ice, making snow scenes, kites, windmills & learning to measure the rain to name just a few.

We have also just acquired our own mini-bus, and this should allow us to extend the opportunities available to the children even further.

We see our setting as an extension of the home where the parent/carer plays a vital part. Our parents/carers can do this in the following ways:

• Sign up as a 'helper', and become actively involved in the daily routine of the Playgroup
• Joining the committee (having a say in the running of the Playgroup)
• Helping with outings and parties
• Fundraising
• Attending relevant meetings and responding to circulars
• Spending time with the children discussing or demonstrating some aspect of your talent or profession e.g baking, craft, fireman, farmer etc.

We also recognise that no one knows your child better than yourself. As such we actively encourage you to share as much information as possible about your child with us, to enable us to build positive relationships and ease the children into the settling in process.

 

Tuesday & Friday - 9:30am - 11:00am

 

The baby and toddler group is part of the pre-school and provides a warm welcome to all families. It also provides a safe and friendly environment where children can play happily.
The baby and toddler sessions are based on the Birth to Three Programme.
This framework consists of four components which are;

• A Strong Child
• A Skilful Communicator
• A Competent Learner
• A Healthy Child

The toys and activities on offer are planned around this framework. These include:

Babies
A carpeted area is provided for the babies. This is equipped with activity frames, baby rings and soft cuddly toys to more sensory and activity toys. There are a variety of rattles to help aid the babies grasping movement. The area is also laid out with soft blankets to encourage the babies to spend time on their tummies thus encouraging neck muscle development which will help with coordination, balance and postural control, which is the foundation for all movement skills, it increases babies' confidence and independence helping them to become motivated to explore their surroundings as they learn to control their bodies.

Toddlers
There are a variety of different toys and opportunities available for the toddlers. These include

• Opportunity for children to run around, use large motor skills, and try out a variety of large equipment and ride on toys.
• Crafts - painting, college, chalk, colouring, sticking and more, sometimes related to themes, such as Easter and Christmas.
• Opportunity for messy play – play dough, sand, exploring soil, cereal and water.
• Opportunity to recreate roles, dressing up or playing in the home corner.
• Stories and singing as a group, music and movement sessions
• Table top activities - puzzles, simple games, construction, small imaginative play toys.
• Comfy story corner with a variety of books to share
  
  We encourage the toddlers to learn to become independent whilst playing in safe surroundings.

Being a Parent

Being a parent is a very demanding job and we all need to share problems and anxieties from time to time. The toddler group is the ideal place to meet other parents and have a chat. Our Toddler Contacts are four mums who have children of toddler age and who are also members of the committee. They are here to chat to, answer any questions or listen to suggestions.

We also have regular visits from our local Health Visitor who comes to chat to parents and carers. This enables our parents/carers to talk about their children, discussing their development/progress and any queries or concerns they may have in a friendly environment.

Our prices are as follows:
Babies under a year old = 50p
Children over a year = £2.50
Additional Children = additional 50p

Included in our prices are tea and coffee for the adults. The children also have a choice of juice or water with a selection of fruit and/or biscuits.