General Information

Useful Information About Our Sessions

Our sessions run in the main room of St Mark’s Church, Homesteads Road. We are open Monday – Friday, 8.30am-3pm, term time only.

We have a maximum of 20 children per session with staff/child ratios in line with the government recommendations:

2 year olds 1:4
3 year olds 1:8
3 year olds 1:13 (Teacher led)

The room is set up with the following areas:

Craft area
Messy play area
Carpet area – free play & circle time
Maths area
Role play area
Quiet area
Book / reading area
Construction area
Mark making area

We have our own enclosed garden where we have lots of outdoor play opportunities, including a climbing frame, slides and a wonderful mud kitchen.

We also have access to the adjacent playing fields and woodlands which we use for walks and exploring. The children can visit the woods to build dens, collect leaves and go bug hunting.

Our daily routine is planned around a six-hour day and the EYFS Characteristics of Effective Learning. Continuous provision runs throughout the day with children having choice on the activities and resources they can access. With planned small and large group times during each session Kempshott Under Fives can provide maximum opportunities and experiences over the day. This could be Phase 1 Phonics, Dough Disco or Write Dance.

A Typical Day...

Although each day varies with different activities from play dough, cutting and sticking, painting, cooking, exploring outside and dressing up, we do like to have a basic routine as we find our children respond well to this, it can also be comforting for children to know what to expect.

The daily routine is planned around a six-hour day due to the increasing number of children now attending full days. Continuous provision runs throughout the day, with children having a choice of activities and resources they can access. There are also planned small and large group times during each session to provide children with maximum opportunities and experiences throughout the day.

Typical Daily Routine

8.30 am – Early starters arrive
9am – Children arrive at preschool. Free play on offer
9.15am – Registration time. This may be done in older and younger groups, or altogether, depending on the activity being offered that day. Activities include singing, looking at our weather stones or Mr Crocodile’s Dental health
9.30am – Free play, and free-flow time into the garden. (This continues throughout the morning.)
10.30am – Snack time. Children are encouraged to come over and prepare their own snack, as and when they wish.
11am – Nappy changes
11.30am – Tidy-up time
11.40am – Group time. Depending on what activity has been prepared the children may split into older and younger groups, or remain together. Activities may include music and movement, WriteDance, Dough gym, Yoga, Storytime/story sacks and games.
12pm – Lunchtime
12.45pm – Free play
1.45pm – Tidy-up time
2pm – Afternoon snack and nappy changes
2.15pm – Weather dependent. Good weather means that we can go into the garden, and not so good weather would lead to an afternoon activity, similar to earlier group time.
3pm – Home time.

Please note these times are approximate and activities can change to take advantage of good weather, visitors, outings etc.

We provide a healthy snack mid morning and afternoon (e.g. fruit / vegetables / toast etc) with a glass of milk or water. At lunchtime the children and adults will all sit together at tables to eat their packed lunches

Continuous Provision

CRAFT - Free craft is always available where the children can choose their own resources and materials. There is a planned craft for every day relating to the weekly theme.
MARK MAKING - There are always different kinds of paper, stencils, scissors, pens, pencils and crayons available in this area and children can access them as they wish.
MESSY PLAY - We provide a wide range of messy play for the children to experience. Touching, smelling, stirring, mark making – it could be pasta, rice, play dough, cornflour, baked beans, jelly, custard, ice to name a few!
ROLE PLAY - Provides the opportunity for our little ones to develop their imaginations. Changed weekly to reflect the theme of the week it could be doctors, vets, train station, cooking at home etc.
CARPET AREA - There is a variety of toys within the drawers for self-selection including train tracks, my little ponies, cars, animals, Happyland.
CONSTRUCTION - For those builders amongst us we offer different items for building including Mega blocks, Duplo, slot blocks and wooden bricks.
MATHS - In this area you find puzzles, scales, number cards, shape sorters and games.
OUTSIDE AREA - We have fun areas set up outside including slides and a mud kitchen. We encourage the children to go outside as much as possible. We also use the adjoining woods and fields occasionally.
SNACK TIME - We provide healthy snacks at set times in the morning and afternoon. The children wash their hands independently prior to snack. We promote healthy eating within the preschool so there is a choice of fresh/dried fruit - apples, pears, oranges, raisins etc - along with a cracker, breadstick or biscuit. Details of the snack for the day can be found on the parents’ notice board together with allergen information.
GROUP ACTIVITY – This is varied throughout the week and could include musical instruments, circle games, sticky kids, dancing, parachute, ball games, stories including story sacks, singing nursery rhymes and action songs.

Our preschool song is ‘We are Sharing’.

We are sharing, we are sharing

With our friends, with our friends

Sharing makes us happy

It’s good to share

It shows we care

Emergency Closure

We have had the need to close one of the preschools in the past due to extreme weather. Should there be the necessity to close a group due to extreme weather conditions or a major illness outbreak (such as influenza, meningitis), we will give as much notice as possible. There are procedures in place to contact parents directly via email. There will also be announcements on the website, Hampshire County Council website for school closures and local radio stations. It is therefore very important to keep the preschool up-to-date with contact information for you and your child.

Parent Help

To help keep the adult to child ratio low, we encourage parents to become involved in the preschool and help during sessions on a voluntary basis. This not only helps the parents to understand what happens at preschool, but also gives their children an opportunity to see their parents in a new role. Please feel free to help out within our setting at any time. As a helper you would never be left alone with any children. Please note, younger siblings are also welcome but you will be responsible for them.

Training

Hatch Warren Under Fives is a member of the Preschool Learning Alliance and Children’s Links and as such encourages its staff to attend training courses that can further their development and contribution within the group. The Preschool Learning Alliance, Social Services or the Local Education Authority provides these courses. Local meetings and conferences offer informal training areas. For parents interested in childcare training courses, please speak to the Preschool Operations Manager.

Key Carer

Within the preschool every child is allocated a Key Carer. The Key Carer is there to help develop the child’s individual needs around the group’s curriculum. The Key Carer will also build a relationship with that child and their parents ensuring the child is supported to their full potential. Meetings with parents are held regularly so that parents can see how their child is progressing. Parents are encouraged to talk to their child’s Key Carer if they feel there is a problem.

Absenteeism – Holidays

Please would you complete a holiday form prior to going on holiday, so that we know and can accurately record in the Register why your child is absent.

Absenteeism – Illness

In the event of illness, please call the preschool and let us know that your child is ill. We do need to know as some illnesses are notified to parents, e.g. chicken pox, mumps, German measles, measles and meningitis. It is also within our policies that no child may attend preschool if they have had sickness or diarrhoea within the previous 48 hours or if your child needs Calpol or any other such medicine before they come to preschool. Nits are unfortunately a common hazard of preschool life due to the close proximity of the children to each other. Should you child get a case of nits, please let the preschool know.

Fundraising

Fundraising is an integral part of the preschool and all proceeds go towards the replacement and purchasing of new equipment and facilities for the children. Fundraising can be done through many ways and not always is it monetary. Here at the group we also collect many different tokens, vouchers, etc. that we can use to purchase equipment for the preschool.

A newsletter is produced every half term to keep parents informed of forthcoming themes, preschool closure dates, fundraising activities, staff changes, etc. Up-to-date information can also be found on our Notice Board. It is important that you read the newsletter because you don’t want to miss out. Where possible we would like to send the newsletter by email, so it is important you keep us up-to-date with an accurate email address.

Government Funding

The preschool is registered under the Early Years Development Plan for Hampshire County Council for funding for all eligible 3 and 4 years olds. We are now (with effect of November 2013) registered for funding for all eligible 2 year olds. Please phone to enquire or send us an email.

First Days at Preschool

We want all children to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents. Parents are encouraged to bring their child along to preschool prior to their admission to see the group in action. Staff will always be available to help your child to settle in quickly and smoothly with as little upset as possible (included in Policies).

What to Wear

Because of the nature of preschool, children should feel free to be able to explore different avenues of play and craft, which will involve messy substances like glue, paint and play dough. It is therefore advisable that children wear clothes and shoes that are easily washable, not too new and practical for moving around in.

Although not compulsory, we do have a preschool uniform available to purchase which includes sweatshirts, cardigans and polo shirts with the Hatch Warren Under Fives logo.

Children try to become independent at an early age and this is actively encouraged. The main aspects of this independence at preschool are using the toilet and outdoor play. Children will therefore need to have clothing that is easily manageable by them, thus decreasing their dependence upon other people for help – dungarees, belts and braces do not encourage independence!

Lunches

For those children who stay for lunch, you must provide a packed lunch. It should include an ice pack, a drink (not fizzy) and food they can, as independently as possible, open and manage themselves. Any grapes must be cut sideways. NO NUTS OR EGGS of any sort due to allergies – this includes peanut butter and Nutella chocolate spread.

Collection of your Child

Please advise a member of staff, as soon as practicable, if you are unable to personally collect your child at the end of a session. We will take a note of the person due to collect your child to ensure that he/she is only taken home by a nominated person. This must be done for each separate occasion that you are unable to get to preschool. Please also make preschool staff aware if another person, i.e. grandparent, childminder or friend will be collecting your child on a regular basis.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU STORE THE PRESCHOOL’S TELEPHONE NUMBER ON YOUR MOBILE – 07951 660401