Working together for your children

Northern Pastures Pre-school has a high ratio of adults to children in the setting. This helps us to:

  • give time and attention to each child;
  • talk with the children about their interests and activities;
  • help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide; and
  • allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.

Key Person

Northern Pastures Pre-school operates a key person system. This means that each key person has a group of children for whom she/he is particularly responsible. Your child's key person will be the person who works with you to make sure that what the pre-school provides is suitable for your child's particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at the pre-school, the key person will help your child to settle and throughout your child's time at the pre-school, she/he will help your child to benefit from the pre-school's activities.

Session Routines

At Northern Pastures Pre-school we believe that care and education are equally important in the experience we offer children. The routines and activities at the pre-school are provided in ways that:

  • Help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the pre-school.
  • Ensure the safety of each child.
  • Help children to build on their social skills.
  • Encourage and support children’s individual well-being and involvement.
  • Provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning.

The pre-school organises its sessions so that the children can choose from a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as learning to work with others.

Outdoor activities contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. The children have the opportunity, and are encouraged to take part in outdoor child-initiated and adult-led activities, as well as those provided in the indoor classrooms.

Lunch Clubs

Our optional lunch club is available to afternoon children and runs on a Wednesday and Friday 12.00pm until 12.30pm. lunch club is subject to sufficient numbers of children attending.  This is extended in the summer term to include any morning children who are also going up to school in September.

The cost of lunch club is currently £2.20 per session – payable in advance.

Snacks

The pre-school makes snack time a social event when children can eat together. We ask parents to provide their child with healthy and nutritious food such as fruit or vegetables in a clearly labelled small container. We provide the children with milk or water to drink.

Special needs

As part of the pre-school policy to ensure that our provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any additional support that a child may need. Our inclusion officers are Dawn Charlton & Jakki Head.