Rainbows	Angels	Dolphins (Pre School)

RAINBOWS (0-2 years)

Our Baby room provides a warm, fun and comfortable homely environment, offering security and stimulation combined with adult interaction, care and affection. 

At present the Baby room can care for a maximum of 16 children from birth to 2 years (approx) cared for by qualified and experienced nursery nurses and assistants. We operate a key person system in our nursery, whereby one member of staff is responsible for providing individual attention to both the child and the parent. We encourage parents to spend some time settling their child into the Nursery. It is an opportunity for parents to meet and get to know the staff as well as forming a trusting relationship with the key person. The Key person will gather information about the child’s routine, sleep pattern, feeding etc. and this is continued in the nursery.

Children begin to enjoy more structure to their day as they actively participate in the varied activities. The baby room provides a generously sized and brightly decorated room, specifically for 0-2 year olds. Our well equipped room places consideration towards each developing baby, allowing them the freedom to grow and explore with increasing confidence.

ANGELS (2-3 years)

Our 2-3 year room is based on a learning approach through play and through topics. Children begin to enjoy more structure to their day. The emphasis on learning through play carefully planned play makes it an enjoyable experience for your children, as well as aiding in their areas of development.

Children are actively encouraged to participate in variety of activities that are stimulating as well as being full of fun. Incorporated into the day is: arts and crafts, music and movement, musical instruments, group singing and action songs, sand and water play, group and individual story time, creative play, home corner and imaginative play, a wide range of large and small inset puzzles, big puzzles, matching and sorting games and construction toys.
 
In addition to the topics that the children enjoy, they begin to experiment with a broader range of materials as their understanding widens. Basic number and colour activities become extended through activities such as: action songs, lotto games, home corner and group discussion. Children have regular assessments to record their progress.

Children are encouraged to respect one another, establish friendships and enjoy and sharing and take turns as they continue with their development. The concept of why, how and when begin to be understood and having meaning applied to them, offering plenty of opportunity for social interaction and encouraging individual as well as group discussion.

When your child is ready we begin visits into the next age group. The visits are important ensuring that your child gains confidence enabling them to enjoy the beginning of the next stage of progress with a smooth transition into a new group.

DOLPHINS PRESCHOOL UNIT (3-5 years)

Children in 3-5 Year Room are encouraged to participate in the wide variety of activities. The beginning of the day is an opportunity for group discussion, centred around the current topic and the day’s activities. The discussions encourage children to contribute to the topic planning which gives them an important feeling of involvement.

Activities include: early exploration, arts and crafts, information technology, story books and tapes, physical education, counting, sorting games and rhymes, comparison games, memory games, home corner are just some of the activities. By providing learning experiences that are not only stimulating but full of fun, we ultimately encourage children to enjoy themselves as they build on existing skills and develop new ones.

Carefully planned activities enable children to participate in number and counting games, pre-writing and pre-reading activities. Letter formation and recognition are being mastered at this stage. Topics are an ideal way to extend a child’s existing knowledge and introduce new concepts and information. We teach using phonics with flashcards. Pattern and shape tracing cards encourage confident pencil control.  

At The Kindergarten we do not automatically move children through the rooms when they reach a certain age, but when the developmental phase has been reached and the child is ready for progression. Gradual preparation makes for a positive transition when the time comes to start school. We work closely with parents to establish the best transition for each child.

The children enjoy weekly visits from an external music teacher. This helps to extend numeracy and language skills. Opportunity is still given to enjoy the importance of learning through play during the day. The day is carefully structured with a balance curriculum that ensures all six areas of learning are incorporated within it, giving consideration to each child’s needs and development.