NEWSLETTER – SUMMER TERM 2010 - our Pre-School

May 2010
Basildon Primary School, Beckfords, Upper Basildon. Tel. 01491 671770. www.sparklerspreschool.btik.co.uk
NEWSLETTER – SUMMER TERM 2010
SureStart Funding for 3 Yr. Olds To Increase
From September parents will be entitled to 15 hours of Sure Start funding! We want to offer
parents as much flexibility as possible as to how they can allocate this funding, but we have to be
realistic about how we can manage it and so we will be asking parents to complete a survey on
how you would like to see the funding distributed.
Sparklers Preschool Goes All Day
From September 2010, Sparklers Preschool will be extending its hours and offering all day preschool
provision for children aged 2 to 4 years. By becoming a full time preschool we will be able to offer parents
hugely flexible childcare. Parents will be able to mix and match sessions to suite their needs. The quality of
provision will continue to be excellent and will continue to be delivered by very experienced and highly
qualified staff committed to providing an exceptionally stimulating and fun learning environment.
Paul Field, the new Headmaster at Basildon Primary School, is delighted Sparklers is going full time. He is
confident that Sparklers will deliver an outstanding provision and has made available a dedicated unit
within the school. He firmly believes what all the research confirms “that a successful start leads to a
successful journey through school” and is introducing changes within the school as, in his view, the “huge
developments in Early Years education in recent years……have given us the opportunity to provide a
superb start for all our children”.
In our OFSTED Report Sparklers was Outstanding in 4 out of 5 categories and Good in the remaining
category. We have been given a Green status (the highest rating) by West Berks for our successful
implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines. These guidelines are based on
findings from international research and they outline what is considered to be the best practice for early
years education. The introduction of EYFS nationally is a huge leap forward and will force many providers
to improve the quality of their provision.
Jacqueline Gooch - Chairperson
Our theme this term is minibeasts - A topic sure to capture the imagination of all our future David
Bellamy’s! The children will be taking part in the construction of a wormery to get a first-hand experience of A
Worm’s Life, as well as getting down to (and no doubt dirty) pond-dipping and bug-hunting. Please support your
child by allowing them to bring in relevant things from the garden.

Up and Coming Events to get excited about!!!!
Ugly Bug Ball – Thursday 27 th May – Rosie the music Lady will be coming along to teach the
children some bug songs. This is the culmination of our bug exploration this term and all children should
come along in bug themed fancy dress.
Football Fun Day – Friday 11 th June – To get the children in excited about the Football
World Cup we will have football coach coming in to play football with the children. We will also be
decorating England hats – so if you have a football kit, please wear it otherwise shorts and t-shirt will be
great.
Reminders…
Clothing
Given that the Minibeasts theme may involve a certain amount of mud, this is a good opportunity to remind
parents that all children should come to Sparklers with a full change of clothes in a named bag (for children
wearing nappies, please remember to include adequate nappies, wipes and nappy sacks).
Sun Protection
The arrival of (some!) sunshine means it’s also time to remind everyone that children’s bags should also include
sunhats and suncream (please make us aware if your child has a known sensitivity to certain suncreams) to
enable your child to take advantage of the brighter days. No one wants to miss out on the opportunity for
outdoor fun!
Fees
With regard to fees, please remember that fees remain payable unless your child is sick and therefore unable to
attend a session at Sparklers, or in the event of a holiday which you have notified us of a half term in advance.
In all other circumstances, because Sparklers is popular and oversubscribed, fees are payable to ensure your
child’s place is held. Hence we would kindly ask that no deductions for missed sessions or amendments to your
half termly bills are made.
School Dinners
Please remember to notify staff if your child requires a dinner so that their name can be included on the daily
list, or notify the School Kitchen staff directly on the morning.
Noticeboard & Communications
Your child’s creations and letters to parents are ready for collection in your child’s named basket at the end of
the Sparklers day so don’t forget to check them or you may miss out on a masterpiece or key information for
you! The noticeboard (on the right of the entrance door to Sparklers) is also worth keeping an eye on for ad hoc
news and information.
As A Parent Looking For A Preschool, How Do You Assess If A Preschool Is Any
Good?
After all, access to quality Early Years education is
now thought to translate to success through to all
areas of adult life. As a parent, the choice of which
setting is best for your child can feel very
significant. Whilst not compulsory for 3-4 year olds
to attend a pre-school or nursery setting, these
early years are seen to be a critical time in a child’s
development and a good preschool will help a child
to develop skills in six key areas including
communication, creativity, emotional, social and
language. More immediately and something, which
is an issue for most parents is the right preschool is
May 2010
proven to help a child settle more easily when they
start school.
Having just moved to the area with two small
children and having just been through this process
there are a number of things to look for at the
various stages of choosing your child’s setting.
When researching different settings it is worth
exploring;
- Ofsted Reports, which can easily be accessed
online, and give some idea of the standard of the
setting.

- West Berks County Council allocates a RAG
(Red/Amber/Green) Status with regard to the
setting’s implementation of EYFS guidelines (the
guidelines that have been introduced to increase
the quality of Early Years provision.) Green being
‘successfully implemented’, Amber being ‘partially
implemented’ and Red being ‘not yet
implemented.’ Sparklers preschool is rightly
proud of its Green status. Ask the setting what
status they have been given and ask for a contact at
West Berks Early Years who can verify the status.
When visiting a setting consider;
- Look for how the staff and children are
interacting and at what the children are occupied
with. Parents should feel comfortable with how
children are being taught. To comply with the EYFS
Guidelines very young children shouldn't be taught
or shown how to do things, for example, pour
water. Rather they should be given access to water
and toys which allow them to explore and learn for
themselves. Children approach learning differently
so it is important that young children are not
taught that there is only one way to do things as
this may stifle their creativity.
- Session Planning - Ask to see the setting’s
planning. While sessions should be planned and
Dates for your diary
May 2010
prepared it is important that the setting is flexible
and can embrace opportunities as they emerge and
so it would be perfectly fine to see deviations from
the planned activities. Ask to see the planning for
previous days and weeks to ensure that the
children aren't just doing the same thing every day.
It is a good tip to check that the planning is dated.
- Policies – Ask to see the setting’s Child Protection
policy, along with others including their
Complaints procedure, and Risk Assessments for
trips and off-site visits, as these three will reflect
how your child’s safety and wellbeing are being
considered.
- Staff qualifications – check if all staff have a
relevant Early Years qualification. Whilst a
qualification doesn't necessarily mean that a
qualified member of staff is better than an
unqualified member of staff, it might reveal a
setting’s attitude to training and development.
And for the inside track, talk to fellow parents
about their child’s (and their) experience of the
setting to try and form a 360 degree view of what
it’s like day-to-day. Armed with all this
information, your decision as a parent becomes far
easier to make.
Vanessa Anderson
Thursday 27 th May Ugly Bug Ball
(all Sparklers children invited for fancy dress and fun buggy activities)
Friday 28 th May End of term
Tuesday 1 st June
Thursday 10
Term starts
th June
Friday 11 th June
Sparklers AGM
Football Fun Day
Friday 23 rd July End of term
We look forward to a continued Summer term of good weather and lots of Sparklers fun!
Sparklers Staff and Committee.