CHD0075_Coop_Pre-school_brochure_FOIL_210x210mm_v1_HIRES

at pre-school and beyond

...choose The Co-operative Pre-school?
The pre-school stage, between the
ages of three and five, is a magical
time of exploration and discovery.
At The Co-operative Pre-school we
aim to provide a smooth and positive
transition for your child, offering the
fun and excitement of nursery along
with the more structured approach
that comes with school learning.
Your child entering pre-school comes with its fair share of
emotions, for both you as the parent and for your child.
As a parent you probably have little knowledge about what
pre-school offers. At The Co-operative Pre-school we will offer
guidance to parents to help navigate this exciting and challenging
time in your child’s life.
Our pre-schools will give your child the same learning
experience as that of a school, together with a sensitive
and responsive approach to each child’s needs.
Positive experiences at this stage can be hugely beneficial for your child;
developing confidence, sociability and values as well as skills in reading,
maths and other subjects. We gently introduce children to more academic
learning while in the familiar, caring environment of their nursery.
As we recognise this is a fast-track in preparation for school, we provide a
variety of daily experiences and challenges to develop children’s complex
learning skills. We provide a carefully planned programme that works towards
the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We also work closely with parents
and carers to ensure home learning is contributing to the learning and
development taking place in pre-school.
We provide a happy, stimulating environment for your little ones, and
our pre-school programme is designed to give your child the very best
start in life, while upholding the values of The Co-operative Movement.
The Co-operative Movement puts honesty, openness and social responsibility
at the heart of everything we do.
2

Key benefits of attending
The Co operative Pre school:
• Core opening hours 7:30am to 6:30pm
• Consistent care 52 weeks of the year
• A ratio of 1 Early Years Practitioner to every 8 children
• Graduate staff
• First uniform and book-bag provided
• Healthy meals and snacks
• Extra-curricular activities
• Commitment to The Co-operative’s DOES values
of Democracy, Openness, Equality and Social Responsibility
• Bike riding classes
3

The Co-operative Pre-school and the EYFS
On a day-to-day basis, we create a fun,
happy environment where children encounter
experiences and challenges designed to
develop their learning and social skills,
preparing them for a great start at school.
Our pre-school programme works towards the Early Years Foundation Stage
(EYFS) goals. This is a series of objectives and outcomes developed over many
years of research and consultation with parents, teachers and development
experts. The EYFS was established by Ofsted, the government’s Office for
Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
4

“The setting has
had such a big impact
on my child, on their
development, confidence
and school readiness.”
Parent, Newburn Pre-school
5

your child learns with us
At The Co operative Pre school,
children learn life skills and develop
knowledge and understanding
in seven key areas:
• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development
• Mathematics
• Literacy
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design
Communication and language
Talking and listening are key skills for learning, making friends and
succeeding in life, but in some areas of the UK, more than half of children
start school without essential communication skills. We give children
opportunities to experience a rich language environment, developing confidence
and skills in expressing themselves in a range of situations.
Physical development
We help little ones develop co-ordination, control and movement through play,
as well as more structured PE lessons. They’ll also be encouraged to develop
healthy food habits that will stay with them through life.
Personal, social and emotional development
This involves helping children develop a positive sense of self, to form happy
relationships, and to respect other people. Your child will learn how to manage
feelings, how to behave appropriately in groups, and to have confidence in his
or her own abilities.
Mathematics
At The Co-operative Pre-school we’ll aim to develop your child’s skills in
counting, understanding and using numbers, and simple arithmetic. We’ll also
introduce children to concepts of describing shapes, spaces and measures.
6

Literacy
Reading and writing are essential for success
in the classroom and a good grounding in pre-school
can get your child off to a flying start. We provide a wide
range of reading material to stimulate interest and
imagination, whilst developing a reading habit
that will stay with your child for life.
At The Co-operative Pre-school we use a trusted, well-established phonics
programme called Read Write Inc. This programme is used by over a quarter
of UK primary schools and meets the higher expectations of the new
curriculum in England and Wales. The programme uses effective
assessment to accelerate progress for each child.
Understanding the world
This combines a little science with some simple geography and other
subjects; it’s about exploring, observing and finding out about people,
places, technology and the environment.
Expressive art and design
Combining play with art, design, music, movement, dance and role-play, we
help children develop their imagination and confidence, encouraging them to
share their thoughts and ideas.
These seven areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) ensures children’s ‘school readiness’ and
gives them the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right
foundation for good future progress through school and life.
In order to plan, prepare and organise for good quality pre-school education,
our staff observe your child at play, review and evaluate the curriculum
regularly and maintain systematic records. Our strong observation assessment
and planning process ensures that the next phase of your child’s learning
journey is well planned for.
“I have noticed
my child is learning
letters and always
asks, ‘What is this
letter for?’”
Parent, Watford Junction Pre-school
7

“My child thinks
you’re wonderful.”
Parent, Wimbledon Pre-school
8

Serious about
We believe that the best way for children to develop their skills and confidence
is through play and other relevant experiences. So, instead of defined subjects,
your child will join in a variety of group activities which will allow them to
interact with peers, follow instructions and contribute to shared experiences.
In the early stages, we focus on the first three key areas with your child:
communication and language, physical development and personal, social and
emotional development. As he or she grows, we will broaden activity to cover the
other four specific areas. This will give your child the broad range of knowledge
and skills essential for a good start at school.
Children are individuals, and each develops in a unique, personal way. We will
watch how your child plays and learns, maintaining systematic records so we
can review the curriculum and make sure that wherever we can, structure
activity to deliver the maximum benefit for each and every child.
Your child will
learn great skills
whilst having fun,
it’s seriously
constructive play!
Support during child-initiated sessions
Child-initiated learning plays a crucial role in developing your child’s thinking skills.
Working together with the children our staff teach, explain, demonstrate, model,
scaffold and support your child to help develop ideas and their skills as thinkers.
9

Our environments
Our pre-school settings
are fun, safe and stimulating.
Different spaces are used to allow for:
‘Remida’ (creative space) area
Children are encouraged to use a wide range of natural and recycled
materials to support their exploration and investigation. The materials
are used to encourage children to use their imagination to spark their
own ideas and creation.
• Indoor and outdoor play and learning
• Communication and interaction in smaller spaces
to build confidence
• Self-service healthy snack and meal times
• Meet and greet areas with opportunities for parents
and carers to speak with practitioners
• Adult-focused and child-initiated activity areas
• Pets corner to promote personal, social and
emotional development
• Outdoor areas are designed to inspire children and feed
their imaginations by having access to mud kitchens and
planting and growing areas that promote the natural world
• Access to a wide range of materials, we promote the use
of recycled and natural materials through our ‘remida’
(creative space) area
Promoting positive
behaviour
Children need to learn how to engage with the big wide world. Our approach
is to praise positive behaviour and to show children how they are valued as
individuals. This enhances self-esteem and confidence, making it easier for
your child to make friends and to treat others with kindness and respect.
10

“The pre-school
room is set up to
a high standard.”
Parent, Woolwich Pre-school
11

“We are really pleased
with how George is
developing at nursery. He
always seems happy and
talks about his day.”
Parent, Watford Junction Pre-school
12

Working together with you
As a parent or carer, you are your child’s first
teacher, and the most important they will
ever have. At The Co-operative Pre-school
we maintain communication with you,
establishing trust and sharing knowledge so
we can work together for your child’s benefit.
Home learning
For little ones, learning happens everywhere, not just during pre-school
sessions. Therefore good two-way communication between nursery and
home is crucial. To encourage and nurture this we provide every child with a
book bag, in which they can take home books they have chosen to read
with their parents. The bag can also be used to send messages and
information between parents and staff to support learning at home.
On occasions we also provide children with a Home Learning Bag. These
bags are put together at various times throughout your child’s time at The
Co-operative Pre-school and are tailored to their individual interests, whether
this is cooking, music, nature or any other subject. It is a way of communicating
to parents about the things that their child shows a real interest in and
enables and encourages them to continue their learning at home.
Be a parent representative
It is important that we understand the opinions and concerns
of parents, so we operate a parent representative group where
we can all share ideas. Parent volunteers meet with staff to
discuss best practice and to act as a consultative body. Please
have a chat with our staff if you are interested in taking part.
13

moments
WOW moments are little milestones in your child’s development that deserve
celebration. Recognising these moments helps build a child’s self-esteem and
we use WOW vouchers to inform staff when they happen so they can
incorporate them into your child’s learning plan.
Examples of WOW moments might be painting a picture, feeding a pet for
the first time or riding a bike without stabilisers. We encourage parents to tell
us about WOW moments at home, and we’ll let you know when WOW
moments happen in pre-school.
14

Riding a bike is great for health, mobility and confidence. It can also help
make a child aware of traffic and safety issues. We offer cycling classes in
a controlled environment, away from roads, so your child can ditch the
stabilisers and learn to ride in a fun way. We provide lessons in basic cycle
control, which includes starting, stopping and manoeuvring, along with building
confidence in handling and balancing on the bike.
15

“I am very happy with
how he has blossomed
since being in pre-school.
He has come on leaps
and bounds with
writing and drawing.”
Parent, Wimbledon Pre-school
16

Our staff
The Key Person
When your child starts The Co-operative Pre-school sessions, he or she will
be assigned a Key Person who is a qualified Early Years Practitioner. A mix of
buddy and teacher, the Key Person is responsible for supporting your child
and promoting a positive ethos, helping to build progressive relationships with
other children and carers.
The Key Person is a positive role model and will help your child:
• Make friends
• Behave appropriately and control emotions
• Cope with little things going wrong
• Talk confidently to adults
• Tackle new challenges
• Solve problems
• Look after their belongings
• Respect other children’s belongings
• Develop independence
Training
We support our staff to continue their professional development throughout
their careers. We commit to having at least one graduate-level staff member
at each of our settings. We provide in-service training and encourage all our
staff to work towards higher qualifications.
Early Talk communication training
Staff are trained to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver the
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Staff undertake Early Talk training courses and accreditation programmes. The
courses have been independently shown to enhance the learning environment
for all children and have a long-term positive impact on staff and practice.
As a Licensee with I CAN, the children’s communication charity, we also have
trained professionals who can deliver the Early Talk I CAN Programme to our
staff. This helps them to support children aged five and under to develop the
speech, language and communication skills they’ll need when starting school.
Promoting independence
Children develop independence when they have the reassurance and guidance
of someone they can trust, and the Key Person provides that support. Our
approach is to give children access to lots of resources, so they can have a go
at different activities and choose what to learn next. The Key Person
encourages this, guiding everything from washing hands to choosing from
a variety of activities to expressing opinions and asking for help.
17

18
As well as
being fun and useful,
council meetings
build an understanding
and respect for
democracy.

The wider world
We maintain close working relationships with other professionals in health,
education and care and exchange information that will help in planning your
child’s learning. Professionals from other agencies occasionally contribute to
parent meetings.
Our children’s councils
It’s important for children to have a say in their environment and routines, to
engage in decision making and to make their feelings and thoughts known.
That’s why we organise “council meetings” in our pre-school sessions, where
children can have their say. As well as being fun and useful, taking part
builds an understanding and respect for democracy.
Equality, diversity
and values
Both the EYFS and The Co-operative Pre-school are committed to
anti-discriminatory practice. The Co-operative Pre-school has policies
and procedures to promote equality of opportunity for all our children,
including support for children with special educational needs or disabilities.
19

DOES and The Little Pioneers
The Co-operative Childcare are proud of their values.
The values are summed up by DOES:
Democracy
The views of our children, parents and members influence the way
we run our pre-schools.
Openness
Trust is at the heart of our pre-schools. Everyone is free to share their views and all
contributors are valued; we encourage all our children to be open, honest and fair.
Equality
We recognise and celebrate the value each individual brings. Everyone deserves to be
treated fairly and equally and given the same opportunities.
Social Responsibility
We return a share of our profits and support fair trade and local suppliers whenever
possible. Our pre-schools work in partnership with local community groups to support
children’s development, progress and their understanding of the world.
20

The
We have a team
of Little Pioneers –
fun characters that help
us promote our values.
Meet our Pioneers –
Ela, Ping, Alice, Ebo
and Charlie.
Ela
represents
Democracy
She listens to the views of all her friends
and involves them in everything
they do together.
Ping
represents
Openness
She loves to work together with
everyone to promote harmony.
Alice
represents
Equality
She recognises the contribution
of all her friends and loves
the fact that they are all different.
Ebo
represents
Social Responsibility
His parents’ passion for Fairtrade has been
passed on and he is already a responsible
child who cares about the way
things are done.
Charlie
represents
Co-operation
He loves sharing his toys, knowledge and
skills with his younger friends and knows
that by doing things together
harmoniously, they all achieve more.
21

Supporting transition
We provide a
variety of resources
that relate to school
and are designed
to help with the
transition.
Starting school is a huge change in a child’s
life, so we do all we can to make it a smooth
and happy experience.
Your child’s Key Person will build a relationship with your child’s school,
ensuring that his or her EYFS outcome is shared and that the teachers who are
going to work with your child know everything that might be helpful during the
transition and after.
Our transition resources include:
• Photographs of all the local schools that children may
attend, and of the people likely to teach them
• Group story sessions
• PE lessons
• Self-serve meals
• Visits by older children already at school,
who can talk about their experiences
• Books about school
• Structured learning
• A school-readiness month following a timetable
of school-related activities
• Graduation party and pictures
• Visits to schools wherever possible
• Extra-curricular activities
• Teacher / Key Person meetings with parents
• Sample uniform
• Support meetings for parents
• We provide parents with the information on how
we support children’s learning and the EYFS
If you require more information visit our website at www.thecooperativechildcare.coop
22

“Excellent organisation of
pre-school activities, anything
from building rockets and diggers
from cardboard boxes to taking
apart a TV, encourages
the children’s imagination!
Lots of storytelling and
great discipline.”
Parent, Wimbledon Pre-school
23

To find your nearest Pre-school call 0800 954 0669, email info@ccc.coop
or visit www.thecooperativechildcare.coop