The Hendreds Pre-School meets in purpose built premises at Snells Hall in East Hendred and provides a stimulating environment for children from when they turn three. We are open weekday mornings during term time and offer an optional lunch club. We also regularly attend ‘Forest School’ which is when children visit a secure piece of land full of interesting nooks and have the freedom to explore and initiate their own activities. These include collecting treasures, making mud pie and climbing trees. We go on village walks and outings and have fun with paint, puddle jumping and playdoh!
The Hendreds Pre-school has a core staff of four with a number of bank staff that we can call upon when needed. The staff all have a great deal of experience with children and are headed up by our supervisor Tracy Taylor who is passionate about her role in helping children reach their potential, gain self-confidence and become more independent.
The curriculum follows national guidelines and divides learning and development into six broad areas:
Personal, social and emotional development
Communication, language and literacy
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Physical development
Creative development
These areas are developed into all sorts of exciting themes: ‘Ourselves’, ‘creepy-crawlies’ and ‘dinosaurs’ have been amongst the fun topics covered recently. You may even have seen a crocodile of little children walking though East Hendred exploring their surroundings or going on a nature walk to spot woodpeckers and fast-moving clouds! Moving to one of the two local schools becomes a very gentle step when the children know so many classmates already.
Key Person System: Children are allocated a key person who will be focused on your child's needs and development and become a strong link between the family, child and pre-school.
Session Times: From September, the pre-school is open from 9:00am - 12:00 noon Monday to Friday. As the year progresses (normally in April) and if numbers increase, we may add one or two afternoon sessions. The older children (normally those starting school in September) will be moved to an afternoon session instead of the morning session. Please be aware of this strong possibility. These sessions are an opportunity to give the older children some time to prepare for school, to be able to focus and get deeply involved in their chosen activities.
Funding: From September 2010, all 3 and 4 year old children nationally will be entitled to 15 hours of funded early education per week instead of 12.5 hours.
Children who turn 3 between:
1 April – 31 August are eligible for free funding in September
1 September – 31 December are eligible for free funding in January
1 January – 31 March are eligible for free funding in April
Funding is applied for on your behalf from the Local Authority in September, January and April. If your child’s s not yet eligible for funding, you will be required to pay for the sessions until free funding begins. If you attend Hendreds Pre-school for more than 15 hours a week or if you split your hours between two different pre-schools and have more than 15 hours, you will be charged for the extra hours. Please contact the Membership Secretary for further information and fees.
Management of the Hendreds Pre-School: The Hendreds Pre-school is a community group with charitable status and has a volunteer committee made up of parents who undertake all aspects of management. Parents are welcome to attend any of the committee meetings and to join the committee.
The Hendreds Pre-school is affiliated to the Pre-school Learning Alliance, which is a national educational charity and has been approved by Ofsted and Oxfordshire County Council. Please contact us for an informal chat or to reserve your place.
To arrange a visit call: Tracy Taylor Tel: 01235 831555
To discuss places and grant funding call: Anna Chapman Tel: 01235 821564
Address:
Snells Hall, Church Street, East Hendred, Oxfordshire, OX12 8LA
Email address:
info(at)hendredspreschool.org.uk
