Prospectus
Our Ethos
Provision of a safe, caring, supportive, learning environment.
Aims and Policies
This nursery aims to provide a safe, calm, supportive setting for children’s preschool years.
Each child should always feel valued and happy as they go about their activities.
Time is taken to listen to the children in groups and on a one-to-one basis. The children are encouraged to develop listening skills.
Each adult working with the children is caring, good-humoured, and patient in her approach. Our commitment to the Montessori philosophy and to the foundation stage curriculum ensures high-quality provision for the children. Learning is grouped into 7 areas:
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Personal, social, and emotional development
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Communication & language
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Literacy
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Mathematics
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
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Physical development
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Creative development
This nursery aims to continually update and improve all aspects. Suggestions and comments from parents are always welcome.
Children are keen learners and our job is to help them to understand their world. This nursery provides a stretching and challenging approach to learning.
Parents can contact the nursery throughout the year to discuss their child’s progress/development. We provide detailed progress notes twice per year.
Premises
The nursery school is located on the ground floor of a family house. The through lounge, toilet facilities, and conservatory opening out onto a large secure garden, are used exclusively for the nursery school.
Much of the garden is covered in soft Astroturf enabling garden play throughout the year.
Session Times
3 hour sessions : 8.30 – 11.30 a.m. ; 1 – 4 p.m.
4.5 hour sessions : 8.30 – 1pm; 11.30 – 4p.m.
7.5 hour sessions : 8.30 – 4 p.m.
Staffing
There is a ratio of 3 staff to 14 children.
The nursery supervisor, Gina Ferriter, has been teaching young children for many decades. The nursery practitioners are a hgreat team and have been working at this nursery for many years.
Staff are suitably qualified:
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M.A. Integrated Provision for Children and Families
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Assessor/Teacher SpLD
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Montessori Teaching Diploma
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Degree in Early Years Studies
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Early Years Professional Status
- Certificate in Therapeutic Play
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Childcare Level 3 NVQ
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All statutory training
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First Aid
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CPD
Personal, social and emotional development
The children are encouraged to play fairly and to be caring and considerate towards each other. They learn to work effectively both independently and as part of a group. Personal care and care for the environment are promoted. The children develop a sense of competence by doing as much as possible for themselves.
We recognise the importance of letting children develop their ideas and explore new learning. We encourage active learning and help the children to become focused, enabling better concentration.
The Montessori approach gives the child the freedom to work and play in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The children become great friends in a caring setting as they learn to share and take turns.
Communication & Language
Emphasis is placed on listening to the children both on a one to one and in groups.
This has the effect of increasing vocabulary and fluency. Stories, songs, rhymes, poems, and creating their own stories form part of the nursery experience.
Literacy
The Montessori approach to early reading and early mark making uses a multi-sensory method and proves very suitable and successful for this age group.
The nursery supervisor is a Montessori teacher and holds a further qualification to teach language and literacy throughout the primary years.
Storyboards, picture sequences and letter sounds are some of the steps towards reading.
Mathematics
The children enjoy a wide range of activities and materials that help to develop their understanding of numbers – describing shapes, position, size, quantity and measure.
The children soon recognise, record and use numbers.
The Montessori method employs sound building blocks, facilitating a clear understanding of early mathematics.
The nursery supervisor is qualified to identify patterns associated with learning difficulties, and to design support materials for pupils throughout the primary years.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
A wide range of topics are covered throughout the year. The purpose of these topics is to enable the children to build up an understanding of themselves, their families, friends, and their environment. We promote enjoyment, respect and awareness of cultural and religious events.
Emphasis is placed on the importance of listening to the children’s questions and providing appropriate replies, balanced with encouragement to find solutions to problems. Science investigations are enjoyed enormously by the children.
Creative Development
Arts & Craft activities give children opportunity to work with various materials. They learn to use scissors, fold, join, thread lace, glue, print, paint etc.
Malleable materials are always available i.e. play dough/clay.
The children use a wide range of musical instruments. They enjoy listening, clapping, dancing, singing and action songs. The children have access to a keyboard throughout the day.
Physical Development
The children learn to move about confidently within the group through day-to-day activities, and through music and movement. They use many tools/materials to improve dexterity – play cutlery, play dough accessories, magnets, buckles, laces, collage making etc.
Outdoor play in a large secure garden is available to the children throughout the year. The children wear head to toe rain outfits enabling them to be physically active in all weathers.
Most children would agree that outdoor play is the most enjoyable time throughout their school years. It is of course very healthy for the children – building muscle, strong bones and vitamin D levels. The outdoor play facilities include – balancing beams, basketball, tennis, football, slide, tunnel, tents, beanbags, hoops, hop scotch, cars, pedal bikes, junior golf, a large sand pit and a water play table.
Library
Every opportunity is taken to encourage the enjoyment of stories, books, rhymes, songs and print in general. A library system is in place whereby the children take home a book of their choice. The children are very enthusiastic about choosing books. Care of books is encouraged.
There is no access to computers, ipads or mobile phones.
Home-School Relationship
This nursery is committed to continually improving all aspects of the facility. Parents are welcome to discuss their child’s progress throughout the year. Written progress notes are presented at the end of the autumn and summer terms. The parents are very supportive of the nursery school.
The nursery develops successful and effective partnerships with parents. Parents are the child’s first educator and a working partnership between nursery and parents enables the child to fulfil their potential.
The parents help develop the children’s topic work at home – the children then return to nursery to share their ideas. This practice helps the children to grow in self-confidence, in general knowledge and improves their ability to express ideas.
Our key worker system ensures that each child feels a sense of belonging, feels valued and cared for in a timely manner.
Special Needs
Early identification of any learning difficulty is very important. The nursery Supervisor has specialist qualification in this area. The curriculum is modified or extended accordingly. The nursery group size (14/3) significantly benefits learning during the pre-school years. The nursery collaborates with the child’s parents to agree ways to support the child.
One to one provision can be arranged for the duration of the child’s preschool years where necessary.
Behaviour Management
The children are at the early stages of developing social skills. This nursery promotes a caring atmosphere within which the children begin to understand right from wrong. Emphasis is placed on promoting good social skills and enabling each child to develop high self esteem. Punishment of any description is not used at this nursery. Observational records may be made and liaison with parents sought. The children develop self-discipline through understanding, discussion and respect.
Child Protection
The prime responsibility within the nursery is to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children. The nursery has a duty to the children to act quickly and responsibly in any instances that come to our attention, and will liase with parents where appropriate.
All staff including volunteers and student placements working with the children undergo statutory checks. The staff are committed to all the nursery policies and procedures.
It is policy at this nursey that photographs are not taken of the children to add to portfolios. Permission from parents is sought for the group photo at the end of the year. This is printed out and given to parents, not sent online.
Only the normal collector is permitted to collect the child unless prior permission has been obtained.
Health and Safety
This nursery school is a calm, well-organized environment. Health and safety is the top priority. The children are supervised at all times. Risk assessment is carried out on a continual basis.
Equal opportunities
The workers at this nursery are committed to an equal opportunities policy. We encourage the children to treat others with consideration and respect and to expect to be treated likewise. We do not tolerate discrimination on the grounds of race, creed, class, gender, disability or age. We also believe in equal opportunity in terms of the children’s learning. Staff are aware of the importance of classroom practice in promoting equal opportunities e.g. use of lists, wall displays, images and activities. Each child is provided with materials and a programme appropriate to his/her ability and interest.
Illness and absence
Parents are required to inform the school as soon as possible if a child contracts an infectious illness. Children with stomach upsets can return to nursery 48 hours after the finish of the symptoms.
With regard to missed sessions, we do try to make an alternative session available wherever possible.
Medicines
Children will be permitted to take medically prescribed medicines only. These must be handed by the parents to the nursery school Supervisor.
Medicines must be clearly labelled, with the name of the child, dosage and frequency of intake. Parents must complete an authorisation form before medicines can be given.
Summary
This is the longest established Montessori nursery school in Enfield. The staff qualifications are of the highest standard. All aspects of the nursery school are continually updated and improved.
Group size in the preschool years is of particular importance. Research shows that when the group size increases beyond sixteen, the learning benefits decrease, regardless of the number of staff. Preschool children are not ready for the dynamics of the larger group size. As we know children often do cope in larger groups. However, such group sizes are not favourable environments for the developing child. This awareness of the developing needs of the child has dictated the group size of this nursery school.
Children learn more easily in a relaxed and natural setting. This fact influenced the choice of location for this nursery. It is located on the ground floor of a family house exclusively for the use of the nursery school. The children settle very happily, they quickly become confident, capable, and engaged. They make a very good transition into primary school. Their well-developed assuredness and general capability holds throughout future years.
One of the characteristics of the Montessori approach is that it places emphasis on the development of the whole child. Language, socialising, practical skills, self-awareness, reading, writing, numerical skills, discrimination of colour, form and sound are the building blocks of early education.