Pre-School

Kerry, our Nursery Teacher, oversees the opportunities for play, fun and learning in our Pre-School and Swans rooms. She is passionate about play and its crucial role in early childhood education and has worked to create an environment that nurtures children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth. Through play, especially when it is child led, children naturally encounter challenges, such as how to build a tower with blocks or resolve a pretend play scenario. They develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills by figuring out solutions on their own. Through child-led play we see children exploring their creativity and using their imagination. Creating stories with props or drawing freely foster innovation and independent thought.
Our children in the Pre-School room are naturally equipped with a deep sense of curiosity and the ability to lead their own learning through play, our staff adopt the role of play companions and engage with play, supporting the children through questions and encouragement, continually responding to the children’s interests and needs. With this in mind, your child’s key person will be allocated when bonds have naturally developed. They will then set and support your child to work towards targets and meet our nursery curriculum goals.
In the Pre-School room we further prepare our children for their journey to primary school. This is an important time where children join adult-led activities, learning to work together and participate in group activities. We teach Phase 1 phonics which is the crucial foundation for early literacy development. It focuses on building children’s listening skills, sound discrimination and oral language abilities. It lays the groundwork for future reading and writing by preparing the children to recognise, explore and manipulate the sounds of spoken language before they encounter written letters. Through this teaching we then ensure the cohort is ready for our more formal phonics teaching when they reach Reception class.
Outside in our large garden areas, including our very own nursery woodland area, the Pre-School children are encouraged to explore and develop physical skills and develop awe and wonder in the outdoor environment. The area is adapted to suit the needs of individual children and their interests. Our wooden climbing frame is the perfect place for children to be active and let their imagination run wild alongside developing their core strength. The children also enjoy a forest water run, a construction area, a sand pit, tyres, digging and growing areas and a variety of cars, bikes and sports equipment.