Pre-School

Our Hedge End Pre-school aims to:

• Provide high quality care and education primarily for children below statutory school age;

• Work in partnership with parents to help children learn and develop;

• Add to the life and well-being of its local community;

• Offer children and their parents a service, which promotes equality and values diversity.

As a member of Wildern Opportunity Group Pre-school in Hedge end, your child:

• Is in a safe and stimulating environment;

• is given generous care and attention, due to our high ratio of adults to children;

• has the chance to join with other children and adults to interact, play, work and learn together;

• is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by building on what she/he already knows and can do;

• has a personal ‘key person’ who ensures your child makes satisfying progress;

• is in a pre-school which sees you as a partner in helping your child to learn and develop

• is in a pre-school in which parents help to shape the service it offers.

Wildern Opportunity Group is committed to providing equal opportunities for all children regardless of their race, culture, religion, language or ability.  Children of both sexes are positively encouraged to participate in all activities.

We positively welcome children and their families of all races, languages, beliefs and backgrounds and strive to provide all children with positive self-images and values and to help them feel included.

Wildern Opportunity Group promotes positive recognition, understanding, knowledge and celebration of differences.

The Curriculum Provided

The provision for children's development and learning is guided by The Early Years Foundation Stage (DCFS 2007). From September 2008 the Early Years Foundation Stage became law. This brings together Birth to Three Matters and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage.  Our provision reflects the four key themes and 16 commitments of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care, education and activities offered by the Opportunity Group and our Pre-school in Hedge End helps children to continue to do this by, providing all of the children with interesting activities that are right for their age and stage of development.

The Areas of Development and Learning comprise:

• personal, social and emotional development;
• communication, language and literacy development;
• problem solving, reasoning and numeracy;
• knowledge and understanding of the world;
• physical development;
• creative development.

For each area, the practice guidance sets out the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their education.

The practice guidance also sets out in ‘Development Matters’ the likely stages of progress a child makes along their learning journey towards the early learning goals. Our setting has regard to these matters when we assess children and plan for their learning.

Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children think. The Opportunity Group and the Pre-school use the early learning goals  to plan and provide a range of play activities which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities, information from the early learning goals  is used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.

Opening Times

Wildern Opportunity Group is open for 38 weeks of the year.

We are closed Bank Holidays and school holidays.

We are open 5 days each week.

Our opening times for Pre – school sessions are: -

We offer 2 sessions per week, Wednesday 9.30 – 12 and Friday 9.30 – 12 for referrals from multi-disciplinary agencies for children with additional needs.

Attendance between 12 - 12:30 is extra unless the child is attending a full day.  Attendance over the lunch time period is limited to 18 spaces to give the children additional support.

Fees

The fees are £3.90p  hourly (from September '11), we also require a £50 deposit to secure a place and require that every child starts with at least two sessions per week.  

Children are entitled to up to 15 hours per week through the Early Years Education Grant (EYEG), however this entitlement only begins the term following the child's third birthday.

More details are available about the fees and EYEG when you make a visit to the pre-school.