A-Z Of Information

A

Accidents

All parents/carers are notified when their child has had an accident at preschool via the Eylog app. In the event of a head injury, we will call families immediately to notify them.

 

Admissions

We offer places for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds. Enquire about a place for your child here eyMan - RegisterEnquiry Enquiries

 

Allergies

We always ask families to update us with any allergies their child has so that all staff are aware. These are displayed in locations around the preschool.

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Aprons

Messy play is an important part of children's learning and development. We provide and encourage children to wear aprons, however, it is the child's choice as to whether they wear aprons. Please provide spare clothing so staff are able to change children if their clothing is wet. 

 

Arrival/Collection

Children must be dropped off and collected by an adult who is named on our records. Please keep us updated with any changes.

We open our doors for collection five minutes before the end of each session at 11.55 and 3.25 – letting in a few parents at a time to allow for staff to talk to parents.

We also ask that one adult per child enters the building to aid congestion.

 

Attendance

We encourage full attendance each week to support children to familiarise themselves with routines which ultimately helps them to feel safe and secure within the environment.  Punctuality at drop off and collection also aids this. If for any reason, your child is unable to attend then we ask that you phone, email or send an Eylog message before 9am on each day of absence. Following our policies, fees will still be incurred if a child is absent. If your child is absent and we have not heard from you, the preschool will contact you on each day of absence.

 

B

Book Library

Please help yourself to borrow books from our book library in the front garden to share with your child at home. We are also grateful for any donations of books.

 

Breakfast Club

Our Breakfast Club runs daily, 7.30-9am. Children are provided with cereal, fruit and milk. Breakfast Club cannot be used within a child’s funded hours and the current rate can be found on our website. Fees and Funding | playhousepreschool (playhousepreschoolbroadwater.com)

 

Butterfly Room

The Butterfly Room is for children aged three and four years of age. Our ratio is 1 adult to 8 children. We aim to move children up to the Butterfly Room the half term following their third birthday. This is dependent on the current availability.

 

C

Caterpillar Room

The Caterpillar Room is for children aged two years of age. Our ratio is 1 adult to 5 children. We aim to move children up to the Butterfly Room the half term following their third birthday. This is dependent on the current availability.

 

Christmas Party

All children are invited to join us for our Christmas Parties. The parties take place on the last day of the Autumn Term and are a free session for all children.

 

Coat Pegs

Every child is allocated a coat peg which may shared with another child who attends on a different day. Due to space, we ask that the drawstring red bags we provide are used and backpacks are avoided.

 

Coffee, Cake & Catch Up

The Preschool invites all parents/carers into the preschool every term for coffee, cake and catch-up sessions. Please join us to discuss your child’s progress, ask questions and meet other parents/carers.

 

Communication

At Playhouse Preschool, we recognise the importance of communication.  We contact families through email, Eylog and also send regular Friday Flyers and newsletters.  It is imperative that all families keep up to date with these communications. Our website and Facebook pages are also useful sources of information.

 

Complaints Procedure

Please refer to our Complaints Policy Policies & Procedures | playhousepreschool

 

Cooking

All children take part in a cooking session every half term. Cooking promotes all areas of a child’s learning and development, and we encourage children to be independent. Whenever possible, we will use ingredients grown onsite in our vegetable garden.

 

Contact Details

Please ensure your contact details are up to date. The preschool will ask parents/carers to check their details are correct every term. If your contact details change in between these checks, please pass them onto the preschool as soon as possible.

 

D

Dates

Our upcoming term dates can be found on our weekly Friday Flyer, Newsletter and website Term Dates | playhousepreschool

 

E

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)

Early Years Pupil Premium is a UK Government scheme that provides additional funding to early years providers to support 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families as well as from some other types of disadvantaged background.

The EYPP funding is intended to help close the gap in development and school readiness. The funding is used to provide additional support and resources that enhance the learning and development for those children who are eligible.

 

Eylog App

You will be sent an invitation to log into your child’s Eylog account. We use Eylog to share weekly photos, invoices, reports, information and accident forms. We also encourage families to upload their own observations from home – the children love to share photos from their holidays or special events with their friends at group time.

 

Entrance Gate

Please use the preschool gate when entering and exiting the preschool and avoid using Longmeadow Primary School’s entrance gate.

 

Existing Injuries

When dropping of your child at preschool, please inform a staff member of any existing injuries for us to record.

 

F

Family Photo

We ask all children bring in a family photo to display in our home corner. Children love to see their family photos whilst playing in the home corner.

 

Family Picnic

We always celebrate the end of the academic year with our annual family picnic. This takes place in Shephalbury Park, and everyone is invited to join us.

 

Fees

Fees will be invoiced at the beginning of the month and are due to be paid on the last Friday of every month. Our fees can be viewed on our website Fees and Funding | playhousepreschool

 

Forest School

Forest School provides learning opportunities through physical activities in an outdoor environment. It gives children the freedom to play, explore and experience the natural world in all seasons. The sessions are every Friday morning for the Butterfly Room children and are run by a Level 3 Forest School Leader. Forest School takes place in a little wooded area within the grounds of Longmeadow Primary School. To participate, children must wear full length trousers and sleeves. The preschool provides full length rain suits and hi-vis jackets.

 

Friday Flyer

A copy of our Friday Flyer is displayed in the foyer and sent to all parents on Friday afternoons. The flyer gives a brief overview of the activities that took place that week and what is planned or the following date. It also has reminders for parents and upcoming dates.

 

Funding

We accept children in receipt of 2-year-old Early Education Funding, 3- and 4-year-old 15 Hour Early Education Funding and 30 Hour Free Childcare Funding. For more information regarding funding, please visit https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

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You can choose to use your 15 funded hours in any combination of sessions, within our hours of operation. For example, you could choose for your child to attend five mornings, five afternoons, a combination of morning and afternoon sessions or two full days. If the hours your child attends exceed the 15 hours per week, you will be invoiced for the additional sessions. 

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For children taking up a free 30-hour place, the 30 funded hours ends at 1pm on Friday when you are required to collect your child. There is the option of paying for the additional 2.5 hours and collecting your child at 3.30pm on a Friday.

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G

 

H

Helper Rota

The preschool ‘helper’s rota’ is located within the foyer. Parents/carers are welcome to help during a session and can add their name to the rota. We recommend that you only do this once your child is completely settled.

 

Home Learning

We have lots of home learning ideas for you to try at home. These can be found on display in the foyer or videos on our website. If you try any activities at home, we would love for you to share these with us by uploading your own observation on Eylog.

 

Home Visits

We value and offer ‘Home Visits’ before your child starts with us. The aim of a home visit is to build up a relationship with your child and yourself before your child starts pre-school, to meet your child in their home environment to ease the settling in period and to ensure that your child has met staff on familiar territory. Home visits can help them feel more confident about making the transition from home to pre-school.

These visits can be extremely beneficial to both you and your child and can be arranged at a time to suit yourselves. If you would like a home visit for your child before they start at Playhouse, please contact us as soon as possible to arrange a convenient time.

 

I

Illness

We follow Public Health Agency’s incubation periods from the ‘guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings’. It is important to emphasise that children who have had diarrhoea and/or vomiting are clear for 48 hours before returning to preschool.

Please inform the preschool if children have any infectious diseases – measles, chicken pox, mumps, slapped cheek, hand, foot & mouth, conjunctivitis, etc so we can consult Public Health and inform other families.

 

Invoices

Invoices are generated for all children and are sent to your Eylog account at the beginning of each month to be paid on the last Friday of the month.

 

J

 

K

Keyworker/Key Person

A key person is a named member of staff assigned to an individual child to support their development and act as the key point of contact with the child's parents or carers. Each child will be assigned a key person who will help them to become familiar with their surroundings, to feel confident and safe within it, and develop a genuine bond with the child and immediate family that forms the basis of a settled, close relationship.

 

L

Lunch Club

Children attending a full day are required to bring a healthy, packed lunch from home. They enjoy joining their friends for a lunch where they socialise, learn good table manners and develop self-help skills. Due to allergies, we are a nut free zone (this includes hazelnut chocolate fillings).

 

M

Medication

If your child requires medication to be administered at preschool, please see a member of staff to complete the medication book. We can only administer medication that has been prescribed for the child and the prescription sticker is visible on the medication. All medications are stored in a locked cupboard.

 

Mobile Phones

We are mobile free zone. Please refrain from using mobile phones when on the school site.

 

N

Named Clothing

Please ensure all your child’s belongings are named to ensure items are returned to the correct child.

 

Nappy Changes

Children attending a full day (9am-3.30pm) will have their nappy changed once during the morning session and once during the afternoon session. The changes will be recorded on the Eylog app for you to view. Children attending a three-hour session will not have their nappy changed routinely so please ensure your child starts the session with a clean nappy. However, all nappies will be changed if soiled or full. Children wearing nappies require an adequate number of spare nappies, wipes and nappy sacks in their red bags for every session.

 

Nappy Cream

If your child requires a nappy cream to be applied during their nappy change, please ensure permission is granted on the Eylog app and hand the cream to a staff member. We will store nappy creams in a locked cupboard and not in the child’s red bag within the foyer.

 

O

Ofsted

Playhouse is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Please see our latest inspection report 50189196

 

Opening Times

Breakfast club 7.30-9am

Morning session 9am-12pm

Lunch Club 12.00-12.30pm

Afternoon session 12.30-3.30pm

 

P

Parents Meetings

During your child’s time at Playhouse, you will be given many opportunities to meet with your child’s keyworker to discuss how they have settled and their progress. Parents meetings include a settling in meeting two weeks after your child has started, two year progress check during your child’s first term, transition meeting when your child moves up to the Butterfly Room and termly progress reviews.

 

We also have ‘Coffee, Cake & Catch Up’ sessions every term. This is another opportunity for you to come in to speak to staff and meet other parents.

 

Policies

All our policies can be found on our website and copies are also available upon request. Policies & Procedures | playhousepreschool (playhousepreschoolbroadwater.com)

 

Prospectus

View our prospectus here Playhouse Preschool Prospectus

 

Q

 

R

Ratios

We pride ourselves on having high staff to child ratios and always have more staff than legally required. The legal staff to child ratios for two-year-old children is 1 adult to 5 children. The legal staff to child ratios for three- and four-year-old children is 1 adult to 8 children.

 

Red Bags

Every child is gifted a Playhouse Preschool drawstring bag when they start. Please ensure these are taken home and returned each session, refilled with plenty of nappies, wipes and spare clothing.

 

S

Safeguarding

The children’s safety and well-being are our main priority. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Claire Bransby. The Designated Safeguarding Officers are Zoe Munford and Siouxsie Holloway.

 

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

All children learn and develop in different ways. Our Special Educational Needs Co Ordinator (SENCO) will work in partnership with you to ensure every child has their needs met. We will make adaptations within the environment to cater for the various ways in which children play, learn and develop.

 

Settling In

All children are allocated two settling sessions, these are free of charge. The first settling session is a one-hour session where parents/carers are required to stay for the duration. Your child’s keyworker will give you a tour of the preschool, ensure all paperwork is completed and get to know you and your child. The second settling session is a one-hour session where the child stays without their parent/carer. If more settling sessions are required, this will be arranged between yourself and the keyworker.

 

Smoking/Vapes

The grounds within Longmeadow Primary School are a no smoking or vaping zone.

 

Snack

All children are offered a snack during the morning and afternoon session. We provide children with fruit, milk and water.

 

Speech and Language

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s speech and language development, please speak to your child’s key person or Senco. There is also lots of information for parents regarding speech and language on the foyer board.

 

Stay and Play Sessions

Stay and play sessions occur every term and all children and their families are invited. They are usually themed around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.

 

Sun

Sunscreen must be applied before attending the setting, using an all day, high UV protection lotion as the preschool does not apply sun cream to the children. The preschool provides legionnaire style hats for the children to wear whilst playing outdoors.

 

T

Toileting

When your child starts toilet training, please inform your child’s keyworker so we can follow the same approach to ensure consistency and ensure there are plenty of changes of clothes in their red bag. We encourage the child to be independent when using the toilet and follow Home - ERIC for the latest guidance and advice.

 

Transitions

When a child moves up to the Butterfly Room, the current keyworker will write a report for the new keyworker. The child will also have short settling visits in the new room before moving up. You will be informed when this will happen.

When a child leaves Playhouse to go to nursery or reception, we liaise closely with other early years providers. Visits take place where possible and we will keep you informed when these are arranged. Transition reports are shared for the new school.

 

U

Uniform

Uniform is optional and can be purchased from Playhouse Pre-school Broadwater – My Clothing We also have preloved uniform and wellington boots in our foyer for you to help yourself to.

 

V

 

W

Water Bottle

Children are required to bring in a named, water bottle from home for every session. Only water is permitted in the bottles. Cups and a jug of water are available for children who forget their water bottle.

 

Wellington Boots

All children require a pair of named, wellington boots to remain at preschool. When the ground is wet, children are only permitted to go outside when using wellington boots. We have preloved wellington boots in our foyer, please help yourself to a pair and ensure they are named.

 

X

 

Y

 

Z

 

More information can be found on our More website Welcome|playhousepreschool(playhousepreschoolbroadwater.com) or on the Eylog app under ‘documents’.