Parent/Committee Meeting

  • We hold regular Committee Meetings which are either Open Meetings, including Fundraising and Event Planning meetings to which all are invited, or Closed Meetings, which involve confidential information related to the running of Pre-School and are reserved for official Committee Members and Staff.
  • Open Meetings are usually held at different venues and times to try to include as many parents as possible, but post pandemic we continue to run Zoom meetings where convenient.
  • All parents and carers of children attending Pre-School are encouraged to join meetings in order to get to know everyone in our small Community as well as helping to raise much needed funds for our little village Pre-School.

 

  • The next meetings are:

 

To be confirmed

 

 

New committee members

  • Pre-School is run by a Committee of Volunteers, 60% of whom must be current parents or carers. However, the remainder can be anyone who has an interest in the Pre-School - grandparents, friends, neighbours, former "pupils", local residents - and we are always looking for help with Fundraising.
  • Please speak to staff or Committee ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) for further details.

 

Attachments:
Download this file (Committee - in a nutshell.pdf)Committee in a Nutshell[Committee Roles]112 Kb

Eligibility

eligibility forest schoolsIf your child is three then they are immediately eligible for the forest school experience. There will be a consent form to be completed and signed; a full explanation of what your child will experience will be given by our level 3 forest school co-ordinator Jan Parker.  Your child will need to be out of nappies (unless covered by our special circumstances).

Attachments:
Download this file (Eligibility for forest schools.docx)Eligibility for forest schools.docx[ ]136 Kb

Timetable and Routines

Due to COVID-19, our sessions are mainly outside, which is a development that we have found to fit in perfectly with our already increasing focus on using outdoor play and learning to achieve our aims and objectives. This is helped by our 3 distinct outdoor areas including a grassy play area with climbing equipment; a playground with learning sheds and ride on toys; and our fabulous Forest School area, complete with firepit, Mud Kitchen and a range of small trees and bushes to climb in, hide in or to make dens in. We also make the most of our picturesque rural setting by taking the children on short walks along the local footpaths. Music sessions were previously held on a Tuesday morning by our lovely external Music teacher but are currently run by our own multi-talented Staff at various times throughout the week. This will continue for the foreseeable future. Forest school sessions are on a rotational basis (please see the Forest Schools section for more information about this).

The morning timetable is flexible and runs as follows:

Time

Activity

9:00am

Children arrive and wash their hands before completing self-register by adding their name to the washing line on the board.   Free play and child choice activities.

9:20am - 11:10am

Child choice, free-flow or outdoor learning activities.  Adult focused activity.

10:30am

Café style snack (free-flow) available.  Milk/water and fruit.

All children wash hands after snack.

 

11:15am

Child choice, free-flow or outdoor learning activities.  Adult focused activity.

11:40am

Pack away time.

11:45am

Circle time (story, singing etc)

12:00pm

End of morning session.

The Pre-School session offers children a range of activities.  The children are helped and encouraged with new experiences to gain skills as well as learning to work with others.

Outdoor activities contribute to Children’s health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. 

Snacks: The Pre-School makes snacks a social time at which children and adults sit together.  We plan the menus for snacks so that they provide the children with healthy nutritious food.  Children are also given the opportunity to serve themselves and pour their own drinks.

Lunch: Any child can attend our afternoon sessions and lunch club from Monday to Friday. If your child only attends mornings on those days, she/he can also stay in our lunch club that runs until 1pm at a cost £5.00. Parents will need to supply a packed lunch for their children. Please note: No Nuts or Nut Products. These sessions can be booked as a one off, as and when, or as a regular place but please bear in mind that places are limited due to staff ratios and that it will be on a first come, first served basis.  Any children booked into the afternoon sessions will take priority.

Afternoon timetable:

Time

Activity

12:00pm

Wash hands for lunch.

12:00 - 12:30pm 

Lunch time.

All children wash hands after lunch.

12:30pm

Child choice, free-flow or outdoor learning activities.  Adult focused activity.

2:45pm

Pack away time.

2:15pm

Physical play (indoor or outdoor weather dependant)

2:50pm

Reflection time is followed by singing, story, etc.

3:00pm

End of session.

 

 
Attachments:
Download this file (Cultural Capital Calendar May 21.pdf)Children's Events and Activities in Pre-School[Cultural Capital Calendar 2021]355 Kb
Download this file (Healthy Eating 5532 Poster 2019.pdf)Healthy Eating poster[Guidance for Parents on how to support healthy nutrition]839 Kb

Forest Schools

What is it all about?

A Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning. The philosophy of Forest Schools is to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences. 

By participating in engaging, motivating and achievable tasks and activities in a woodland environment each participant has an opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation, sound emotional and social skills. These, through self awareness can be developed to reach personal potential.

Forest School Forest School Forest School

Forest Schools have demonstrated success with children of all ages who visit the same local woodlands on a regular basis and through play, who have the opportunity to learn about the natural environment, how to handle risks and most importantly to use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. Forest School programmes run throughout the year, for around 36 weeks, going to the forest school area in all weathers (except for high winds). Children use full sized tools, play, learn boundaries of behaviour; both physical and social, establish and grow in confidence, self-esteem and become self motivated.

So Forest School aims to develop: 

  • Self Awareness
  • Self Regulation 
  • Intrinsic motivation 
  • Empathy 
  • Good social communication skills 
  • Independence 
  • A positive mental attitude, self-esteem and confidence

Forest School, through its application of Accelerated Learning techniques creates a unique learning vehicle that is used to encourage a range of individuals, community groups and larger organisations to utilise their local open space for interactive play, health, recreation and personal development uses.

Children need time to thoroughly explore their thoughts, feelings and relationships. This time and reflective practice develops understanding of the world, the environment and everything within it through the use of emotions, imagination and senses.

 

Clicking on the link below will take you directly to the forest school official website. 

http://www.forestschools.com/ 

Staff

The staff that work at Sutton on the Hill Pre-School are:

Name

Job Title

Qualifications/experience

Krisztina Meszaro

Acting Manager

NCFE Cache Level 3 Diploma the EYW (Early Years Educator

NCFE Cache Level 3 award in supporting, teaching & learning 

Rachel Tranter

Acting Deputy Manager

Level 3 Early Years Educator.

Cache Level 2 Diploma in Children's Care, Learning and Education 

 

Kathy Danby

Early Years Practitioner

NVQ Level 3 Children's Learning Care & Development 

 

Margot Colgrave

Early Years Practitioner

 Bachelor of Education (Mencap) (Hons)

Amy Watt

Trainee Early Years Practitioner

 


All staff regularly access early years training courses.
 
Staff also attend regular staff meetings to discuss matters arising, planning and children's progress and development.