How will attending pre-school help my child?
Pre-school is a popular choice to choose for early education experiences for children, but how do they help with learning?
Between the ages of three and five years old, before they’re eligible to start primary school children are able to attend pre-school. It’s highly beneficial to let your child attend such sessions, as they offer a valuable opportunity for children to try out new activities, learn new skills and socialise with their peers (plus, it provides some parents with a welcome break!).
In fact, attending pre-school is something that is actively encouraged by the government in England, as the early years are an important stage of children’s development and learning, and the more learning they’re able to experience, the better start in life they gain. As a result, all three and four years old in England are currently eligible for 15 hours of free early learning sessions each week, for 38 weeks of the year. You may also be eligible for 30 hours of funding or two years funding. please visit the following website to see if you qualify. https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds
All preschools, nurseries and other forms of pre-school learning environments follow the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is a introduced scheme aimed at children aged from birth to five years of age, and ensures that, wherever in the country children are, they’ll all get the same basic learning approach. For lots more information on the Early Years Foundation Stage visit the website http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/
Pre-school learning environments are specially designed to be age appropriate for young children, helping to support and boost their development and learning.
Pre-schools are available to children under the age of five years old and offer a safe, supportive and inspiring environment in which children gain a foundation of early education.
Pre-schools have to be registered and are inspected regularly by government bodies, so you can be assured that the standards of learning are maintained.
How can I find out how my child is getting on?
It is important that you and the professionals caring for your child work together. You need to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child. These conversations will need to be with your child’s “key person”. This is the person who:
Is your main point of contact within the setting
Helps your child to become settled, happy and safe
Is responsible for your child’s care, development and learning
Takes a careful note of your child’s progress, sharing this with you and giving you ideas as to how to help your child at home
Your Child's Keyworker is available in the morning as the children are coming in and at the end of a session. They can also be available at any other time that is suitable for you, please just ask. If you are unable to come to the setting we can also do home visits or are available to talk to by telephone or email. The manager is also available to talk to at anytime that is suitable for you.
By the time they reach pre-school age, children are keen learners, but exactly how do they learn?
Pre-schoolers are defined as children between the age of three and five years old and it refers to the time before they attend school at five years old.
From the age of three years old, children largely learn new skills and abilities through doing things and sharing their world with adults. Toys can help their learning, but you don’t need to spend loads of money on big or expensive toys, as they learn a lot from everyday activities and what’s going on in the world around them.
Pre-schoolers have already come a long way in their learning and you’ll have seen great changes in their ability as they progress from being a toddler to being a pre-schooler. Doing things is one of the most vital elements of early childhood education and learning for pre-schoolers – although to them, it’s all about fun. So incorporating lots of fun activities into their day, including plenty of new things to try and explore, will significantly help your child learn more at this age.
As a mum or dad, how can I help with my child’s learning?
All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school. We send home a learning through play pack with your child’s next steps and and suggestion activities to promote the child’s next step. Please just ask your child's keyworker if you would like additional ideas of how you can support your child's development in your home environment. Staff will be able to suggest lots of activities to do that are individual to your child's needs.
Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child it will make a real difference to your child’s confidence as a young learner.
You will be able to get information about your child’s development at any time.
Try to speak to your child’s key person as often as possible about what your child has been doing, what they have enjoyed, what they need to be doing more of and what you can do at home to support their learning and development. Please remember to look at your child's year book as much as you can. These books are available to see at any time or to take home to show other family members. We also send home a monthly photo collage and a description of what your child has been doing along with their own personal achievements.
Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework
The department of Education has issued a statutory Framework for childcare settings, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The framework sets out the legal requirements for the care of young children relating to Learning, Development and Welfare. These are important areas all parents need to be comfortable with before choosing any type of childcare for their young children.
Parents at Murrow Pre-School have told us they like to be kept informed on the EYFS as the framework not only provides legal requirements, but also structure around the areas of learning and development as well as the focus in helping young children achieve their full potential.
The EYFS framework sets the UK standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. This was last updated in September 2023
Parents are kept informed of the development of their child’s progress within the four principles the EYFS framework through regular dialogue with their child’s key person and through the individual development folder of each child known as a year book.
We hope you will see a connection with the EYFS framework with some of the other information we have tried to articulate on other pages on our web site, through our activities, our approach and our focus on the safety and wellbeing of each child.
The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and learning support the development of the Unique Child in how children are learning.
Characteristics of Effective Teaching and learning
Playing and exploring – engagement
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to ‘have a go’
Active learning – motivation
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically – thinking
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
The seven areas of learning are simply explained on this web lin http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/