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Pre-school

Welcome to Pre-school

Pre-School is the largest of our Early Years departments and accepts children from the term after their third birthday until they move into Reception. Pre-School at Franche consists of two engaging and well-resourced departments. The main nursery consists of three rooms, two of which are used in a free flow environment to create one larger room and one that provides a quiet space for focused adult-led activities, planned key worker activities and speech and language interventions. These areas are accessed by children in the year before they will be going to Reception. The children in this room are split into two family groups (red and blue) which is made up of around 3 key worker groups. Children are taught through planned family times, key worker sessions and adult led activities alongside planned out enhancements and child initiated activities during continuous provision.

 

The Pre-School also has a secondary base which is for our younger pre-school children who may be attending for additional terms (Spring and Summer) due to their age. This secondary base is a smaller version of the main setting and is in the school’s modular building on the opposite side of the specifically-designed and purpose-built Pre-school garden. This smaller setting is the perfect way for children to be introduced into the main nursery. The shared garden allows children across our preschool to interact during free-flow. The purpose built outdoor environment is enhanced through links to the topics as well as responding to children’s interests to provide a stimulating environment for all children.

Key worker
 
Each child in EYFS has a Key Person who helps to ensure that your child is happy and their learning and care is tailored to meet their needs. In Pre-school the Key Person will be a member of staff from your child’s Family group (Red or Blue). The Key Person plays an active role in the child’s care and development should have a positive relationship with the child and their parents/carer. They will be the first port of call for any questions, queries involving your child’s learning. They will also support parents and/or carers, if needed, in guiding their child’s development at home and to engage with more specialist support, if appropriate. Key workers will regularly share updates, queries, concerns and achievements; celebrating your child’s successes within the setting.
 
Keep a look out for proud cloud moments at home. Don't forget to write them on your child's clouds and bring them back into school so that we can celebrate these moments with your child's key worker.
Nursery Brochure 24.25.pdf
What learning looks like in Pre-school

Each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Practitioners respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, positive, high quality interactions. Due to our school context, we have a language rich curriculum supported by visual resources and strategies for learning, and using, new language and concepts. 

Foundation skills such as early mark-making, phonics and number are intrinsically taught and embedded through a wide range of activities and pedagogical approaches. 

Within our EYFS departments ‘teaching’ is in every activity provided, there are no activities that occur in the settings that are not considered opportunities for teaching and learning.

 

Nursery Autumn 2 overview.pdf
Franche EYFS Framework - Nursery & Reception.docx.pdf
Exciting and enriching experiences and opportunities 
 
In Nursery we offer a wide range of opportunities and experiences for our Pre-school children. The majority of these experiences are pre-planned as part of our long term curriculum offer.  Due to our extensive grounds and facilities we are also lucky to be able to offer weekly forest school sessions and 'fun swim sessions' in our on site swimming pool.
 
Throughout the year Nursery take part in fundraising events to provide opportunities and experiences linked to children's interests. Last year this included visits from the animal man, an end of year picnic with a visit from an ice-cream van, an on site bouncy castle day among many others.
 
Below are some examples of experiences and opportunities:
  • Our school facilities including trim trail, wellbeing garden, forest school, swimming pool
  • Qualified staff leading specific sessions including forest school
  • Lunch clubs e.g KIXX (football club)
  • School trips e.g farm
  • Visitors into school e.g animal man, magician, story teller, police, fireman
  • Links with the local library for story and rhyme events in school
  • Fundraising experiences e.g teddy bears picnic
  • cooking/baking
  • Fun swim sessions
  • Visits to our local church
  • Visits from members of the community
  • Local walks
 
 
Look out for updates about events and experiences via parent mail. We also share lots of exciting things the children have been up to via our weekly newsletter, and Facebook page.
 
Current Forest school sessions for Autumn are:
Red Group is on a Tuesday morning
Blue Group is on a Thursday afternoon
 
Parental engagement
 

We recognise that children settle, learn and develop best when there is a strong partnership and effective communication between practitioners and parents and/or carers. Within Franche Community Primary School Early Years this is a key priority and area of strength. Parents are considered a valuable stake holder in their child’s education. For this reason, the staff actively seek ways to engage parents and/or carers throughout the year including workshops, parents evenings, celebration events and reading mornings.

 

Look out for The weekly Pre-school newsletter, which lets you know what your child has been learning this week. It will also include:

  • Home learning ideas linked to the topic
  • The topic text
  • Communication spotlights
  • Weekly Nursery rhyme
  • focus vocabulary
  • Any important information and dates
The importance of language development
At Franche we recognise that language is central to all development. We therefore ensure that it is at the forefront of all our provision across Early Years through our planning, teaching, environment and high quality interactions. Our progressive planning includes a well thought out variety of age appropriate texts, poetry, rhymes and topic based vocabulary. Throughout the day we include opportunities for daily stories, rhymes, phonics sessions and listening games. We work closely with our on site SALT team to ensure a that the needs of all of our children are met through high quality interactions, a language rich environment and targeted interventions.
 
 
Please click the link below to be directed to the Speech and Language and Oracy page on the school website:
 
Look out for:
  • The weekly communication spotlights. You will find them on our newsletter and on the family group door (example below)
  • Our weekly topic text. This will be on our newsletter along with a link to an audio version to share with your child at home.
  • Our weekly Nursery rhyme. This will be on our newsletter along with a link to an audio version to share with your child at home.
  • Our topic vocabulary. This will  be on our half termly overview sheets.
Local library events information
Speech and Language website
Little Wandle: Love of Reading Parent-Handout
Reading games to play with your Nursery child.pdf
Phonics in pre-school
"Building the foundations"
At Franche we follow The Little Wandle Phonics scheme. In Nursery this is called 'Foundations for Phonics'.
Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics focuses on the sounds of language to help children prepare for phonics in Reception.
 
'The Nursery years are the best time to lay the foundations for children’s future reading.'
 
Research tells us that children will become better readers if they can recognise and play around with the following aspects of language:
  • rhyming words
  • syllables within words
  • the first sound that words begin with (initial sound)
  • the sounds within words (for example, knowing that the word ‘cat’ is made of the sounds c-a-t). (oral blending)
 
The Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics supports staff to develop these skills with your child. 
 
 
In Nursery we timtable daily phonics sessions alongside time for listening games and story/song/rhyme times. Throughout the day, staff will use opportunities to embed these skills e.g clapping syallables in children's names for them to go and get their coat at home time.
 
 
 To find out more please click the link below to be directed to the Phonics and Early Reading page on the school website:
 
Look out for: 
  • Our weekly Nursery rhyme: Little Wandle's Foundation for Phonics weekly Nursery Rhyme. This will be on our weekly newsletter. Follow the link below to watch the weekly Nursery rhyme with you child at home. Can they perform the Nursery rhyme for you at home?
  • Listening and attention game ideas at home. You will find these are on our website.
  • Phonics information and resources. You will find these on our school website (please see below)
Little Wandle: Foundations for Phonics parents-presentation
Little wandle: Foundations for Phonics Parent Handout
Little Wandle Foundation for Phonics: Nursery rhymes
Dough Disco
In preparation for mark making and Handwriting

To help prepare our Nursery children for writing we have daily Dough Disco sessions. Dough Disco is a fun activity which combines the use of play dough with a series of finger exercises designed to improve fine motor control. The movements develop children's fine and gross motor dexterity, hand-eye coordination and self-esteem. This is turn improves their mark making, pre-writing shapes and hand writing skills.

 

‘Dough Disco’ is a good way to warm up those important muscles in our hands, arms and shoulders in preparation for a busy day. Children are to be given a ball of play dough then to the beat of the music, the children copy the adult as they demonstrate various ways to manipulate the play dough, exercising as many of those important muscles as possible.  

 

If you wanted to have a go at home click the links below, there are also some videos on you tube you can try, or simply put on your favourite music and dough dance away!

Please click the below to find out more about writing at Franche:

WEBSITE PAGE: WRITING


 

Dough Disco finger family.PNG
Dough-Recipe..pdf
Dough disco moves. Parent handout
pre writing shapes.pdf
Pre writing shapes parent guide.pdf
How to support your child at home
 
Below are some fun ideas of ways you can help to support your child's learning at home.
Homeschool-play-ideas.pdf

Here are some other contacts that you may find useful:

 

SEND SCHOOL WEBSITE: Franche Community Primary School - SEND Provision

SAFEGUARDING SCHOOL WEBSITE: Franche Community Primary School - Safeguarding

 

SUPPORTING FAMILIES AND WELLBEING SCHOOL WEBSITE: Franche Community Primary School - Supporting Families & Wellbeing

 

Health Visitor Telephone Advisory Service -Mon—Fri 9.00am—1.00pm: 01905 520 032 

Your local Starting Well Family Hub - www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/familyhubs/ 

Speech and Language resources - www.hacw.nhs.uk/childrens-speech-and-language-resources 

Toileting Advice—ERIC website  www.eric.org.uk 

Sleep Support - Cerebra— www.cerebra.org.uk 

The Sleep Charity— www.thesleepcharity.org.uk

 

If you need any further support please speak to your child's key worker or a member of the Pre-school team.

Starting Well Wyre Forest Autumn Timetable for parents.pdf
Helping your child to be Reception ready 
 
We know that starting school can be a daunting experience for both parents and children. At Franche we pride ourselves in implementing a carefully planned, transition programme to support all children to settle within EYFS. However, we recognise every child as being a unique child and we will tailor our approach, when agreed through discussions with staff and parents, to meet the needs of individual children. 
 
If your child is joining us in September please take a look at the following documents to help you support your child to be school ready:
Preparing-your-child-for-School. Road to school.jpg
Steps to starting school. Reception.pdf
Are you interested in joining our Pre-school?
 
 
If you have any further questions please contact our school office using the information below. They will be able to help you with enquires about session times and availability including funded and non funded places.
 
Telphone: 01562 751788