We would like to welcome you to Yatton Keynell Under 5’s Pre-School, a happy and friendly pre-school situated in the heart of the village. Yatton Keynell Under 5’s Pre-School opened in the 1970’s and serves the local community, surrounding villages and Chippenham area. The village hall offers a large main play area, a smaller quieter room, kitchen and cloakroom facilities. Outside we have the choice of a garden, patio and large playing field.
Yatton Keynell Under 5’s is an active village pre-school, committed to good practice. We believe we can offer the best for your child before they enter compulsory school education.
We understand that choosing a pre-school is an important decision and you may have many questions. This booklet is designed to answer the most common queries. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the pre-school leader who will endeavour to assist you.
Our aim
Our aim at Yatton Keynell Under 5’s is to support and encourage the children in our care to develop and grow in confidence in readiness for their transition to primary school. We encourage children to express their ideas and feelings through working and concentrating independently and also to take part in group activities. They learn sharing and cooperating with other children and adults.
Through the activities we provide, they learn ways to express themselves, be imaginative, socially interact, explore, experiment and have fun, learning life-long skills all along the way.
We aim to enhance the development and education for all children and to provide a working environment which ensures equality of opportunity for all children, family and employees.
What we can offer you and your child
- A safe, caring and stimulating environment for learning through play both indoors and outdoors, catering for every child’s individual needs.
- Children learn and develop through a wide range of challenging activities which cover the objectives of the early learning goals within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum.
- The child is allocated a key person, who will guide and support them throughout their time at pre-school.
- Parents are invited to twice-yearly meetings to discuss their child’s progress.
- Numerous opportunities for parents/carers involvement and contribution to the group.
- An opportunity for you and your family to be directly involved in the activities of the group and in your child’s progress.
- Fun and friendship with adults and peers.
- Opportunities to be involved in local community events e.g. the village fete.
Opening hours and core blocks
All children can attend mornings or mornings with lunch, afternoons or full days. Children usually benefit from attending a minimum of two core blocks per week to begin with, extending to full days after the initial settling in period. We do not provide lunch, so children attending over lunchtime will need to bring a packed lunch.
Our opening hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 9am – 3pm
Morning sessions: 9am – 12noon (or 1pm with lunch)
Afternoon sessions: 12noon – 3pm (with lunch)
Tuesday: 9am – 1pm (12noon if not having lunch)
Yatton Keynell Under 5’s offers education and care for children from the age of 2 to 5 years old. For children from 2 to 3 years old, the adult: child ratio is 1:4, and after the child’s 3rd birthday, the ratio changes to 1:8.
A typical day
We offer a wide range of activities aimed at giving all children equal opportunities to learn and develop intellectually, creatively, physically, socially and emotionally through play. A typical day can include:
Circle Time
This is where each child is encouraged to participate in group discussion around a range of topics covering all areas of the EYFS curriculum. The aim is to help with their communication skills and to build their confidence and self-esteem.
Free-play activities
A whole range of activities are available to the children which include: role play in the home corner or through dressing-up; painting; modelling using play dough; cooking; puzzles and games; reading in the book corner; using the computer; story time, music and singing. These activities are usually centred on topics which have evolved through establishing an interest of a child, or group of children and cover the objectives of the early learning goals within the EYFS curriculum. The children are encouraged to express their ideas and feelings, to work independently and also within the group.
Snack time
The children take their snack in the ‘snack cafe’ which opens for about an hour in the morning. Children are provided with milk or water and a small selection of fresh fruit/vegetables. Once a week we offer a multi-cultural snack and talk about the country where the food comes from and learn a few words too in the native language. Water is freely available throughout the course of the day, in named water bottles provided by you at the start of the day.
Outside play
Children benefit from outdoor play sessions on the paved area at the front as well as a grassy area at the rear. There is a wide range of outdoor toys which encourage coordination, control and movement. Children are closely supervised whilst outside and enjoy the physical challenges and social interaction with one another. Wherever possible, we take children out for walks and nature trails to the surrounding fields and village pond.
Song and story time
The session ends with story time and action songs – all of which contribute to the child’s mathematical, communication and language development through repetitive rhythm and rhyme. It encourages children to become familiar with books and begin to develop a keen interest in early year’s literature.
Outings, visits and events
We arrange several outings throughout the course of the year, including trips to a local farm, the village pond, a walk to the shop etc. We also arrange for members of the local community and/or friends or relatives to visit the children and talk about their jobs e.g. nurse; dentist; farmer; fireman; etc. A regular newsletter informs parents of any forthcoming events that they may wish to attend.