Children's development and learning

We aim to ensure that each child:

• is in a safe and stimulating environment
• is given generous care and attention due to our ratio of qualified staff to children, and volunteer parent helpers
• has the chance to join in with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together
• is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by being helped to build on what she/he already knows and can do
• is in a pre-school that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop

Assessment

We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently.We use information that we gain from observations, to document their progress and where this may be leading them. We believe that parents know their children best and we ask them to contribute to assessment by sharing information about what their children like to do at home and how they, as parents, are supporting development. We make periodic assessment summaries of children's learning journeys based on our ongoing development records. These form part of children's records of achievement. We undertake these assessment summaries at regular intervals, as well as times of transition, such as when a child moves into a differentgroup or when they go on to school. A Iink to Information about the Early Years Foundation Stage can be found on our website.

Learning through play

At pre-school we plan and provide activities using Early Years Foundation Stage and the learning outcomes and children's interests. In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity.

Key person and your child

Our pre-school uses a key person approach This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/he is pa rticu Iarly responsible for. She/he will help your child to settle in at pre school and throughout your child's time at the setting, she/he will help them to benefit from pre-school's activities. Each child has a Iearning journey, your child's key person will work in partnership with you to keep this record. To do this, you and she/he will collect information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will enable the key person to identify your child's stage of progress. You and the key person will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage. Parents are regarded as members of our preschool who have full participatory rights. These include a right to be:

• Valued and respected
• Kept informed
• Consulted
• Involved