Gardners Lane Children's Centre

Children's Sessional Group

Sessional Nursery

Sessional nursery is a free service for children, on the term following their 3rd birthday until they start school. Children can attend for 5 x 3 hour sessions a week.

We work on a ratio of 1 member of staff to 8 children. We also offer assessment places for children with identified speacial educational needs, who are referred to us by the local authority.

What the sessions involve

We follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum which was published by the DFEE (2000), and covers the 3-5 year old age range.

Copies of this document are available in the Centre along with a copy of our Foundation Stage Policy.

We provide a broad and balanced range of play and practical "topic based" activities to allow:-

Personal, Social and Emotional Development, focusing on learning how to play, cooperate with other children and adults and develop self care skills.
Communication, Language and Literacy, to develop speaking and listening skills and provide the foundation to become readers and writers.
Mathematics, focusing on learning concepts and skills through practical activities and developing understanding and use of mathematical language
Knowledge and Understanding of the World, to learn about and explore the world around them, build and construct with a range of objects and start to use information and communication technology
Physical Development, developing physical control, awareness of space and manipulative skills.
Creative Development, through stories, imaginative play, art, music and movement.

Staff assess and record children’s progress in the above areas and share this information with parents during consultations

What you need to provide for your child

What do I need to provide for my child at Nursery?
Please ensure that your child

Wears suitable play clothes to enable them to participate in outdoor play, soft play, movement sessions and floor play
Wears suitable non-slip footwear which ideally your child can put on and take off for his/herself
Brings a coat/jacket for outdoor play
Brings nappies or "pull ups" if appropriate.
We provide aprons for messy play.
We do have some spare clothes at the Centre but if you wish to send some additional clothes for your child please do so. .

Policies

There are a number of Centre Policies which are available within the Centre and cover issues such as "Health & Safety", "Admissions", "Children's Learning" and "Children's Illnesses".

It would be helpful if parents/carers could follow these guidelines

let us know if someone else is collecting a child
children who are poorly or suffering from infectious illnesses should remain at home until they are well and no longer infectious.
labelling clothes and belongings such as jumpers, coats and bags helps staff to match these up with the correct children at the end of sessions.
if children wear earrings, studs are safer than hoops as these are less likely to get "caught".
it is important that you keep us informed, in writing, of changes to address/telephone including mobile numbers.

Snack Time

Drinks and snacks are provided at each session. We ask for a small donation to cover food and drink and items needed for food preparation e.g. plastic gloves, aprons and detergents. These donations also enable us to purchase food items relating to topic activities including "cooking".

Parent & Carer / Staff Consultations

We hope parents and carers feel able to approach us at any time to share information about children’s progress, ask questions or raise any concerns. We also value feedback about what you and your child like or dislike about the Group.

During the year there will be opportunities to meet a member of staff individually to discuss children’s progress.

For children with special educational needs we hold review meetings to discuss children's progress, review individual plans and set new targets.

We look forward to seeing as many parents/carers as possible at these Meetings.


Home Services Children's Sessional Group Job Centre Plus Family Support Family Learning Other Services	Children's Sessional Group Sessional Nursery What the sessions involve What you need to provide for your child Policies Snack Time Parent & Carer / Staff Consultations Sessional Nursery Sessional nursery is a free service for children, on the term following their 3rd birthday until they start school. Children can attend for 5 x 3 hour sessions a week. We work on a ratio of 1 member of staff to 8 children. We also offer assessment places for children with identified speacial educational needs, who are referred to us by the local authority. . What the sessions involve We follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum which was published by the DFEE (2000), and covers the 3-5 year old age range. Copies of this document are available in the Centre along with a copy of our Foundation Stage Policy. We provide a broad and balanced range of play and practical "topic based" activities to allow:- Personal, Social and Emotional Development, focusing on learning how to play, cooperate with other children and adults and develop self care skills. Communication, Language and Literacy, to develop speaking and listening skills and provide the foundation to become readers and writers. Mathematics, focusing on learning concepts and skills through practical activities and developing understanding and use of mathematical language Knowledge and Understanding of the World, to learn about and explore the world around them, build and construct with a range of objects and start to use information and communication technology Physical Development, developing physical control, awareness of space and manipulative skills. Creative Development, through stories, imaginative play, art, music and movement. Staff assess and record children’s progress in the above areas and share this information with parents during consultations . What you need to provide for your child What do I need to provide for my child at Nursery? Please ensure that your child Wears suitable play clothes to enable them to participate in outdoor play, soft play, movement sessions and floor play Wears suitable non-slip footwear which ideally your child can put on and take off for his/herself Brings a coat/jacket for outdoor play Brings nappies or "pull ups" if appropriate. We provide aprons for messy play. We do have some spare clothes at the Centre but if you wish to send some additional clothes for your child please do so. . Policies There are a number of Centre Policies which are available within the Centre and cover issues such as "Health & Safety", "Admissions", "Children's Learning" and "Children's Illnesses". It would be helpful if parents/carers could follow these guidelines let us know if someone else is collecting a child children who are poorly or suffering from infectious illnesses should remain at home until they are well and no longer infectious. labelling clothes and belongings such as jumpers, coats and bags helps staff to match these up with the correct children at the end of sessions. if children wear earrings, studs are safer than hoops as these are less likely to get "caught". it is important that you keep us informed, in writing, of changes to address/telephone including mobile numbers. Snack Time Drinks and snacks are provided at each session. We ask for a small donation to cover food and drink and items needed for food preparation e.g. plastic gloves, aprons and detergents. These donations also enable us to purchase food items relating to topic activities including "cooking". . Parent & Carer / Staff Consultations We hope parents and carers feel able to approach us at any time to share information about children’s progress, ask questions or raise any concerns. We also value feedback about what you and your child like or dislike about the Group. During the year there will be opportunities to meet a member of staff individually to discuss children’s progress. For children with special educational needs we hold review meetings to discuss children's progress, review individual plans and set new targets. We look forward to seeing as many parents/carers as possible at these Meetings.

	Gardners Lane Children's Centre: Cheltenham : Tel (01242) 252185 © Gardners Lane Children's Centre 2010