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Teston & Wateringbury Preschool


We are a friendly, caring and homely preschool based in Teston Village Hall catering for pre-school children aged 2-5 years old from Teston, Wateringbury, Nettlestead, East Malling, Barming, Kingshill and surrounding areas in Kent.  Established in 1966 we have a dedicated team of eight fully qualified staff with 80 years' collective experience.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Tina Driver
Contact Position
Pre-school Manager
Telephone
07805 796353
E-mail
tandwngroup@gmail.com
Website
testonandwateringburypreschool.co.uk

Where to go

Address
Teston Village Hall
Church Street
Teston
Maidstone
Kent
Postcode
ME18 5AH
Notes

At Teston & Wateringbury Preschool we are very lucky to be able to provide both an indoor and outdoor learning space, our pack away setting allows us to change and enhance the environment daily. 

Our indoor area is a large spacious hall, which has lots of natural light and includes a separate room for our childrens' cafe and for facilitating small group activities.  Our outdoor provision provides lots of rich and stimulating opportunities for children to develop and learn.  The preschool routine is based on free flow sessions where he children can choose to extend their play both in and outdoors, whatever the weather.

When is it on?

When is childcare available
Term Time Only, Open All Year
Carescheme Age Range:
2 year(s), 0 month(s) to 4 year(s), 0 month(s)
Opening Times
Opening Times
DayOpening TimeClosing Time
Monday 09.00am 2.30pm
Tuesday 09.00am 2.30pm
Wednesday 09.00am 2.30pm
Thursday 09.00am 2.30pm
Friday 09.00am 2.30pm

Other Details

Table of costs
Table of costs
AmountCost Type
£4.50 daily charge for lunch break for all KCC funded children Per day
ECD Type
Preschool
Offers pickups
No
Cost(s)
Cost details
£45.38 for 2 year olds Per day

£42.63 for 3 year olds Per day
Total vacancies
5
Vacancies Details
Please contact the setting to ascertain the current vacancies.
Immediate vacancies?
Yes
Contact Provider for Vacancy Details?
Yes
Vacancy Information Last updated Date
02/03/2024
Facilities
Music, Literacy and Numeracy, Computers / It, Messy Play Area, Cookery, Paddling Pool, Toys/dolls, Dressing Up, Dance, Team Games, Outdoor Activities, Themed Sessions, Trike, Play House, Trampoline, Water Play, Quiet Room, Games / Puzzles, Play Room, Visits and Outings, Garden, Walks, Sandpit, Arts And Crafts, Scooter, Reading, Refreshments, Books, Bike, Kitchen, Car Parking, Library - Storytimes For Children Aged 2-4 Yrs, Songs, Slide, Camping, Climbing Frame, Stories, Library - Storytimes For Children Aged 3-5 Yrs, Sports
Notes

Please see our local offer information on Special Educational Needs and Disability

Languages Spoken:
English
Wheelchair Access
Yes

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
EY541518
Link to latest ofsted inspection report 

30 Hours Extended Entitlement

30 Hours Partner Details (These are details of any other childcare provider(s) that this provider will work with to offer the 30 hours entitlement)

From the term following your child's 3rd birthday, your child is entitled to 15 hours free nursery education per week for 38 weeks of the year.  These can be used as morning sessions (each session is 2.5 hours) or as full days (5 hours).

We are also able to offer more funded hours under the 30 hour scheme.  Please phone us for further information.

We are an approved provider of funding for 2 year old's through the 'Free for 2 Scheme'  Please phone us for more information.

 

 

Support with Childcare Costs

Free for 2 (families with 2 year olds receiving additional forms of government support)?
Yes
Universal Entitlements
Yes
Working Parents Entitlement
Yes

Service status

Status
Open

Local Offer

Description

If your child has specific needs please contact the setting to discuss how we can support your childcare needs.  Please see our local offer information on here or on our website.

Special Needs Support

On admission we ask you to complete a ‘Unique story’ form which gives us the chance to get to know your child and their particular strengths or areas where they may need extra support.

Within the first week your keyworker will arrange a mutual date and time with you to discuss the unique story and any other information you feel you would like to share to help with settling

The completion of the 2 year old progress check is a statutory assessment and this may be a time when any delay in development can be discussed and appropriate next steps identified. The next step may involve your child’s keyworker targeting a specific area of development and adding planned activities for your child to gain further experience in this area. This would be written and shared with you through a targeted plan.

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator team are Anna Lomas, Tina Driver and Louise Williams. We all ensure that families have the best support and resources to help with development of your child and this includes managing behaviour.

 STATEMENT FROM OUR LEAD SENCO Anna Lomas:-

I have recently taken over the role as lead SENCO at Teston & Wateringbury Preschool. I am passionate about my career and dedicated to looking after children. I want every child to succeed and reach their full potential; I have plenty of experience looking after children with special educational needs since my eldest son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 7.

Your child’s keyworker will be involved right from the start so that strong and positive relationships are built with your child and with you. You will have daily contact with your keyworker as well as formal meetings arranged 3 times a year when we will let you know about your child’s progress and any additional support they may need.

Each area of your child’s development will be recorded in their learning journeys which set out photos and observations of how your child is developing. You can request to see these folders at any time and arrangements made to discuss these with your keyworker.

We will involve you in every step of the way if we feel a targeted plan will help and support your child.

The EYFS is an educational framework which allows your keyworker to plan for your ‘unique child’. We observe, assess and plan for your child in three prime areas and four specific areas.

For example in communication and language we provide a language rich environment tailored to the needs of current children. We use targeted small group activities such as those recommended in the ECAT programme. Provide ideas and resources for parents to use at home working in line with speech and language therapy advice.

In personal, social and emotional development we recognise and support each child’s wellbeing and involvement and use targeted small group activities.

For physical development we offer an accessible environment and lay-out to meet family’s current needs. We have regular outdoor play in our large garden providing a variety of resources and activities to aid gross motor skills. We understand the needs of children with added sensory needs.

Environment

We are a pack away preschool which means every day we plan and set the setting for the children attending that day. The room benefits from lots of natural light but also have coloured lights that can be used to promote a sense of calm; this is further enhanced by soft furnishings in our quiet area. We also have some screens to facilitate small group activities and quiet areas.

Resources

We have a wide range of resources appropriate to support children’s development at all levels. Our SENCo will work with keyworkers to make sure specialist equipment is obtained if necessary.

Teaching strategies

All our staff are fully qualified in early years practice including a fully qualified primary school teacher. Most of our staff has received training in supporting children with ASD. We use the Best Practice Guidance document to support our teaching. This document sets out a range of teaching strategies which can be used to support children such as the use of visual resources and Makaton signing. The book is divided into universal, targeted and personalised levels to enable us to support children in the four broad areas of need. The areas are identified in the SEND code of practice and comprises:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognitive and learning
  • Social emotional and mental health
  • Physical/sensory difficulties 

Our SENCo liaise with outside agencies to ensure therapists recommendations are carried through smart targets: - Specific, Measurable, Accessible, Realistic, Time

If your child is making insufficient progress through a targeted plan, the SENCo or keyworker will discuss with you the need to refer to other services, such as speech and language therapy. If your child begins to receive support from outside agencies the targeted plan would be changed to a personalised plan.

If required your consent would be obtained to refer to the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service through the Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT) meeting which is held 6 times and year and is attended regularly by one of our SENCo. If the referral is accepted, a specialist teacher would then visit your child to provide additional advice and guidance and may make further referrals to other services, such as health and would support your child’s transition to school. We would work closely with you through each stage of the process.

In our setting we use an effective keyworker system which enables the keyworker to observe and monitor your child’s development and highlight any additional needs. This is done through a system called ‘2 build a profile by 2 simple’ an online system which tracks your child’s development daily and quickly highlights any areas we need to plan for and monitor and possible need for concern.

You will have a close working relationship with our SENCo and keyworker and will be invited to come into the setting to go through your child’s learning journey and hear about his/her progress at regular intervals throughout their time with us.

A commitment to inclusive practice that enables all children to be included is at the heart of our work. At all staff meetings your child’s keyworker will ensure that any planned activities are suitably adapted to meet your child’s needs.

We sometimes take trips to the fire station or church and each time we revise our risk assessment to take account of any new conditions that may cause children to be at risk. A first aid box and emergency details are always taken with us and we welcome any parent helpers on these trips.

The preschool is in a lovely quiet village in Teston with its own large private garden area. The building is all on one level with full wheelchair access and separate accessible toilet.

When your child is ready to start school all relevant paperwork, with your permission, is sent to them with a transition report. Teachers from your chosen school are invited to come into the setting so they can meet your child and their keyworker.   This gives us the opportunity to go through this information and discuss the transition with them in detail highlighting any further needs that are required. A meeting will be set up with the schools SENCo so all relevant information can be discussed to help with your child’s transition.

To help children get changed for P.E. sessions, during the final term we ask the parents to bring in a P.E. kit for the children to practice changing into. This will give them the confidence to change themselves when they start school.

Our SENCo regularly attends LIFT meetings and reports back to all staff at termly staff meetings with ideas and possible new resources available. We have regular parent and keyworker meetings at every stage of your child’s progress. You will be asked to fill out annual feedback questionnaires about our provision. Our policies and procedures are reviewed annually by all staff.

Firstly we would ask that you contact us and make an appointment for a visit so that we can show you and your child around the setting and discuss needs. We offer a home visit by a member of our SEND and keyworker, from which we may identify further needs which we are then able to discuss. Whenever possible we will take reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of children, parents or staff.

Our SEND policy provides the context for supporting children through the graduated approach and our complaints procedures are set out in our complaints policy, all of which can be found on our website. Hard copies of all policies can be obtained by our Preschool Manager.

We are always available to discuss any concerns you have as a parent/carer, our doors are always open or you can email or phone us out of hours on the numbers advertised in our termly newsletter.

A quote from one of our most recent parent feedback forms:-

As soon as I went for a visit to this preschool I knew it was the right place for my son. It has a lovely nurturing and caring environment and is filled with staff who truly care and show active interest in each child. The sweet village hall is filled with an array of different toys and activities and he always comes home clutching art and craft bits that he has created.

Their learning journey folders and activities they do with their keyworker support their development within the EYFS framework helping to get them ready for big school. Most importantly of all, my son loves attending this preschool and arrives with a big smile on his face and leaves covered in mud and paint with an equally large grin on his face!

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