Benenden Preschool

Other Details

Table of costs

Table of costs

Amount	Cost Type
£5.50 for 3 and 4 years olds	Per hour
£6.00 for 2 year olds	Per hour

ECD Type

Preschool

Offers pickups

No

Cost(s)

Cost details

The costs include a healthy snack each morning

Immediate vacancies?

No

Contact Provider for Vacancy Details?

Yes

Vacancy range

Vacancy Range

Start Age	End Age	Places
2	4	4

Vacancy Information Last updated Date

20/09/2022

Facilities

Sandpit, Arts And Crafts, Scooter, Music, Literacy and Numeracy, Refreshments, Cookery, Messy Play Area, Books, Toys/dolls, Dressing Up, Outdoor Activities, Bike, Car Parking, Trike, Songs, Climbing Frame, Stories, Sports, Games / Puzzles, Garden

Other facilities information

Weekly yoga sessions

Notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Targeted plans will be agreed in partnership with parents so that our observations can be shared, and parents can help their children at home. These plans are reviewed every short term (six weeks).

 

At Benenden Preschool we use an online learning journal called Tapestry. Parents can see written observations and photos of their children learning through play, and can also add their own contributions from home to create a fuller picture of their child’s development.

 

Three times a year after every long term, a written report gives a summary of your child’s progress, and parents are welcome to meet their child’s key person to discuss it.

 

Benenden Preschool ensures that The Early Years Foundation Stage framework is accessible to all children by following inclusive practice in routines and planned activities.  For example, children who would benefit from extra support to develop their emotional and social skills may take part in regular small group activities where the teacher encourages listening, turn-taking and collaboration.   Children who are developing communication skills may play planned, adult-led games recommended by the ICAN activity cards.  Children with a greater requirement for physically active play will have their needs met by making adjustments to the usual routine of the day, so that those children have frequent and longer access to the outdoor space.

The preschool provides ideas and resources for parents to use at home, and also works with other professionals such as the Early Years Specialist Teacher Services to plan activities that are tailored to the needs of individual children. 

 

Children who need extra help or a different approach with their learning are given a plan that breaks their targets into smaller steps.

 

The areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage have been refined and clarified in a document called ‘Portage SEND Best Practice Assessment Checklist’.  This Checklist can be used to assess what children are currently able to do, and it breaks down the developmental stages into achievable targets to work towards.

 

Children can then be supported in a way that suits them best as individuals, which may include tailored one-to-one interactions with adults, or activities in small groups of children. 

 

Some children benefit from the use of Makaton signing to help communication, or visual picture cues to help them understand the routines of the preschool day.

 

Benenden Preschool can access additional funding for children who are identified as having additional needs, and the funding can be used for staff training, such as learning to use Makaton signing, or to provide specific resources that help children with their learning.  For example, for children who had a sensory need for oral stimulation we obtained a collection of appropriate objects to chew and bite on.  The children learned to use these objects, which helped them to regulate their feelings and their social behaviour.

 

Funding can also be used to pay for professionally-taught group sessions such as yoga or sports, which benefit all children but are particularly valuable for children who are developing their physical skills.

 

Provision can be made for children who need to be calm and quiet by setting up a safe, relaxed den area as a retreat.  Some children have a need for types of repetitive play, such as wrapping things up in paper or fabric, or using spinning toys.  When children’s needs are identified and met, this enables them to engage in their learning in their own style.

 

Preschool staff make spontaneous observations of your child at play, and also observe children’s learning as they take part in planned adult-led activities.

 

Each day when parents arrive or pick up their children, there are usually opportunities for an informal exchange of information to keep in touch with children’s progress.

 

If children attend on a day when the key person is absent, a ‘buddy’ key person is assigned to take their place.

 

Observations made of children’s learning are charted by making comparisons with the descriptors of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Judgements of each child’s stage of development in all areas are made, and their progress is assessed.

 

Children who have targeted plans have more frequent assessments to check that they are developing well

 

Benenden Preschool promotes equality of opportunity for children with disability and additional needs, enabling each child to flourish by including all children in all activities. This is achieved by making sensitive adjustments to the instructions that are given, or by differentiating the expectations for individual children. For example, a child with reduced attention span will be expected to engage with an activity for a length of time that is appropriate to the child. A child with a physical impairment will be given additional adult support, such as a helping hand to stand on one leg during a yoga exercise or additional resources will be provided such as additional handrails on the stairs.

 

Benenden Preschool is situated on the first floor of a shared building, and there is no lift. Unfortunately, it is not possible to install a lift because the building is Listed.  This can present some difficulties for individuals with impaired mobility, but small children can be carried by staff up and down the stairs. 

 

When adults who bring and collect the children are unable to access the stairs, staff meet adults at the outside door and accompany the children up and down the stairs.

 

Staff are always willing to help adults with other aspects of accessibility, such as helping with the buckles on car seats.

 

The preschool rooms are on one level, so all facilities are accessible.

 

Most of the children at Benenden Preschool move on to Benenden Primary School, and there are usually others who make the transition to different schools.

 

At preschool, we start to help the children to accept their forthcoming change by displaying photos of all of the new schools and their class teachers.

 

We welcome visits from the Reception class teacher, and enable the children to take part in taster sessions in their schools during the summer term.

 

We keep a stock of the school uniforms so that children can play at dressing up and become familiar with the idea of this change in their clothing. 

 

We pass on transition reports so that teachers understand the children’s strengths and areas where support is applicable, and we discuss children’s needs so that teachers can begin to get to know them well.

 

The effectiveness of provision for children with additional needs is assessed by reviewing children’s progress at the end of every short term (six weeks), to see if the planning has achieved the desired impact. 

 

If a child’s targets have been met, new targets can be agreed for the next six weeks.  If the review finds that a target has not been met, it will be modified by providing different resources or by breaking the target into smaller steps.  In this way, children will be supported most effectively to make progress in their development.

 

Targeted plans are always shared with parents, so that they can help to support their children’s progress at home.  Children are best supported when parents share information so that a more accurate picture can be made of children’s progress.

 

To register for a place at Benenden Preschool, complete the application form that can be found on the preschool website and send it to the supervisor at Benenden Preschool.  Alternatively, telephone the preschool on 01580 241137 to ask for a form to be sent to you pr email the Manager on supervisor@benendenpreschool.co.uk.  Once the preschool has received your form, a place will be reserved for your child.

 

Parents and their children are welcome to visit Benenden Preschool.  We recommend that your child’s key person visits you and your child at home, because it is a good way for us to get to know each other, share information, and for the child to accept their key person as a trusted new adult.

 

Children may have a ‘taster’ session of about two hours to help them settle into their new routine.

 

It is possible for the preschool to claim additional funding for children of three years old or over who are in receipt of Disability  Living Allowance, or to claim SEN Inclusion Fund for children with additional needs, so that it is possible to meet children’s needs.

 

Benenden Preschool has a Complaints Procedure that can be found in the Policy Booklet. Verbal complaints should be backed up in writing if possible. The Supervisor will keep a log of complaints, whether they are made in writing or orally, and will also record subsequent discussions.  If the complaint remains unresolved, an appeal may be made to the Chairman of the Committee.  A full response should be expected within 28 days. If, for whatever reason, a full response is not possible within 28 days, an interim response will be sent to the complainant explaining the reasons for the delay, progress to date and a revised deadline. The final outcome will be confirmed to the complainant in writing. If  the complainant wishes to take the matter further, an appeal may be made to the Chairman of the Committee who will appoint an ‘Appeals Panel’ of three Committee members to review the complaint. If a complaint relates to the Statutory Framework, parents may contact Ofsted at Applications, Regulatory and Contact (ARC) Team, Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD, Tel. 0300 123 1231.

 

Parents are encouraged to join the committee of Benenden Preschool, and are always welcome to take part in daily sessions.  A questionnaire is distributed to each family every year in March as an opportunity for parents to feed back their views.

 

 

Wheelchair Access

No