Pre-school

We are all part of the Excalibur Primary School family and we are excited to welcome you to our new pre-school. Some families we will already know as you may have children in other classes. How exciting for your pre-school child to get to go to school with their older siblings! We are also very much looking forward to meeting our new families as your child starts their learning journey here at Excalibur.

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Early Years at Excalibur Preschool

Our EYFS curriculum is designed to encourage independent, inquisitive and happy life-long learners who are equipped with the resilience and confidence for life in our ever-changing world. We understand that every child is an individual and we support children to make progress from their own starting points. We acknowledge and celebrate children’s interests and provide opportunities for children to follow their imagination and creativity through play. We provide vibrant continuous indoor and outdoor provision that supports and challenges children in investigating, developing and applying their skills. Our learning environments are adapted regularly to meet the different and developing needs of our children. We ensure that these areas are stimulating and exciting and are accessible to all children.

Our curriculum and practice is led by the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. We learn through seven key areas of learning:

Three Prime Areas:

Communication and language

We give children opportunities to experience a rich language environment. We help develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves and to speak and listen in a range of situations
Physical development

We provide our children with opportunities to be active and interactive, helping them to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement.
Personal, social and emotional development

We help children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others, through praise and rewards. We encourage them to form positive relationships and develop respect for others, whilst developing social skills and learning how to manage their feelings.

We also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.

These specific areas are:

Literacy

We encourage our children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials including books, poems, and other written materials to ignite their interest.
Mathematics

Children are given opportunities to develop and improve their number skills. This includes counting, understanding and use of numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems. This also includes learning about shapes, spaces and measure.
Understanding the world

Children learn to make sense of the world and communities in which we live.
Expressive arts and design

Children are encouraged to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials.

Our Mission

At Excalibur Pre-school, we strive to help every child …

be excited about each and every brand-new day.
begin to develop a lifelong love of learning.
discover new talents.
develop positive relationships with their peers and the adults in the setting.
thrive as they begin their learning journey.
show independence and a ‘can-do’ attitude.
show kindness and empathy to others.
care for others and the world we live in.

Staffing and structures

Our pre-school will have at least a ratio of staffing of 1:13. This is in line with current welfare requirements. We operate a keyworker system which means that each staff member is allocated a small group of children. This will encourage a secure relationship between adult and child, which is critical for children’s early development. Having said this, we are a very close team so every adult in the setting will be involved in your child’s learning journey.