Background information on Moulton Pre-school

Moulton Pre-school has been registered since 1973 and proudly operates from the local village hall. The Pre-school and staff enjoys an excellent reputation amongst parents and teachers and inspectors alike. In 2007 we earned the Suffolk County Council's Excellence Award.

The pre-school operates from one main room with access to the kitchen and toilets. There is also access to a small outside area where the children can play. The pre-school also has access to the park behind the pre-school for different activities.

The pre-school resources are stored liked a jigsaw puzzle in a communal store cupboard and the pre-school requires setting up each morning.

The pre-school has charity status and is run by a parent led committee which are voted on at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held every year in September. The committee adopted the Pre-school Learning Alliance Model Pre-school Constitution 2005 at the September 2006 AGM.

The pre-school runs in line with Moulton Primary School and so are only open term times on the following days:

• Monday from 9.30am to 12.00am
• Wednesday from 9.30am to 12.00am
• Friday from 9.30am to 12.00am.

The pre-school introduced lunch club in January 2006 from 12pm – 1pm. This popular option is a great way to get the kids used to eating with friends in school. It is parent funded and is available every school day for all children 3 and over.

and now...

Why Play is Essential for Learning…This appears on a sign at the Eden Project, Cornwall:

“There’s less play going on than there used to be when we were kids.
Through play children develop a range of skills that equip them for life: physical skills language and social skills, positive attitudes, increased concentration, tolerance, perseverance and much more. Through play children learn how to learn, how to solve problems and how to string bits of behaviour together.”

Our Pre-School recognises that happy children become willing learners “Play is the means by which children learn about and make sense of the world” (O’Hogan & Smith 1999 Page 66)

Through well planned play the children will learn while having fun and experiencing new challenges. In play they can be loud, physical and boisterous. They can be expressive whist exploring the world around them or be quiet, listening and reflecting as they play.

Why play is important:

• Helps social development:- sharing and taking turns etc...
• Helps physical development
• Helps development in imagination/creativity
• Helps intellectual or cognitive development:- concentration development
• Helps emotional development:- play out fears and anxieties
• Helps making learning fun, they enjoy it, motivates
• Helps develop independences skills
• Experiment, practise and perfect skills, consolidates learning
• Challenges
• Practice adult roles
• Opportunity to make mistakes
• Relaxing
• Develops balanced individuals

And Lastly -- Why our Parents love to be involved in our school:

• To maintain a higher ratio of adults to children
• Helps keep costs down and the quality of everything from care to equipment to snacks as high as possible
• Gives parents an opportunity to take an active part in the group to see what happens on a day to day basis and to talk about it afterwards with their child
• Helps parents gain a greater understanding of their child’s needs
• Improves parental understanding of the Foundation Stage and learning areas, gaining a wider knowledge of their child’s development
• Helps us all make new friends and get involved with our community
• Parents feel valued and respected
• Helps Parents feel happy about their child’s care and reassured that their child is treated equally and fairly