Rising 5’s – What is it?

In the last term before your child starts school we offer the extra option of Rising 5’s sessions on Friday mornings from 8.55am to 11.30am. These are held at Blakesley School but are run by the playgroup and are offered exclusively to playgroup children. In these sessions the children extend their letter learning and writing skills. They meet the reception teacher and get to know the school. They even do some PE which gets them used to dressing themselves. The Rising 5’s sessions really help get the children used to everything at school and make their first days far less daunting.

“The staff have established close links with the local school and receive help from a qualified early years teacher. It is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and has links with the Early Years Partnership”. Ofsted Report

Moving on to school

Although most children attending the Playgroup go onto Blakesley Primary School, any child is welcome and we look forward to meeting children who are going onto other village schools or private schools. At Blakesley Playgroup we offer fun and friendship with children and other adults. Through experience we know that friendships can be maintained successfully even when children move onto different schools.

Mrs. Barnett is the Foundation year teacher at Blakesley Primary School where the majority of the Playgroup children move onto. She has also recently joined the Playgroup committee to strengthen the links between the school and playgroup. Over the years Mrs. Barnett has seen many, many Playgroup children and she says…

“The children from Blakesley Playgroup are confident, sociable, independent, inquisitive, keen to learn and well prepared for school”.

All in all we believe that attending Blakesley Playgroup is an excellent start for all children both educationally and socially. We aim to work within a framework which ensures equality of opportunity for all children and families.

“The children concentrate well on activities, for example, the four-year old children draw detailed pictures and practise writing letters of the alphabet. Staff praise the children when they do well and this has a positive effect on their confidence and self-respect”. Ofsted Report

Communication

Communication is vital in a village playgroup like ours. Any problems or concerns should be talked through with a member of staff. If you do not feel able to discuss something sensitive with a member of staff, then you can talk to the Chairman or a member of the committee - a list of these people is enclosed. We care about your child and we care about our playgroup and in the rare event of a serious problem occurring it is always necessary to keep communications open to find a solution.

Playgroup / Home Liaison

We regularly have news to tell you and any letters or notices will be sent home via your childs bookbag. Your child will be given their bookbag in their first days at Playgroup. Also in this will be your childs personal booklet to be filled in by you at home. This is to write in anything at all happening at home that you feel is relevent to your childs time in Playgroup. Staff will reply and note any issues occurring in Playgroup time. If you have any questions about this please talk to a member of staff. All notices will also be put on the noticeboard and copies are also put in a folder by the signing-in book.

 Children’s Achievements

The staff are always happy to discuss your child's progress. Their files are always available for viewing. Our four year olds are required to have a more detailed written report on their development. We have regular parents’ evenings where the children's workbooks are set out for you to look at, as well as the photo albums, which are always fun. It's a good chance for you to discuss any concerns or queries with the staff. There are always opportunities for you and your family to be directly involved in the activities of the group and in your own childs progress.

Staff have been on training to fully implement the new foundation stage teaching . The foundation stage now encompasses the first year at school. You will see with the childrens reports the various “stepping stones” which the staff are monitoring daily and taking notes as to the individual childs achievements. At playgroup we teach pre-reading skills and we aim to teach the children their letters, numbers 1-10 and writing their name before they start school.

However, each child is an individual and the stepping stones allow for children to be at different levels but still progressing. This information is given to you at the end of your child’s stay at Playgroup and this can be passed onto your child’s teacher at school.

“Through a range of activities, staff effectively promote communication, language and literacy and this is a strength of the pre-school”. Ofsted Report

Attendance

We ask that children attend a minimum of two sessions per week. Through experience we find that this helps the children settle in far more easily (a whole week between sessions is a long time for a child) and it also means the child gets the most from the playgroup activities and crafts. A 2 session minimum provides continuity of care, which is important for pre-school children. Rising 5’s can be added in the final term of Playgroup but we require the children to continue with their two regular sessions per week in addition to the Rising 5’s sessions.

Practicalities

Children should be dressed suitably for playgroup. Clothes should be suitable for climbing, sliding and sometimes messy activities such as painting, modelling, water-play etc. We provide aprons but it’s best if the children don’t have to worry about spoiling “good” clothes. We ask that a full set of spare clothes (i.e. tops and bottoms) be left at playgroup on the child's hook in the hallway. It's nice for the children to have their own clothes to slip on in case of an accident.

Please don’t let your children bring toys or jewellery to playgroup. We have lots of things to play with and it’s upsetting if things get mislaid or broken. However if your child has a particular comfort toy this can be brought in, especially in the early days.

We do however encourage things to be brought to Playgroup if they are relevant to a particular topic we are covering. We like to set up display tables and things from home are welcomed to make these displays stimulating.

 “Children’s personal, social and emotional development is fostered well. They are encouraged to select an activity which interests them and either work in groups or independently. Their concentration is good and they sit quietly when appropriate” Ofsted Report.