Introduction
Elmwood Preschool is currently an OUTSTANDING Preschool, following our most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023. (The report can be found under the Links tab.)
Elmwood Preschool was established in 1983 and has been operating as a non-profit making Community Interest Company since 2010. We are run by a Management Committee comprising of five directors who are also current members of staff. Our premises are situated within the grounds of Elmwood Primary School and include two settings: Preschool and Little Learners.
Our Preschool setting operates from a purpose built Early Years unit with a large garden, and we are registered to care for up to 26 children from two-and-a-half to five years old, with 5-6 members of staff. Our Preschool building has a ramp up to the main door and a side gate provides wheelchair access to the garden.
We have three intakes per year in September, January and April and our admissions criteria gives priority to those children living in the catchment area of Elmwood Primary School.
Our 'Continuous Provision' within Preschool, supports all areas of the Early Years curriculum and we are proud of the well-equipped facilities and wide-ranging resources on offer. Children enjoy 'free-flow' in Preschool, making their own choices as to whether they play inside or out. Themes and activities to celebrate multi-cultural festivals are planned but others will be child-led and spontaneous, depending on our children's interests and focus at the time.
We offer flexible sessional care during term-time, comprising of three-hour morinng and afternoon sessions with a one-hour lunch session in the middle. Details of session times and current prices can be found in the Parents' Terms.
We currently have nineteen members of staff, seventeen of whom care directly for the children. Ten of these hold a Childcare Level 3 or equivalent qualification, five hold Level 2 and one is a Newly Qualified Teacher. In addition, we have two administrative staff, one holding a BA(Hons) Accounting and Finance.
All staff hold an enhanced DBS and our five directors are signed up to the update service. The manager and deputy are trained Designated Leads in Safeguarding and all remaining staff hold Level 2 Safeguarding. Fourteen members of staff are trained in Paediatric First Aid.
All children are allocated a key person who will be responsibile for recording their observations and development and updating the the child's record in Tapestry, our on-line Learning Journal.
'Little Learners' is our Rising 5's class where the focus is on the transition into Elmwood Primary School. Children hoping to attend the main school will attend Little Learners for some of their sessions in the 2-3 terms before they start school. Little Learners is registered to care for up to 20 children with 2-3 members of staff. We maintain close links and have an excellent relationship with the school, making the transition to "big school" very effective. You can read more about Little Learners in the seperate section under the Information for Parents menu.
We are an inclusive setting and pride ourselves in helping all children in our care reach their full potential. We support children with SEND, providing Enhanced Support for the child, relevant training for staff and advice and support for parents, taking advice and guidance from outside agencies to support this process. Please see our 'Local Offer' for more details.
More information about how are setting operates can be found in the Welcome Information.