About Us
“Together we play and learn in a warm and stimulating environment to develop independent and confident children. ”
Sparklers Pre-School Vision:
1. Introduction
This is a brief introduction to Sparklers Pre-School and we hope you will find these notes helpful.
Hopefully, by now, you will have discovered that we are a friendly, informal group, you may even recognise some faces. The Pre-School staff and committee are always eager to please, so do not hesitate to discuss any problems or queries with us.
Sparklers is a small friendly Pre-School established almost 30 years ago. The Pre-School was located in the Community Room in Sparcells but moved to Peatmoor Community Primary School in January 2000. We hope you and your child will enjoy the time spent with us.
Although Sparklers is now located within Peatmoor Community Primary School our Pre-School remains independent. The Head teacher has asked us to emphasize that a child attending Sparklers Pre-School is not in any way guaranteed a place at Peatmoor Community Primary School. If you would wish your child to attend the school you must register your child at the school in the usual way, via Swindon Borough Council’s Admissions department here.
We are registered with OFSTED who make regular inspections and ensure we adhere to the guidelines. We are also a registered charity and are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance (P.S.L.A.)
As a small group, fund-raising and parent/carer participation is an important part of the Pre-School. Parents/Carers are asked to help with rotas, outings and during sessions. All Sparklers children benefit from parent/carers involvement.
Copies of our policies with regard to the running of Sparklers can be found on our website. These are the policies adopted by the Committee and affect all the children, staff and visitors attending the Pre-School.
Also on the website you can book the parent/carer ‘ Stay & Play’ sessions and forthcoming trips, find dates of forthcoming parent / carer committee meetings, committee meeting minutes and any other information staff need to pass on to the parents/carers.
Welcome to the Sparklers Pre-School website and to a Pre-School where our aim is to "play together and learn in a warm and stimulating environment to develop independent and confident children. ".
We are proud to contribute to the success of our school, our children are motivated by learning and offered the most diverse opportunities that we can provide. Our environment encourages them to be respectful and well behaved individuals, who develop high self-esteem and independence.
We encourage the very best from our children and aim to help them realise their fullest potential so that they are ready to positively embrace moving on to big school. We also believe in fostering confident and constructive attitudes, which encourage our children to understand their role, contribution and responsibility both as part of our Pre-School and in the wider community. We nurture positive and friendly relationships with everyone whilst continuing to develop our links with the wider community.
My door is always open, so please feel free to contact me about any of the detail on this website which I hope meets all of your needs. Visits to the school are welcome. Please call the office to make a convenient appointment time.
Sarah Hodges
Pre-School Supervisor
Recent News:
2. Guidelines
Arrival
To enable the group to run smoothly we ask you to bring your child as near to the start time as possible. Children will be checked in digitally upon arrival at the beginning of each session.
Collecting Your Child
If, for any reason, you cannot collect your child from the Pre-School, please let us know who will be collecting him / her when they are dropped off as this information will be added to the Pre-School Management System. For obvious reasons we are not allowed to release your child to anyone without prior notification. Please notify the Supervisor if there are any family circumstances or issues that affect who is able to collect your child. Parents are asked to provide a unique password on registration. This will remain confidential. Anyone having to collect your child unexpectedly will require this password. When you collect your child from Pre-School, please wait on the steps. The staff member on door duty will then send your child out to you. If you need to speak to your child's key worker or another member of staff please do this at the start of the session, ring or arrange an appointment.
Absence
If your child cannot attend a session could you please advise us by telephoning Sparklers Pre-School on 01793 875777 or sending a message on Blossom before the session begins i.e. between 08.30 and 08.45 or 11.30 and 11.45.
Holidays
When your child is going to be absent because of holiday you must complete a Holiday Notification Form in the 'Forms' section. Any child who is absent for 3 weeks without prior notice may will lose their place.
Information sharing with consent
When a child attends another childcare provider as well as Sparklers we like to share information about their progress and development with this provider, this is to ensure that your child is learning and developing along the same lines at both settings during their time in Early Years. Parents are asked to give written consent to sharing child development summaries with another setting.
Child’s Clothing
Please could you dress your child in Sparklers uniform on the top half and trousers that are easily managed so that going to the toilet does not become a problem. T-shirts and Sweatshirts with the Sparklers logo on are available to buy on the website. Please mark any item of clothing which is likely to be removed during the session with the child's name. Coats and hats must be marked clearly as children can have the same coats and may not know which is theirs.
3. The Team
We have a structured team with multiple qualifications and accreditations; our sessions are managed by a Manager/Supervisor supported by qualified staff and parent helpers.
Collectively our staff have over 50 years experience between them working with children, some of our qualifications are:
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DPP level 3 / Safeguarding Children Coordinator
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SENCO / Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator
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NVQ level 3 / Named First Aid
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Health & Safety
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QTS Teacher Training Qualification
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Children's Yoga Teacher
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Online Safety
4. The Committee
Sparklers Pre-School is managed and run by a committee. In addition to industry professionals to committee is made up of parents with children at Sparklers meaning that the Pre-School is managed with our children's very best interests at heart.
Sparklers Pre-School is a Charity and therefore relies on the parents/carers to form and join the Committee to ensure it runs smoothly. We invite all parents/carers to join the Committee. All parents/carers are expected to attend the AGM (Annual General Meeting) which is normally held in September.
Sparklers Pre-School has been run for many years with staff and parents working together to provide an efficient, safe and popular setting. This is a great way to make friends if you’re new to Sparklers and mix with other parents/carers. Meetings are usually in the room. Although this is a serious Committee and important decisions have to be made, it is all informal and everyone’s opinion matters.
Our Management Committee is made up of the following key roles:
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Chairperson
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Vice Chairperson
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Treasurer
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Secretary
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Committee Members
Full details about our Committee as well as the individual roles and
responsibilities can be found on our Committee pages.
5. Opening Times & Sessions
Monday to Friday
Morning Sessions
08:45 - 11:45
Afternoon Sessions
11.45 - 14.45
Full Day Sessions
08:45 - 14:45
We offer full day sessions every day, these are 6 hour sessions. If your child will be attending these sessions a small packed lunch and drink is required as we do not provide meals.
We are open during term time only.
We do aim to allocate your preferred sessions where possible but all sessions are subject to availability.
The Pre-School morning starts at 08.45 with the children being signed in by a member of staff, then time to play until the register is taken. In the afternoon the session starts at 11.45 and children join the full day children to eat their lunch. Once the children have finished their lunch the register is taken.
If any child has a problem settling there are always members of staff on hand to help, this may be a challenging time for some children. Together we will work out the best way to help your child to settle.
Each session follows the same format and we are sure your child will soon become accustomed to our routine. We have the right to change the routine if needed.
After the register the children can choose which toys and activities to play with. During the morning session snack is prepared, the children have their snack at approximately 10.30. When the children have finished their snack we all tidy away the toys and go outside to play. This is followed by either circle time or music time.
During free play the children are given the opportunity to join in games and more structured play as well as outside play. Please ensure your children are wearing the appropriate clothing for the time of year. Adult focused activities will also be carried out during the week. We also spend time doing yoga, relaxation and meditation activities as we believe this is very important.
6. Parent / Carer Stay & Play
It is part of our policy that parental participation is most welcome. Please keep in mind that it is your child's Pre-School and its success depends upon everyone being involved - children and parents/carers. The ‘Stay and Play’ rota is published on the website under events for parents to choose a suitable session. The sessions are 8.45 - 10.00 and 13.00 - 14.00. As well as Mums we also welcome Dads, Grandmas and Grandads to come and spend some time on a ‘Stay & Play’ session with the children. We encourage parents to wait until their child is fully settled at preschool and separating easily before booking a stay & play session. This ensures that the child doesn't become unsettled again by their parents being there.
Staying and playing means you get to see your child in a totally different environment from their home. It is good time for you to get to know the Pre-School staff a bit better and enables you to see exactly what happens during the session. If you have any talents big or small we would love you to share them with us.
It is a Children’s Services requirement that parents/carers must NOT take a child, (apart from their own), to the toilet. This must be adhered to at all times as we are subject to spot checks by OFSTED. There are various policies that relate to being a helper so please read them. A member of staff will discuss with you a few safeguarding issues.
We do hope you enjoy your time spent with the children in the Pre-School environment.
If I Stay and Play what will I be expected to do?
After register your time is spent playing alongside the children and joining in with all the fun activities.
If it is, or the nearest day to, your child's birthday, you may wish to bring in birthday cake so that we can sing Happy Birthday and make your child's day at Pre-School special.
What else can I do to help?
Your help with fund-raising events and outings is always greatly appreciated. Lastly, and most importantly, committee members are parents. We would like you to feel you can approach us at any time with worries or problems which concern you or your child. All parent participation can only help your child.
7. Pre-School Curriculum
All the activities at Sparklers Pre-School are intended to be stimulating and enjoyable whilst supporting Children working towards The Early Years Goals.
When your child starts at Sparklers they will be allocated to a key person who will start a Learning Journey for them on Blossom. They will record observations, some long, some short, use photographs and record achievements of your child, we ask you to add to them with anything the child may have done or achieved outside of pre-school by sending in observations from home using the Blossom app. The observations are linked to a document called the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), setting the standards for Learning, Development and Care for children from birth to five. The document contains The Statutory frame work for The Early Years Foundation Stage, Implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage, Learning and Development and Welfare Requirements.
The principles which guide the work of all early years practitioners are grouped into four themes.
A Unique Child - every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive Relationships – children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.
Enabling Environments – the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.
Learning and Development – children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected
The curriculum provided by Sparklers Pre-School
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by Sparklers Pre-School helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting activities that are right for their age and stage of development.
For children between the ages of 3 and 5 years, the pre-school provides a curriculum for the Early Years foundation stage. This curriculum is set out in a document, published by the Department for Education and is called Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, with supporting documentation -Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage and A Know How Guide, The EYFS progress check at age two. Sparklers Pre-school follows this guidance.
The guidance divides children's learning and development into 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas:
Prime Areas
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Communication & language;
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Physical development;
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Personal, social and emotional development;
Specific Areas
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Literacy;
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Mathematics;
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Understanding of the world;
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Expressive arts and design;
8.0 Accidents, Existing Injuries and Incidents
Accidents and incidents:
All staff attends first aid training, if an accident or incident happens at sparklers it will be dealt with in a fit manor. The accident will be recorded along with the date, time and any treatment given and signed by the member of staff on the accident section of Blossom. Depending on the severity of the accident we may need to contact the parent to inform them and be advised if they would like to collect their child. When the parent/carer arrives to pick up the child they will sign the accident form on the iPad and then this will be approved so the parents can access the accident form on their device.
Existing Injury:
It is the parent/carers responsibility to inform the staff if their child arrives at pre-school with an existing injury that had occurred outside of the setting. The parent/carer could send a message on Blossom about this or speak to a staff member, who will record it. If a member of staff notice an injury/mark on a child but have not been informed by the parent/carer they will record a description of the injury and the date and the parent /carer will be asked to discuss it when they collect.
Incidents:
From time to time incidents will happen, involving children eg. They may hurt another child intentionally or cause damage to equipment/property. The child’s behaviour will be dealt with by a member of staff and the incident recorded in the incident book along with the date, the time and signed by the member of staff. This will be shared privately with the parent/carer when they collect their child and signed to say that they have been informed. If incidents continue to happen where the same child is involved then we will monitor the child to try to find out why this is happening.
9.0 The Story of Our Day
8:45 Arrival
9.00 Register and carpet time
9.15 Free play
10.15 Phonics
10.30 Snack time
10.45 Outdoor play
11.30 Story time / song time
11.45 Lunchtime / arrival of afternoon children
12.30 Afternoon register
12.40 Free play
1.30 Outdoor play
2.30 Relaxation
2.45 Home Time
10.0 Sparklers Golden Rules
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Walk in the playroom
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Use an Indoor voice
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When you hear the tidy up song everyone tidy the toys away
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Keep our hands and feet to ourselves
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Include everyone
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Good listening
We practice one of our Golden Rules each day and talk about them when necessary so that the children realise that we sometimes need to follow rules in our daily life and some of these will help us to stay safe.
11.0 Statement on Sparklers Pre-School
Safeguarding and Child Protection Responsibilities
As a provider of childcare registered with OFSTED, we are required by law to follow the Child Protection Procedures agreed with the Local Safeguarding Children Board and OFSTED within our responsibility to 'Safeguard Children'.
We will endeavour to share with you any concerns that we may have regarding injury or specific issues of concern at all times. We will keep a record of such incidents and share this with you. We do have a duty to refer to Children’s Services if we suspect your child is at risk of harm.
We will inform you if we make a referral to Children’s Services, unless to do so would place your child at increased risk of significant harm. Our first concern will always be the welfare of your child.
Social Services Department
Clarence House
Clarence Street
Swindon
Tel: 01793 531131
Social Services Department
Manor House
Lime Kiln
Royal Wootton Bassett
Tel: 01793 853434
Early Years OFSTED
The National Business Unit
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Tel: 0300 123 1231
Sparklers Pre-school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
12.0 GDPR - Privacy Notice
Sparklers Pre-School’s Privacy Notice (How we use personal information)
Introduction
We are committed to ensuring that any personal data we hold about you and your child is protected in accordance with data protection laws. The personal data processed by Sparklers will include everything listed but will not be restricted.
What personal data do we collect?
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Personal information such as names, addresses, contact numbers, email addresses, family details and relationship to the child.
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Characteristics such as date and country of birth, gender, ethnicity, language, nationality, and religion
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Attendance information such as sessions attended, absences and absence reasons
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Medical information
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Special Educational Needs information
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Safeguarding information
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Funding eligibility information such as national insurance numbers and parental responsibility
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Child progress information including information provided from another childcare setting
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Photographs and videos
The majority of personal information we collect is mandatory whilst your child is attending Sparklers Pre-School. Some of the information you provide is voluntary. Please speak to a member of staff if you would like further details.
Why we collect and use this information?
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To contact you in the event of an emergency and update you with information about our services
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To ensure we provide services to a diverse and multicultural community.
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To meet cultural, religious and language needs
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To support children’s wellbeing and development
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To manage special educational needs
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To manage health and medical needs
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To process funding claims for free childcare
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To safeguard children
We may share data with the following recipients
This is not an exhaustive list
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Ofsted – during an inspection or following a complaint about our service
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The Local Authority for funding and SENCO services
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The government’s eligibility checker
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The Preschool Learning Alliance our insurance underwriter
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Blossom Educational our management software app provider
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Sage Software Management (if applicable)
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Financial services such as banking and audit purposes
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Other early years settings that your child is attending (including childminders)
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The primary school that your child will be attending
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(MASH) Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (if applicable)
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The Charity Commission (if applicable)
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The National Health Service for services such as health visitors (if applicable)
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Academy Portraits
We will also share your data if:
We are legally required to do so, for example, by law or by a court
To enforce or apply the terms and conditions of your contract with us;
To protect your child and other children; for example by sharing information with social care or the police;
It is necessary to protect our/or others rights, property or safety
We transfer the management of the setting, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective buyer so they may continue the service in the same way.
How do we protect your data?
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We use lockable storage
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Passwords are used and changed regularly
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Passwords are not shared
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We use Swindon Borough Council’s secure data systems including Egress and Live Early Years Funding Portal.
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We ensure all electric devises have upto date antivirus software.
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We will not give your information to any other third parties without your consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
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To protect unauthorised access to your data we may ask you for proof of identity to verify that you are entitled to the information requested
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Systems are in place to log personal information in and out of the setting
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We shred paper data that we no longer need to retain
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Hard drives are destroyed before disposal of any electrical equipment that has contained personal details.
How long do we retain your data?
We retain your child’s personal data for up to 3 years after your child no longer uses our setting, or until our next Ofsted inspection after your child leaves our setting. Medication records and accident records are kept for longer according to legal requirements. Your child’s learning and development records are maintained by us and handed back to you when your child leaves, with some information being passed on to the school that your child will be attending.
In some instances (child protection, or other support service referrals) we are obliged to keep your data for longer if it is necessary to comply with legal requirements (see our Children’s and Provider Records policies).
Automated decision-making
We do not make any decisions about your child based solely on automated decision-making. Or explain details if this is the case.
Your rights with respect to your data
You have the right to:
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request access, amend or correct your/your child’s personal data
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request that we delete or stop processing your/your child’s personal data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing; and
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request that we transfer your, and your child’s personal data to another person
If you wish to exercise any of these rights at any time or if you have any questions, comments or concerns about this privacy notice, or how we handle your data please contact us.
If you continue to have concerns about the way your data is handled and remain dissatisfied after raising your concern with us, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO). The ICO can be contacted at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF or ico.org.uk/
Changes to this notice
We keep this notice under regular review. You will be notified of any changes where appropriate.
13.0 The Early Years Pupil Premium
From April 2015, nurseries, schools, childminders and other childcare providers have been able to claim extra funding through the Early Years Pupil Premium to support children’s development, learning and care. We wanted to write to you to explain what the Early Years Pupil Premium is, explain who is eligible for this funding and, importantly, to ask you to fill out the enclosed forms so that we as a provider can claim the extra funding.
National data and research tells us that children eligible for free school meals tend to do less well, for example in 2014, 45% of children eligible for free school meals achieved the expected level at the end of the early years foundation stage compared with 64% of other children. The Early Years Pupil Premium will provide us with extra funding to close this gap.
The Early Years Pupil Premium provides an extra 53 pence per hour for three and four year old children whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits or who were formerly in local authority care but who left care because they were adopted or were subject to a special guardianship or child arrangements order. This means an extra £302 a year for each child taking up the full 570 hours funded entitlement to early education. This additional money could make a significant difference to us.
We can use the extra funding in any way we choose to improve the quality of the early years education that we provide for your child. This could include, for example, additional training for our staff on early language, investing in partnership working with our colleagues in the area to further our expertise or supporting our staff in working on specialised areas such as speech and language.
It is well documented that high quality early education can influence how well a child does at both primary and secondary school so we do want to make the most of this additional funding. You may be aware if you have older children that a pupil premium has been available for school-age children and it has proved to have given a real boost to the children receiving the funding. We want to do the same for our early years children entitled to this funding.
Therefore we ask that ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS fill in form in your registration pack. This will allow us to claim the additional Early Years Pupil Premium.
If you have any questions, please contact: Danielle Maundrell - Swindon Borough Council on 01793 466314 or email DMaundrell@swindon.gov.uk
14.0 Contact Us
Sparklers Pre-School
Pepperbox Hill
Peatmoor
Swindon
SN5 5DP
01793 875 777
We have a closed Facebook Group – please request to join ‘Sparklers Pre-School’ when your child starts with us.