Curriculum & Partnerships

Partnerships ….

with staff

We have a small team of dedicated practitioners to care for your child and each child is allocated a Key Person. The Key Person will have a particular responsibility for that child during his or her duration at Buttercups. This will benefit the child, as close monitoring from the Key Person will enable them to tailor the curriculum to meet the unique needs of each child they are responsible for. The Key Person will also maintain communication with the parent/carer of that child on a regular basis.

with other local pre-schools, nurseries and toddler groups

Buttercups work with other local pre-schools, nurseries and toddler groups where necessary to share good practice and information. We also make contact with other and previous settings that children may have attended, or are currently attending, to ensure that we work together to help each child fulfill their full potential.

with The Meadow Primary School and other schools

Buttercups works closely with the reception teachers at local schools to make the transition to school a less daunting experience. The majority of our children go to the Meadow Primary School, so we have more direct contact with staff at this setting and reception staff visit us during transition. Please note that attendance at Buttercups, does not guarantee a place at the Meadow. However, the majority of our children go to this school.

with the Community

We started off as the village playgroup and hence have always had a community ethos. We have good links with the village of Balsham and it’s Parish Council. We get involved in community activities and events, including the Balsham Feast, the Flower Festival, the Christmas Tree Festival and the Big Balsham Sale.

We worked with the village Community Officer and he has attended our setting to help us find local fund raising opportunities. We have also held joint events with the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers groups in the village, including a science activity afternoon.

with Parents

Children learn better when their parents are involved. It helps to reinforce the Buttercups ethos and practices. Buttercups encourage parents to be involved in many ways, from becoming a committee member, to being a parent helper.

Our parent helper system is a great support to the Pre-school and allows us to do activities outside the classroom environment. We welcome all parents, carers or other close relatives (known to Buttercups staff) to get involved. We appreciate that this may not always be possible. Please speak to a member of the Buttercups team if you feel you would like to help.

Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners work together in early year’s settings, the results have a positive impact on the child’s development and learning.
(QCA Curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage 2000)

We recognise that parents are the first and most important educators of their young children. At Buttercups we aim to support and work in partnership with parents to ensure we can provide the best possible experiences for the children. To try and achieve this we hold parent consultations each term to enable parents to meet with their child’s allocated Key Person. These meetings are a formal way to discuss your child’s development and raise any concerns, or queries you may have. They also act as a mechanism to share information about your child’s interests and experiences outside of Pre-school.

In addition to these meetings we have recently introduced a new system for sharing information between home and Pre-school. The “Communications Booklet/Folder” allows parents and staff to write and share information, helping us to focus on and develop each child. We will continue to monitor systems of information sharing and develop new strategies to build and maintain effective partnerships with parents and carers.

Our regular newsletters and home learning challenges also give parents and carers the opportunity to help their child learn and develop in partnership with us.

Parents are welcomed and positively encouraged to take part in all aspects of the Pre-school, from working with the children, assisting with fundraising, or getting involved in the general management of the Pre-school. Please contact Kirsty Salmons, or see our Parents and Partners Policy held in the setting.

Starting Pre-school can be a stressful and uncertain time for parents/carers and their children. If you are at all worried about things when your child starts (or before they start) with us, please do not hesitate to discuss your concerns with one of our members of staff.

We hope that your child/children enjoy their time at Buttercups.

Special Educational Needs

We aim to provide equality of opportunity for all members of our group, and this includes children with special educational needs. Each child is able to progress at his/her own rate in all areas of development, and this is true for children with and without disabilities, or learning difficulties.

We are experienced in working in close liaison with professionals across the range of special needs and we operate in accordance with the government’s Code of Practice on special educational needs. If you would like to discuss the Pre-school’s ability to meet your own child’s special educational needs, please contact the Pre-school Lead Practitioner, Kirsty on 01223 894608. Our Special Educational Needs policy is available from the setting.

Cambridgeshire County Council have a lot of information about Special Educational Needs on their website. Please see the link on our Useful Information page

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

This is the government’s standard curriculum for Early Years which Buttercups follows. As part of the Early Years Foundation learning stage, there are a number of characteristics of effective learning. These are demonstrated by animals including ‘Go for it Gorilla… be willing to have a go’ and ‘Creative Chameleon… I have my own ideas’. There are a number of other animals with different curriculum attributes.

Please click on Persevering Parrot to see these in detail.

Buttercups Curricula Goals

At Buttercups we have 9 defined curricula goals. We aim to support every child to be developing these skills by the time they leave pre-school. To view these, please click the link below:

Buttercups Curricula Goals

Statutory Framework and Parent Guides

The statutory framework and a parent guide to understanding it are attached below:

EYFS Statutory Framework
Parents Guide to the EYFS Curriculum

Children develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives than at any other time. The booklet below has been written to help you as a parent know what to expect during these vitally important years by focusing on the seven areas of learning and development which are covered in the EYFS.

4ChildrenParentsGuide

Safeguarding

Safeguarding, the wellbeing of our children is fundamental to the day to day practices of our setting. We have attached our Safeguarding Policy below for you to read and digest. Please contact us if you need any further information or guidance.

We are committed to building a ‘culture of safety’ in our setting and have designated staff available to deal with and discuss safeguarding concerns. All of our staff and committee members have had safeguard training.

Cambridgeshire Social Car have responsibility for investigating all concerns and ensuring the safety of children who live within Cambridgeshire.

If you think a child is in immediate danger and needs urgent help, please call the police on 999 or 101.

If you have a concern about a child attending Pre-School you can also speak to:

Name: Kirsty Salmons (Manager)

Name: Lauren Deeks (Deputy)