The aim of Charterhouse Pre-School is for children to 'learn through play' within a safe, caring environment, and nurture the development of independence, initiative, social skills and positive self-image through interaction with other children and adults. We believe every child is unique and special regardless of race, gender, culture, religion, language, family background, income, or ability. This means that every child matters and is provided with an equal opportunityto reach their full potential within a happy, caring community. We believe children need real experiences. They are encouraged to participate actively in all play, both indoors and outdoors. The learning is carefully planned, using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and is developmentally appropriate, with the emphasis on play and having fun. This enables children to learn through a range of activities and ensures:

Children learn through play

• Providers work closely with parents
• You are kept up to date on your child's progress
• The welfare, learning and all-round development of children with different backgrounds and levels of ability, including those with special educational needs and disabilities

We have achieved the Bromley QuILT award, which is a quality assurance scheme for early years settings that supports and looks beyond the standards required by Ofsted. We were judged to be outstanding by Ofsted at our inspection, meaning that our setting is exceptional and significant elements of our work are exemplary. Our latest OfSTED report can be viewed HERE for our Highway School site, and HERE for our Christchurch site. 

The children are given opportunities for many types of activities, including creative play with clay and dough, imaginative play with dressing up clothes, toys, etc, and quiet activities with puzzles, crayons, paints, books and ICT equipment. Each child is encouraged to take a lively interest in literacy and numeracy with the use of educational toys and games. The children are encouraged to extend their vocabulary and fluency by talking and listening, and by hearing and responding to stories, songs and rhymes, in small and large groups.

During the course of the morning we have an outdoor playtime, when the children have the opportunity to play in the fresh air in our large garden. We also have a time when the rising fours are given more individual teaching in observation skills, language, literacy and numeracy. The children are given a good grounding in basic concepts and language to prepare them for their next step to Primary School. We would like to stress here the importance of parents reading and talking to their children. During the morning the children also have a circle time based on the current theme and story time. Other activities include various outings and a music box sessions. This gives children an early insight into all aspects of music, including musical movement and development. We also encourage the children to learn about road safety at an early age. The rising fours also have a weekly French conversation session.

Throughout the term our activities and discussions are based around a particular theme. We produce a termly newsletter and parent's timetable, giving details of our term's theme, certain festivals, dates and other useful information.

The times of our morning sessions are 9 am - 12 noon and the afternoon is 12 noon to 3.00 pm. We are registered with OfSTED as a provider of Early Years Education and receive Nursery Education Funding when children are eligible. 

                              Lunch Club 

We run lunch clubs at the Highway site, continuing on from the morning sessions, from 12 noon to 1 pm. 

Children 

Our Pre-School is registered with Ofsted to take up to 30 children per morning at the Highway site and 24 at Christchurch, from 3 to 5 years old, with limited accommodation for under threes.

Staff

We have a minimum of 4 members of staff each morning in each setting, at least half of whom are fully qualified. We encourage all staff to attend suitable training and first aid courses. We occasionally have student placements.

Key Person

The Group operates a Key Person system, whereby members of staff observe, monitor and record the progress of small groups of children. This information is then transferred to our daily planning to enable us to provide for each individual child's needs. The children's progress is also recorded in their individual profile and 'Next Step' sheet are produced termly for parents information. These profiles are strictly confidential and should you wish to see them or discuss your child's progress, a manager or keyworker is always available. These will be passed on to your child's next educational setting when they leave us.

School's Bridge

We have an excellent relationship with the local schools. Once a term we attend bridge meetings, involving representatives from primary schools and other pre-schools in the local area, as well as members of Bromley Early Years Education Department to share information and discuss topical issues.