The Pre-School is situated in a purpose-built section of Rathfriland Community Centre, and a large, secure garden, solely for pre-school use is situated behind the building. The setting is inspected on a regular basis by the Department of Education Inspectorate and also the Early Years Team within Newry & Mourne Health & Social Care Trust. The Pre-School offers a safe, welcoming and enriching envi
ronment, extending the children's learning experiences, promoting their social skills and learning through play, and at all times ensuring the activities are developmentally appropriate. The setting follows the Pre-School Curriculum, as set out by the Department of Education. The topic based curriculum centres around the six areas, as listed below, and focuses on the needs of the child, promoting children's choice and providing opportunities to develop their full potential. It also encourages the children to discuss and recall their own experiences, through topics including 'Myself', 'Farming', 'Christmas', 'People Who Help Us', and 'Healthy Eating'.
*Personal, Social & Emotional Development
*Language Development
*The Arts
*Early Mathematical Experiences
*The World Around Us
*Physical Development & Movement
A range of activities are available on a daily basis for the children, including sand, water, painting, art activities, play dough, dressing-up, stories, construction, writing and physical play activities. Highly trained staff carry out observations on the children in the setting, focusing on the six areas, to ensure that progress and development is recorded and specific to the individual needs of each child. Children are assigned a 'key worker' on entering the setting, who will carry out the observations on a group of children throughout the pre-school year. Parents can arrange to meet with staff throughout the year to discuss their child's progress, and meetings are also held with parents in November, February and June, with a Transition Form being compiled by the child's key-worker in June, to be passed on to the primary school. This allows the Primary 1. teacher to become familiar with the child's development and progress when they move settings. The setting is run by a voluntary committee, consisting of parents whose children attend, or have attended the group. We would encourage parents to join the committee, and an invitation is open to every parent to become involved in the future of the setting and their child's education. The Committee meet on a monthly basis, in the pre-school setting, and are responsible for overseeing a variety of aspects of the setting, including fundraising, training, recruitment and employment of staff etc.
