Sparklers Pre-School

fully trained staff and supported by a Committee of volunteer parents. We have highly qualified and very experienced staff who are committed to providing an exceptionally stimulating and fun learning environment. At Sparklers ‘Learning through play’ isn’t a slogan. We carefully plan to ensure each of our children has the right play opportunities to learn and thrive and we take every opportunity to allow our children to have fun and expand their ideas. We recognise that every child approaches learning differently and we attach considerable importance to supporting every child so that they can learn in a way and at a rate appropriate for them. We can do this because we take a lot of care getting to understand our children. We ask parents to complete a questionnaire through which we hope to get an insight into their child and we assign each child a key worker whose role it is to support and understand them. In addition to play, we also use lots of hands on activities where the children learn through exploration and experimentation. Along with arts and crafts and computer time, we go on bug hunts and do pond dipping; we build "Beasty Hotels" and wormaries and we have recently resumed our gardening and the children have planted strawberries and potatoes. We do baking and have been making biscuits which the children decorate themselves and we are currently making a Herman friendship cake. Often we participate in joint activities with Basildon Primary School and in April we joined in with "Walk to School" week. During the preschool day, the children can choose to play with a range of toys and resources. They can also take part in lots of different activities, with an emphasis on the children choosing where they want to play, and what they'd like to play with. Older children are given some adult directed activities to develop their literacy skills.Our setting is 'free flow', which means that the children can move freely between indoors and outdoors as they wish. The activities we offer are based on the Early Years Foundation Stage, the statutory curriculum for children in this age group. We also provide some "extra-curricula" activities such as Ball Skills with Charlie who helps to develops the children's co-ordination and confidence with throwing, catching and kicking balls. We offer a music and movement class, French lessons and we have P.E. in the school hall. Sessions, Fees and Sure Start Funding from April 2013:

We are open 5 days a week during school term times. Sessions:
Monday - Friday

09.00 - 12.00
12.00 - 15.00

Children can attend for the morning session (9.00 - 12.00), morning session plus lunch (9.00 - 1.00), afternoon session (12.00 - 15.00) or all day (9.00 - 15.00). Lunch can either be a packed lunch or a school dinner which incurs an additional £2 payable directly to the schools chef. Fees
2 - 3 Year old £15 per session
3 - 5 Year old £13 per session
Lunch Club Fee £3.50

SureStart Funding for
3 - 4 Year olds
Children are entitled to 15 hours free pre school education from the term after their 3rd birthday through SureStart Funding. At Sparklers Pre School this is equivalent to 2 and half days. Further information on Surestart funding can be found in the Preschool Handbook

Ofsted No: 955551 Charity Number: 1097640