Our wonderful Pre-School is set in the lovely location that is Cholsey village. We are small friendly community Pre-School with a fantastic core team of practitioners. At the heart of our Pre-School are the children, they are who we aim to inspire everyday through fun child led activities, great teaching and following the EYFS. In addition to our team we are lucky to have a supportive committee that is made up by parents. The committee supports the Pre-School in so many ways working with the staff to provide the best provision we can. Building relationships with other agencies is of high importance to us, we have a good relationship with Cholsey Primary School and other agencies in the area.
In 2011, the government set out the need for ‘British values’ to help everyone live in safe and welcoming communities where they feel they belong. The Department for Education recently reinforced the need “for all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
These British Values are defined as:
Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty and mutual respect
Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
At Cholsey Pre-School we incorporate these into our day to day sessions
Democracy:
We make sure children, parents and staff are listened to and have their opinions and views heard and respected.The children are encouraged to make their voices heard, in the case of child who cannot verbalise what they are trying to communicate to us we use hand signals and gestures. We make sure all the children are heard and listened to and made to feel valued.
The rule of law:
As a group we are all involved in setting the rules of our Pre-School and making sure we all adhere to those rules. We speak about choices and consequences if rules aren’t followed.We speak about why we have these rules in place and how these rules are here to keep us safe. At the start of the year we ask “what can keep us safe in Pre-School” which leads to a discussion and the children setting the rules.We learn how to take it in turns, share and to listen and respect how others feel.
Individual Liberty:
We encourage self-confidence, esteem and awareness through our day to day activities knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. We encourage everyone to have a voice but also listen to others. We encourage children to use the provisions in a way they see fit within the safety of the setting. The Family Links programme help us to learn about personal power, and how they use their personal power.At snack times we let the child decide if they are hungry and want snack, they also get to choose what fruit and drink they want.The children can choose to play inside or out and with what they want within the rules and boundaries of a safe environment.
Mutual Respect:
We follow the Family Links programme at Cholsey Pre-School, through this we learn to express how we feel and learn to understand how others may feel. We learn what is a nice way to play and talk to our friends, sharing, nice touch and words. We learn how to express ourselves if we feel sad and how we can help someone who feels sad.We learn that we are not all the same and that being different is ok.
Tolerance of different Faiths and Beliefs:
At Cholsey Pre-School we speak openly about other Faiths and Beliefs. We encourage parents to come in and speak about religious festivals or celebrations that are important to them.When we learn about another Faith or participate in a celebration we have opportunities to dress up in the relevant clothing, learn dances, make and try different foods.
