Pre-Kindergarten welcomes children to Broomfield. There are lots of firsts in the Pre-Kindergarten year. It may be a first book read and understood from cover to cover to our head teacher, it may be class trips to the Polka Theatre or Kew Gardens, or the first song performed in a school play. In all our Pre-Kindergarten activities, we aim for children to begin their school life by learning in a fun, caring and stimulating environment. Our latest Ofsted inspection of March 2005 rated every area of our early years provision as "very good", the highest possible score. In summary the inspector comments that we "provide high quality nursery education that helps children make very good progress towards the early learning goals".
Communication, language and literacy
The curriculum builds on and extends the national early learning goals. In personal, social and emotional development the emphasis is on positive feelings, encouraging the confidence, security and self-esteem in the children that enables them to acquire control of themselves, their environment and their learning. Our communication, language and literacy activities aim to nurture the desire to communicate to look, listen, think and talk. All this fosters the basis of articulate self-expression and provides a sound basis for reading and writing.
Physical education
Our physical education work uses exercises in controlling co-ordination, breathing, agility and balance amongst others to build the children's self confidence with their bodies so they can learn to take measured risks and to make considered judgements to solve physical and mental problems. This develops fine and gross motor skills, balance and co-ordination and a sense of rhythm. A highlight of the sporting year for Pre-Kindergarten is Junior Sports Day in the Summer term. Karate tuition is available on Mondays until 12.30pm.
Creative development
Creative development is at the heart of our Pre-Kindergarten experience to develop opportunities for exercising imagination and creativity through art, music and movement, and drama. Art works regularly adorn the classroom and come home for parents to see, while the story making, singing and percussion work are the basis of our annual nativity play and summer play held in our school gymnasium. Music is taught by our specialist class music teacher, supported by our head teacher where appropriate. All Pre-Kindergarten children attend a class in movement given by the Lester School of Dance.
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
In mathematics the children recognise and form numbers up to 10 and recognise shapes as well as doing worksheets, number rhymes, and count to 20 and onwards.
Knowledge & understanding of the world
Learning in knowledge and understanding of the world focuses on understanding the children's environment, other people, and features of the natural and made world, with tasters of history, geography, nature study, science and technology. We aim to build on children's natural curiosity as we investigate topics including: ourselves, our family, growing, people who help us, mini-beasts, food, clothes, materials, holidays and journeys.
These all contribute to general learning about time, days of the week, seasons and the weather and colours. To support our children's development, we ask parents to read at home over the weekend with the children and to do occasional letter and number writing practice. Before children enter Pre-Kindergarten it is essential they are toilet trained and most helpful if they have plenty of practice at dressing themselves particularly putting coats and socks on and off!
The Pre-Kindergarten classroom is located next door to the school gymnasium, with adjacent toilets, and our own private playground. The classroom and playground were fully modernised and updated in Spring 2003, with a large new stock of Montessori equipment provided in 2005 and an interactive whiteboard in 2006. A large material map of the world was bought in 2007 and is used everyday during circle time.