We are a small pre-school, in the centre of the beautiful village of Dorchester-on-Thames, offering a safe and friendly learning environment for 2 - 4 year olds. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide a safe & stimulating experience, with a strong focus on individual attention. Our building (Horsa Hut), outdoor play area, and garden are all next door to the Primary school, St Birinus.
There's lots to tell you about how we are run, what your child can expect from a typical day, and what our fantastic team here is like. Better still, we welcome visits from prospective families: please just contact us to arrange a time. All 3 and 4 year old children have the right to an early years education paid for by the government starting in the term following their third birthday.
There's lots to tell you about how we are run, what your child can expect from a typical day, and what our fantastic team here is like. Better still, we welcome visits from prospective families: please just contact us to arrange a time. All 3 and 4 year old children have the right to an early years education paid for by the government starting in the term following their third birthday.
Services
We are very much part of the local community, being in the centre of the village, and sharing the same school grounds as the "big school" where many of the children move on to: St Birinus Church of England Primary School. Staff are trained in childcare, and supported by people who are passionate about working with children.
We provide a low adult to child ratio and never exceed a 1:4 ratio for under threes or a 1:8 ratio for three to five year olds. We employ a mixture of permanent and temporary childcare professionals, to enable us to continually flex and adapt to demand for places. Our temporary staff are usually ex-permanent staff who continue to help out on an ad-hoc basis.
Want to get involved in your child's education? Join the committee, we always need extra members, or take on an officer's role, Chair person, Treasurer or Secretary. Dorchester Pre-School is run by a Committee of unpaid volunteers - who are almost always parents of children who attend. All of us are DBS checked, and we are governed by a Pre-School Alliance Constitution (2011).
We can look after up to 20 children per session, aged 2-4. Our class sizes will always be dependent on the age range of the children and the composition of staff available. We have to keep to the OFSTED ratios of 1:4 (1 adult to 4 children) for two year olds and 1:8 for 3 & 4 year olds. Your first point of contact for Admissions should be Helen Morris, our Manager.
Language and Literacy are important to us, learning through stories & play as well as singing songs and rhymes. We value personal, social and emotional development, and encourage all our children to be confident, fair and supportive of each other. We ensure that there is always a wide range of different types of material to play with, and different themes explored per term, to help increase our knowledge and understanding of the world.
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