PROSPECTUS 2014-2015 What is Bath Opportunity Pre-School (BOP)? First started in 1979, BOP is an Ofsted registered pre-school catering for children aged 0-5 with additional educational and care needs. We have 13 permanent members of staff and approximately 28 children on our books. Our high ratio of staff to children and regular access to different therapists together with our strong links with Health, Education and Social Care enables us to care for children’s varying needs. We are an independent limited company with Charitable status. Manager - Michelle Kimberley – Early Years Professional/Teacher Status. Michelle joined BOP in 2010 as Deputy and was promoted to Manager in January 2011. She spent several years prior to BOP working as an Occupational Therapy Assistant specialising in Rheumatology. Michelle is passionate about sustaining an established and high quality provision for children with additional needs and their families. Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) Katherine Fallon – Early Years Professional/Teacher Status Katherine joined BOP in May 2011 as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator. Kath spent many years working as a Nursery Nurse in the Pre School Assessment and Therapy Centre in Bath, (RUH) a centre for children with complex special needs. Kath is passionate about ensuring our families’ needs are met, supported and that the children attending our setting reach their full potential. Management Committee Julie Dyer – Head Teacher of Three Ways School Michelle Kimberley – Manager of BOP Kath Fallon – Senco at BOP Trustees Julie Dyer – Head Teacher of Three Ways School Marjorie Furber – Retired Health Professional Becky Belben - Parent Administration The office is manned by Helen Whitley who is happy to provide you with more information or pass your query on to the relevant member of our team. Helen is a graduate in Business Management and has lots of experience in running a busy office. Staff Lee Dolman – Room Leader / Caterpillar Room Kate Sutton – Room Leader / Butterfly Room Claire Whatley – Early Years Practitioner Rachel Longstreth – Early Years Practitioner Pauline Smith – Early Years Practitioner Kirsty Taylor – Early Years Practitioner Paula Howe – Early Years Practitioner Rea Hunt – Early Years Assistant Dawn Scarisbrick-Rowe – Speech and Language Therapist Amanda Yeo – Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Marie Duncan – Early Years Practitioner / Bank Staff Fees £16.50 per 3 hour session, £33 for the whole day, paid in arrears. There is a provision for assistance with fees – please speak to Michelle. We accept Early Years Entitlement, Two Year Old Funding and childcare vouchers. An invoice will be issued each month and payment can be made by cash, cheque, childcare voucher or bank transfer. Absences If your child is ill please let us know before the start of the session he/she is meant to be attending or you will be liable for the fees for that day. You will have to pay for sessions your child misses due to holidays, but will not be charged for sessions missed due to professional appointments as long as advance notice is given. Settling in Period A parent/carer is expected to stay on site for the first few sessions whilst the staff get to know the child’s needs and administration forms are filled out. You are the expert on your child so we value your input and welcome you in sessions, particularly at this crucial settling in period. Communication between Parents/Carers and BOP Keyperson Each child is allocated two Key people who are responsible for providing and overseeing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with support from the Speech and Language Therapist/Assistant and the Senco. They will work with your child for part of the session and will be aware of all the activities your child is taking part in. The key people are your first point of contact if you have any questions or information to share regarding your child’s care. He/she will also be available to attend meetings in order to reflect your child’s progress. Please feel free to talk to them at any time. Progress Reports At the end of each year parents/carers receive a diary of their children’s work and activities. At other times, particularly during statutory assessment stages, we will be asked to write a report on your child’s strengths and needs to enable appropriate provision to be made for him/her. All reports will be discussed with you, as a parent or carer, before being sent to the agency involved. Home-BOP Communication Link Book Each child will bring home a book you can use for writing bits of information in such as anything special your child has done, or anything we need to know to enable us to care for them better e.g. that they are teething, bad nights sleep or they didn’t have any breakfast. A key person will write in the book anything special that they have done that session or tell you about planned events and activities. Classroom Doors There is a blackboard on each classroom door that is updated daily informing you of the day’s activities. Staff also stick WOW cards on the doors to celebrate the achievements of children. We encourage parents to fill out WOW cards for us to display to celebrate any achievements at home. Please also check the hall displays. Newsletter Every term a newsletter is produced for parents to keep up to date with events at BOP. It contains details of new members of staff, important dates and events and other snippets of information. Complaints (and Praise!) Our Manager has an open door policy and available to listen to you if you have any concerns or joy you wish to share. We also have a formal complaints procedure. Details are available on the Parent/Carer Notice board. We see communication with you as very important and value your comments at all times. Pre-School Set Up Hours – option of a morning session or full day Monday – 8.30-11.30 / 8.30-2.30 Tuesday – 8.30-11.30 / 8.30-2.30 Wednesday – Butterfly Room Only 8.30 -11.30 / 8.30 – 2.30 Stay and Play 9.30-11.00am . Thursday – 8.30-11.30/8.30-2.30pm Friday – 8.30-11.30/8.30-2.30pm The Pre-School is divided into two classrooms: Caterpillars Primarily for children aged 0 till their third birthday. We provide a peaceful environment for very young children to explore, develop and interact with the other children and staff. Butterflies When a child outgrows Caterpillars, which is generally around their third birthday, staff and parents will decide that he/she is ready for a more structured environment enabling preparation for school. We recognise that some children benefit from staying in Caterpillars until they are older and others are ready at an earlier age. Additional Rooms We also have a Speech & Language Therapy Room and we have access to a Soft Play room and Sensory rooms which we share with Three Ways School. Parent/Carer Room Parents and carers are welcome to stay on site during session time. There are refreshment making facilities and information on services relating to additional needs. It is a good base for exchanging information and support within the parent network – and a good place to relax and read or chat. Therapies Where appropriate our children receive in house Speech and Language Therapy from our therapist and her assistant. Music and movement is provided by Adrian Snell – Music Therapist who is based with Three Ways School. Occupational Therapy & Physiotherapy We have regular visits from the NHS therapists who work individually with specific children, recommending programmes and specialised equipment. Other Professionals We also have regular visits from Health Visitors, Social Workers, Educational Psychologists and other link workers from Health, Education and Social Care to see individual parents/children or to support parents in general. A Typical Session in the Classrooms Butterfly Room Morning Caterpillar Room Morning Hello Time Hello Time Story Music and Movement- Adrian Story Music and Movement- Adrian FREE PLAY Snack Food is Fun FREE PLAY Snack Physical activity in community FREE PLAY Attention group Narrative group FREE PLAY Physical activities in the community TAC PAC® Natural Outdoor play FREE PLAY Natural Outdoor play Free Play FREE PLAY Natural Outdoor play TAC PAC® FREE PLAY Children changeover Story/singing FREE PLAY Children changeover Story/singing Butterfly Room Afternoon Caterpillar Room Afternoon LUNCH LUNCH Healthy Early Years Project Colour schedule activities/joint attention Healthy Early Years Project Listening Lotto FREE PLAY Narrative group FREE PLAY Narrative group Sensory craft activity FREE PLAY FREE PLAY Natural Outdoor Play TAC PAC® Natural Outdoor Play Learning Programme Our learning programmes are carefully planned to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. In addition Individual Education Plans are devised by staff, together with parents and therapists, to meet specific developmental needs of each child. Trips In the past we have taken our children on trips to Bristol Zoo, Westonbirt Arboretum, the Theatre Royal, Warleigh Lodge Farm and Weston Super-Mare, as well as more local trips to the park or woodland. Quality Assurance To continually improve our services all staff are involved in quality assurance schemes and we have been awarded The Bristol Standard and The Children’s Rights Charter over the last few years. We have also participated in an Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. We have also taken part in the Well-being and Involvement Project. Staff Training Our staff regularly attend training sessions for curriculum development, health and safety and special educational needs information. All staff complete Mandatory training courses such as First Aid, Child Protection, Manual Handling and Food Hygiene. Early Support Home Learning Early Support Home Learning is a 12 week individualised programme that supports families with a child who has a developmental delay. The Tutor visits the family in their own home and works with the parents/carers to design learning activities that help the child reach targeted goals. Early Support Stay & Play Early Support Stay and Play is an informal session for parents/carers to stay with their children at BOP and play; learn and explore together. It is a useful opportunity to discuss any concerns about a child’s development with experienced and knowledgeable staff in a non judgemental environment. It is also an opportunity to meet other families and their children. Sessions are weekly and it is advisable to call beforehand to ensure space available. Fundraising As we have to find most of our running costs ourselves fundraising is very important. Management spend a great deal of time on this and we are always happy to receive help, ideas and contributions, however small. We have a ‘Friend’s of BOP’ group who are committed to fundraising and supporting the team and school with fantastic ideas and contacts. Volunteers and Students We welcome volunteers to support our team. We also welcome childcare students from Norland College, The City of Bath College and Bath Spa University who work with the children under the careful supervision of staff members. Policies BOP has written policies as required by Ofsted – these are available in the office or in the literature stand by the front door. A selection are available to view on our website. Address Bath Opportunity Pre School 180 Frome Road Bath BA2 5RF Telephone 01225 830972 E-mail Office Manager bop@threeways.co.uk bopmanager@threeways.co.uk We are constantly updating our service so items in the prospectus are subject to change at any time – if in doubt please ask a staff member.