The Early Years Foundation Stage documents help us to determine a child's development. When planning for each child, we also consider: A unique child; recognising that every child is a competent learner from birth, who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured Positive relations; recognising that children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with their parents and/or a key-person Enabling environments; recognising that the environment in which children develop plays a key role in supporting them and extending their learning Learning and development; recognising that children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates, and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected. The Early Years Foundation Stage further divides the aspects of children's Learning and Development into seven areas.​ ​ The Prime areas consist of:​ Personal, Social and Emotional Development Physical Development Communication and Language The Specific areas consists of:​ Literacy Mathematics - numeracy and problem solving Understanding of the World Expressive arts and Design These meet Ofsted requirements and the principles of the Every Child Matters documentation. This helps your child prepare for their future in an educational environment.

In addition to all activities provided by the nursery, we also offer a variety of paid-for extra-curricular activities such as: Jo Jingles; movement and musical activity, every Wednesday morning (1yr plus) French; term time only, every Tuesday morning (3yrs plus)​ Gardening; seasonal including veg patch and flower growing (2yrs plus) Outings and walks; all year round, all ages Signing; in all rooms at all ages (supports SEN and EAL children)

Throughout their time at Lexden Lodge Kindergarten, observations and pictures of your child will be kept and uploaded onto our private Tapestry system, which the key-person updates, and shares with you securely via the portal. You will receive your personalised login details once you are registered, and have given permission for us to set it up for you. We often include observations, photographs and information about your child's achievements, interests and activities, and you can also add any information of photographs as you wish.

At Lexden Lodge Kindergarten, we believe in the importance of getting beginnings right. Providing a happy and relaxed introduction and supported attendance at the early stages sets the scene for optimum development and learning. We know that your baby or toddler needs time, space and appropriate activities that they can explore in a stimulating, safe and secure environment. Our dedicated staff members ensure that each child is able to develop in their own individual way. Each child is assigned their own key-person, and communication is crucial between them and parents. Therefore, we actively follow individual care routines for each child, ensuring a gentle transition into the nursery and making it easier for your children to settle. ​ Typically, a day in our Ducklings room will be led by the routine that each child has: they can take part in messy play, art and craft activities, stories, and explore open-ended resources and toys, as well as spending one-to- one time with their key-person. They can choose to play with what interests them, be outside every day, play alongside others, and share freshly prepared and balanced meals with other children. To assist us with providing familiarity, we ask that nappies and formula milk are provided for your child. Babies who are eating solids, including purees, will be able to enjoy home-cooked food supplied by the nursery, if meals are included in your booking. We can cater for any allergies and dietary needs; further information on menus can be found here. Lexden Lodge are happy to arrange for parents to visit prior to their child starting with us. This builds familiarity with our setting, and helps form ties with the key-person who will be caring for your child, so is an ideal time for free discussions regarding your child’s care. We also offer a visit to your home, prior to starting, so that your baby can meet their key-person in familiar surroundings. We are also happy to arrange a home visit and trial sessions. Home visits are completely optional, and have proved to be beneficial in building the relationship between the key-person, and your child and family. Trial sessions introduce you and your child gently into nursery while allowing you to get used to leaving your little one with us, in preparation for the time ahead. At Lexden Lodge, we are proud to offer extra-curricular activities that can enrich your child’s experiences and can build upon the bond between parent and child. Please contact us for more information. ​ Your key-person will carefully observe, record, and assess learning in all areas of your child’s development. Our records are always are fully available to parents for regular discussion with your child's key-person.

At Lexden Lodge, we know that this is the age when children begin to shine within the nursery. We believe that play has an important role in your child’s development, and that thoughtfully planned play and open-ended activities can expand each child’s knowledge and understanding of themselves, and the world around them. The Early Years Foundation Stage documentation supports effective and progressive learning through play. Encouraged by our experienced staff, your child will be able to experience a variety of materials, equipment and activities such as sand and water, foam, building blocks, puzzles, and small world toys including train sets. We also offer messy play including painting, drawing, printing, sticking, gloop and play dough. Books suitable for all ages are readily available, and will support your child’s learning throughout. To us, children enjoying the process of learning is more important than the final result, and we understand that each child will learn and progress at their own pace. Each child is assigned a key-person upon joining our nursery, who will carefully observe, record, and assess children’s learning in all areas of development. Our records are always fully available to parents for regular discussion with their child’s key-person. Good communication between parents and key-persons is paramount for all of our children, and sharing information means we can fully provide what a child needs. We follow individually agreed care routines, allowing for a gentle transition into or through the nursery, making it easier for each child to remain settled and happy. At Lexden Lodge, children can enjoy home-cooked food supplied by the nursery, if meals are included in your booking. We work with our parents to cater for any allergies and dietary conditions. Further information on menus can be found here.

At Lexden Lodge Kindergarten we want to enable, and prepare your child to go on to flourish at their new school. Therefore between the age of three and five, your child will continue to explore the importance of learning, through areas that are of individual interest to them, as well as the basics. We encourage children to contribute to planning for learning as well as evaluating and incorporating their preferences into future plans. At group time like snack, meal and circle time, children of all ages are helped to understand, appreciate, manage and take part in a sociable activity and to learn valuable life skills. We carefully observe, record, and assess children’s learning in all areas of development. Our records, which are fully available to parents for regular discussion with their child’s key-person, go with your child as they leave us to start school, to inform their Foundation Stage Profile, at the end of the Reception year. By planning a curriculum that is based largely on observation and interests of your child, we are confident that all learning opportunities are meaningful experiences for children’s active engagement; the best forum for significant and long-term learning. By the age of four, most children will be ready for the benefits that a pre-school education offers. A typical day will include opportunities to access a variety of activities, play in the outdoor area, as well as morning and afternoon group time. Skills developed here include: Literacy skills that are promoted through books, games, and activities promoting awareness of print, and its' meaning and uses. Activities that promote communication such as speaking, listening, turn-taking in story telling, sharing rhymes and conversation. Reading, writing and language are also developed through a language rich environment. Signing is also supported in the nursery. Understanding of the wider world is brought to life through hands-on learning, problem solving and experimenting. This is a great part of development in over three’s. Expressive Arts including dance, drama, singing, telling stories and rhymes. Role play is extremely important in understanding about life and relationships, and young children instinctively re-enact events they experience or witness. This consolidates their understanding. Such re-enactment takes place through small-world play with miniature figures, and in role play where the children themselves are the actors. Physical activities include scissor control, building, threading or larger muscle movements such as balancing, climbing, and running. Social and emotional development can be a gradual process, as feeling settled, gaining confidence in new surroundings, and working cooperatively with others are all skills needed for future education. Mathematical skills, number awareness and application are developed through matching, and size and shape sorting, as well as simple number processes of adding, division and subtracting. Free Early Educational Entitlement Children of three and four years old are eligible for 15 hours Free Entitlement funding for 38 weeks of the year; this is normally available from the term after their third birthday. ​ From September 2017, families can apply for a further 15 hours funding for each child over three. All eligible parents will then receive and 11 digit code, that they must show the nursery.

We have a Key Person for each child; in line with the EYFS, we use Progress Checks and Assessments under the Plan-Do-Assess-Review cycle. We use speech check charts to help us to define if there are any areas of concern. Parents are welcomed to speak confidentially to their Key Person, or any of our SENCO team; we have an Open Door policy in operation.

We have a team of SENCO’s in our nursery, supported by the Area SENCO. They support each child’s Key Person and parents in formulating the right strategies to support the child and create the One Plan together. We assess and review the Plan on a regular basis, alongside the observations that we routinely make of children’s progress, using the graduated approach cycle of Assess-Plan-Do-Review. We can refer children for extra support, with their parents’ consent using the Effective Support for Children and Families in Essex, to Speech and Language or the Paediatric Team.

We use observations to define the developmental progress of the child which informs and determines our differentiation. By making the targets small enough for a child to be able to achieve, but moving forward, we know our support will enhance and enable children’s unique development.

​We share information with parents informally every day of attendance; sometimes more in depth if there is relevant progress, or if the parents prefer. We encourage and welcome communications from the parent about their child in person, by email or phone call, any day, and try to make the Key Person and SENCO, if preferred, available to speak with them at their request. We offer an in-depth consultation with parents, so that their aspirations for their child are realised in compiling the One Plan together. There is a baseline assessment, as children start attendance; we complete and update a One Page Review at regular intervals, with parents. Together we discuss and share strategies which we have found useful, so there is continuity in both environments. Parents are welcomed to include their input in the Learning Journal.

We carry out risk assessments, for procedures in the nursery, so that children’s safety is ensured. This includes how staff should manage children moving from the indoor to outside environment, outings, and visits. We employ staff that has knowledge of behaviour management, and strategies used to support behaviour are consistently applied. We have a policy for administration of medicines, and for intimate care of children, which are available for parental perusal. We note the preferences of children with SEND, so that their view is valued, ensuring the overall wellbeing of the child. Parents are welcome to view any of these at any time.

Staff are expected to undertake Level 1 on-line Safeguarding training. Key People are also expected to complete the Level 2 Safeguarding Course, and have Paediatric First Aid, all to be updated as required. Our management team have Designated Safeguarding Person status and training. One of our SENCO team has done ‘ELKAN’ Speech and Language course. Other training undertaken includes Safer recruitment, Domestic Abuse, Autism and Behaviour training, Child Sexual Exploitation and Female Genital Mutilation. We have regard to the EYFS requirements, and those of the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015, the UNCRC, The Children and Families Act, the Equality Act and the Safeguarding Guidance from Essex County Council.

We have regular visits from the Area SENCO, Children’s Centre, Speech and Language, Specialist Teacher for the Deaf and Visually Impaired and from children’s own Family Support Key Workers, have been to visit children they are supporting, and worked cooperatively with us in the past. We welcome input from all professionals who work with children attending the nursery, and understand how to make timely and appropriate referrals.

We welcome parent and practitioner consultations about the activities we are offering children, so that those we offer are suitably supporting each child. On any outing a risk assessment is completed, and parents are asked to give consent to go each time an outing is planned. Where a visit to a new venue is planned, a staff member may first visit if access is a consideration.

Our ENCO has carried out an Audit to ensure that our nursery is fully accessible throughout. This includes toilet facilities for wheel chair users. We use signage in the nursery to help children understand what is expected of them. We support the home language of each child attending. We have the facility to produce documentation in other languages, where and when needed. We ask professionals, parents and /or children, for their practical advice on equipment to use before we make adaptations or purchases are made.

We usually offer a home visit of the Key Person to a new child before attending. This fosters a stable home-nursery relationship before the visits begin. Parents are invited along with their child for several visits prior to starting attendance. We have found that sharing information about each child helps facilitate a smooth transition into the setting. Internal transitions are managed at a comfortable stage and pace for each individual child; parents are supported and included throughout these. Where a child is attending another setting, and with parental agreement, we will share information and visit the other setting, and invite them to visit the child here. Children’s transitions to school are supported with an invited visit of the new teacher, and a One Page Profile and comprehensive Learning Journey to accompany the child as they leave us. An enhanced transition will include several supported visits of the Key Person to the new school, if the parent and child feel that they would be beneficial. We contact the school SENCO to arrange suitable visits in this case.

Staff are deployed in order to ensure those children who need additional support in order to have access to the learning environment have that support. We carefully consider each team within each age group, and the whole nursery, to provide a balance of knowledge, acumen and talent for the attending children. We use our resources as wisely as possible to support the needs, safety and development of our children; this includes any possible adaptation of resources or the environment.

We operate a child centred approach, which enables the One Planning to be effective, and includes the aspirations of the child and family and information from the Key Person. If there is a specific area that causes the family concern, and where a parent desires, we can refer their child to other professional support.

All parents are invited to read our current policies, and to be involved in reviewing them. We have bi-annual meetings of our Parents Group where issues relating to how the nursery is run can be discussed, as well as any other issues that the attendees would like to bring to the table. Parents are also regularly consulted, through their Key Person, on their views about the care they access and prefer for their own child.

Our nursery has a team of SENCO’s, led by our Manager, Angela McQuitty. They include Amanda Smith, for children over 3 years; Emma Roche for children less than 3 years of age. This is our contribution to the Local Offer in Essex. If you have any queries regarding the above, or are searching for something you cannot see listed, please contact us.