Thorverton Pre-school is a registered charity and is run by a parent-led committee. In addition to a designated outdoor space, the preschool is in the fortunate position to share a playground, playing field and outdoor woodland area with Thorverton Primary School. This close proximity to the school facilitates interactions between children and staff from both settings, helping with the transition from preschool to school and creating a sense of belonging and community.
The dedicated preschool building comprises an inside and outside space separated by bi-fold doors. An open-plan, indoor classroom area is zoned for particular activities (reading nook, crafting tables, kitchen, snack corner, role-play area, sleeping snug). Outside, the preschool benefits from an Early Years garden.
The garden has paved areas, a mud kitchen and an obstacle course. The outdoor space also includes a partially covered play area which can be used at any time and in all weathers.
Outside play is an integral part of the day. Children can move between outside and inside spaces as they wish.
We work in collaboration with parents respecting the fact that parents are a child’s first educator. Sessions follow Early Years Foundation Stage, Development Matters educational framework.
New themes are introduced at the beginning of each half term. Drawing on these themes and children’s individual interests, as well as their developmental needs, staff encourage children to learn and explore freely through play. Activities can include: artwork using different textures and mediums, sensory play, reading, baking and physical play. Within this safe environment, children can be curious, form friendships and have fun.
Our staff are passionate about Early Years and through their teaching help the children in their care to develop confidence, become independent and learn about the wider world.
We try to have visitors or visits out and about. These have included: The Bear Trail, farm visits at lambing and calving time, trips to the village church and excursions to the stream in the village for dipping.
We have enjoyed visits from the police, fire service, doctor, a musician and older children from the school to share their learning.
Forest School
We asked our Forest School Leader, Joanna Warren, if she could tell us a bit more about the importance of Forest School for early years.
What is Forest School?
Forest School originates from Denmark. The ‘open air’ culture is a Scandinavian way of life in their early years education. They have an outdoors, child centred, play based pedagogy which promotes children’s learning and development. This approach was introduced to the UK in 1993 and has become widespread across the UK quite quickly.
The ethos of Forest School is giving the children the opportunity to learn new skills, promote their holistic development, take supported risks and develop curiosity and an understanding of the natural world.
What is the aim of our Forest school?
From within our woodland site it is our aim to promote our learners’ holistic development – their physical, social, cognitive, linguistic, emotional and spiritual development. By providing our learners with frequent weekly visits to our woodland site we can give them an enriching environment with space to learn, grow and develop while being outside with nature. This space will encourage them to explore, investigate and discover the natural world around them.
Play, choice and the opportunity to take supported risks are an integral part of Forest School. This is at the forefront of our practice, giving children the choice and time to direct their play and learning in the Forest, various activities are offered throughout the session alongside free play.
Play is vital to learning and development in childhood and the forest provides an amazing stimulus to all types of play, learning preferences and dispositions.
We want to foster resilient, confident, independent and creative learners who develop a ‘life-long’ positive and caring relationship with nature.
We want to build each child’s own innate motivation and interest in the natural world and enhance and extend those experiences further.
What are the benefits of Forest School?
The holistic development of all learners is promoted and enhanced: physical skills, gross motor and fine motor skills, physical strength, core strength, co-ordination and proprioception.
Social development – team building, communicating, problem solving together, negotiation and collaboration, sharing experiences and learning from one another.
The abundance of knowledge and understanding about nature, identifying flora and fauna, using all our senses to explore and investigate – hands on learning.
Health and fitness – being outdoors and experiencing all the elements and changing seasons first hand, resilience building.
Emotional development- calming effects of being in nature, mindfulness, self-regulation, confidence building, emotional resilience, emotional well being.