Our Aims
At Busy Bees Playgroup we encourage the children to be independent, the foundation is laid by making it fun and focusing on the children’s interests. Activities are available inside and out to help further the children’s learning using lots of different resources. We offer a wide variety of activities that cover the early years foundation stage 7 areas of learning and promote the characteristics of effective and British values. We encourage all children in these activities and ensure that it is tailored to suit their individual needs. Busy Bees has a daily routine that is modified on a day-to-day basis depending on the children’s wants and needs. The children are encouraged to follow simple instructions and daily routines
Our Prospectus
We are a happy and well-established community playgroup operating within Castle Hill Primary School. All of our staff hold Early Years qualifications, along with first aid and children protection training. Although we are based within the grounds of Castle Hill Primary School, we are not a part of the school, however we do hold very close links with staff at the school. We have our very own outside play area, close to our playroom, which includes a natural area where we enjoy outdoor learning.
Busy Bees is a registered charity and run as a voluntary managed playgroup. At our Annual General Meeting a management committee is elected this is made up of parents whose children attend Busy Bees. They are responsible for the smooth running of playgroup, their main aim is fundraising to provide new resources, equipment, and experiences for the children.
We are affiliated to the Playgroup and Toddler Association, (PATA UK) a registered charity enriching the quality of life for pre-school children and their parents/carers, and a registered provider with Ofsted registration no URN
Our Curriculum
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the statutory framework that sets the standards that all early year’s providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge, and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. The prime areas of learning are important for building a foundation for igniting your child’s curiosity for learning and forming relationships. The specific areas of learning provide a supporting structure to which the main areas of learning can be applied.
The 3 prime areas of development are:
· Communication and language
· Physical development
· Personal, social and emotional development
The 4 specific areas of development are:
· Literacy
· Mathematics
· Understanding the world
· Expressive arts and design
For further information regarding the EYFS please visit:- https://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage or speak to a member of staff.
Starting Playgroup
All children will be allocated to a member of staff as their key person, as set out by the Welfare Requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This member of staff will closely monitor your child at playgroup and will keep confidential observations on their progress and development. Before your child starts at Busy Bees you will be given the opportunity for our Playgroup Manager to come and visit you at home, if national government guidance on Covid-19 allows, to get to know more about your child and carry out a base line assessment with you. (See enclosed leaflet for further information) If you do not wish for a home visit then we will arrange for an introductory meeting to be held at Playgroup. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s development, please feel free to talk these over with your child’s key worker, or playgroup manager
Children with special needs
Please let us know if your child has any special needs, be they dietary, physical, religious or educational. We have a Special Educational Needs Policy. Hailie Sturt is our designated members of staff for SEND and is trained in this area. Provision can be made to help children needing extra support. Please talk to your child’s key worker. A copy of our special Educational Needs policy is available within playgroup
Clothing
While at busy bees the children are always exploring and creating and although we provide overalls, accidents do happen so please don’t send them in their best clothes. Please dress you child appropriately for the weather this includes footwear, sun hats and coats. We do use the outside area throughout the year. We encourage children to be as independent as they wish, so please bear this in mind as to the type of clothing you send your child to playgroup wearing. Please ensure that Jumpers, Coats, Bags or any other belongings are clearly labelled with their name. Busy Bees t-shirt/jumpers are available to order online from myclothing.com
Snack time
Each session the children bring an item of fruit into playgroup, which is placed in the fruit bowl. This fruit is then cut up and shared with all the children at snack time. The children are given a drink of milk or water at snack time, but we ask that you please send your child to playgroup with a named drinking bottle which the staff will fill with water (Due to other children with allergies, we must insist that it contains only water). This will be available for them to have at any time during the session. Please inform our team if your child has any food allergies or special dietary requirements. A list of any allergies is kept on the wall so that all staff, volunteers, or visitors are aware of that child’s allergies.
Admissions
Children are admitted to the playgroup from the age of two and stay until they start school. We are open during Gloucestershire County Council schools term time only. Friday morning session is our pre-school session and is for all children due to start school the following September. We request a minimum of 2 sessions per week or at least on full day session. If you wish to cancel sessions, 2 weeks’ notice is required. PLEASE NOTE: ATTENDING BUSY BEES PLAYGROUP DOES NOT GUARANTEE A PLACE AT CASTLE HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL. YOU SHOULD REGISTER YOUR CHILD WITH THE SCHOOL We try our best to give your child a place to meet your requirements, but sometimes it is necessary to operate a waiting list. We aim to contact parents as soon as a suitable place becomes available.
Fees
All fees are payable half termly in advance. We are a registered provider of the free childcare funding entitlement. For 2, 3 & 4 year olds Covering the free 15hrs and 30hrs funding working families entitlement. For further information please visit:-https://www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/ The Family Information Service on 0800 542 02 02 or 01452 427362 or simply contact Busy Bees.
Session times
Morning sessions are from 9.00 am to 12 noon Monday to Friday (pre-schoolers only on Friday) All Day sessions are from 9.00am to 3pm Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. Children bring their own healthy packed lunch. Please ensure that children arrive and are collected promptly at the beginning and end of each session. Any child that is not collected after a period of 30 minutes, without prior notification from parents, will then be treated as an abandoned child and we are legally obliged to inform the police and Social Services
Safeguarding children
Busy Bees is committed to the protection of children, it holds a full and detailed safeguarding children policy, available within playgroup. Our designated safeguarding lead is Hailie Sturt. All staff are CRB/DBS checked and attend regular safeguarding and child protection courses. To avoid any unnecessary suspicion, please inform a member of staff if your child has had an accident at home, you will be asked to complete an existing injury form. Please inform a member of staff if somebody other than yourself will be collecting your child. We operate a password security system if someone who is not known to us is collecting a child.
Health and safety
Busy Bees holds a full Health and Safety policy available within playgroup. If your child is ill, please do not send them to playgroup as this is unfair to your child, the other children and the staff.
• Medication is only administered with a parent’s prior written consent (forms available from the staff). All staff are willing to undertake any training necessary to administer medication. (Eppipens, inhalers etc.)
• We carry out regular fire drills and follow all Fire Safety procedures.
• We undertake daily risk assessments of the activities, and premises, these are logged within playgroup.
• We do not encourage the wearing of jewellery as accidents can occur in the playgroup environment.
• Smoking is not permitted at any time, or on any part of Castle Hill School or Busy Bees property.
• Please do not park in the school car park or on the wavy lines outside the school gates as this blocks access for Emergency Services.
• No dogs or animals are allowed on Castle Hill School or Busy Bees property.
Tooth Brushing
At Busy bees we support the toothbrushing programme that is stipulated in the EYFS 2021. Therefore, we will be offering supervised daily tooth brushing in playgroup. This should supplement but not replace the oral care you are already giving at home. We request that you supply your child with a toothbrush and toothpaste in a NAMED sealed bag/container this will prevent any cross contamination which will be kept securely at playgroup.
Data protection
Busy Bees needs to keep collect and retain information about parents and children who use our services to fulfil our contractual obligations and best care for your children. This is governed by the General Data Protections Regulation (GDPR) We only collect personal data when we have a lawful reason for doing so and we only us it for the purpose it was originally obtained for. We take steps to ensure that the data we keep is accurate, up to date and secure and we do not keep it for any longer than is necessary. We have written policies and procedure in place for dealing with personal data. We will not share your personal data with any other third party without your permission
