Welcome to Stepping Stones Pre School
Stepping Stones Preschool is an integral part of Elburton Primary School. It is open for children aged 2.5 to 4 years old. We currently give preference to 3 year old children and follow all other admission preferences as per Plymouth City Council and our current admissions policy. If registration allows, 2.5 year olds will gain a space, otherwise they will go to the top of the waiting list for the following September or sooner.
Timings for the Day
Breakfast Club 07:30 to 08:30
Morning session 08:30 to 11:30
Lunch 11:30 to 12:30
Afternoon session 12:30 to 15:30
There is a termly (3 terms) voluntary contribution of £10, which is a Healthy Living Fee and helps to go towards snacks, food tasting, cooking activities, forest school snacks and other initiatives for promoting healthy living. For further information regarding your child who is currently at Stepping Stones or if you would like to enquire about your child starting at Pre School, please call the office on Tel. 01752 404489.
Email: steppingstones@horizonmat.com
Meet the Early Years Team
Mrs N Opie
Deputy Leader, Early Years Practitioner and SENDCO
Ms K Cassidy
Early Years Practitioner
Mrs N Allen
Early Years Practitioner
Mrs D Artherton
Early Years Practitioner
Key Documents and Information
Independence
We love to foster independence in your children, so we encourage them to put on and take off their coats and hang on their peg, and to practice using their zips and buttons. They will also have opportunities to pour their own milk, help to prepare their snack, practice putting wellies on and off and being able to use the toilet.
Oracy
Oracy is the skill to be an effective communicator and is a focus at Preschool. We will encourage your child to be a 'successful language learner', by promoting a love of books, listening to and retelling favourite stories and also making up their own stories. The children have plenty of opportunities to listen and talk to each other.
Early Number
The Preschool encourages numerous mathematical activities through play in a variety of formats such as mathematical equipment, Numicon shapes, small pegs and compare bears and introducing mathematical concepts such as smaller and larger, more than and less than and sorting different objects. We also have an interactive whiteboard that the children can access for educational games and mark making.
Garden
The children enjoy quality time in the garden, where they are free to explore all resources, such as water, sand, mud and sports equipment in a safe and secure environment and access all areas in all weather conditions, gaining independence by helping to put on their own wellie boots. We have recently had the garden renovated and the children have been making full use of our construction area, where they can build towers using our bricks and wheelbarrows and a variety of tools. We also have a dedicated bike area and a new Trim trail, where the children use the balance beam, cargo net, monkey bars and slide.
Mark Making
The children enjoy learning to hold different items of equipment and begin to develop their pre writing skills by mark making. This can be using pens, pencils, paintbrushes, chalks or even sticks to make marks in the sand. The interactive whiteboard is also used to create drawings using their fingers and the touch screen to choose different colours and designs.
The World Around Us
The children enjoy participating in a variety of themes and learning opportunities, throughout the Preschool environment. We plan for specific events and in the moment activities and work closely with the Foundation team to ensure shared thinking. The children are keen to learn about life cycles of chicks, tadpoles and butterflies, the use of technology in our ever changing world and relationships with their friends and families as well as the wider community.
Messy Play
The children love being creative and are encouraged to use their own ideas. They explore using their senses and a variety of materials, such as play dough, goop and shaving foam. They particularly enjoy painting, making bread and making and decorating biscuits/cakes, but also love getting their hands dirty in our mud kitchen or playing with the sand and water.
Imaginative Role Play
The children are given opportunities to extend their play by being encouraged to voice and act out their ideas and support each others suggestions. They enjoy playing in the home corner, hospitals, vets, hairdressers and travel agents, developing their social skills and interacting with their peers.
