Little Fishes Pre-School

Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me.’

At Little Fishes we aim to share God’s love with the children and nurture a sense of kindness, love and respect, enabling them to flourish in life.

About

September 1999 marked the opening of Little Fishes Pre-School, offering a much needed provision for pre-school children aged between 2 years, 9 months and 4 years. Little Fishes is a welcoming and homely environment which allows children to feel safe and secure. The adults work closely together to care for all children in the setting. With our fun and stimulating environment, we aim to nurture a sense of curiosity within the children in order to create a love of learning. We teach the children to respect each other and their environment, as well as encouraging the importance of being kind, caring and sharing.

We understand that all children are different and each learning journey is unique. We get to know each child individually and plan and assess activities based on their needs and next steps. We have an ‘open-door’ policy at Little Fishes, where parents are welcome to stay and play with their child as frequently as they would like.  This also provides an opportunity for parents to chat informally with their child’s key person, become familiar with our routines and activities and watch their child as they develop and learn new skills.

Information

Staff

Mrs Caroline Ricketts             Leader, DSL                           Level 4 Early Years & Education

Mrs Pascale Li Voon Chong   Key Person                            Level 2 Early Years & Education

Mrs Nel Goulding                    Key Person                            (Level 6) BEd Hons

Mrs Jo Hudson                        Leader, SENDCO                  Level 3 Early Years & Education

Mrs Cathie Easter                   Key Person                            Level 3 Early Years & Education

Mrs Masayo Bradley               Key Person                            Level 3 Early Years & Education

Mrs Sharon Church                 Key Person, Deputy DSL      Level 3 Early Years & Education

Mrs Marta Solivajs                   Key Person                           Level 2 Early Years & Education

All our staff are experienced, qualified and dedicated to working with children.  We are able to offer an adult to child ratio of 1:8 for over 3's and 1:4 for under 3’s. This allows children to experiment and experience a range of planned and free play opportunities which reflect their individual needs and interests. 

We have a key person approach where each child is assigned to a key adult. The key person will work with parents to ensure every child’s care and educational needs are met. The key person approach ensures children have an adult who they can build a trusting relationship with to help them feel safe and happy at Little Fishes. The key person will also keep records of children’s development, plan exciting learning experiences and communicate with parents.

We also take students from the local schools and colleges to gain valuable work experience during their studies for childcare qualifications.

Our management

Little Fishes Pre-School is managed by the Governing Body of St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School, under the Community Facilities Powers Initiative, run by the Government, which the Governors were granted in September 2004. As part of this initiative, the Governors are responsible for the employment and care of staff and for ensuring that legislation is adhered to.  The Pre-School Leader is responsible for the curriculum and the day-to-day planning for the children, in collaboration with the EYFS Phase Leader and the School’s Senior Leadership Team.

Sessions

We are open Monday to Friday during term time. Our choice of sessions are as follows:

All day – 8.45am – 3.45pm

Morning only – 8.45am – 11.45am

Morning with lunch – 8.45am – 12.45pm

Afternoon – 12.45pm – 3.45pm

Afternoon with lunch – 11.45am – 3.45pm

Provisions

A small daily snack is provided for the children such as such as fruit, vegetables, bread sticks.

For children staying for lunch (11.45 am – 12.45 pm) a healthy, nut free packed lunch is provided by parents.  Children eat their lunch in the Little Fishes room supervised by the Pre-school staff.

Curriculum

Following the Early Year’s Foundation Stage Profile, we plan engaging and challenging activities based on the children’s interests. A large part of the session is ‘free choice’ for children to choose where to play and learn, along with short whole group times for prayers, stories and songs. During the ‘free choice’ times the key workers play alongside the children, modelling ideas and teaching new skills. Through the curriculum we also encourage a growth of self-esteem, resilience and interest. The Pre-school staff work closely with the school’s EYFS staff and Phase Leader to ensure that the best start to each child’s learning journey is provided.

Facilities and Activities

Little Fishes is ideally placed within the school grounds. The environment is arranged to allow the children free access to a range of activities and resources which cover the Early Years Foundation Profile.

Little Fishes benefits from a custom-built room, with a children’s toilet area, a kitchen area for snack preparation, and a large outdoor area which is used all year round and in all weathers.

Activities include (but are not limited to) painting, reading, drawing, mark making, music, role play, cooking, crafts, snack, water play, sand play, bikes, building, construction toys, board games and playdough.

Term dates

Little Fishes is open during term-time only, in line with St. Peter’s School term dates, see Term Dates 2023-24 by clicking here.

Admissions and Payment

Admissions Policy

Although housed within St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School, and working closely with the Reception teachers, Little Fishes Pre-School has its own Constitution and Admissions Policy. The Admissions Policy for St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School and Little Fishes Pre-School remain completely separate and a place offered or accepted at the Pre-School does not automatically secure a place at the School.  For full details see Little Fishes Admissions Policy at the foot of this page.

Funding

All parents are eligible to claim the ‘universal’ 15 hours a week Early Years Education funding for 3-4 year olds (for a total of a maximum of 570 hours in any one year), as follows:

We also offer:

• the ‘extended’ 15 hours a week Early Years Education funding for 3-4 year olds (for a total of a maximum of an additional 570 hours over 38 weeks a year), in line with the same ages/start dates shown in the above table. 

• the 15 hours a week Early Years Education funding for eligible working parents of 2 year olds (for a total of a maximum of 570 hours in any one year).  This is a new Government initiative available from April 2024.  Just a reminder that we only take children at Little Fishes from when they are 2 years, 9 months old.

Visit www.gov.uk or https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk  for full information and all your funding options.

When your child becomes eligible for funding, you will be given a HCC claim form each term for you to complete, and the school office will process your claim for you.  The HCC Early Years Funding Privacy Notice is available on the school website and in Little Fishes.

Charging/invoicing

Any non-funded hours are charged at a rate of £5.50 per hour.  Payment for allocated sessions is payable at the beginning of each term, regardless of any days not taken due to holidays, sickness etc.  Invoices are issued at the beginning of each term.   We reserve the right to withdraw places should payment not be received by the due date, or a mutually agreed instalment plan set up, until all outstanding fees are paid in full.

Cancellations

6 weeks notice is required if you wish to cancel any of your confirmed places. Should we not be able to fill the cancelled places, any fees for those sessions will be payable in full.

Applications/Visits

If you would like to apply for a place for your child, please contact the school office for an application form or download the form here.

You are also most welcome to come and have a look around Little Fishes.  We hold monthly visits for prospective parents on Thursdays at 4pm. Dates for the Summer term are as follows: 18th April, 2nd May, 16th May, 6th June, 20th June and 11th July. Please contact the school office to book a place. There is also a virtual tour available on our website - please see the Little Fishes News page. 

Contact details

Little Fishes Pre-School

St Peter’s Catholic Primary School

Oliver's Battery Road North

Winchester

SO22 4JB

Telephone: 01962 852820

Email: admin@st-peters.hants.sch.uk