Play, learn and grow together!

Ofsted Registration Number - EY482746 (West Site) EY493048 (East Site)

Charities Commission Registration Number – 1158113

Rainbow Pre-School & Extended Services

We are a friendly, welcoming pre-school that offers young children all the opportunities they need to learn and develop through play, in a caring and safe environment.

We offer places to children from 2 years of age to the time they leave for reception. We also offer a wrap-around care service out of school hours for children from 2 to 9 years old. 

We have a stimulating environment, both inside and out that is accessible to children so they can explore to their hearts content, there’s even space for a quick rest!

Our highly trained staff are committed to providing quality learning experiences tailored to

children's individual needs, we pride ourselves on our inclusive practice and will work closely with you to ensure your child is truly cared for.

Our role is to assist children to be school ready by the time they leave Rainbow to attend reception class. We support children of all backgrounds and abilities including those with medical concerns and special educational needs, we strongly believe in equal opportunities for all children to be able to achieve their full potential. We actively promote equal opportunities through our inclusive practice. We believe every child should be provided with the same opportunities and access to all activities, we are inclusive in our practice

and our outlook. We encourage children to develop an appreciation of different cultures, customs and beliefs, celebrating both our similarities and differences.

We ensure all children and staff develop a positive self-image and a high self-esteem.

From the moment you confirm your child will be attending pre-school you will be allocated a keyworker and a key group. Your keyworker is responsible for supporting your child throughout each session and communicating with you about their needs, progress and learning. They plan activities to suit your child’s individual interests and ensure all areas of learning and development are established. Each keyworker has a co-keyworker to provide support during times of absence. Your child will spend allocated time each day with their keyworker engaged in activities designed to promote their learning and development

Your child will be able to access a variety of activities from messy play, splashing in water, digging in the garden, creating arty masterpieces and much, much more!

Younger children will start to develop the social skills required for interaction and begin to develop relationships with their peers.

As your child progresses they will be introduced to activities designed to stretch their skills and stimulate their imagination all ready for school! All children receive praise for their achievements no matter how small their successes.

We adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, EYFS) and use the seven areas of learning and development to shape our educational programs. The primes areas of our initial focus are Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and emotional Development. The specific areas which link to the prime areas are Mathematics, Understanding the World, Literacy and Expressive Arts and Design.

Children are encouraged to develop at their own pace and are treated as individuals. By following children's interests and developmental needs we are able to provide a varied and challenging day that is exciting and fun.

We also now offer school dinners for children who attend the East site and form September 2017 we will also offer them on our West site. The cost will be £2.80 and these will need to be booked and paid for in advance on a weekly basis. For menus or order form please ask at Pre-School or you can download them on our website.

What do we offer each day?

Our rooms are designed to help children feel settled and secure with low access to resources to encourage independence as they mature. A cosy area provides a space for your child to relax and have quiet periods of time throughout their day in relaxing surroundings. Coupled

with free flow access to modern spaces and equipment they will learn through their experiences and play.

The garden space, which is open throughout each pre-school session ensures children have adequate access to fresh air. Your child will soon find themselves using the garden on a regular basis to enhance their learning and development whilst at Rainbow.

Healthy, balanced snacks are offered at our ‘Rainbow Café’ which opens during both the morning and afternoon pre-school sessions. Here children are supported and encouraged to serve themselves. We use this opportunity to introduce them to healthy concepts and ensure snack and lunch times are a social occasion. We have been awarded the OUTSTANDING healthy eating award by the Children’s Food Trust. We operate a lunch club for all children attending a full day at pre-school where you will be required to provide a packed lunch for your child (we operate a No Nut policy!) Hot dinners are now available at the EAST site for an additional charge. These will also be available at our West site from September 2017. Where it supports the children’s learning and development we have off site trips and visitors to the Pre-School. These are normally linked to our half termly topics. We often ask for parent helpers so please come along and join the fun where possible!!

Only recognised people will be allowed on the premises, so please don’t be offended if we ask to see some identification or for your password information! After all we want to keep your child safe!

We do not have parking on either sites for our Pre-School sessions. If you are using the breakfast club from 7.30-8am or after school club from 4.30 to 6pm you are permitted to use the car park while your drop off or collect your child. We actively encourage parents to walk their

children to school and participate in the walk to school week.

Our Facilities

Our Staff Team

We recognise that to provide your child with the best possible childcare and start to their education we need to provide the highest quality staff. Although it is not a legal requirement we have employed an Early Years Qualified teacher who is the Head of Pre-School and extended services across both sites. Responsibilities include ensuring the smooth day to day running of the setting and for overseeing learning and development and is supported by a team of managers and childcare practitioners who are dedicated and experienced.

All our staff are committed to consistently developing their knowledge and understanding to provide the children in our care with the highest level of teaching and support.

We follow the safer recruitment guidelines and carry out a thorough selection process including suitability checks with barring services to ensure their eligibility to work with children and young people.

Our Committee

Rainbow Pre-School and extended services has served the local community for the last 32 years as a not for profit company.

Our committee of trustees is highly dedicated and motivated to ensure that our setting is compliant in all aspects of childcare legislation, to that effect one member is employed to work at the pre-school on a full time basis as the Director across both sites. This allows for a high standard of communication between staff and committee about daily operations.

Although we will always hope to have some committee members who are parents of the children who attend, our governing document allows us to recruit trustees with the specific skills that we require. This approach enables us to be highly focused and driven to achieve outstanding care and education for the children who attend.

Extended ServicesRainbow’s Extended Services program aspires to be fun, full of experiences and flexible. We work hard to create strong relationships with the children, parents and families who use the Extended Services. Our aim is to create a home from home environment.

Whether a child has working or non-working parents, we completely understand the requirement for a supportive and interesting wrap around care system for your child.

Breakfast club: We provide a variety of healthy balanced breakfasts in line with recommendations from the Childrens Food Trust. Activities are accessible throughout the session, with a range of age appropriate toys and equipment to play with. Before they leave for school we have a group activity to focus their children for the day ahead at school. Children in the main school building are escorted to the ICT suite at St Andrews where they leave for their classrooms once the bell has gone. Reception children are accompanied to the reception entrance and handed over to the reception teachers.

After School Club: Children attending After

School Club are collected from either the ICT suite or the reception building and escorted to Rainbow.

The children will then have the chance to take part in planned adult accompanied games and activities, whilst also having the opportunity to enjoy free flow play of a range of indoor and outdoor toys and equipment. At the after school club “café” children can enjoy a healthy, balanced snack, where they also have the opportunity to discuss their day with adults and peers whilst winding down ready to play and enjoy the range of activities the club has to offer. We promote self-service and independence throughout the session, older children are encouraged to take responsibility for ensuring they attend Rainbow Café.

We offer three staggered collection times for After School club in order to meet your needs.

Holiday Club: During school holidays we provide a wraparound care service operating all year excluding bank holidays, teacher

training days, the Christmas break and essential maintenance days.

Booking forms and activity plans are normally published at least 4-6 weeks before the holiday club begins. We operate an early booking discount of 15% for those who book and pay by the advertised deadline. Spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis. Our activities across each week are usually themed, and are created using the children’s interests for inspiration. Where possible we engage the services of professional to visit and deliver workshops to provide new and stimulating experiences. In previous clubs we have had horse grooming classes, drum lessons, bird of prey workshops, dance classes, karate lessons, baking classes and countless more.

As a charity we welcome involvement from any friends of Rainbow who have a particular job role or talent and who would like to share these talents with the children who attend our holiday club.

We can accept children aged from 2 years – 9 years (still in year 4 of school).

Terms and ConditionsFUNDING:

We are registered to receive DofE Nursery Education Funding. Children receive funding from the term following their third birthday. Funding periods run from 1st September until 31st December, 1st January until 31st March and 1st April until 31st August.

Funding is also available for children when they become 2 years old, but the eligibility criteria is reliant on personal circumstances. Please contact Central Bedfordshire Council to find out if you are eligible, or alternatively, your Local Children’s Centre. (The Lawns in Biggleswade is a Children’s Centre Tel No: 01767 312312)

Children in receipt of the funding are entitled to a maximum of 15 or 30 hours dependent on eligibility. We are offering 30 hours funded childcare from September 2017 if your child is eligible. If you would like further information on funding please visit https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

If your child is not eligible for funding from the DfES or you wish to book extra sessions over and above their entitlement you will be charged as per the fees below. All extended services including holiday clubs are chargeable as funding only covers pre-school sessions.

FEES: (From September 2017)

Breakfast club

7.30am-8.00am 2 yrs up to half term after 3rd birthday

£3.25

3-9yrs £3.00

8am-9.00am (includes breakfast) 2 yrs up to half term after 3rd birthday

£4.25

3-9yrs £4.00

Preschool

9am-12pm (includes snack) 2yrs up to term after their 3rd birthday

£15.00

3yrs-5yrs £13.50

12pm-12.15 All ages FREE

12.15pm-3.15pm (includes snack) 2yrs up to term after their 3rd birthday

£15.00

3-5yrs £13.50

After School Club (includes snack)

3.30-4.30 2yrs to half term after 3rd birthday

£4.25

3yrs-9yrs £4.00

3.30-5.30 2yrs to half term after 3rd birthday

£8.50

3yrs-9yrs £8.00

3.30-6.00 2yrs to half term after 3rd birthday

£11.75

3yrs-9yrs £11.00

Holiday Club

7.30am-9.00am (includes breakfast)

2yrs to term after 2nd birthday £7.50

3yrs-9yrs £7.00

9.00am-5.00pm

(includes am & pm snack)

2yrs to term after 2nd birthday £4.25 per hour

3yrs-9yrs £3.75 per hour

4.30pm-6pm 2yrs to term after 2nd birthday £7.50

3yrs-9yrs £7.00

Early booking discounts of 15% are available for Holiday Clubs where booking and payment is received by the date specified on the booking form.

We charge a £20 registration fee for your child. As part of this fee we will give you a book bag and 1 polo t shirt.

Pre-school fees are payable each term in advance of attendance. Parents will receive invoices which will detail the fees for the coming term. Payments can be made by cash, cheque, childcare vouchers or direct into our bank account. If you wish to pay by cash please visit the office in person for a receipt to be issued. If a child starts mid-term then the fees will be calculated accordingly.

All extended services are to be booked using our booking form system. Booking forms should be submitted by the deadline stated on the form and payment should be received prior to your child attending. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

We believe strongly in ‘not for profit’ and therefore aim to keep our fees affordable for all, however as costs rise the committee may need to use their discretion and therefore prices are subject to change.

In the case of absence lasting longer than 5 days, we ask that you put this in writing for the attention of Vickie Sharp. Due to high demand for places if your child does not attend for more than two consecutive weeks without any communication from parents or carers, Rainbow Pre School reserves the right to offer the sessions to another child.

Rainbow will charge for late collection of a child, this will be charged at our hourly rate plus a penalty fee of £10.00. In the case of no communication from parents or carers Rainbow may refer to the Safeguarding policy and take appropriate steps.

CHANGING SESSIONS / ADDING SESSIONS/ TERMINATING YOUR CHILD’S PLACE:

Changing Sessions

If you wish to change your child’s sessions please complete a ‘Change of Sessions’ form in full to advise us of your requirements going forward and we will try to accommodate your request. Please bear in mind spaces are in high demand and we will not always be able to provide you with extra sessions after initial entry.

Adding Sessions

We will ensure that all existing parents have first refusal with regards to increasing the number of sessions agreed at the beginning of the academic year, by contacting you prior to the end of each term.  This will only happen if we have any spaces available.     We will ask you if you would like to book extra sessions for the following term, where we have availability.    We will always try to accommodate parent requests, but due to a high demand of places, this may not always be possible.   We will only contact new parents on our waiting list, once we have processed requests from existing parents.  Please note however, that apart from the time that we ask you if you would like to book extra sessions for the following term, we are unable to save sessions for future terms, as this would obviously be financially disadvantageous to our organisation.  We are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, which means that we are a not for profit which allows us keep our fees competitive.  For example, if you book 3 sessions at the beginning of the academic year but at the same time ask us to save 3 additional sessions to start in the following term, we are unable to do this.  We will always try our hardest to accommodate parent requests, but cannot guarantee places will still be available after the first term.

Terminating your child’s place

If you wish to reduce your sessions or terminate your child’s place at pre-school, Rainbow requires half a terms notice in writing. If notice is not provided you will be charged for the remainder of the half term at the prices stated above.

NON-PAYMENT OF FEES:

Fees must be paid in advance of attendance.

Pre-school – if you find it difficult to pay for the whole term in advance, weekly or monthly payments are acceptable, providing the full terms fees are received before the new term starts.

Extended Services – If you find it difficult to pay for the period detailed on the booking form, we will accept weekly payments in advance of attendance.

Contact Details:All enquiries regarding finance, admissions, changes to sessions, bookings etc should be directed to the Admin Office on the West site.Please only contact the East site telephone number with queries or messages relating directly to you child for that day.West site:Rainbow Pre-school & Extended ServicesNursery Building, St Andrews Lower School VCBrunts Lane, Biggleswade, SG18 0LYTel: 01767 310230Email: enquiries@rainbow-preschool.co.ukPlease send booking forms only to: bookings@rainbow-preschool.co.uk

East site:Rainbow Pre-school & Extended ServicesSt Andrews Lower School VCBantock Way, Kings Reach, Biggleswade, SG18 8UQTel: 01767 310230Email: enquiries@rainbow-preschool.co.ukPlease send booking forms only to: bookings@rainbow-preschool.co.uk

Ofsted Registration Number - EY482746 (West Site) or EY493048 (East Site)Charities Commission Registration Number – 1158113

Rainbow Pre-school and Extended Services are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, volunteers and members to share this commitment.

Play, learn and grow together.