Education, Eco and Forest School's Sessions.

Our aim is to ensure children make progress from their starting points and begin School being able to hold a pencil with a good tripod grip, form lower case letters, associate letters with the sounds they make and write their own name. Counting forwards and backwards, matching numerals to groups of objects, and engaging in everyday mathematical activities such as sharing out fruit equally.

A love of books, developed by reading to the children numerous times each day and with regular library visits, all adds up to a wonderful start for children and their transition to School.

Forest School sessions are an inspirational process offering children opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self esteem through hands on learning experiences in and around Midget Gems Childcare. Children will get the chance to explore the woodland around Midget Gems . All children are viewed as equal, unique and valuable as well as being competent to explore and discover. Sessions include nature walks, shelter building, fire making and forest craft and games.

Midget Gems received a wonderful accolade from North Yorkshire County Council, a certificate to confirm that Midget Gems Nursery are the youngest children to join Eco Schools and they thanked us for our hard work in taking part in the Eco Schools Award Scheme and they recognised our commitment to conserving resources and protecting the environment.

The Before and After School Club children have participated in an Environmental Review. They checked our Energy levels, if lights were left on, they talked about how walking to school was better for the environment and litter control. They enjoy making a difference.

At Midget Gems Childcare we believe active participating play encourages language, social and physical development.

Early activities include, making the most of reclaimed and natural materials, den building, access to water play, sand, modelling materials, arts and crafts, construction toys, books, games, dressing up, role play area, IT, music and movement, French lessons, climbing and sliding. Days are also supplemented with trips on nature walks, parks, museums, musical sessions and interaction with other peer groups.

Play is child led and and this includes best practice for recording information from birth to five years.

Midget Gems uses a confidential Online Learning Journal where parents and family members can access their children's developmental observations using an email and password combination. Key workers will upload weekly photographs ,observations and EYFS assessments. A yearly report is written on each child in June and a two year old report is written to tie in with the Health Visitors two year old check.

Our partnership with parents is paramount, we have regular social events, monthly newsletters and great feedback.

Next Steps.......Your child's transition to school.......

Midget Gems Childcare's Graduation Day !

We work very closely with a variety of schools within the area, including Richmond Methodist School, St Mary's RC School, Middleton Tyas School and Barnard Castle School. We have good strong transition links and actively encourage an excellent rapport. Teachers visit Midget Gems the term before the children start their new school and we in turn, take the children on visits to their new schools. This relationship strengthens each child's transition in their educational development.

In 2016 we sent a Questionnaire to several teachers at the above mentioned schools, requesting feedback regarding the development of "Midget Gems" children that started school in September 2015. Their written comments were very encouraging.

When asked, "Do you think the named child was school ready ? " - the replies were " Yes, independent and confident",

"Yes, independent and self contained", "Yes, coming with X from your setting helped X initially."

When the teacher's were asked if our End of Term Report was beneficial, they replied "Yes and it's useful when we're base lining children when they come into school".

Finally we asked, is there anything else Midget Gems could do to ensure the children are "more" school ready, and the answers returned were, " Can't think of anything, the visits to your setting are really useful for us. We're happy to have more visits/contact before the children start school if you think this would be beneficial for some children."

Finally, Mrs Bramley from Richmond Methodist School concluded, " All the children who come from Midget Gems always seem well adjusted and school ready."