10+ Years of Childcare
Little Sparkes Preschool continues to provide high quality childcare for over 10 years. Promoting education for the Early Years age group.
This safe learning environment is surrounded with nature, woodland and exploration, within 21 acres of beautiful green land. There are 2 secure outdoor play areas.
Allocated in the Winchmore Hill area. We are conveniently located for parents who live in neighbouring Palmers Green, Bush Hill Park, Edmonton & Southgate. There is free parking for parents.
Our Setting
Open Times
The Preschool is open 38 weeks of the year.
We close for all school holidays, Bank & Public Holidays.
We have 5 Inset days per year, for staff training. The Preschool will be closed.
Workplace Childcare vouchers, Tax-Free childcare.
We also accept Government 15 & 30hrs Funding for 2 years to 4 years and Student Finance payments.
Daily Sessions
We have 3 sessions:
Morning session – 9am -12pm
Afternoon session – 12pm -3pm
Full day 9am – 3pm.
Snacks & Lunches
Snacks – We provide children with a variety of healthy snacks per session (mornings & Afternoons).
Snacks such as – Wide range of fruits & savory snacks.
We cater for all dietary and religious requirements.
Children can help themselves to milk and water throughout the day.
Lunches – We ask for parents to provide a healthy packed lunch. NOTE: We do not heat food for lunchtime.
Lunch Club – An additional paid service for children that attend the morning sessions and would like to bring a packed lunch and join us for lunch.
PLEASE NOTE: Little Sparkes Preschool is NUT FREE.
How to secure your space
A non-refundable holding fee of £50 is paid in advance.
A minimum of 4 weeks written notice is required to terminate the contract.
Children eligible for funding
Terrific twos
This applies to specific two year olds. Parents must contact Enfield Council (Informed Families – IF) for confirmation. Informed Families will give you a 5 Digit Reference Number and this is given to the Preschool for registering. Your child starts the term after their 2nd birthday.
3-4yr old funding (15hrs)
This applies to all 3 -4 year children. Your child can start the term after their 3rd birthday. Little Sparkes Preschool will complete the application for you.
30 hours funding
This applies only to 3-4 year old children whose parents work. You MUST contact HMRC to see if you meet the criteria and register. HMRC will give you an 11 Digit Reference Number and this is given to the Preschool to check eligibility. Contacting HMRC is NOT the preschools responsibility.
Staff
Staff are either NVQ / Cache Level 2 or Level 3 qualified and have working experience with toddlers. All Staff have Paediatric First Aid and Up to date DBS checks. Regular updates and courses are taken in Safeguarding, Managing Behaviour, Understanding the World, Food and Hygiene and Special Educational Needs etc. We have a designated Special Education Needs Officer who liaises with our Local Authority SEND advisor (Special Educational Needs). Preschool Assistants, Volunteers & Students all have previous childcare experience.
Key Workers
All staff are allocated a small group of children to be their Key Children. This is a very important role within the Preschool and the EYFS. Your child’s Keyworker will help develop confidence and feeling of security, helping them to become familiar with the Preschool environment. Your Keyworker will be the first port of call with any concerns or advice for your child. They will also be able to share your Child´s development with you through observations and recording them on Tapestry.
Ratio
Total Capacity of children – 32. 1 member of staff can have a maximum of 4 two year old within their group of 8 Key Children.
Or
1 member of staff can have a combination of 8 three and four year old Key Children.
The Early Years Foundation Stage – EYFS
The Toddlers – 2 years to 5 years A child’s second year is a time of huge change: Two year-olds are moving from the total dependence of babyhood to the more independent, mobile world of Pre-schoolers. At this age children are exploring their powers to communicate, to move purposely, to assert their independence and individuality. At Little Sparkes Preschool provide the manageable challenges and relaxed environment that two to five year olds need. Staff understand the frequent changes in moods, interests, and capabilities and provide calm, consistent care and supportive teaching.
EYFS – Early years foundation stage We offer our children a play – based Curriculum which meets all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. Physical development; and. Personal, social and Emotional Development. Learning and development covers the 7 key areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which are:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development. (PSED)
- Communication and Language.
- Physical Development.
- Understanding the World.
- Expressive Arts and Design.
Characteristics of Effective Learning EYFS (CoEL)
Characteristics of Effective Learning, also known as CoEL, are an important part of the EYFS curriculum. Nursery Practitioners are expected to reflect on the different ways in which children are able to learn by planning activities through the CoEL and assessing individual children’s’ success.
The three Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL) are:
- Playing and Exploring
- Active Learning and Creating
- Thinking Critically
Extra Curricular Activities at Little Sparkes:
Football
Dance
Spanish
Yoga
Tapestry
Tapestry builds a very special record of a child’s experiences, development and learning journey through their early years education. Using photos, videos and diary entries, the child´s keyworker, along with the child’s parents, ‘weaves’ the story of the child and how they are growing and developing. The Tapestry platform then works seamlessly to enable these memories to be kept as a permanent record of each child’s unique journey.
All information held in the platform is stored securely, and can be downloaded and shared as required. Parents are able to view online their child’s progress and how much fun they’re having, whilst also uploading their own comments and media.
The communication between staff and parents that Tapestry enables, helps build a shared understanding of how every child can reach their full potential, from 2yrs to the end of preschool school. The Tapestry online learning journal is also available as an easy-to-use, secure app, meaning capturing key learning moments, and videoing milestones are even easier.