Ellie joined the River Pre school family in February 2021 following in the footsteps of her big brother (who is now at River Primary) so it was immediately a familiar environment for her after dropping him off there for nearly 2 years; she always went in and took her coat off as she wanted to stay and play with him which tells you what a warm and inviting environment the Pre school is.
In the short time Ellie has been at the Pre school, her confidence has grown enormously.
After a quiet start and being one to always assess the situation and surroundings first, Ellie now comes home excitedly chattering away about what and who’s she’s played with, what songs they’ve sung, what snack they had (very important!) and even updates me on the if the key workers have had a hair cut!!
She particularly enjoys playing outside and the trips they have over to the primary school to use their timber trail; even walking this short distance across the road helps teach the children about road safety and listening to instructions, all of which are skills which help prepare the children for their next few years and starting school.
The key workers treat all the children like part of the family, they are so kind and patient and allow each child to develop at their own pace as they know that no two children are the same, even siblings. Ellie has built up really lovely relationships with several of the staff, but also her key worker in particular. Whenever I go to collect her, I don’t need to ask how her day has been as she always comes away beaming.
The Pre school has been rated as outstanding by Ofsted and it’s not hard to see why. From the lovely caring staff who create personalised folders with photos and written updates on each child that come home to give you a sneak peek into what they get up to during their day, to the preparation they give the children for developing skills that will help them in later life and preparing them for school in the rising 4’s sessions which Ellie will join next year. For now though, we are increasing the sessions that Ellie attends as it has been evident that she is thriving in this environment and we want this to continue.