The School
First Steps is set in three bright, light and airy rooms within East Horsley Village Hall.
- Opening Times
The school is open Monday - Thursday from 9.15am - 3.00pm and on Fridays from 9.15am - 12.15pm.
- Our Classes
Crawlers: 12 months - 2 years
Explorers: 2 - 3 years
Joggers/ Runners & Sprinters: 3 - 5 years
- Sessions
We are very flexible with regard to the number of sessions the children at First Steps attend.
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Our Crawlers Class is only open for morning sessions and therefore only available 9.15am - 12.15pm Monday - Friday.
- Our Explorers are encouraged to attend a minimum of two mornings a week, but can attend more if wished. They also have the opportunity to stay a little longer until 1.30pm and bring a packed lunch. If we feel they are capable, we do offer a full day until 3.00pm for our Explorer children.
- For the older children, we offer as many sessions as you feel appropriate for your child. They can attend our free morning sessions only (available everyday if required)/ mornings plus a lunch time session until 1.30pm/or a full day until 3.00pm. It's entirely up to you to choose what you feel best suits your child.
- Lunches
Our Lunch Time Session runs from 12.15pm - 1.30pm. If you wish your child to stay for lunch, we would ask that a suitable lunch box is provided, clearly named and preferably easy for your child to open and close themselves. We like to encourage independent feeding, but staff are on hand to attend to the children and offer any assistance required.
- Early Birds
For busy parents, we offer and Early Birds drop off at 9.00am for a small additional fee.
- Ofsted
We are registered with Ofsted and were last inspected in April 2008. For a copy of our Inspection Report please go to the Ofsted page on our website and follow the link.
- Funding
We currently offer a full 15 hours free childcare over five mornings per week as part of the Governments Early Years Free Entitlement for 3 & 4 year olds. Spaces are limited to a maximum of 24 per day and priority will be given to our younger children going through the school when they qualify. Children qualify for funding the term after their 3rd birthday.
- Voucher Schemes
We also accept a variety of different voucher schemes offered by employers to cover child care expenses. Vouchers can be redeemed against non funded places. Please ask for details.
Learning the First Steps Way
Our children learn through play and imitation and are encouraged to investigate their environment with freedom of choice, to develop independence, self-assurance and imagination, through a range of experiences and
resourses.
Priority is given to creating a happy, caring and stimulating environment that is safe and secure, so that children can develop socially and academically, according to their potential. We endeavour to foster the physical, mental and emotional well-being of each individual child in our care, to enable them to utilize their natural curiosity and innate enthusiasm to explore their surroundings whilst respecting the needs of others, in order to gain a sense of well-being.
Through caring professional relationships our children learn how to manage their feelings with support and understanding. They are encouraged to recognize their own individual qualities and learn to appreciate that everyone is different. Every child is made to feel included, whatever their personality, ability, ethnic background or culture. We offer clear and consistent boundaries that all children can understand. Learning when to say 'NO' and anticipating when others will do so is all part of learning to keep safe at First Steps.
During their play our children use their experiences to extend their knowledge and build on their concepts and skills. They learn to express their fears, try out new things and solve problems. Through trial and error they learn to take risks, to be creative in their thoughts and have the opportunity to express themselves both physically and emotionally.
At First Steps we use Observation and Assessment to plan activities in all our classrooms. In noting a child's interests and abilities we can respond appropriately to extend their curiosity and erudition, systematically helping them to make connections and increasing their motivation to learn. Each individual child's learning journey is recorded with photographic evidence and shared with parents and other proffessionals involved in caring for that child.
Active Learning gives children independence and control over their learning. It offers them physical and mental challenges and involves people, objects, ideas and events. Through adult led and child initiated activities children at First Steps are offered a range of experiences that are both predictable and challenging and connect all areas of learning.