Jack and Jill Pre-School

ABOUT US
Jack and Jill Preschool is situated in East Grinstead, close to several primary schools. We are the longest running group in the town having been open since 1965.

OUR TEAM
At Jack and Jill there are 6 members of staff, an advisory Primary School Teacher and a Health and Safety Adviser. Our staff are qualified and experienced. We also have a piano and a music teacher who helps the children with music and singing.

WHAT WE OFFER
Our children benefit from both indoor and outdoor learning opportunities in a well-resourced, carefully planned and fully accessible environment. We welcome families from all cultures and children with SEN and disabilities. We have a 5-star food hygiene rating from Mid Sussex District Council.

We receive lots of positive feedback from parents and the children love coming to preschool! Please contact us to arrange a visit or to find out more information.

We are in the Lingfield Hall every day except Thursday when we can be found in the Roundabout room.

THE CURRICULUM
We follow the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ statutory curriculum. This sets the standard for learning, development and care for children from birth to 5 years. There are seven areas of learning and below you can see some examples of activities within each area. Each area of learning is experienced by the children inside and as part of outdoor play.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development:
Sharing & taking turns
Making friends
Independence
Resilience
Self-confidence
Following rules

Physical Development:
Fine motor activities e.g. manipulating playdough and threading
Gross motor activities e.g. using equipment such as bikes, balls and beanbags, dancing with ribbons and scarves, large scale drawings and mark-making.
Health and self-care e.g. toileting, hand-washing, dressing in coats/aprons etc.

Communication and Language:
Listening to stories and discussions
Paying attention and responding to what others say
Understanding
Speaking clearly using a good range of vocabulary e.g. sharing their news or likes/dislikes
Awareness of the listener
Using different tenses

Literacy:
Sharing stories in the book corner and during story time
Finding information about our topics from non-fiction books
Recognising some letter sounds, their names and other important words
Mark-making and beginning to form some recognisable letters at the drawing table and during outside play

Mathematics:
Saying number names, recognising and ordering numbers, counting sets
More and less
Sorting and pattern
Positional language
Shape
Problem solving

Understanding the World:
Exploring, comparing, noticing differences and similarities
Using technological toys and computers
Thinking about our own and others’ cultures and traditions

Expressive Arts and Design:
Role play & imaginative play
Music and singing
Dance
Art
Designing & making

'Characteristics of Effective Learning' support children's learning across all areas. We observe the children and help them to develop these characteristics:
Playing and exploring: Will they try new things? Will they ‘have a go’? What do they like to play with?
Active learning: Do they get involved in a task and concentrate for sustained periods? Will they keep trying? Do they take pleasure in their own achievements?
Creating and thinking critically: Do they have their own ideas? Do they make links between things they have seen or done? Do they choose their own way to do things?