Here at James Dixon Preschool we value every child and respect them as individuals. We help them to develop into strong, resilient and independent learners who have a love of learning. We do this through the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and by building positive relationships with children and their parents alike. 

Each child is assigned a Key Person who will support them in settling in, encourage them to take part in activities, observe their learning and plan for their next steps.

We know that children learn most when they are learning through play in an enabling environment, where they are supported and encouraged to explore their own ideas, ask questions and engage in new experiences. Every child will take part in an outdoor learning session each week in our very own forest school area. Children begin to learn to respect and care for living things, explore the natural world through the changes in the seasons, take risks and engage in child-led learning. They also take part in PE lessons that focus on developing their gross motor skills and prepare them for a mini-sports day in the Summer Term. 

In Preschool the children follow the foundation programme for Little Wandle phonics, which develops their speaking and listening skills, phonological awareness along with oral blending and segmenting. The fun activities pave the way for children to make a great start with reading and writing. Talk is very important to us here at James Dixon Preschool where we have a broad and language-rich curriculum that has speaking and listening skills at its centre. The children's language development is supported by experienced Early Years practitioners who engage the children in fun and practical experiences and provide an environment rich in print, with plenty of opportunities to engage with books.

The children will also engage in maths activities supported by Numberblocks and White Rose maths. We also follow the school's Jigsaw programme, which helps to develop social and emotional development by using different themes of mindfulness, respecting others and ourselves. This is supported by the Zones of Regulation, which helps children to begin to recognise their feelings and to begin to find different ways to manage them so that they can be happy, healthy and ready to learn. 

Every parent is invited to join the Awesome Class Dojo app, which enables them to be kept up to date with activities, daily learning and individual wow moments. This free app allows parents to share home learning, which ensures we gain a complete picture of every child's learning and development.

The children wear a uniform consisting of navy blue trousers, jogging bottoms, leggings or skirt, a pale blue polo shirt and a navy jumper/sweatshirt. The uniform does not need the school logo. We ask all parents to leave a bag of spare clothes in Preschool and, if a child is still toilet training, parents need to supply pull-ups, wipes and nappy sacks.

For more information please email jdp-preschool@swale.at