Barkham Pre-school was established in 1971 and provides a happy, secure and stimulating environment in which your child can develop, explore and have fun! Our aim is to provide learning experiences through a wide variety of free flow and structured activities, alongside play and to work in partnership with parents to help each child make a cheerful transition from home to school. 

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We cater for children aged 2 years 6 months to 5 years with a maximum of 24 children per session. The staffing ratio of adults to children will be a minimum of 1:4 for 2 year olds & 1:8 for 3-5 year olds. We are able to accept universal government funding  and 30 hour extended funding for three year olds and eligible two year olds. Funding is offered to eligible children in the term following 2nd or 3rd birthday. 

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Our large and versatile setting is rurally located and benefits from free flow access to our secure pre-school garden with views over open countryside. We also have full use of the field within our grounds and the secure paito that is accessed through the patio doors of the small hall.  Our proximity to St James's Church, Rooks Nest Country Park and various footpaths enables us to take the children out of setting to explore their surroundings. We also plan regular trips that in recent years have seen us spend fun filled days at Wellington Country Park and The Lookout Discovery Centre. As a family setting, parents and siblings are us much a part of our community as our children. Whether it's our termly stay and plays, our Christmas singing around the tree, our seasonal visits to St James church, or our famous October pumpkin parties, we love welcoming our extended Barkham family into the setting.

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We pride ourselves on our personalised approach to learning, making sure each child's experience of pre-school meets their individual needs, follows their interests and prepares them fully for a smooth transition to reception. Our children go on to a wide variety of local primary schools and we are fully involved in their transition, passing our detailed knowledge of them onto their new schools and teachers.

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We have an excellent team of caring, committed and highly qualified staff who promote a happy and supportive atmosphere. Each staff member has been police vetted with a DBS check and has signed both a statement of suitability and a non-discrimination declaration. As a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA), it is our aim to have expertly trained staff. The staff regularly attend courses run by the PLA, Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) and other agencies to keep their working knowledge up to date. All staff have the most up to date and current pediatric first aid training. 

We are registered with Wokingham Borough Council Community Services Department and are inspected by OFSTED. The Preschool was last inspected by OFSTED in 2022 and was judged to provide a 'Good' standard of care. 

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Barkham Pre-school is a registered charity run by a committee of parents. Parental involvement is therefore essential to the smooth running of the pre-school. The committee is elected annually at the AGM in September and the financial arrangements of the pre-school are the responsibility of the committee. The committee employs the staff, who in turn are responsible for all the children in their care and the day-to-day activities. Fund-raising, publicity and social events are also organised by the committee.

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