‘nurture, flourish, succeed…together’ 

Our school vision is inspired by Luke 10; 25-37, The Parable of the Good Samaritan,

in which Jesus teaches us to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.   

The aims of our foundation stage unit are that all of our children are/can:

 - happy, self-confident and resilient;

 - responsible, mindful, caring and active members if the wider world;

 - think and learn independently and develop a love of learning;

 - feel included and be supported to flourish and unique individuals;

 - equipped with the learning and life skills needed to keep themselves safe and well prepare for the future.

Our Foundation Stage Unit opened in September 2019. The children now have a dedicated room with brand new toilet facilities and direct access to their own outside area. Outside we have built ramps so that children and parents can have easy access to the FSU. 

Children benefit from high staff: child ratios and a caring, nurturing, secure and stimulating environment which recognises the unique talents of every child. We aim to inspire awe and wonder in our children and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum - a child centred play-based approach to learning.

Bridgerule Early Years last inspection, in Jan-2019, judged our quality & standards of care & education to be “Good”.

We offer your child:

• Access to a wide and varied range of activities and resources tailored to their needs and interests, working through the Early Years Foundation Stage
• Individual care and attention made possible by a high adult to child ratio
• Fun and friendship with children and other adults
• Support of a key person
• Smooth transitions, where we are so closely linked, onto the next stage of their education

All parents and carers are encouraged to be fully involved in all aspects of their child’s care and education whilst in our setting, through regular keyperson meetings, passing of information within their communication books and verbally on a day to day basis. We survey our parents / carers on their childcare and education needs so that we can provide them with the best possible services.

Funding from the term after their 3rd birthday, all children are entitled to 15 hours a week free, funded education.

For eligible families, 2 year old funding (known as 2gether funding) is available for children when they are 2 years old  for up to 15 hours per week. 2gether Funding entitles up to 15 hours of free childcare and early learning each week to some two-year-olds in Devon. The scheme helps to improve children’s learning and development, gives them the opportunity to make new friends, learn through play and have lots of fun. Your child is eligible if your family is receiving certain benefits, has a household income under the specified amount, or if your child has a disability, special educational need, is adopted or placed under a residency order.

​Eligible families should now automatically receive a ‘Golden Ticket’ offer of funding directly from the Early Years team. The Golden Ticket is a voucher that entitles you to make a claim for the funded sessions through the school. If you receive a Golden Ticket please bring it to school to discuss your options. If you think you might be eligible and have not received a Golden Ticket it is always worth verifying your eligibility directly. For more information about the Golden Ticket please follow the link to find out more. 
https://www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/early-years-and-childcare/childcare/golden-tickets

How to apply

Apply online via the link or phone 0345 155 1013 with your National Insurance number, date of birth, name and child’s details. Parents and carers of children with additional needs, and foster and adoptive parents should discuss applying with either the child’s social worker or the 2gether Programme Manager, call 01392 385530.
​
The 2 Year Old Funding and Early Years Entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds, is funded by Devon County Council. We can, of course, offer additional chargeable sessions for you above your funded hours, including all day sessions. For children in the term after their 3rd birthday, this is chargeable at £4.08 per hour over their termly entitlement (£4.10 from 1st April 2020), and for children over 2 until the term after their 3rd birthday, this is chargeable at £4.90 per hour (£4.98 from 1st April 2020) over their termly entitlement, to reflect the legal requirement to have one adult to every four children in this age group. We do not add any other charges or costs to our fees.
We can accept Childcare Vouchers through your employer’s scheme as payment – please check with our school administrator for the  providers we are registered with.

For more information on Early Years Pupil Premium follow this link

https://www.devon.gov.uk/eycs/for-providers/business-finance-and-funding/early-years-pupil-premium/

For more information on 2 year old funding follow this link

https://www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/early-years-and-childcare/childcare/golden-tickets
​

For more information on 3 and 4 year old funding follow this link

https://www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/early-years-and-childcare/childcare/free-childcare-3-4-year-olds

To arrange a visit or to chat to us about any of the above, please contact the school office on 01288 381366 or email earlyyears@bridgerule.devon.sch.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

Foundation Stage Unit staff-who's who...

Associate Principal: Mrs Sarah Counter

SENDCo: Mrs Beverly Pickett-Jones and Mrs Emma Winter

Foundation Stage Unit Leader: Joyce Pankhurst

Play leader: Claire Braund

Play workers: Claire Braund, Sarah Windsor and Anouska Woolf