At St James' preschool, we aim to:

• Provide high quality care and education for children below statutory school age (2 to 4 years old); 
• Work in partnership with parents to help children to learn and develop;
• Add to the life and well-being of the local community; and
• Offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.

• Is in a safe and stimulating environment;
• Is given generous care and attention;
• Has the chance to join in with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together;
• Is helped to take forward their learning and development by being helped to build on what she/he already knows and can do;
• Has a personal key person who makes sure each child makes satisfying progress;
• Is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop; and
• Is in a setting in which parents help to shape the service it offers.

Learning through play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, the means by which young children learn to think. 

Our setting uses the Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to plan and provide a range of play activities, which helps children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development.

In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity.

In all activities, information from 'Development Matters' the Early Years Foundation Stage has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.