About Us
We would like to welcome you and your family to the Ark Association, a registered charity run by trustees of The Ark with the help of parents and carers. We have two Ark sites in Oakham, both of which are registered with Ofsted Early Years and comply with Children Act 1989 and 2004 regulations, providing care and education for 3 months - 5 year old children.
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Mission Statement
The Ark aims to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment for all children to play, learn and develop freely.
We aim for children to develop responsibility for themselves and their actions and to be competent, confident, independent individuals ensuring their well-being is paramount. Respect for themselves, others and their environment is key with an emphasis on positive relationships throughout the setting, including children, staff and parent partnerships.
The Ark Association recognises that working in partnership with parents is of major value and importance in enabling it to provide a happy, caring and stable environment for children and their parents/carers. The Ark Association aims to form a good relationship with parents so that information regarding their children (be it developmental, social or health related) can be exchanged easily and comfortably by practitioners and parents.
The Ark Association exists to provide a safe and secure environment for the children in its care. The emphasis is on learning through play. It adheres to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, which is stipulated by the Government and is regularly OFSTED inspected, achieving a Good rating.
We aim for children to develop responsibility for themselves and their actions and to be competent, confident, independent individuals ensuring their well-being is paramount. Respect for themselves, others and their environment is key with an emphasis on positive relationships throughout the setting, including children, staff and parent partnerships.
The Ark Association recognises that working in partnership with parents is of major value and importance in enabling it to provide a happy, caring and stable environment for children and their parents/carers. The Ark Association aims to form a good relationship with parents so that information regarding their children (be it developmental, social or health related) can be exchanged easily and comfortably by practitioners and parents.
The Ark Association exists to provide a safe and secure environment for the children in its care. The emphasis is on learning through play. It adheres to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, which is stipulated by the Government and is regularly OFSTED inspected, achieving a Good rating.
Committee
Parents of children attending either of the Ark Nurseries are members of the Ark Association and are entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting, on a scale of one vote per family. The Committee comprises of Trustees and Management. They have a legal obligation to run the Association in accordance with its constitution. One of the committee’s major functions is to raise funds which we welcome any support from parents and carers with. If you are passionate about Early Education and would like to help drive The Ark forward please consider joining our committee.
Education
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is based on areas of knowledge and enquiry that form the basis of education at every stage. The seven areas of learning are:
In this context it might be appropriate to stress that all of our practitioners are committed to the Authority’s policies on Equality. It is our aim that what we offer should reflect the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nature of our society. Every effort is made to provide girls and boys with equal opportunities in all areas of the curriculum.
Liaison with schools and reception classes enables practitioners to prepare the children for the varied demands of the school day. Practitioners at The Ark encourage children to be independent, be aware of the needs of others around them, to listen to others, be comfortable in a busy and larger environment and to interact with other children and adults.
There may be times when your child won’t feel like painting or making a model so please don’t expect them to bring something home after every session. It is the process not the product that is important to them at this early stage.
Children from birth are involved and assessed within the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Children learn and develop through continuous play activities within our setting as well as through small-group activities.
Try not to compare what your child can do with the achievements of others in their peer group. Children all develop at different rates and practitioners at The Ark value each child for who they are and what they can do in their stage of their own development. We celebrate every child's achievements, no matter how big or small!
Ofsted recommends a proportion of each nursery session to take place outdoors. It is strongly believed that children learn through playing in large stimulating space. Practitioners plan the outdoor area carefully so that we offer a wide range of experiences necessary for educational development. Through monitoring the activities, children and ourselves and by involving you the parents we ensure that each child is making the most of their nursery experience.
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." (Fred Rogers)
For our pre-school children engaging with local schools and reception classes enables practitioners to ensure that the transition to school goes as smoothly as possible for every child. We warmly welcome teachers from schools into The Ark to get to see the children in a comfortable environment and will communicate with teachers to ensure they know as much as possible about the children they will teach.
- Personal and Social and Emotional Development
- Communication & Language
- Literacy
- Problem Solving, Reasoning and Mathematics
- Knowledge and Understanding
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Physical Development
In this context it might be appropriate to stress that all of our practitioners are committed to the Authority’s policies on Equality. It is our aim that what we offer should reflect the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nature of our society. Every effort is made to provide girls and boys with equal opportunities in all areas of the curriculum.
Liaison with schools and reception classes enables practitioners to prepare the children for the varied demands of the school day. Practitioners at The Ark encourage children to be independent, be aware of the needs of others around them, to listen to others, be comfortable in a busy and larger environment and to interact with other children and adults.
There may be times when your child won’t feel like painting or making a model so please don’t expect them to bring something home after every session. It is the process not the product that is important to them at this early stage.
Children from birth are involved and assessed within the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Children learn and develop through continuous play activities within our setting as well as through small-group activities.
Try not to compare what your child can do with the achievements of others in their peer group. Children all develop at different rates and practitioners at The Ark value each child for who they are and what they can do in their stage of their own development. We celebrate every child's achievements, no matter how big or small!
Ofsted recommends a proportion of each nursery session to take place outdoors. It is strongly believed that children learn through playing in large stimulating space. Practitioners plan the outdoor area carefully so that we offer a wide range of experiences necessary for educational development. Through monitoring the activities, children and ourselves and by involving you the parents we ensure that each child is making the most of their nursery experience.
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." (Fred Rogers)
For our pre-school children engaging with local schools and reception classes enables practitioners to ensure that the transition to school goes as smoothly as possible for every child. We warmly welcome teachers from schools into The Ark to get to see the children in a comfortable environment and will communicate with teachers to ensure they know as much as possible about the children they will teach.
'My little girl has enjoyed every single bit of nursery'
