Gisburn Road Preschool Barnoldswick
For ages 3 and 4
Est 1984
Does your child need a challenge? Are they ready to learn?
Start school at 3
Does your child need a challenge? Are they ready to learn? At Gisburn Road, children who are ready can start at 3.
New extended times
- Morning or afternoon sessions
- Full days
- Top-up hours
- NEW extended day
Combine preschool with either or both of our new before- and after-school clubs. Extended day options run from 7.15am onwards until 6pm
Structured learning
We teach phonics, english and maths, plus writing and guided reading as part of a timetabled school day.
Only children aged 3 and 4 attend our preschool, which enables us to really focus on the appropriate developmental stages of teaching and learning.
Children wear full school uniform and have their own book bag to take books home every day, with journals to track their reading and development.
In school, not nursery
Established by the local education authority in 1984, the preschool class at Gisburn Road was originally housed in a temporary classroom on a separate site.
In 2016, we took advantage of our spacious historic main school buildings to bring all of the children together and create a brand new home for preschool class, with fabulous new facilities and large learning spaces - including an early years 'classroom under the stars'.
Together with Reception and Year 1 classes, our dedicated infant building feels like a mini school within a school.
Part of the school family
Preschool children are part of #TeamGisburnRoad. They attend assemblies and eat lunch in the main hall alongside children various ages, are included in birthday, award and achievement celebrations and take part in whole-school activities like themed days.
The school's vision and values (which, as a community school, are set by the Board of Governors here in Barnoldswick) apply to everyone at Gisburn Road, including preschool. Developed to ensure the highest standards of academic, personal and moral development throughout children's time in school and beyond, they support our determination to be "where family and learning unite".
We nurture, inspire and challenge everyone to have the confidence, skills and values to thrive and achieve.
Our values are
respect • appreciation • honesty • kindness • perseverance
Request a place
Places are available
for children aged 3 and above
Apply for a preschool place
A 'mini school' within school
We have strong links with our Reception Class which is situated just next door. This enables resources and expertise to be shared. We also have access to the whole school’s facilities and equipment. We use the Infant hall for our PE lessons and indoor movement activities.
Our main aim is to prepare our children for the next stage in their school life, Reception class.
The best start
We provide our children with the best start, having highly experienced staff and a fully qualified teacher:
Teaching Assistant
We pride ourselves on our family ethos in school and we look forward to welcoming new families.
Our Preschool currently offers 26 places per session. Children who are ready can start on or after their 3rd birthday. If needed, you have the option to pay for sessions ahead of or on top of being eligible for funding, at just £4.50 per hour.
Some children will be entitled to 30 hours a week, where they will be able to stay all day and have their lunch too. Other children will attend for 15 hours either AM or PM sessions.
Morning
Our doors open from 8.45am where our teacher, Miss White and her very experienced teaching assistant, Mrs Peckover will welcome you and your child at the door.
At 9.00am the children welcome each other with a song and then begin their Phonics lesson or they go into to continuous provision to engage with the all the learning activities there.
After the phonics lessons, Miss White will be teaching small groups throughout the morning within continuous provision. Here she focuses on teaching key skills in English and Maths. The children will learn stories and preschool rhymes off by heart in order to develop their vocabulary as well story structure.
Lunch
If your child takes up the 30 hour offer, they will stay for lunch. You can order a school hot meal or a packed lunch. If you prefer you can send your child with a packed lunch from home.
Afternoon
From there both staff will be in the continuous provision developing the children’s curiosity either outside in our ‘Mud Kitchen’ or ‘Construction Area’ (to name but a few) or inside, where children can paint, have coffee with friends in the café, write letters to Santa, explore small world or junk model relating to topics.
A P.E lesson will be on the menu during the week, here the children will learn to get changed into their P.E kit and enjoy getting physical in the Infant hall (supported by a preschool teacher and based of EYFS Physical Development objectives).
End of the day
At the end of the day the day the staff will be waiting to greet you at the door to give you an update on your child’s day! If you are working your child is able to access our paid extended day options, running from 7.15am to 6pm.
Getting ready
In the Summer Term the children begin to prepare for Reception Class and if they are joining us at Gisburn Road, they will visit Mrs Heaton’s classroom to support that transition.
The children will also begin to attend our Friday Celebration Assembly where we love to invite parents in to share the joy.
Extended day start
from 7.15am, including breakfastMorning preschool class session (15 hours):
8:45 – 11:45amAfternoon preschool class session (15 hours):
12:15 - 3:15pm30 hour preschool class session:
9am – 3pm (our doors open at 8.45am)Extended day finish
up to 6pm
Extra sessions at preschool
We do also provide some extra private preschool sessions that can be paid for as and when required (though this also depends on whether we have the space in Preschool to facilitate these sessions. Please ask the office staff for further details). The hourly rate for this service is £4.50.
Extended day
Using our before- and after-school clubs, extended day options are available from 7.15am to 6pm:
We offer 30 hour Government-funded places for 3 year olds, with full day sessions available to eligible families, as well as 15 hour places.
Learning environment
Our indoor and outdoor environments encourage children to explore, to go on adventures together and to develop into happy, confident and independent individuals.
Our classroom is modelled on the seven areas of learning, as in the reception class setting, and activities are age appropriate for our young learners.
Preschool is often a child’s first venture alone into the larger world outside the family and the home.
What children experience and learn at preschool creates strong, lasting foundations which they build from in later life.
We believe it is essential that these experiences are of the highest quality.
To make this experience the best it can possibly be, we create environments that nurture every child’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
Light, airy and an organised space is a feature of our preschool as are the stimulating, practical activities on offer.
Our Early Years building is a calm, safe and secure building that helps children feel free whilst at the same time enabling them to concentrate better when they need to.
We aim to provide a stimulating, challenging and nurturing environment which is a home away from home.
It’s a warm and friendly place where children are encouraged to explore with all their senses. It’s a place where children can have fun, where they can play, talk and learn together.
It’s a place where they can listen and find their own space if they need it. And it’s a place where they can take some time just to ‘be’ as they discover the value of self-reflection.
Our environment is a place where children develop into happy, confident and independent learners!