Education

Roborough Pre-School, which runs five days a week during term time in the Methodist Church Hall in Roborough village, is approaching its 50th birthday - and in common with all providers of early years childcare, things have changed a great deal in that time.

Back in 1972 when the pre-school was formed by two ladies aiming to provide play facilities for children of local families, such terms as Ofsted, safeguarding or partnership working hadn’t been heard of. Now, Roborough PreSchool has a long list of up-to-the-minute policies and listening to manager Marie Southern and deputy supervisor Danielle Coles talk, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were discussing a primary school. Many pre-school providers are these days run as businesses - not so Roborough. It was registered as an educational charity in 1993 and its voluntary committee members are responsible for the overall management and organisation of the pre-school, which now has four members of staff, all qualified to NVQ Level 3 or above. Marie described the pre-school as ‘a little gem’ . All four staff members have long links with the organisation, as their own children attended it - and second generations are now coming for sessions too.

She said: ‘We are quite unusual in that we are non-profit making and committee led - and we are lucky to have a pretty strong committee at the moment, they dedicate a lot of time to support us and are incredibly good at fundraising. ‘There are constant challenges in the early years sector but we are running a warm, kind and caring community pre-school and we remain viable in what can be a difficult social and economic climate, still only running in term time.’

Registered as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, Roborough Pre-School currently has 26 children on roll and is registered for 2, 3 and 4 year olds for up to 19 children per session. Currently running at capacity, the pre-school now has a waiting list.

The youngsters’ learning is child interest-led but they study special topics every half term and they go out on regular walks and visits.

Marie said: ‘Children learn through play, but you need to widen their knowledge and experience. They loved the space topic, and we did one recently on jobs that people did, so we had visits from a fireman, a policeman and a paramedic, who were all parents.’

The pre-school has funded improvements to the outside space at the church hall, including fencing and re-surfacing so the children can play in safety outdoors.

What is completely clear is the genuine passion and enthusiasm for the children, the pre-school and the staff displayed by Marie and Danielle.

‘The relationships the children have with our staff is heart-warming, it’s like a little family - I think they believe we live here a lot of the time!’ said Danielle. ‘I stand back sometimes and watch the children and see how much they love it - it’s a very happy place to work.’ Marie added: ‘Our staff are so dedicated, they are passionate about what they do and they really go above and beyond for the pre-school.’ n Roborough Pre-School ‘It’s like a little family’

Further details: For more information about Roborough Pre-School, go to www. roboroughpreschool.co.uk or call ✆ 01752 773914/07944 076272. “ What is completely clear is the genuine passion and enthusiasm for the children, the pre-school and the staff displayed by Marie and Danielle. ”

Aproject designed to ease the stress and anxiety associated with adolescent girls is powering ahead with a crowdfunding campaign to take its pioneering work forward.

Big Sis CIC aims to provide mentoring from female university students, who are studying education, to girls about to enter secondary schools in Plymouth. The idea is that they will be able to provide an informal discussion in the safe environment of a school so that physical, emotional and practical needs are addressed.

Big Sis CIC has already won the use of facilities in the Formation Zone at Plymouth Science Park (PSP) through its Tech Stars programme, designed to help young businesses grow and prosper.

Friederike Kunze, CEO of Big Sis, said she hoped the CIC would address mental health concerns before they develop into a crisis for the individual.

‘It also helps to reduce levels of anxiety, plus it gives carers and schools an extra hand to stem the responsibilities which they may, otherwise, face on their own,’ she said.

Friederike, a holistic menstrual educator and bodyworker, said: ‘It is beneficial for children to be able to ask questions about their bodies and feelings as it Easing adolescent stress

Friederike Kunze

allows them to be more confident and perform better in the classroom.

‘Youngsters might be embarrassed to ask teachers and parents certain questions, but we can provide the reassurance that physical changes and feelings are normal, and we can normalise those experiences within a group setting.’

‘Big Sis’ is hoping to recruit up to 300 high quality volunteer undergraduates from BA education, counselling and other similar degrees and provide them with a DBS check and the necessary training for the role itself, including safeguarding.

It is hoped Big Sis will engage with more than 2,000 girls in the Plymouth area starting this autumn.

The crowdfunding campaign, which finishes at the beginning of May, will support the training programme. To help, go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/big-sis-girls

Local schools can contact Big Sis CIC at: hello@big-sis.co n

DrakeTutors 01752 776622 info@draketutors.co.uk www.draketutors.co.uk Professional 1 to 1 Tuition ALL SUBJECTS • ALL LEVELS Kind, considerate, motivating support from our dedicated team of tutors Primary, Secondary & Adult Learners Including SATs, 11+, GCSEs, AS & A Levels