At Oakley Pre-school we follow “In The Moment Planning (ITMP)” as a way of supporting the children’s learning and development in line with the EYFS standards.

This means that, whilst our days have structure, there is no “typical” Pre-school day. Your child gets to explore, learn and have fun at their pace.

One day they may want to be a dinosaur - the next they might be exploring weights, measures and capacity in our water area. We have a wide range of activities, both indoors and outside, to spark their interest.

Outdoor play is a core part of our children’s day. We make use of the seasons - water, mud, vehicles, sand, climbing, planting… you name it, our children explore it in our purpose built Pre-school garden.

We also offer Forest School sessions, with our Certified Forest School Leader Cathryn. These sessions enable the children to explore the environment around them even more and have lots of fun doing it!

Singing & stories are core parts of every day in Oakley Pre-school. Our staff are trained in Makaton Sign Language - adding an extra dimension to our singing and story times.

Children enjoy sitting down with their adults for meals and snacks together - learning vital social, communication and emotional skills together.

At the beginning and end of the day, our Pre-school also welcomes in children from Oakley School for Breakfast Club (7.30am - 8.40am) and Sunset Club (5.15pm - 6pm). We ensure at all times that the necessary Child:Adult ratios for under 5’s are maintained alongside the supervision for older children. We use the Cabin as a quieter space for Pre-school children should they need it during these times.

Oakley Pre-school children go on to attend a range of primary schools in the area, including Oakley, Brill, Ickford, Beckley, Long Crendon, Ashfold and various Thame schools. Whichever school your child goes on to, we partner with the Reception teacher to ensure a smooth transition.

For those children who will move on to Oakley C of E School, our trips onto the wider school campus & a range of transitional activities in the Summer term support the move up to “Big School”. Pre-Covid, this included Pre-school staff accompanying children on visits into Reception class through Summer Term.