Welcome

Little Owls Preschool is part of The Carlton & Faceby and Bilsdale CE Federation and is based at Carlton & Faceby CE (VA) Primary School.  Little Owls is part of our teacher-led Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) class at Carlton & Faceby, limiting the number of places, as it is our aim that children will have a seamless transition into Reception and full-time school at either of the schools in our federation.

We passionately believe that child-led learning through play in the early years creates enthusiastic, independent learners so we have developed our provision to encompass Reception and Nursery in a seamless environment. In this way nursery children are with children at the next stage of development and can learn alongside them, whilst children in their Reception year start their formal schooling in a familiar, safe and engaging environment which has the capacity to challenge and stretch children at their individual stage of development. Our classroom and outdoor environments reflect a wealth of research about how our youngest children learn. We hope that this encourages preschool families to choose our schools to educate their child between the ages of 3 and 11.

Children who attend Little Owls will be fully involved in the life of our schools from the beginning of their preschool years. They will be introduced to our schools’ expectations of behaviour and Christian Values and will learn how to demonstrate these values to one another.  Each child will be valued and cared for as a unique individual. We aim to make Little Owls Preschool at Carlton & Faceby CE VA Primary School accessible to and inclusive of children and families from all sections of the local community through open and fair procedures.

Parent/carers of prospective pupils are welcome to visit the preschool by prior arrangement.

Reception Admissions

Attendance at Little Owls Preschool at Carlton & Faceby CE VA Primary School does not in any way guarantee you a school place at The Carlton & Faceby and Bilsdale CE Federation nor does it give you priority over other children who do not attend Little Owls.  An admission application for a school place must be completed in the normal way and submitted to North Yorkshire Council by the deadline date. Further details can be seen in our school Admission Policies on our school website.

Key Facts and Funding

Little Owls is a governor-led preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds which is open during term time only. Morning sessions run Monday to Friday, 9.00am–12.00pm. Afternoon sessions run Monday to Thursday, 12.00pm–3.00pm. The setting is therefore open for a maximum of 27 hours per week.

Little Owls can accommodate a maximum of 10 preschool children in each session. Admissions and attendance patterns remain subject to statutory staffing ratios and the setting’s ability to meet children’s individual needs safely.

There may be some children who are only attending for funded hours and some that only attend for bought hours. A parent or carer may request their preferred attendance pattern, subject to availability, funding eligibility and the setting’s opening hours. Places will normally be offered on a first come, first served basis where suitable sessions are available. Where there are more applications than places available, or where a waiting list is required, the oversubscription criteria in this policy will be applied (further details below under preschool admissions) 

Little Owls accepts children from the term after their third birthday. We do not admit children under the age of 3. All 3- and 4-year-old children are entitled to 15 universal funded hours from the term after their third birthday (see table below).  Non-funded places can start at the beginning of a half term as well.

Eligible working families of 3- and 4-year-old children may also be entitled to additional funded hours, known as the working parent entitlement, subject to a valid eligibility code. Little Owls only accepts children from the term after their third birthday and does not admit children under the age of 3.

This funding will be paid up until the time when the child reaches statutory school age if the parent/carer chooses to defer or delay entry into school.  There is a legal requirement that all children begin full time education by the beginning of the term following their 5^th birthday.  All Reception places offered during the normal admissions round are for admission in the September following the child’s fourth birthday. Parent/carers may request that their child attends part-time or defers entry until later in the school year, but all children must receive full-time education from the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday.

All 3 and 4-year-old children are eligible for the 15 universal funded hours per week the term after their third birthday, up until the term in which they have their fifth birthday. Please note that once a child enters reception class, they cease to receive early years funding.

The working parent entitlement for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds provides up to an additional 15 funded hours per week, making up to 30 funded hours in total. The extended entitlement requires a valid 30-hour code to be in place at the start of the funded term, eligible families should apply to HMRC to obtain their child’s code.

• You can apply from when your child is 2 years and 36 weeks old.
• You can apply outside of these recommended dates but you might not receive your code in time.
• You must have a valid code by the end of the month before a new term starts.
• You have to reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months. If you apply more than 3 months before the term starts, you’ll have to reconfirm your eligibility in your account in order to keep your code valid.

Where a parent/carer becomes ineligible for the working parent entitlement, or fails to reconfirm their eligibility code, the child may enter a grace period in line with government and local authority funding rules. Once the grace period ends, any hours above the universal 15-hour entitlement will either need to be paid for by the parent/carer, subject to availability, or the child’s attendance pattern may need to be reduced.

These entitlements equate to a funded place for 570 or 1140 hours a year respectively, over no fewer than 38 weeks.  Please visit https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ for more information.

Little Owls is open for a maximum of 27 hours per week. Families eligible for up to 30 funded hours may access up to 27 hours at Little Owls, subject to availability, and may choose to use another registered provider for any remaining funded entitlement.

The maximum amount of funded time in a day is 10 hours; parent/carers cannot use more than two sites for funded early years places in one day.

If you are in receipt of certain benefits your child could benefit from:

• support with meals, where eligible and applicable under current local authority arrangements
• support through Early Years Pupil Premium funding (3- and 4-year-olds only)
• if your child is 3 or 4 and receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA) the preschool could get extra money to meet your child’s needs

Patterns of Attendance Available

We are required to offer the Early Years Funding in a flexible way.  Our school makes the core offer for the universal 570-hour entitlement of:

• Morning sessions of 9.00am to 12.00pm Monday to Friday and
• Afternoon sessions of 12.00pm to 3.00pm Monday to Thursday and
• All day sessions of 9.00am to 3.00pm Monday to Thursday during term time only
• This equates to 27 hours a week over 38 weeks.

Our term-time offer is 15 hours per week over 38 weeks.  If you choose an afternoon or all-day session this includes the lunchtime period that is 12.00 – 1.00pm.  This time is part of the day when children continue their learning and will be funded as part of the Early Years Funding if that is what parent/carers choose.

Eligible families with a valid 11-digit working parent entitlement code may access up to 1140 funded hours per year. At Little Owls, this can be accessed term-time only, up to a maximum of 27 hours per week, subject to availability.

No charge will be made as a condition of accessing a funded place. Parent/carers may choose whether to take up optional services such as school meals or additional paid hours. Choosing not to pay for optional services will not affect a child’s access to their funded entitlement.

If parent/carers want to buy additional hours on top of the funded hours, they can do this during any of our opening times.  We offer 3-hour long additional sessions; however, the lunch hour can be purchased as an addition to the morning session.

Procedures

In order to achieve our aim to make our preschool accessible and inclusive to all families from our local community, we operate the following admissions policies:

• We advertise the Preschool on our school website, through banners in the local area and through advertising in local village magazines and media
• We are sympathetic to the need for emergency admissions (referred via social care or health visitor where appropriate) if we have space available
• Our school buildings are accessible to children and families with disabilities
• We monitor the gender and ethnic background of children joining the group to ensure that no accidental discrimination is taking place
• Our key school policies, including equality of opportunity and equality and diversity, relate to Little Owls as well as the rest of the school. All key policies are available on our school website.
• As far as possible we are flexible about attendance patterns in order to accommodate the needs of individual families, for example in the number and combination of hours they attend each week. However, the number of funded hours can only be altered at the beginning of each term. Requests to change attendance patterns will be considered subject to availability, staffing ratios and funding rules.

Preschool Admissions

As a governor-led preschool, the governing body is the admission authority and has responsibility for setting these admission arrangements and for making decisions regarding admission applications, including setting the oversubscription criteria.

If a child has not secured a place at Little Owls and is due to start school at Carlton & Faceby or Bilsdale the following academic year (i.e. the coming September), they will be prioritised on our waiting list. This is in order to provide as many children as possible with time at preschool prior to starting school.

Applications for admission to Little Owls Preschool at Carlton & Faceby CE VA Primary School for 3- and 4-year-olds can be submitted at any time, using the Little Owls Application Form which can be collected from the school office, and should be made directly to the school.  Places will normally be offered on a first come, first served basis where suitable sessions are available. Where there are more applications than places available, or where a waiting list is required, the oversubscription criteria in this policy will be applied. Funded places are offered in line with the current North Yorkshire Council early years funding terms and conditions.

Entry to Little Owls for a funded place occurs at the start of a term. Non-funded places can start at the beginning of a half term as well.

Our waiting list will then take account of the following criteria:

1. Looked-after children, previously looked-after children, and children who appear to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2. Children with exceptional social, medical or safeguarding needs, supported by evidence.
3. Children who are due to start Reception the following academic year and whose parent/carers have indicated an interest in Carlton & Faceby or Bilsdale, where a preschool place would support transition. This criterion does not guarantee, influence or give priority for admission to Reception.
4. Siblings already attending the preschool or federation schools.
5. Children living closest to the setting. Distance will be measured from the child’s home address to Little Owls Preschool using the method applied by the school/local authority. The child’s home address will normally be the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week. Where care is shared equally, the school may ask for further evidence to determine the address to be used for admission purposes.
6. Where two or more applications are otherwise equal, the date the application was received will be used as the final tie-breaker.

Day-to-day administration of applications will be managed by the school office/Headteacher on behalf of the governing body, in line with this policy.

The waiting list will be reviewed regularly and will normally remain open for the relevant academic year. Parent/carers will be contacted if a suitable place becomes available. Where a place is offered, parent/carers will normally be asked to confirm acceptance within 10 school days. If no response is received, the place may be offered to another child on the waiting list.

Admissions will not discriminate on the basis of disability, SEND, race, religion, sex, family background or any protected characteristic and that reasonable adjustments will be considered.

Children with SEND will be considered for admission using the same admissions arrangements as other children. Reasonable adjustments will be considered where required. Where a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, the school will work with the local authority and parent/carers to consider whether the setting can meet the child’s needs.

All offers are subject to the setting being able to meet statutory staffing ratios and the individual needs of children safely. Where additional information is required to assess whether the setting can meet a child’s needs, the school will work with parent/carers and relevant professionals before confirming admission. Any decision not to offer or to delay a place on the grounds of safety, staffing ratios or the setting’s ability to meet need will be based on available evidence, discussed with parent/carers and relevant professionals where appropriate, and kept under review.

Where an application is complex, refused, delayed or subject to oversubscription criteria, the Headteacher will make a recommendation to the governing body or delegated governor panel for decision.

Where false or misleading information is provided, the offer of a place may be withdrawn.

Applications received after a waiting list has been ranked will be added to the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria and the date received.

Withdrawal

Once a place is accepted, any later reduction or withdrawal of paid sessions should follow the Sessions and Fees Policy.

Queries, Appeals and Complaints

Admissions queries should be directed to the school office in the first instance.

There is no statutory right of appeal for admission to Little Owls Preschool at Carlton & Faceby CE VA Primary School. However, parent/carers who are unhappy with an admissions decision may request that the decision is reviewed by the governing body. Any concerns about the way the admissions process has been applied should be raised in writing with the Headteacher in the first instance and will be considered under the school’s complaints procedure.

This policy may be updated during the year where required, to reflect changes in statutory guidance, local authority funding rules or operational requirements.

Our Staff

The Early Years Foundation Stage is led by a qualified teacher and supported by experienced support staff. The setting meets all statutory EYFS qualification, safeguarding and staffing requirements. Staffing arrangements are reviewed regularly to ensure children's needs can be met safely and effectively. Our staff have a deep understanding of young children and a passion for making learning stimulating and exciting,  making the classroom a wonderful learning environment. Staff plan learning and development together.

Settling In

Our aim is to ensure that each child feels comfortable within the setting as quickly as possible. You can give some input for this before they start by completing the ‘All About Me’ form. If your child is coming to preschool for the first time you might have concerns about how they will settle. You know your child better than anyone and if you have any worries, you are very welcome to stay for a while until your child feels more confident. Please talk to us about this so that we can agree a plan for how best to settle your child in.

Assessment and communication

Practitioners observe children through their everyday play and interactions and use their professional knowledge to identify interests, progress and appropriate next steps. Assessment is proportionate and does not require excessive paperwork.

Parent/carers are encouraged to be fully part of this assessment process and are welcome to discuss their child’s development. This helps in planning for the child’s next stage of development.

We use a secure online Learning Journal, Tapestry, to record observations and photographs of children’s learning and development. This can be viewed and added to by parent/carers as well as staff.

What Children Learn

At Little Owls, our curriculum is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Children learn through a balance of child-initiated play, carefully planned experiences and adult-guided activities.

The EYFS is organised into seven areas of learning and development:

Prime Areas

These are particularly important for children’s development and underpin all future learning:

Communication and Language – developing listening, attention, understanding and speaking skills.

Physical Development – developing movement, coordination, strength, independence and healthy lifestyles.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development – building confidence, resilience, relationships and self-regulation.

Specific Areas

These build on the prime areas and broaden children's knowledge and skills:

Literacy – enjoying books, stories, rhymes, early reading and mark-making.

Mathematics – developing understanding of number, counting, pattern, shape, space and measure.

Understanding the World – learning about people, communities, nature, technology and the wider world.

Expressive Arts and Design – exploring creativity through art, music, dance, role play and imaginative activities.

Learning opportunities are carefully planned around children's interests, individual needs and stages of development. Our indoor and outdoor environments are designed to promote curiosity, independence, creativity and a love of learning.

We regularly observe children's learning and use these observations to identify next steps and provide appropriate challenge and support. Parents and carers are encouraged to contribute to their child's learning journey through Tapestry and ongoing communication with staff.

Our aim is that every child leaves Little Owls as a confident, happy and independent learner who is well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Partnerships with parent/carers

As parent/carers you are your child’s first and most important teacher. We hope we can work with you to provide what is best for your child at their stage of development. Children learn best when their parent/carers are interested and involved in their education. We aim to form a partnership with parent/carers to promote their child’s learning.

We recognise and value what each child brings to the Early Years class, acknowledging that education starts at birth. Do keep us informed of events outside of school that may be important to your child, such as changes at home, achievements or worries, family events etc.

Special Needs

If you know or feel your child has any kind of additional need, please discuss this with their key person. This includes behaviour or learning difficulties, speech and language problems, medical and physical disabilities.

Our SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) is Mrs Caroline Cawthra. We liaise with other professionals to provide the best support possible to both your child and yourself.

What your child needs for nursery

Parent/carers are asked to send children to Little Owls in named clothing, which is easy to manage, enabling children to use the toilet, dress and undress as independently as possible. Laces, belts and buckles are best avoided. Bear in mind that children have free access to paint, water, sand and messy play. Even with an apron clothes will often get marked, so please do not wear anything precious!

Sun hats or caps are required in the summer months, as well as sun cream to reapply at lunchtime if they stay all day. In the colder months please ensure children wear warm clothing and bring a coat, hat and gloves each day as we access the outdoor area in all weathers. Please provide a pair of named wellies to keep in school. We provide waterproof overalls for when we visit the Wildlife Garden.

Each child has a coat peg, for their outdoor clothing and a small bag. Bags should contain a full change of clothes in case of accidents and weather appropriate outerwear (i.e., sunhat in summer, woolly hat and gloves in winter).

If your child is not able to manage their own personal hygiene, please discuss this with the Class Teacher. We are happy to work with you during toilet training and have a potty, step and seat available.

Healthy Schools

Children have access to drinking water at all times. During morning sessions there is snack time, providing a carton of milk and a piece of fruit, free of charge. You may wish to provide a water bottle for your child.

At lunchtime we go into the hall with the school children and have a freshly prepared school lunch, if required. The school lunch menu for each term is available on the North Yorkshire Council’s website, or from school. Children will be encouraged to try new foods, but will not be made to eat anything they do not like. Lunchtime is also used as an opportunity to promote appropriate table manners. We recommend trying school meals, but, if necessary, you may provide a healthy packed lunch from home.

Parents and carers must inform us before their child starts of any diagnosed or suspected allergy, intolerance, medical dietary requirement or religious dietary requirement. Individual healthcare or allergy plans will be agreed where necessary, and relevant information will be shared securely with staff and catering personnel.

Safeguarding and Complaints

Concerns about a child’s immediate safety or welfare should be reported promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mr Matthew Scott, through the school office.  The deputy safeguarding lead is Miss Diane Jeffries.  Please find further information on our safeguarding page: https://bilsdalecarltonschools.co.uk/about-us/safeguarding/

General concerns or complaints about the preschool should be raised in accordance with the school’s Complaints Procedure.

Details of our safeguarding arrangements, complaints procedure and relevant policies are available through the links below.

• Little Owls Admissions Policy
• Little Owls Sessions & Fees Policy
• Complaints Procedure
• Child Protection Policy and EYFS safeguarding appendix
• SEND Policy and Information Report
• Privacy notice, including use of Tapestry
• Equality and inclusion information

OFSTED

Please see the school’s latest OFSTED report here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/121608

Key Person

Each child in nursery provision is assigned a key person. The key person for nursery children is Mrs Caroline Cawthra, Class Teacher. The key person helps children settle into the setting, monitors their development and acts as the main point of contact for parents and carers.

Behaviour Policy

Children in Little Owls Preschool follow our whole-school restorative behaviour policy, grounded in our golden rules; be ready, be respectful and be safe.  The full policy can be found here: https://bilsdalecarltonschools.co.uk/policies/

Medicines and illness

Little Owls Preschool accesses the same policies and procedures for illness and medication as the rest of the school.  Copies of these can be requested from the school office.

If your child is unwell and unable to attend, please telephone the school before 9am to inform us of your child’s absence.  If they require medication to be administered in school, a form must be completed at the school office.  We can only administer medication prescribed by a doctor.  Please reference any further questions to the school office.

Data Protection

Little Owls Preschool is subject to the school’s policies and procedures regarding data protection. The data protection officer (DPO) is Mr Matthew Scott. Please see the policies page of the website for further information: https://bilsdalecarltonschools.co.uk/policies/

Charging

Items such as additional hours, lunches etc. will be charged separately via Parent Pay.  Further details are available in our Little Owls sessions and fees policy, a copy of which can be requested at the school office.

We hope your child will have a happy, stimulating, exciting and challenging time in Little Owls at Carlton & Faceby School, within our safe, secure, caring and vibrant environment, where their individual needs are put first and foremost.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Key Contact Details

• School telephone number: 01642 712340
• Email address: admin@carltonfaceby.n-yorks.sch.uk
• Postal address: Carlton-in-Cleveland

Middlesbrough

TS9 7BB

• Little Owls contact person: Caroline Cawthra

Accessibility and review information

Last reviewed: July 2026

Next review: July 2027

A paper copy or accessible version of this information is available free of charge from the school office.

We hope your child will have a happy, stimulating, exciting and challenging time in Little Owls at Carlton & Faceby School, within our safe, secure, caring and vibrant environment, where their individual needs are put first and foremost.  Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.