Frequently asked questions

Where is the pre-school based?

We operate from the Club Suite in Hurstpierpoint Village Centre. This is the room facing St Lawrence School. We have our own entrance and toilets, as well as two outdoor play areas.

Do you have specific sessions for different age groups?

Our sessions are open to all children between the age of 2½ and 5. We have found that younger children enjoy having older children to observe and learn from, while older children learn to help and share with their younger peers just like siblings do at home. We feel mixing children of different ages together is beneficial for both age groups and offers flexibility for parents when choosing which days and sessions to send their child.

Will my child have the chance to play outdoors?

Outdoor play is hugely important to us and our children play outside every day. We have an awning to shield them in hot sun and rain.

We also run a Forest School which all children attend in the year before they go to school. Each child is offered one morning a week, and we go out whatever the weather throughout the whole year.  At our woodland location the children are able to explore nature, experience weather and see how the seasons change. Favourite activities include bug hunting, making dens, climbing trees and having hot chocolate around the fire.

How big is the pre-school?

We have between 10 and 26 children per session, although we usually only have 26 during the summer term on days when Forest School is not running. We are required to have 1 adult for every 4 children under 3 years old and 1 adult for every 8 children over 3 years old, in practice this means 1 adult for every 5-6 children. We have more adults on our Forest School outings.

What happens during a session?

Morning and afternoon sessions are 3 hours long and children are mostly free to choose activities on offer inside and out. We have a snack of milk/water and fruit halfway through the session and share a story. We usually have a circle time when we come together to sing and talk about our day at the end of each session.

For children staying a full day, we ask them to bring packed lunches and we all eat together during the break between morning and afternoon sessions.

Will my child have a Key Person?

Every child is allocated a Key Person, a member of staff who helps them settle in, encourages them to join in and helps with toileting or any worries they are having. The Key Person will also keep in contact with you to let you know how things are going and how their learning and development is progressing.