Happy Hours Preschool

A church-hall preschool with a paved garden and an individual approach to planning: Happy Hours Preschool combines a small overall capacity with practical arrangements for children who need extra support. Its home is the Methodist Church on Brunswick Road in Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 5WB, and it has 22 places in total. That is the capacity of the whole setting, rather than the size of a teaching group.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings about communication, emotional development and support for children needing additional help. Those findings are a dated assessment. The current care arrangements include a key person, individual learning journals and access to specialist advice through the Early Years Inclusion Team.

Attendance is term-time, with full days, mornings and afternoons offered. Funded childcare covers three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, making the preschool relevant to families seeking an early-years routine around the school terms.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday routines become opportunities to build language, physical skills and independence. Happy Hours adds a daily timetable that moves between child-led play and time together in smaller groups.

The morning includes play for settling and regulation, key-group time, a snack and further play before lunch. Afternoons include STEM Afternoon Sessions, a scheduled part of the day alongside free play. In autumn 2023, science investigations included colour mixing, testing whether objects would float and exploring reactions in fruit-volcano experiments. These examples give a concrete picture of children making predictions and exploring what happens next; they belong to that autumn's programme.

In March 2022, children experimented with water by painting a shed, explored a sensory farm activity and shared ideas around a train set. Smaller-group activities gave them opportunities to listen to other children and wait for a turn to speak. Books also brought learning together: counting objects in illustrations connected stories with early mathematics.

Outdoor and Community Life

Wheelchair access leads into the church hall, while an accessible toilet area and direct access to the fully paved garden are useful physical features for families considering mobility needs. The garden's surface is also a practical detail to weigh against the kinds of outdoor play a child enjoys.

In March 2022, outdoor resources included tricycles and equipment for practising balance, alongside sand activities that exercised hands and coordination. Children also explored their surrounding community through walks to the beach and town and borrowing books from the local library. These experiences connected play with places beyond the preschool.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person. Settling sessions allow that relationship to begin with the parent involved, and information about a child's strengths and needs informs planning. Home visits are offered when a child needs an enhanced transition, giving families another way to connect home routines with preschool care.

The key worker development programme uses individual learning journals and communication with parents to follow children's development. Observation of Play and Learning (OPAL), produced by Barnet Early Years Alliance (BEYA), provides developmental milestones against which progress is reviewed. Journals and individual plans can be accessed within the preschool, so conversations can draw on specific examples of a child's learning.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that parents did not consistently receive updates about their child's progress to help them extend learning at home. Current arrangements include discussions with key people, termly reviews of journals and individual strategies that can be adapted for home use. These are useful mechanisms; families should pay attention to how they work in practice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SEND coordinator and an inclusion coordinator provide defined points of support. Observations and conversations with parents inform individual play plans, while referrals to the Early Years Inclusion Team require parental permission. That team can help coordinate advice from professionals such as speech and language therapists or physiotherapists, rather than leaving the preschool to work alone.

Support is considered child by child. Individual risk assessments can cover medical and personal-care needs, and additional training may be discussed where necessary. Prescribed medication can be administered with written parental consent. The emphasis is on agreeing what support is achievable for the particular child, then reviewing it with their family.

In March 2022, staff helped children manage difficult feelings through calm responses and breathing strategies. Everyday independence also featured in putting on coats and washing hands before eating. The current team comprises six staff, with designated safeguarding lead roles and paediatric first-aid cover.

Moving to primary school involves sharing learning journals and progress information with the receiving setting and parents. Teachers are invited to observe children at play, while role play using school uniform and practice with lunchtime routines help make the change more familiar. These are transition arrangements, with no school-place advantage implied.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool operates at the Methodist Church, Brunswick Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 5WB. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm from Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 12.30pm on Friday, during term time.

Full days, morning sessions and afternoon sessions can be booked. Mornings finish at 12.30pm and afternoons at 3pm; afternoon sessions run Monday to Thursday. Friday therefore needs a different collection arrangement from the other weekdays. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07395 125893.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered for two-year-olds receiving two-year funding, and the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds is 15 hours from the term after their third birthday. Provision is term-time. Funding and childcare can also be split with another setting or childminder, which may help a family combine this preschool with a different care arrangement.

Private childcare is offered alongside funded provision, with current prices supplied in the nursery's written quotation. The funding and finances page sets out the booking patterns and funding arrangements.

Autumn 2023 lunch guidance asked parents to supply fruit for snacks and a balanced packed lunch. It also requested a named water bottle, putting preparation of those items with the family.

• Friday collection. The week ends at 12.30pm on Friday, and afternoons operate only Monday to Thursday. Families need a workable plan for that shorter day.
• Learning at home. Sharing individual learning information was the March 2022 improvement point. On a visit, ask to see how a learning journal turns into practical suggestions for home.
• Individual support. Play plans, specialist referrals and accessible facilities provide concrete starting points. Discuss the care, equipment and supervision your child would need during a visit.
• Food and everyday supplies. Autumn 2023 guidance put snacks and lunch with parents. Ask which food and non-food items families currently need to bring and how these arrangements apply to funded sessions.

Happy Hours suits families seeking term-time full days, morning sessions or afternoon sessions, with a shorter Friday built into the week. Its clearest strengths are the defined key-person arrangements, individual planning and routes to specialist support. The paved garden and accessible facilities add useful practical detail. The March 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, while communication about learning at home remains the point to examine closely when choosing the setting.