Southern Cross Pre-school

Two large halls, a garden set back from the road and outings to Mile Oak farm give Southern Cross Pre-school a character rooted in play and its Portslade surroundings. Children can explore beyond the setting as well as within it. This is a non-profit pre-school where fundraising supports children's resources and parents can help shape its running through a volunteer committee.

Children aged two to five attend, with 30 places in total. At its 27 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside two clear improvement priorities: more consistent behaviour expectations and smoother changes between activities.

Attendance follows school terms, with breakfast, morning, lunch and afternoon sessions rather than a single attendance pattern. The practical distinction matters: families can build attendance around shorter sessions, but Friday afternoons are excluded.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play and exploration provide opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and growing independence. Taking turns, sharing and treating others considerately are explicit parts of the pre-school's educational aims. The emphasis is on skills children can use with other people, rather than activities completed in isolation.

In March 2023, children used large cardboard boxes for construction and approached adults when they needed help with scissors or tape. At snack time, picture-based instructions supported handwashing, while tongs and displayed numbers helped children choose their own fruit portions. Ordinary routines became opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Outdoor learning connected counting with observation. In March 2023, children tallied insects during bug searches and related caterpillar eggs on plants to a familiar story. Physical activities also developed in stages, beginning with lower climbing equipment before children attempted greater challenges. These examples show the substance behind the emphasis on exploration: children handled materials, noticed living things and tried increasingly demanding movements.

Outdoor and Community Life

The two halls and garden provide indoor and outdoor space, while occasional local outings extend the subjects children encounter. Mile Oak farm brings animals into their experience; Hove toy museum introduces toys from earlier times. Other outings have included buying seeds and plants at a garden centre, and choosing fruit at shops for cooking activities. These are examples of visits, rather than a fixed weekly timetable.

Visits to a local nursing home involve singing, play and socialising with older residents. Visiting road-crossing assistants introduce road safety, while parents can contribute a hobby or read a story. Children therefore encounter people with different ages, experiences and roles, alongside their familiar practitioners.

Family events include the Easter Egg Hunt and Teddy Bears Picnic. Fundraising events also support the charity's resources, giving families a practical way to contribute to the pre-school beyond their child's sessions.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a Key Person who works with the family during settling, gathering information about personal needs, preferences and interests. That information helps staff plan activities around the child. Comfort is part of the settling approach too: practitioners offer reassurance and a cuddle when needed, explaining that families will return.

The Tapastry Online Journal System shares photographs, videos and updates through an app or online access. It also carries term information and safety advice. This gives families a window into their child's time at pre-school and a route for receiving practical messages between conversations with staff.

Support extends to family routines, with information on subjects such as toilet training, selective eating and bedtime. Parents can volunteer during sessions, read to children or join the committee. Committee meetings take place each term and cover matters including finances, policies and fundraising, making involvement more substantial than attending social events alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Staff monitor children's development to identify where additional help may be needed, including communication, learning, emotional wellbeing and physical or sensory needs. Further professional input can include speech and language therapy or educational psychology. At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that work with outside agencies supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and that staff used strategies to help children communicate and manage emotions.

EMAS (Ethnic Minority Achievement Service) supports bilingualism and families using English as an additional language. Its involvement brings access to specialist teachers and liaison workers, adding a specific support mechanism to the pre-school's work with families.

Moving towards school was also part of the March 2023 account: discussions with local teachers informed curriculum planning. This concerned preparation for the next stage of learning, rather than a named school admission route.

Children bring lunch from home. Snacks have a separate voluntary contribution, so food arrangements combine a family-provided packed lunch with a voluntary snack payment.

Sessions and Attendance

Southern Cross Pre-school operates during term time at 103 Trafalgar Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 1GU. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon or 9.30am to 12.30pm; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm or 12.30pm to 3.30pm. There are no afternoon sessions on Fridays.

Breakfast starts at either 8am or 8.30am, and the lunch session runs from noon to 1.30pm. Combining lunch with a morning session has a funding condition: that added lunch session is not funded, although there is no lunch-session charge when a child attends all day. Session combinations therefore affect both the attendance pattern and what families pay for.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. During school holidays, email is the contact route because calls are not answered. Withdrawal requires two weeks' notice, with funding claims ending after that notice period.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded attendance is accepted for two-year-olds and for children aged three and four, alongside 30 hour funding; Tax free childcare is also accepted. Attendance is term-time. Sessions beyond funded hours are charged privately, and current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation. The fees page explains the session and charge structure.

A registration charge applies to children who are not funded. Alongside the voluntary snack contribution and lunches brought from home, occasional voluntary donations are requested for craft materials or charity fundraising.

• Friday attendance. Afternoon sessions do not run on Fridays. Families needing the same afternoon pattern throughout the week should weigh that restriction before choosing sessions.
• Combining morning and lunch. Adding lunch to a morning session is not funded, while the lunch-session charge is waived for all-day attendance. Discuss the proposed combination during a visit so the written quotation matches it.
• Behaviour and activity changes. In March 2023, inconsistent instructions sometimes confused children, and lengthy changes between activities interrupted learning. During a visit, ask how staff now maintain shared expectations and manage these changes.
• Settling together. Children can accompany families on a booked visit and try some play. Use that opportunity to discuss the Key Person's approach to your child's interests and settling needs.

Southern Cross suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, with breakfast and lunch options to extend attendance. Its strongest practical character comes from the halls and garden, local outings, parent involvement and a named support service for bilingual families. The March 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific work required on behaviour messages and activity changes. Friday's shorter session choice and the funding treatment of added lunch are the details most likely to shape a family's decision.