Sunnyside Community Pre-School CIO

Parent decision-making and outdoor play give Sunnyside its character. An elected committee of parents runs this community pre-school, while a garden mud kitchen and an ice cream shop on the decking give children concrete reasons to explore, pretend and experiment. Families can contribute to the running of the group as well as their own child's learning.

Based at the Peredur Centre for the Arts in East Grinstead, Sunnyside has 24 places in total and admits children from two and a half years. At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is a useful starting point, alongside the specific teaching improvements identified at the same visit.

Attendance is term-time, with weekday sessions ending at 2.30pm and a morning option described below. The emphasis is on a pre-school day organised around play, relationships and increasing independence.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning: children develop language, physical skills, relationships and other areas of learning through play and planned activities. Staff use conversations with parents and observations of children to decide what each child should work towards next.

Indoors, children can use playdough, paint and glue, act out ideas in the role play area or explore small world toys. The book corner offers another kind of activity, while the tuff tray supports messy exploration. These are different ways into learning rather than a day built solely around adult-led tasks.

In September 2023, storytelling and descriptions of children's play introduced new vocabulary; counting, comparisons of size and discussion of position brought mathematics into everyday activity. Children also chose books and borrowed them with their parents for reading at home.

The September 2023 teaching priorities were for adults to pause longer after questions so children could form an answer, and to use older children's interests to take their learning further. Those are useful distinctions. Providing an activity is one thing; the conversation around it determines how much thinking it invites.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can move between the indoor space and garden for much of a session, with adjustments in extreme weather. The Mud Kitchen has a Water Butt alongside loose materials and kitchen utensils. On the decking, an ice cream shop and sandpit provide further settings for imaginative and exploratory play; elsewhere, children can read in the wendy house, make music on chime bars or use the slide.

In September 2023, children grew vegetables and had experienced harvesting and tasting their produce. Watching streamers move in the wind connected weather with something they could see. Climbing, running and ball play also formed part of the activity observed at that time.

The 2025/26 calendar included Autumn Standen Trip and Summer Standen Trip, alongside Christmas Concert and Easter Concert. Sports Day & leavers Graduation and Godstone farm Outing closed that past summer's programme. They describe that year's shared experiences, rather than an upcoming schedule.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with the family and prepares next steps based on the child's interests. A Learning Journal brings photographs and observations together, and parents can see it whenever they wish. Annual consultations provide a planned discussion, with additional meetings for families whose children need extra support.

Settling can be adjusted to the individual child. Shorter attendance, a parent staying alongside the child and several visits before starting are all possible arrangements. A familiar comfort item can come from home, and parents can collect before the session ends during settling. This gives families practical options when a full session is initially too much.

In September 2023, children practised everyday independence by putting on outdoor clothes, clearing their snack things and following handwashing routines. Staff also spent time getting to know individual children through the key-person arrangement. These were observations from that visit, rather than a current staffing count.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The inclusion officer can prepare Play Plans addressing an individual child's needs, alongside the key person's planning. Sunnyside can seek advice from the Early Childhood Service's Inclusion team and work with specialists already involved with a child. Visual timetables and PECs support communication and routines, giving families specific mechanisms to discuss rather than a general promise of support.

Access needs deserve early attention: the building and toilets are not fully wheelchair accessible, and the garden has steps, although a ramp is available. For trips, staff discuss access with parents beforehand. Applications to West Sussex County Council can support additional staffing for initial settling or specialist equipment, subject to funding being secured.

The team includes a Special Educational Needs Coordinator and designated safeguarding lead roles. These establish responsibilities within the setting; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the assessment of effectiveness.

Children receive a morning snack, while families supply water in a named container. Outdoor clothing, spare clothes and sun cream come from home, so preparation for garden play is part of the family's routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Sunnyside's address is Peredur Centre for the Arts, West Hoathly Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4NF. Term-time day sessions run Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Morning sessions from 9.30am to 12.30pm are also offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The group recommends at least two sessions. Its admissions policy aims to provide a minimum of two for children eligible for two-year-old funding, where possible, and makes clear that particular days cannot be guaranteed. Where demand exceeds places for a session, priority follows children's dates of birth rather than their waiting-list enrolment dates.

Families can enquire through the contact form or telephone the pre-school. A refundable deposit holds a place: it is returned after headcount for funded children, or after the first half-term's fees have been received for fee-paying children. Leaving requires written notice covering a full half term.

Funding and Paid Extras

Sunnyside offers two-year-old funding for eligible children, plus the 15 hours Universal and 30 hours extended offer for three- and four-year-olds, starting in the term after their third birthday and delivered over 37 weeks. Funded hours can be used in any session. For extended funding, an eligibility code is required before applying for a place and must be reconfirmed every three months; the entitlement does not guarantee a place or particular days.

Private sessions are also offered. Fees are payable in advance each half term and remain payable during sickness or holidays; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Families provide sun cream and drinking water, while the pre-school supplies the morning snack.

Moving on to School

Sunnyside describes links with local primary schools, especially The Meads, and invites teachers to visit. Its transition arrangements can include discussions involving parents, school visits and photographs to familiarise a child with their next setting. Attendance does not guarantee a school place; families still use the local authority admissions process for a state school.

• Teaching conversations. In September 2023, children needed more thinking time after questions and older children needed greater extension of their interests. At a visit, discuss how staff now build these into play.
• Physical access. Toilets and the building are not fully wheelchair accessible, and the garden involves steps or a ramp. Families using mobility equipment should discuss the actual spaces their child will use.
• Days and session length. Morning and term-time day patterns offer different ways to attend, but particular weekdays cannot be guaranteed. Discuss the requested pattern before making other childcare arrangements.
• The written quotation. A refundable deposit and advance half-term payment shape the joining costs. What does the quotation include for lunch, snacks and non-food consumables during funded and private attendance?

Sunnyside suits families seeking either morning sessions or a term-time day extending into the afternoon, with opportunities to participate in a parent-run group. The garden's Mud Kitchen, decking play and indoor activity spaces give the offer substance, while individual planning and flexible settling provide practical ways to support a child's start.

The September 2023 Good judgement sits alongside precise teaching priorities, and physical accessibility requires careful consideration for some families. The strongest fit is for parents who value play, outdoor exploration and an active role in pre-school life, and whose childcare needs fit the term-time timetable.