Peasmarsh Flying Start Pre-School

A two-storey playloft, a vegetable patch and a partly sheltered playground give Peasmarsh Flying Start Pre-School plenty of scope for learning through doing. Its purpose-built base sits within the grounds of Peasmarsh Primary School, with occasional use of the school's hall, playing field and Forest School area. Children can move between indoor and outdoor play, rather than having all their activity organised around a single room.

At its 2 May 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the pre-school Good overall and found safeguarding effective.

Children can join after their second birthday, and the setting has 26 places in total. Morning and afternoon sessions operate during term time, with a lunch club and choices of collection time allowing families to shape attendance around different routines.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, teaching through play connects communication, physical activity and emotional development with early literacy, mathematics and creative exploration. It is the shared early-years foundation, while the playloft, garden and daily routines give this setting its own character.

The playloft is a model house arranged over two storeys, with a kitchen, cooker and washing machine below and a larger play space above. It can become a shop or castle as learning themes change.

Other choices include Duplo and Lego construction, puzzles, modelling materials, painting and stories. A microscope, camera and interactive white board add different ways to investigate and record what interests children. Cooking sits alongside these activities. The emphasis is on choosing, exploring and trying things, with staff observations feeding into subsequent plans.

During May 2024, children explored numbers by searching for numbered shells in water, encountered new vocabulary through songs and puppets, and investigated balls travelling down a slope.

Independence has a place in the daily routine. At snack time, children find their name card, match it with their cup and plate, and prepare food for themselves. Shared activities include songs, rhymes and opportunities to talk about news from home. At lunch, helping lay the table gives children another small responsibility with a clear purpose.

Outdoor and Community Life

A climbing frame, wigwam, mud kitchen and ride-on toys provide different kinds of outdoor play. Partial shelter allows the playground to be used in wet weather, while the garden gives children opportunities to sow seeds and grow vegetables. Indoor and outdoor play are connected by a free-flow arrangement, so children can follow an interest across both spaces.

Access to the school's Forest School area is occasional, adding a further setting for outdoor exploration. In May 2024, children balanced on logs, dug holes and considered how to cross a shallow stream safely. Those activities brought physical challenge and practical risk awareness together.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker who observes their interests and contributes to planning. A Learning Journey gathers work, photographs, observations and conversations, together with examples contributed by parents. Staff use iConnect on iPads to capture observations. The folder gives families something concrete to discuss, connecting what a child enjoys at home with what happens during sessions.

The Observe, Assess, Plan cycle turns these observations into an individual plan: staff watch children during play, consider their development, then agree ways to extend learning. Termly assessments identify next steps, which are shared and agreed with parents. This gives communication a regular structure as well as opportunities for discussion with the key worker.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted recognised the SENCO's referrals and targeted support but asked for activities to connect more closely with individual next steps and for stronger information exchange with families and outside agencies, including for children with SEND. Those are substantive limits to the otherwise positive judgement: recording progress and having a support plan do not, by themselves, ensure that everyone uses the same approach.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The current SEND arrangements include a Setting Based Support Plan or Early Help Plan with specific targets and regular reviews. Parents and the child's key worker contribute to the support plan. Where further help is needed, the East Sussex Early Years Service can be involved, with an application for additional funding if necessary to support equipment or assistance.

Visual cards and timetables support communication and help children understand routines. Materials and visual information can also be supplied in home languages. Wheelchair access and a disabled toilet are concrete features of the building, while plans for trips can include extra staff or helpers following discussion with parents.

Key workers hold paediatric first aid and child protection certificates, and most have Makaton training. Prescribed medication can be administered when a child is well enough to take part in all activities.

In May 2024, sand timers and visual timetables helped children move between activities, while younger children received support with personal-care tasks. These practical devices show how transitions and growing independence were handled during the inspection period.

Sessions and Attendance

Attendance follows East Sussex Local Education Authority term time, Monday to Friday. The morning session runs from 8.30am to noon, and the afternoon from 1pm to 3.30pm. Morning starts can also be at 9am; collection options are noon, 1pm, 3pm or 3.30pm. A lunch club runs each day from noon to 1pm, providing a bridge between the two sessions.

The address is School Lane, Peasmarsh, East Sussex, TN31 6UW, beside Peasmarsh C.E. Primary School. Families can contact the pre-school by telephone or email, and the Welcome Pack contains registration forms. Telephone enquiries are answered during term-time weekdays between 8.30am and 3.30pm; messages outside those hours are returned during working hours.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both privately paid childcare and funded attendance are offered. The funded patterns are 15 hours and 30 hours, with eligibility conditions applying; the pre-school operates for 38 weeks across the year. It also participates in Tax-Free Childcare. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, and consult the fees and funding page for funding and contribution terms.

A voluntary contribution per attended session covers snacks and sundries, including fruit, vegetables, sun cream, wipes and printing for learning journals. This voluntary contribution covers food and non-food consumables and is itemised on the invoice.

Cooked lunches are prepared by the primary school's kitchen and charged separately, with a baked potato option each day. Children may instead bring a healthy packed lunch, or alternate between the two, subject to the packed-lunch rule excluding chocolate bars, sweets and fizzy drinks.

Moving on to School

An annual transition meeting discusses each child's needs with their new teachers, with parent discussions taking place beforehand and relevant support information shared. Sharing the Peasmarsh Primary School site does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process. The transition work supports the change of setting; the school application remains a separate decision.

• Learning plans and communication. The May 2024 improvement points concerned precise next steps and consistent information sharing. During a visit, ask how a Learning Journey now leads to specific activities and how agreed approaches reach parents and outside professionals.
• Term-time attendance. Morning sessions, afternoons and lunch club offer useful combinations, but attendance follows the local school calendar. This matters if the family's childcare needs continue through holidays.
• Outdoor access. The pre-school has its own partly sheltered playground; use of the school hall, field and Forest School area is occasional. A visit can clarify how these different spaces fit into a child's usual week.
• Parent involvement. A Management Committee of parents and volunteers makes key decisions and meets every two months. The pre-school depends on enough parents joining, so this suits families willing to consider a practical role in its running.

Peasmarsh Flying Start suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon care, with lunch club and varied collection times providing further choices. Its playloft, vegetable growing and free-flow outdoor play give children tangible opportunities to choose, practise and investigate. The Learning Journey and structured SEND plans provide useful starting points for family conversations. The balance is clear: a Good judgement in May 2024, attractive practical facilities and individual support mechanisms, alongside improvement points about making planning more precise and communication more consistent.