Mayfield Preschool

A mud kitchen, a village meadow and a teddy that takes recipes home give Mayfield Preschool a clear character: practical play extends into family life and the surrounding community. This charity-led preschool welcomes children from age two until they start school. Its setting in Court Meadow is part of the learning offer, with woodland nearby and regular exploration beyond the garden.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Mayfield Preschool Outstanding and found that staff understood children's learning exceptionally well, helping them make substantial progress through individually planned play. That judgement is a dated assessment. The current offer combines free movement between indoors and outdoors, a key-person relationship and opportunities for parents to contribute to learning.

Morning, afternoon and whole-day attendance sit within a term-time timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides play-based learning shaped around each child's interests, development and wellbeing. In everyday terms, staff get to know what engages a child, plan activities around it and combine adult demonstrations with children's own exploration and learning from one another. This is the statutory foundation; Mayfield's concrete additions include family cooking, music-led movement and regular exploration of the local forest and village.

Cooking Teddy is a take-home project pairing a teddy with a recipe book so children can cook with their families. Recipes are shared with the group each week. It connects preschool learning with family cooking.

Movement has equally tangible resources. Early Movers and Sticky Kids CDs support activity through music, while balance boards, balls and a small physical trail provide different ways to practise movement. Children have opportunities to climb, cycle, push and pull.

In January 2023, children experimented with a mechanical crane, adjusting its controls to keep objects balanced as the platform moved. Another activity involved rolling chalk downhill, examining the marks it left and trying water and sponges to remove them. These were examples of children testing ideas and changing their approach, rather than simply completing an adult's instructions.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space carries much of the offer. A large sand pit, nature corner and mud kitchen are used daily, alongside a garden and a climbing and play area with a soft surface. Children can move freely between indoor and outdoor spaces. That gives them room to follow an activity beyond its starting point and choose between different kinds of play.

Court Meadow adds woodland and play areas close to the preschool, while the village High Street provides further opportunities to explore the local environment. Regular forest and village visits extend learning beyond the garden.

Community participation has specific outlets. Children and families can take part in Maypole dancing at the Mayfair, the Mayfield Bonfire Society's annual parade and the yearly Mayfield Horticultural show, including making art or growing plants for submission. Participation connects creative activities with recognisable village occasions, and family involvement is a choice.

Bilingual parents are invited to tell stories or share family traditions. This brings familiar voices and different languages into children's learning. In January 2023, children also spent time with older visitors and helped community members develop the village orchard, including sharing in harvest activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who gets to know both the child and their family, observes development and reports on progress. Children have a familiar adult, and parents a contact who knows their family. Key people hold paediatric first-aid certification and undertake continuing training.

Tapestry is the digital learning journal used to share photographs, videos, observations and comments with families. Parents can add their own stories and photographs, helping staff connect experiences at home with preschool learning. It also brings newsletters, invoices and event information together, with notifications when new content is added.

Settling is arranged through introductory sessions. In January 2023, staff allowed children the time they needed to become comfortable and establish relationships with their key person.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised the personalised support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including close work with parents and achievable steps in learning. Current arrangements include SENCO responsibilities within the leadership team, designated safeguarding roles and monthly staff supervision to discuss children's needs and concerns.

The premises have perimeter fencing and secured external doors and gates, with daily checks for potential hazards before opening. Children also discuss safe use of tools and equipment at a level they can understand.

The HALO excellence award, achieved in 2022, recognised work on physical activity, healthy eating and oral health. Dental-care models and role play support conversations about dentists and toothbrushing, giving children ways to explore health routines through play. Staff have also undertaken oral-health training.

Sessions and Attendance

Mayfield Preschool operates at Court Meadow, Tunbridge Wells Road, Mayfield, East Sussex, TN20 6PJ. It opens Monday to Friday, from 8.45am to 3pm, for 38 weeks each year during term time. Families need a timetable that accommodates preschool holidays as well as the daily closing time.

The booking choices are specific. Morning attendance runs from 8.45am to either 11.45am or 12.30pm; afternoon attendance starts at 12.30pm and finishes at either 2.30pm or 3pm. A longer funded session runs from 8.45am to 1.45pm, while the whole-day option is 8.45am to 3pm.

Funding covers different portions of these patterns. The 8.45am to 11.45am, 8.45am to 1.45pm and 12.30pm to 2.30pm options can fall entirely within funded hours. The morning ending at 12.30pm, afternoon ending at 3pm and whole-day option combine funded time with privately paid hours. Hours beyond a child's funding entitlement are also charged privately.

Funding and Paid Extras

Mayfield accepts the 30-hour extended offer for eligible working parents of two-, three- and four-year-olds, the universal 15-hour offer for three- and four-year-olds, and eligible two-year-old funding. Funding is delivered during term time. Working-parent codes need revalidation every three months; eligibility determines what an individual family can claim.

Snacks are covered by a voluntary sessional welfare charge; families declining it supply a healthy, nut-free snack in a sealed, labelled package. The welfare charge also contributes to activities such as trips, visits and baking, so these costs sit separately from funded childcare hours.

Joining involves a registration form and a fully refundable deposit. A voluntary joining charge covers two settling sessions and a puddlesuit; families who decline it pay for settling sessions at the hourly rate and supply their own labelled puddlesuit. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation, with the charge structure explained on its fees and funding page.

The preschool describes close links with Mayfield Church of England Primary, including regular visits and shared Easter and Christmas celebrations to support transition. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time fit. The preschool runs for 38 weeks, with a 3pm finish. Morning, afternoon and whole-day choices offer different lengths of attendance, but holiday care and later afternoons need to fit into the family's wider arrangements.
• The funded session boundary. Some attendance patterns include privately paid time, and the welfare charge has a parent-supplied snack alternative. Match the exact session to your entitlement and request a written quotation covering the whole arrangement.
• Settling and outdoor clothing. Introductory sessions and a puddlesuit are part of the joining choices. During a visit, discuss how settling would work for your child and how the clothing option fits their outdoor day.
• Allergy practice. Families declining the snack charge must supply a nut-free snack, a rule intended to protect children with severe allergies. If allergies affect your child, confirm current snack and lunchbox procedures during the visit.

Mayfield Preschool suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a whole preschool day within a term-time routine. Its appeal rests on concrete experiences: garden play, Court Meadow exploration, Cooking Teddy and participation in village events.

The January 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight, while the present key-person system and two-way learning journal give parents practical ways to stay involved. The deciding considerations are the 3pm finish, school-holiday arrangements and the distinction between funded time and paid additions. For families whose timetable fits, this is a preschool with a clear outdoor and community character.