Sheepsetting Pre-School

A school-ground setting and a gradual introduction with a familiar key person give Sheepsetting Pre-School its character. Based at Cross in Hand School in Heathfield, it has 24 places in total. The scale matters, but that figure is whole-setting capacity, not the number of children in an individual group.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 21 February 2023. Children attending at that time were aged two to four. The account of daily life was full of purposeful activity: drawing journeys, making shopping lists and choosing how to use the garden. Those examples give the judgement substance, while keeping its age clear.

The current attendance offer combines term-time morning, afternoon and all-day sessions, with a separate Friday morning arrangement for children approaching Reception. A committee runs the pre-school, giving families a route into its organisation as well as their child's everyday care.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for children's learning and care: here, children explore language, movement, relationships, number and creative activity through play. Activities are arranged around children's choices rather than producing a particular finished object. That gives the process of exploring and experimenting a clear place in the day.

Stories, singing and group time sit alongside play outdoors and inside. Community visits and outdoor enrichment also form part of the session programme. This is a day with shared moments, rather than one continuous adult-led activity; children also have room to decide what interests them.

In February 2023, writing had an everyday purpose. Children created shopping lists and drew maps showing their journeys home, then explained those maps to friends. Language practice extended into snack time, where children explored words for the texture and taste of watermelon. These examples connect early literacy with something children want to communicate.

Mathematics was less evenly developed in February 2023. Construction, outdoor activity and moulding materials prompted mathematical thinking, but opportunities in creative activity, pretend domestic play and role play received less attention. The improvement needed was broader coverage across children's choices, rather than confining number and mathematical ideas to selected activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden provided opportunities to tackle problems in February 2023, with staff helping children work through challenges in their play. Children also practised managing their coats, footwear and waterproof trousers. Outdoor experience therefore involved practical independence as well as activity.

School familiarity was another strand at that date. Children made recurring visits to the local school, used its library and became acquainted with people there. These visits gave the next stage a recognisable setting before children moved on; they were preparation, rather than an admissions entitlement.

Relationships and Communication

Each child receives a key person before settling begins. That practitioner handles developmental records, shares progress with parents and is the first contact for concerns about the child. For families, the practical benefit is a clear person to approach, rather than having to work out who holds the relevant information.

The two-week settling period allows parents to stay and play while the child builds a relationship with their key person. Families agree the approach with staff, recognising that children settle at different speeds. The key person also completes the progress check at age two, linking everyday observation with a defined review of development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SEND coordinator and designated safeguarding lead roles. Named practitioners hold paediatric first aid qualifications, and staff undergo safeguarding training and enhanced DBS checks. These are practical arrangements, rather than a substitute for an inspection judgement.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described how staff exchanged information with health visitors and specialists in speech and language, while identifying weaker communication with other childcare settings attended by the same children. For a child splitting their week between providers, that last point matters: learning and support need to connect across both places.

Sessions and Attendance

Term-time attendance is organised into three choices from Monday to Thursday: mornings run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and all-day sessions from 9am to 3pm. These patterns apply to both funded and privately paid attendance. Families can therefore consider a shorter session or the whole pre-school day within the same timetable.

Friday's Rising 5’s morning runs from 9am to noon and provides a more structured session, restricted to children already attending who will start Reception the following autumn. It is a preparation stage within the pre-school's offer, rather than a general Friday option for every child.

The address is Cross in Hand School, Sheepsetting Lane, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 0XG. Enquiries can be made by email, telephone or the contact form. Being on the school site does not guarantee a Reception place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Sheepsetting offers Early Years Education Entitlement (EYEE), covering up to fifteen hours weekly over 38 weeks from the funding period after a child's third birthday, alongside the extended 30-hour offer and funded attendance for eligible two-year-olds. Delivery is term-time. Funding claims require a parental agreement for each funding period, with a birth certificate or passport for the first claim.

For funded sessions, a separate voluntary contribution covers sustenance, seasonal clothing and protection, and outdoor enrichment. If families decline any or part of the contribution, they are expected to supply equivalent consumables and outdoor wear, and their children do not participate in outdoor enrichment activities. The choice therefore has consequences for both what families bring and the activities their child joins.

Rolling snacks include fruit, vegetables and carbohydrate foods, with sustenance covered by the funded-session contribution; the pre-school publishes a nut-free policy. Registration carries a charge, refundable for EYEE-funded children, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Parents can also participate through the committee, which meets roughly once per term and handles policies, fundraising, employment and strategic decisions. Its Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in the spring term, provides an opportunity to nominate and elect members.

• A term-time timetable. Morning and afternoon sessions complement the all-day option, but the day finishes at 3pm and Friday is restricted to Rising 5’s. Consider how those boundaries fit your working week.
• Funding choices affect participation. Declining any or part of the voluntary contribution means supplying equivalent consumables and outdoor wear, and the child does not join outdoor enrichment activities. Discuss how the alternatives would work for your family during a visit.
• Learning across two settings. February 2023 improvement priorities concerned mathematical opportunities throughout play and communication with other providers. Ask how both are handled now, especially if your child attends elsewhere too.
• Food allergies. A nut-free policy shapes food arrangements. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice and their child's individual requirements before attendance.

Sheepsetting suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as an all-day pre-school pattern. Its key-person arrangements and two-week introduction give settling a defined structure, while the school-ground location provides a concrete connection with the next stage. Friday's restricted preparation session adds a further option for existing children approaching Reception.

The February 2023 judgement is positive, with specific improvements to weigh alongside it. The strongest practical fit is for families comfortable with the school-day timetable and clear about how voluntary funded-session contributions affect outdoor enrichment.