Haycorns Pre-School at St Mary's, Dorchester

An early start within a school community defines Haycorns: St Mary's own pre-school includes places for children from two years old. It sits on the school site on Lucetta Lane in Dorchester, rather than operating as a separate destination for families.

The Catholic school welcomes families with any faith background, including none, and has links with Holy Trinity Church. Its stated emphasis on service to others gives parents a useful sense of the values surrounding the pre-school.

Familiar routines are a concrete part of the early experience. In January 2023, children were following established expectations and routines from the beginning of pre-school. For a young child learning how to participate in a group, that provides a recognisable structure to the day.

In January 2023, curriculum planning identified what children should learn from the start of pre-school, placing their early experiences within a longer learning sequence. Animal characters also helped explain learning habits: Go For It Gorilla was one example used to give meaning to perseverance, creativity and pride.

There is also a curriculum caveat. In January 2023, some foundation subjects across the school needed clearer decisions about what pupils should learn and in what order. This was a school-wide improvement point, rather than a separate judgement on Haycorns, but it qualifies the broader picture of curriculum planning.

A pre-school manager leads a team with pre-school assistant and nursery assistant roles; one assistant also has a play worker role. This gives the provision its own identifiable staff structure within the school.

For families whose child needs additional support, the school's SEND provision includes a sensory room and specialist equipment, with teaching assistants delivering interventions supported by teachers and visiting specialists. These are school resources, so discussion with the SEND team can focus on how support would apply to the individual child. The team can be contacted through the school office by telephone.

Attending Haycorns does not guarantee a Reception place. Nursery attendance and admission to Reception are separate steps: families must make a fresh formal application through the normal local authority route and meet the applicable deadline. Dorset Council is the route for school-place applications.

Plymouth CAST is the school's admissions authority and is responsible for admission decisions. Choosing the pre-school therefore needs to stand on its own merits; a family's Reception application remains a separate decision and process.

For pre-school enquiries, telephone 01305 262258. Families interested in joining can contact the school to discuss a place and arrange a visit, giving them an opportunity to consider the provision before applying.

Haycorns shares the school's address: Lucetta Lane, Dorchester, DT1 2DD. Keep the pre-school enquiry and the later Reception application distinct when planning your child's next steps.