East Hanningfield Preschool Story

East Hanningfield Pre-school originated as a playgroup in 1969 as the village doubled in size.  Parents in the village and parish formed a committee and opened in September 1969. 

Then the playgroup in 1974 officially become a Pre-school in 1995. 

We have up to 30 children aged two to five attending our five-morning sessions, which run East Hanningfield Pre-school hours are from 9 am to 12 pm.  

Lunch club is also available every day to children aged over two and a half years old. This lasts an hour and starts at noon. We now also open every afternoon until 3.00 pm.  Age restrictions apply on Monday afternoons as this is a dedicated for children who are rising school age.

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We employ ten staff – one Supervisor, three Deputy Supervisors, one SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) Supervisor, one Pre-school Assistant, one SENCO Assistant, two Bank Assistants and an Administrator. We are registered with the Charity Commission as an educational charity and are run by a parent management committee consisting of parents whose children attend the Pre-school and are formally elected each year at the AGM.

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We are based in the Village Hall at the centre of our community. We are registered with Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) which means that we are able to receive funding for children who are aged three years and over (for the Spring term – the child’s third birthday has to fall before 31 December, for the Summer term before 31 March and the Autumn term before 31 August).  We also are a registered provider for the two-year-old funding scheme.

We also offer free 30 hours funding for children, for more details, see childcare choices for eligibility. https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. 

For non-funded children each morning session costs £21,  lunch club is £7, and the afternoon session is £21 with lunch club .

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Ofsted awarded the Pre-school a “Good” rating, a copy of their report can be found here.

 Our staff offer qualified support for children with Special Educational Needs as well as a broad and balanced curriculum for children of all abilities.  The children have access to a wide range of facilities, including a large outside play area, and are given every opportunity to develop and grow with the support of dedicated and friendly staff.

The Pre-school has close links with East Hanningfield Primary School, ensuring a smooth transition from Pre-school to primary school.  In their final year at Pre-school, the children visit the primary school regularly to encourage familiarity.  If you are intending to send your child to a different school, the staff are happy to assist in communication with the school.