Donkey Field Pre-School, Crawley Down
Hours/Days of Opening
09.00 am – 12.00 pm Monday to Friday
12.30 pm – 3.00 pm Monday to Friday
Sessions are term time only. We are closed for Bank Holidays and In-Service
training days (held once every half term and notified in advance).
Introduction & background
The Donkey Field Pre-School first opened its doors in Crawley
Down Village on 26th February 2001 to fulfil a need within the local
community for provision for the under 5s, following the closure of Burleigh
Acorns Playgroup in June 2000.
The setting up of the Pre-School was the work of a small committee of
people from Crawley Down, known as "The Steering Committee". They worked
closely with what was then The Burleigh Infant School, The Pre-School
Learning Alliance and West Sussex Early Years Partnership Team. The
Pre-School is a non-profit making charity run by a parent management
committee which aims to be responsive to the needs of our local community.
The Pre-School expanded rapidly and a huge demand for places has resulted
in increased staffing levels and opening to 10 sessions a week.
The naming of the Pre-School may seem curious. Before the 2006 merger
of the local infant and junior schools, Burleigh Infant School occupied
the site on Hophurst Drive and The Donkey Field Pre-School was housed
in a temporary classroom in the school grounds. Many years before the
Burleigh Infant School was built, the area was grazing land and was
home to a donkey – hence "The Donkey Field Pre-School". When Burleigh
Infant School merged with Crawley Down Junior School in 2006 to form
the Crawley Down C of E School, The Donkey Field Pre-School was offered
the use of the community room (The Burleigh Room) within the new school
building. We have been in The Burleigh Room since September 2007 with
our own entrance/exit separate to the school and our own enclosed garden
for the children to play in.
Every January we hold our AGM where a new Management Committee is elected,
mainly comprising parents of pupils at Donkey Field. Full details of
the Management Committee members are listed below. Although we share
the same site, we are independent to Crawley Down Village C of E School.
Our Mission Statement
We want children to feel safe and happy in the absence of their
parents, to recognise other adults as a source of respect, help and
friendship, and to be able to share with their parents, the new learning
experiences they have enjoyed at Donkey Field.
Our main aims are to:
· Enhance the early skills and education of children aged 2½ to 5 years
in a parent involved, community based group.
· Provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment.
· Work within a framework ensuring equal opportunities for all children
and families.
We offer your child:
· A well-planned play-based curriculum, working towards the
achievement of the early learning goals in the foundation stage.
· Individual development records for the foundation stage of learning,
based on ongoing assessment and observations.
· Special care and attention made possible by the high ratio of trained
staff to children.
· Fun and friendship with children and other adults.
Minimum starting age
The group is registered with OFSTED to take children from 2½
years.
Under our Registration, we can only offer a maximum of two sessions
per week for the age range 2½-3 years. If you wish to increase the sessions
after your child's 3rd birthday, please make enquiries with the Admissions
Co-ordinator who will advise you on availability.
OFSTED Report
To view a copy of our latest OFSTED report, please click here.
What we offer
Key worker
Your child will be assigned a key worker who will be responsible
for ensuring that your child’s individual needs are met. This will include
helping both you and your child during the settling in period.
Playroom & garden
We have the use of Crawley Down C of E School's community room,
called The Burleigh Room, which is named after the original infant school.
We refer to it as our "playroom" and we feel this is fundamental in
helping to provide quality care and education for the children. We have
created a comfortable, pleasant environment for the children to come
into, where their work is on display and everything around them is familiar.
Curriculum
It is the intention of The Donkey Field Pre-School to meet,
through play, every child’s personal educational need using a full and
varied curriculum in a warm, safe and stimulating environment. We are
committed to establishing partnerships with parents/carers through consultation
and participation, and will ensure that the children will be working
towards the Early Learning Goals as stipulated by the Government.
The curriculum is organised around a theme or topic. Each half term
the staff meet to discuss the needs of the children and plan the activities
they will offer in order to help the children work towards the Early
Learning Goals. We believe that children learn best when given first
hand experiences and that they should be given the opportunity to explore
and experiment, be encouraged to make decisions for themselves and have
meaningful interaction with adults. To this end the children will be
offered opportunities to develop their skills through supervised and
structured play activities.
All children require support to learn - but different kinds and amounts
depend on the child. At all times staff will be interacting with the
child to aid areas of development.
Although our approach is to structure each session to facilitate learning
through play, the children will be allowed to determine the pace of
their learning.
Fees
With effect from 1st September 2012, fees are £3.90 per hour.
Fees are invoiced every half term and should be paid within 10 working
days of receipt of invoice. Children are funded by the Local Education
Authority for up to 15 hours per week from the term following their
3rd birthday. This funding is paid for all 38 weeks that The Donkey
Field Pre-School is open in the year.
Progression to school
The majority of children attending The Donkey Field Pre-School
Group will progress onto Crawley Down Village C of E School. During
the child’s time with us we will do everything appropriate to prepare
them for "big" school; this includes visits to the school during their
last term. Please be aware it is not compulsory to progress to the village
school in order to be accepted to Donkey Field, nor does attendance
at Donkey Field automatically entitle your child to a place at Crawley
Down Village C of E School.
If you require a copy of our latest prospectus please either download
one or contact a member of staff on 01342 717877 and we will be
happy to send one to you.
Committee
All members of the committee are parents, and they work together with
the staff to provide a safe and happy environment in which children
can develop and learn through play. We are very keen for new parents
to feel as much a part of Donkey Field as their children, so we are
always pleased when parents become involved. One of the best ways to
do this is to join the committee.
The committee meets in the evening about once every half term and is responsible for the overall management of the pre-school. Even if you cannot make such a regular commitment, we always need help at our fund raising events and other projects. If you would like to help out and can spare some time, please speak to a member of staff or committee.
Click here to view the Donkey Field Pre-School Constitution
The 2013 Management Committee
| Chairperson | - | Erin Rayner |
| Vice Chairperson | Emma Street | |
| Treasurer | - | Julia Dixon |
| Secretary | - | Sarah Howes |
| Uniform Co-ordinator | - | Bonnie Butts |
| Support/Fundraising/CRBs | - | Beverly Webber |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Catherine Gillbard |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Hannah Hill |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Chris Hunt |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Fiona Needham |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Beckie Packham |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Sarah Shelley |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Rebecca Sullivan |
| Support/Fundraising | - | Clare Thornton |