Proposed pre-school ('Little Forest Friends') at Haddenham St Mary's CE School
Haddenham St Mary's CE School is planning to set up a pre-school provision for 15 children on its school site. The aim is to provide funded and non funded places for children aged 3 and 4 years old, within the context of an expanding village setting to meet the needs of parents.
Here is the school's statement:
'Little Forest Friends' would run for 38 weeks per year in line with school term times with sessions from 9:00am – 12:00pm and 12:00pm – 3:00pm. A committee consisting of staff and Governors will be responsible for managing the provision.
We intend to open the new pre-school in September 2019. We aim to be unique to the local area in that a qualified teacher, following the Forest School initiative already established at Haddenham St Mary's CE School, will lead 'Little Forest Friends'.
We are seeking responses to this consultation by noon on Friday 12th July 2019, either by returning the attached response form to the school office, or via email to chairofgovernors@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk for the attention of Mrs Gaynor Bull, Chair of Governors.
We appreciate that you may have questions on the proposal and have tried to answer some of these below:
Why are we proposing to open an Early Years Pre-school setting?
Haddenham St Mary's School would like to ensure that 3 and 4 year olds in the locality have access to sufficient local pre-school provision. The pre-school will follow the Forest School initiative, which aligns with Haddenham St Mary's ethos.
Do staff and governors support the proposal?
Yes, the Governing Body, Headteacher and staff at Haddenham St Mary's positively support the proposal as they believe it would benefit current and future pupils, the local community and enhance existing school provision.
Will the proposal disrupt the education of pupils currently at the school?
No, by having a pre-school on site, we firmly believe it will further enhance the provision at the school. No external building work is needed; therefore no disruption to current pupils will occur.
Why are we consulting now?
We are keen to understand the views of our local community and so, as per best practice recommended by the Department for Education, we have incorporated a period of consultation into the decision making process. The consultation will run from Friday 24th May until noon on Friday 12th July.
Will there be extra traffic and how will you reduce the impact?
It is possible that there may be a slight increase in traffic, although the pre-school will only have 15 places. The vast majority of pupils, however, will be local and we believe that many pupils will already have siblings in the school and will therefore be travelling together. Indeed, traffic may well be reduced when siblings are at the same setting, as some parents currently have to travel to alternative pre-school provisions to meet their needs.
Will the proposal have any impact on admission to the school's reception class?
No, the school admission arrangements will remain unchanged and attendance at the pre-school will not guarantee admission to Haddenham St Mary's CE School. Please see Buckinghamshire County Council's website for the specific criteria for school admission.
What are the next stages in the process?
Responses received throughout the consultation process, which ends at noon on Friday 12th July, will be analysed and we will publish the outcome on our school website.
How can I respond to this consultation?
Please complete the attached consultation response form and return it to the school office for the attention of Mrs Gaynor Bull, Chair of Governors. Alternatively, please email chairofgovernors@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
We would really welcome your views on our proposal and look forward to receiving your completed response form. Should you have any additional queries please contact us at the address or email above.
Thank you for your interest.
Mrs Gaynor Bull, Chair of Governors
Mrs Karen Collett, Headteacher
