The Beacon C of E (VA) Primary School

Pre-School

In February 2023, we opened to children from the term after their third birthday.  Our new Foundation Stage Unit has a garden area and  two rooms which can be used as one large space or as two separate classrooms.  

The team welcome you to visit and have a look around our Foundation Stage Unit and school.  Our staff team are Miss Suzy Brunwin, Mrs Lucy James, Ms Jo Davis, Ms Lisa Hamer and Miss Matilda Spence.

This page aims to provide the information you may need in order to make an informed decision about joining our governor-run pre-school along with the forms you need for enrolment.

What is a Governor Run Pre-school?

A governor run pre-school is set up by governing bodies in maintained, voluntary and foundation schools that use the power given to them in the 2002 Education Act to set up and run extended services. The pre-school could be organised as a FSU (Foundation Stage Unit) or as a stand-alone group.

What is a Foundation Stage Unit?

A Foundation Stage Unit (FSU) is formed when a nursery class or governor/trustee-run pre-school and reception class in Infant and Primary Schools collaborate, share, communicate and integrate to provide high-quality effective provision across the whole foundation stage that meets the needs and interests of all children.  The curriculum for all children of pre-school and reception age is the same, it's known as Foundation Stage.

At The Beacon C of E (VA) Primary, we are running a Foundation Stage Unit (FSU) which can operate as one large learning space or two separate areas to ensure the children are receiving and/stage appropriate provision. The FSU is fortunate to have its own garden which enables children to enjoy learning outside.

Curriculum

 The Early Years Foundation Stage lasts from birth to the end of a child’s Reception Year in school.  Having a Foundation Stage Unit therefore gives children a learning journey which continues to develop through their time with us.  We use a variety of published resources across our school to ensure there is a continuity and progression across the school.  Further information can be found in our Curriculum Statement (available on the Policies page of our website) and the FSU class page.

Session times and days

We recognise that it is important for our families to have sessions running parallel to the school day.  We work closely with our families to do our best to provide the sessions parents and carers want, whilst ensuring it's financially viable.  We are a small pre-school, so please keep talking with us to make sure we know what will work best for you!

In the first instance, we will be charging the sessions as in the table below (this gives a 'free' 10 minutes per session so we can match the Government Childcare Voucher hours).  

 Please note- prices are subject to change with notice and are currently in line with EYFS funding rates. Note: costs will increase in line with Government funded places, this is usually each April.

If your child is on site for a full day, they will need either a packed lunch or school dinner.  School dinners may be booked through our School Gateway App once your child is on roll, and currently cost £2.55 per day.

We are not yet offering extended schools (ie breakfast and after school club) at this time but do let us know if it is something you would like to make use of, we aim to provide these services when it's financially viable to do so.

 ** Please contact the school if you would like to use tax free vouchers, more information may be found at Tax-Free Childcare - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Eligibility for extended entitlement

30 hours funded childcare (extended entitlement)
Your 3 or 4-year-old child may be eligible for 30 hours of funded early years childcare up to a maximum of 1140 hours per year. You may wish to use up to 30 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year (term time) or some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week

Check your eligibility and apply
Eligibility for 30 hours of funded childcare will be checked by the government. You can find out more about eligibility criteria here and you can apply for 30 hours of funded childcare through their Childcare Service website. Please follow the link below for further information: 

 Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK 

 Extra funded places for working families – Education and Families (devon.gov.uk)

Funded care and education for 3 and 4-year-olds – Education and Families (devon.gov.uk)

 Early Years Pupil Premium

Early years providers that offer the early years education funding can claim the Early Years Pupil
Premium (EYPP) for eligible children to support your child’s development, learning and care. This means up to an extra £302 a year for each child taking up the full 570 hours. Therefore it is important that you complete the attached registration form so that a check can be made to see if you are eligible. For more information on the Early Years Pupil Premium please see: devon.cc/theearly-years-pupil-premium 

Please note, as a Governor-run Pre-school, we do not provide Free School Meals to nursery children but please do apply for pupil premium as it does benefit your child.

Disability Access Funding

Parents of children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance are required to provide evidence and complete the Application for Disability Access Funding. 

Parents who attend more than one provider need to be aware that only one payment can be made and they must complete the form for the provider that they wish to receive the funding.

The parent declaration form will need to be completed each year to confirm eligibility.

Information we need from you:

In order to provide the best support for your child, we like to work closely with our families. If you have any concerns about your child (academic, social or emotional), please do get in touch. 

Please refer to our admissions policy for further information. We will aim to enrol new starters at the beginning of the next half term following confirmation of a place.

Parent declaration form

Child's registration form

Further information