Capital Bid for a purpose built Pre-school
This is a very exciting time for us and we feel
passionately about doing the best we can for our
Pre-schoolers and the village.
Our proposal is to build a self-contained, separate
building in the village which will not only provide
up-to-date child care facilities to enable us to meet
the Government's requirements in delivering the Early
Years Foundation Curriculum, but also to provide a venue
for a range of outreach services to meet the needs of
the whole village.
Firstly a bit of background about our Pre-school
....
The Pre-school has been using the Village Hall now
for over 20 years. We use the hall for 4 mornings a week
and in July we had 18 children on register for 4 members
of staff. We take children from 2 until 5 years old –
most feed into St Tudy School.
We are inspected by OFSTED and have to meet the
Government’s requirements of delivering the Early Years
Foundation Stage Curriculum.
The grant we are applying for is for a capital sum of
money which would completely fund a purpose built
Pre-school building in order to provide at least the 15
hours per week, flexible provision, which the Government
stipulate.
At present, whilst we know that we are very lucky
with our Village Hall and the facilities that it
provides, due to its immense popularity, we are unable
to offer provision, over 5 days sought by the
Government.
If we were successful in our bid, we would hope to
eventually provide all young children’s services for the
village from our building. We also hope to offer new,
community opportunities for all ages.
The Process
We are a group of 10 local people (everyday folk -
some with children at Pre-school, others without) who
are in the process of putting together a business plan,
which will then be considered by a Cornwall Council
panel who will decide whether we meet the criteria for a
Early Years Capital Grant. If successful we will be
offered the grant and the planning process can begin in
earnest.
Location
We have considered a number of locations in the
village - the most likely being on the village hall
site. On Monday 27th July, the question went to a public
meeting to vote whether the villagers were in favour of
the Pre-school site being located on village hall land.
The vote was won by a more than 3 to 1 majority in
favour which is excellent news. We are very pleased with
this result!
Please check back here for updates on how we are
getting on and also how to find out more or how you can
get involved!
Letters of support & feedback
As part of the bid process we need letters of support
- thank you for those who have already written to us. If
you haven't and you would like to do so, please
download the letter here and send to:
Liz Hustwayte
Chair of St Tudy Pre-school
5, Norman's Way
St Tudy
Bodmin
PL30 3NU
We also welcome comments from you as to what you
would like to see happen with the Pre-school. Perhaps
longer hours would be attractive to you? Maybe you would
like to see the building used for outreach services? Do
write, talk or
email
us to tell us your views.
FAQ’s
- Why the Oak Park side of the Village
Hall?
We are currently in discussion with the Village Hall
Committee as to exploring both sides of the Village
Hall (we favour the end furthest away from Oak Park)
– the ultimate decision, however will be made by the
Village Hall Committee themselves.
- What happens to the build if playgroup
goes under?
In order to go for the building we would have to
provide a business plan with a 3 year forecast. This
will be scrutinised by the bid panel and if we do
not look financially viable then we will not be
awarded the money.
- How big is the building?
44sq metre is essential, 62 sq. metres desirable,
and as much outdoor space as we can get!
- What hours will you be open?
We will start with what we have 9 – 12 with the
optional lunch hour. We envisage this could be
extended to afternoon sessions if there is parental
demand.
- How many children will be going?
We will run to a maximum of 16 children per session.
- How can we ensure we get enough
children?
Pro-active marketing, excellent care and facilities
and most importantly word of mouth recommendations.
- What will the building look like?
The new building will blend in and be sympathetic to
its environment. This will be part of the planning
process.
- How much money is the village expected
to contribute?
The grant is to fund 100% of finished premises for
the Pre-school, there is no expectation of any money
from the village.
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