IMAGE CREDIT: Herstmonceux Pre School
A new pre-school venture opened at Memorial Hall, Pevensey today, to applause from across the community—Bay Life 16 April 2018
Today, a new pre-school venture launched at the Memorial Hall in Pevensey
The enterprise has stepped into the chasm left in the wake of the sudden closure of the Pevensey and Westham Pre-school group that closed on 3 January 2018, causing such distress to both staff and local parents.
The new enterprise run as part of the Herstmonceux Pre School, set up by Director Nick Porter, is already a well established educational environment in Herstmonceux, rated by Ofsted as an outstanding early years provider in 2015/216.
The vision that the team have brought to Pevensey from Herstmonceux is framed by a credible, experiential sense of education. Clearly the new venture is of outstanding potential value to the community. They state on their website; “Our Vision is we believe that all children have the right to be understood and valued as innate individuals and to be given the time, opportunity and support to develop as self-competent, creative learners.
“Every child is unique and at Herstmonceux Pre School we wholeheartedly believe the following to be the fundamental steps you need to take to find the most suitable solution for your childcare and educational needs. Above all, you and your child need to be in an environment where you feel happy and confident to leave your child, in a clean, safe and well-equipped setting. One where children are mixing well, playing together with plenty of opportunity to develop, learn, thrive and reach their full potential”.
Talking to Bay Life today (16 April), Director of the new enterprise, Nick Porter said, “our first day and we have three staff in Pevensey and about 20 children today”
The new pre-school venture has been set up quickly following the sudden and controversial demise of the Pevensey and Westham Pre-school Playgroup.
In a letter to the Pevensey Bay Journal (5 January 2018) Nick Porter said, “having read of the sad, and sudden, closure of the Pevensey & Westham Playgroup, I write to offer the parents of the children who attended the playgroup an opportunity to have some free sessions at the nearby Herstmonceux Pre-school.
“As a village pre-school ourselves we fully understand how important it is for the community to have an effective ‘early years’ provision locally. We can also fully understand the impact that the sudden closure will have had on the children and parents who attended the group. We would like to offer those families one week of free childcare at our Herstmonceux setting. Any parents who want to accept this offer can contact either myself, or the pre-school direct, to arrange. If you would be able to publish this offer via the B@y Life it would be greatly appreciated.
“It I can help then I will”
Clearly things have moved at a great pace. Within 3 short months, there is now a new pre-school in Pevensey.
Simon Montgomery, editor of Bay Life, who has been a teacher for 41 years, said “my view as a teacher is that you know immediately if an educational setting works and is right. This is something I felt when I read the letter from Nick. I have also read carefully what is said on the Herstmonceux Pre-school website and talked to two of the staff today, you just know when something is right.
“I am hugely impressed by both Nick and the staff when I talked to them about the launch of the venture today.
“I have great regard for teachers and know that educational standards and environments are fundamentally important to any community.
“What I see on the web platform of this educational business is a depth of understanding and credibility that shines out of every page. What is said, like the letter that Nick wrote to us, speaks and does not shout, and also does demonstrates an understanding of what matters with education.
“To make learning environments work in 2018 is a complex process. A great deal of skill and understanding is required. This requires teachers with experience.Interesting to see that the venture, for example, has attracted quality staff. The new manager, appointed in January 2018, Verity Keet, I note, is a qualified & experienced primary school teacher.
“I believe that something like a shining light has appeared in Pevensey.
“I also talked to Nick today. His long public sector background is creditworthy. I can see that his approach to the business end of the enterprise is something based on an instinctive sense that any educational setting of this kind needs to be established on a sustainable basis.
“This approach is something that can potentially greatly benefit a small rural community.
“Stepping into the circumstances here in the way that they have done, is noteworthy”.
Nick Porter is to begin a monthly column in the Bay Life Journal in May, that will look at education from the perspective he sees, together with his team.
Simon added, “he will be very welcome. I would like to see the message of his education company broadcast loud and clear right across Sussex.
“I am a huge Carl Rogers fan, his work was our bible when we were learning how to teach. In On Becoming a Person he says, you know that I don’t believe that anyone has ever taught anything to anyone. I question that efficacy of teaching. The only thing that I know is that anyone who wants to learn will learn. And maybe a teacher is a facilitator, a person who puts things down and shows people how exciting and wonderful it is and asks them to eat.
“Perhaps a coincidence, but I doubt that is the case in this context, I am interested to see on the Herstmonceux Pre-school website this statement, making our snacks: At Herstmonceux Pre School we encourage children from the very youngest of age to be our snack helpers. This involves choosing, preparing and serving snack to their friends. This is an important learning opportunity for children to build upon a variety of key skills.
“There is more being said in the statement than is immediately obvious in my view. What the statement tells me is that the teachers at Herstmonceux Pre-school know what they are doing and have a depth of understanding with their work”
Nick Porter explained that his intention is to invite local MP Huw Merriman to officially open the preschool in the coming weeks.
He is likely to relish the opportunity. He has a commitment to the cause of education in his constituency that is marked. He may well see the opportunity to officially open the new flagship enterprise in this corner of his constituency as a privilege.
There has clearly been work behind the scenes by the management committee of the Memorial Hall to make this all happen.
The staff at the Memorial Hall in Pevensey, and in particular the work of Keith Henderson, given the short space of time involved to see this venture was founded, is also deserving of credit.
