Appendix 1

Lowering of Wivelsfield Primary School Age Range-Community Responses from The Consultation - 8 November to 5 December 2021

Dear Rob and Helen,

I saw your letter on social media regarding the consultation for lowering the school age bracket to 2-11 years.

I am a local parent with a 1 year old and I will be looking to put him on a waiting list for a nursery soon, to ensure he has a place by the time he is 2.

I would certainly support Wivelsfield Primary in their motion to accommodate nursery years education. This would be an extremely valuable service for the following key reasons: -

- A school is the optimum setting for an educational nursery years environment

- A school will have the highest standards of safety, security, welfare, safeguarding etc in place

- When starting pre-school / primary school, children at the nursery would be familiar with the school environment and will most likely carry with them friends from the nursery, making this transition to more formal education much easier for them and all concerned

- For people living in the village there is a convenience factor, this is not as important for us but I know there are parents in the village who don't drive and for them this would be very important

- Involving local parents in the school community earlier on can only serve to broaden and therefore enhance this community (e.g. more people to support voluntary positions, fund raising etc)

- I imagine this would be revenue generating like all other nurseries but rather than turning a profit, could be run as a charity to provide a non taxable income for the school, to enhance facilities etc as needed, potentially benefitting children throughout their time at the nursery / pre-school / school

This is a wonderful idea and if I can support in any way beyond sending this comment for consideration then please let me know.

Many Thanks,

Hi, I just wanted to get in touch to say lowering the age to accept 2 years plus would be of interest tome. As a parent living in Wivelsfield Green with a two year old and a newborn baby, I would definitely use this service.

Kind regards,

To:Wivelsfield School office office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk

Hi. Can I share this on the Wivelsfield Facebook page? Or is it just for existing parents?

To: Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hello,

I would fully support Wivelsfield school offering a preschool facility. This is a large, growing village

and the community need a well-run setting for the under 5s. Many other local schools offer this

already and it would be an excellent addition to the school. I would definitely use it for my 2 year old and I think when the time comes it will really help with his transition to reception within the

school.

Many thanks

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Dear Mr Milton and Mrs Smith,

I am writing to offer my support for the proposed nursery provision at Wivelsfield Primary School. I am a parent of two children at the school, in years 2 and 5. I was very saddened to hear of the closure of the playgroup, which both my children attended. Provision for the early years is an important part of any community. It provides a hub where parents and families can meet, and strong networks are formed. New parents especially need this support and facility in order to build networks locally that they might not already have. The benefits to new parents will in turn be felt by their children. A nursery provision at the school will enhance its status as a focal point for the community.

I look forward to hearing the Governing Board's decision.

Best regards,

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hello,

I am in full support of lowering the age range of children at school for nursery provision. It will be a valuable way of introducing children to Early Years within their local community. It will ease the tricky transition from nursery to school and can only be a good thing that children would be surrounded by staff and other children they know, in a setting that they feel familiar with. The village is crying out for local provision for a nursery after the closure of the playgroup in the village hall. As someone who was new to the area, it was the best way to meet other parents and get involved with village life. I can only think it would be a positive move and the school would also benefit from more parental support and involvement throughout these early years.

Kind regards,

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hi,

I am just writing to confirm my support with the proposal to lower the school age.

Kind regards

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hi there, I wanted to comment on the proposal of lowering the school age from 2-11 at Wivelsfield Community primary school. We would love to send our baby daughter to a local nursery and so would love this proposal to go ahead. We live within the village and would find this extremely useful. Thank you,

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are in favour of the idea to have a nursery at school and believe it will be of great benefit to the community.

Consideration for the nursery would be:

Due to traffic build up and congestion:

Will pick up and drop off times be outside of normal school hours (early morning and late afternoon)

Will this involve extra building works, in order to create sufficient space to house the nursery

Regards

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Dear Mrs Smith,

Following your recent email to lower the age of the school from 4 to 2 years in order to provide early years provision on site, I would fully support this endeavour. It would be an excellent way to further foster the community spirit within Wivelsfield and allow our younger children to build their own relationships with local friends. Many of them are already coming to the school each day with older siblings and it would be great for 2 to 4 year olds to again have their own space within the village. It would also be a highly convenient setting for parents.

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hi there,

I would just like to feedback that I am fully supportive of lowering the school age and adding a nursery provision to the school.

I think there is demand within the village and further afield, and I think it would greatly aid children with the transition to school having provision on site.

Many thanks,

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hi Sarah,

Am I allowed as a School Governor to comment on lowering the age range at school?

If yes - comment below.

As a parent with three children at Wivelsfield Primary School, I can only say that I am just sad that my children won't get to use the proposed nursery facility. The school is an incredible learning environment. The teachers are remarkable; the feel of the school is friendly and welcoming; and all of the age groups interact really well.

We are lucky to have outdoor space thanks to our setting; and the school has a wonderful history of providing forest school for our students so any nursery age children would also benefit from being able to run outdoors and explore. There would also be an advantage from being near the older children; and feeling part of the school before they join Reception. This continuity would be invaluable. It would foster community feeling especially amongst working adults with preschool aged children, who often find it harder to meet other parents.

Judging from the number of young siblings I notice at drop off and pick up, there would definitely be families keen to send their young children to a nursery. Parents would benefit from having just one drop off/ pick up for their children, which would cut down, for many, the need to get into the car instead of walking.

The benefits are absolutely huge. A village of our size needs a nursery setting.

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hi Sarah,

I'm really interested in supporting this. Do you just need emails of support and reasons why or is there a further form to fill?

Thank you,

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hello

I would like to support the suggestion of a nursery within the school if this can be accommodated. I have a son due to start school in September 2023 and I would put him in the nursery now if it was available.

Many thanks.

To:Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

Hi My wife and I saw the proposal to lower the school age range from 4 to 2 by adding a nursery provision. We would very much welcome this proposal should it be confirmed. We have been living in Wivelsfield Green for 3 years now and part of our reason to move was to ensure we could find good schooling for our children. Our son is 3 and currently goes to nursery in Haywards Heath. Whilst we don’t have any issues with this, if there was provision at the school for nursery care we would very much be in favour of this as it would have been beneficial from a travel perspective as we live within walking distance, but more importantly we feel that it would be good for the children as it would provide continuity for them growing up without the issue of having to be moved from nursery to school, therefore making it an easier transition. It would also mean that they could move from nursery to school with their peers which would again provide continuity and make the transition easier for them. Children would also be able to get involved in the school community from an earlier age. We have recently welcomed a new baby to our family and if we were able to have a nursery at the school when she were to turn 2 it would be very beneficial for us, particularly if our little boy is also at the school as he will be 5 by then and the school is our closest one being just a few minutes away. I think the positives it would bring to the local area and the community itself would make it extremely worthwhile to bring this proposition to fruition. Kindest regards

To:

Wivelsfield School office <office@wivelsfield.e-sussex.sch.uk>

HI We would be supportive of a 2-11 years provision, especially if the nursery can work out of term time