St Helen's Pre-school

About us

Our pre-school

St Helen's Pre-school is run by an elected committee of parents/carers and a fully qualified manager, assisted by qualified pre-school practitioners and experienced/in-training pre-school assistants. Parental involvement is actively encouraged at whatever level individual parents are happy with.

We welcome children from two and a half to four years of age and can accept government funded places from the age of three. Please refer to our Fees and Funding section.

The pre-school has been assessed by Ofsted. We work with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. The progress of children is recorded, assessed and shared with parents/carers on a regular basis.

We are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance (PSLA) and Children’s Playlink. We have a Healthy Pre-school Award for our encouragement of a healthy lifestyle.

St Helen's Pre-school is a UK Registered Charity, registration number 1031937.

Our garden

We are very proud of our enclosed eco garden, which the children help to maintain and to which they have access throughout a pre-school session. We aim to ensure that the garden is a welcoming and inviting environment for the children.

We have constructed bug and animal habitats to provide shelter for wildlife over the winter. We also use the garden for growing vegetables, which the children actively take part in, and then we cook the vegetables to make soups, salads and snacks.

We use the garden, as well as the adjacent playing fields, for Forest School sessions to help encourage and inspire children to develop their independence and self-confidence.

Pre-school garden

Pre-school staff

We have a caring and experienced staff with a wide range of skills and knowledge.

Tricia Pillay – Pre-school Manager
Tricia has 14 years' experience in early years and holds the Early Years Professional Status award, a Master's in Education, a Diploma in Pre-school practice and is a qualified Forest School leader. Tricia also works with the Open University, teaching on the Foundation Degree in Early Years. Tricia is in pre-school on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Mandy Tomlinson – Pre-school Deputy
Mandy has 11 years' experience in early years and holds NVQ level 3 and 4 qualifications in Early Years. Mandy is in pre-school on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Hannah Mead – Pre-school Practitioner
Hannah has 7 years' experience in early years and holds an NVQ level 3 in early years. Hannah is the pre-school SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) and has completed Forest Skills training. Hannah is in pre-school Monday to Friday.

Tanya May – Pre-school Practitioner
Tanya has 24 years' experience in early years and holds an NNEB qualification. Tanya is in pre-school on Monday afternoon, Wednesday and Friday.

Yvonne Sargent – Pre-school Assistant
Yvonne has 4 years' experience in early years and holds an NVQ level 3 in Early Years. Yvonne is in pre-school on Monday and for supply cover.

Jenny Banks – Pre-school Assistant
Jenny has 16 years' experience in early years. Jenny is in pre-school on Wednesday and for supply cover.

Dawn Higgs – Pre-school Assistant
Dawn is currently working towards NVQ level 3 in Early Years. Dawn is in pre-school on Monday morning, Tuesday and Thursday.

Jane Streatfield – Pre-school Assistant
Jane has 7 years' experience as a teacher and has a degree in psychology and a PGCE. Jane is in pre-school on Tuesday mornings. She also works as a supply teacher.

Sheila Cameron – Pre-school Assistant
Sheila has worked with children and young people since 1981, apart from a 5 year break to help care for her two grandchildren. For most of her career she focused on the health and pastoral care of 11 to 18 year olds. Sheila is in pre-school on Friday mornings.

Management committee

The pre-school is run by an elected committee, which ensures that decision-making is in the hands of the parents whose children attend the pre-school. The committee is responsible for managing and monitoring the pre-school resources and budget, and for reviewing policy and practice in line with legislation.

A new committee is elected each September at the AGM; all parents/carers are welcome to stand for election to the committee. Parents/carers are informed of the AGM well in advance so that they are able to attend.

If you have anything you wish to bring to the committee's attention, or any questions, please have a chat with any of its members or send us an email. Please see the Noticeboard page for meeting dates.

The current committee members are:

Ana Tsoucalas (Chair)
Katy Buckley
Anna Cattermole
Kelly Cole (Secretary)
Paula Evans (IT Coordinator)
Jo Glasgow (Vice Chair)
Donna Hunter
Claire Lloyd

Sharon McLaren
Zoe Niccolls
Nicola Phillips
Claire Shaw (Fundraising)
Vicky Southcott
Jane Streatfield (Treasurer)
Maxine Thomas (Fundraising)