Rye Community Primary School

Starfish Pre-School

About Us

Welcome to Starfish Pre-school – Where Curiosity Leads the Way!

 At Starfish Pre-school, we believe that every child is a unique star in the making. Our holistic approach to early childhood education nurtures the whole child—mind, body, and spirit—laying the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

Through our enquiry-based curriculum, children are encouraged to ask questions, explore ideas, and discover answers in their own meaningful ways. Our immersive, hands-on activities are designed to spark imagination, build confidence, and foster a deep sense of wonder about the world.

Our highly trained and caring staff are passionate educators who create a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment. They take the time to understand each child’s individual interests and needs, guiding them with warmth and expertise.

Starfish Pre-school boasts a fantastic range of facilities, including vibrant indoor learning spaces, sensory zones, and access to nature, all thoughtfully designed to inspire exploration and play. The children are also able to access the school and college facilities to widen their experiences and build familiarity.

We are proud to be a welcoming, community-oriented setting, where families feel valued and involved. Our inclusive culture celebrates diversity and encourages strong partnerships between home and school.

At Starfish, we empower children to follow their curiosity, develop independence, and grow into confident, compassionate learners.

Come and visit Starfish Pre-school in action: 01797 222 825.    

 Transition to Reception

We place a strong emphasis on ensuring a seamless transition to Reception with a continued sense of familiarity and continuity. Starfish Pre-school is the very beginning of your children’s educational journey and we feel greatly honored that you have chosen us. There are many benefits of attending our school-based Pre-school, these are just a few:

  • 🧩 Familiarity with the School Environment
    Children become comfortable with the layout, staff, and daily routines of the school, reducing anxiety and boosting confidence when they move up.
  • 🤝 Stronger Social Connections
    Friendships formed at pre-school often continue into Reception, helping children feel secure and supported from day one.
  • 🧠 Aligned Learning Approaches
    Our curriculum is thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of our children and compliment the local area. Through collaborative planning, we aim to ensure continuity in learning and development.
  • 👩‍🏫 Close Collaboration
    Being located on the same site has been integral to building strong relationships between our staff and children. Our Reception staff spend quality time in the Pre-school which builds trust and confidence in the children when transitioning to Reception.
  • 🏫 A Sense of Belonging
    Being part of the same school community from the start fosters a strong sense of identity and belonging—for both children and their families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parent/Carer Information

Parent/Carers Platforms:

  • Classdojo is used frequently to share your children’s experiences throughout the week, as a direct contact to the Nursery staff and to see upcoming events. Parents/carers can also share the activities or events your children do at home; this is a great way to promote speaking and develop their sense of identity.

School Meals:

  • All children in Foundation stage are entitled to a free school meal every day. If your child is entitled to Free School Meals, we would encourage you to apply as this can have other benefits within school. Please read the School Meals page for further information.
  • If your child does not wish to have a school lunch then they will need to bring a packed lunch. Throughout the school we encourage healthy eating habits and would ask you to read the guidance on packed lunches within the Healthy Eating and Drinking Policy.
  • Children will receive a range of morning and afternoon snacks including fruit and vegetables.
  • Children also have daily access to free milk until their 5th Birthday, it can be purchased after this.

Uniform:

  • Our nursery children are encouraged to wear the same uniform as the rest of the school as they are a valued part of our school community. The navy Starfish Pre-school polo shirt can be purchased, or a plain navy polo shirt or t-shirt would be a good match.
  • The uniform for our pre-school children is optional; however appropriate clothing should be worn to school that is functional for their day-to-day activities. Please see the school uniforms section for more information.
  • Throughout the day the children are able to access the outside area and will spend time running, climbing, and jumping, so please ensure the children have suitable footwear. We would suggest Velcro shoes that promote independence. We would not recommend sandals and crocs for pre-school as they are not safe for climbing and would not protect the children’s feet if something was dropped on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our School Day

Our school day begins and 8:30am and finishes at 3:15pm.

08:30 - 09.00

Independent Learning 
09:00 - 09.15 Register and Welcome
09:15 - 09.30 Squiggle Wiggle
09:15 - 10.00 Snack Time
10:00 - 11.15 Group input and Independent Learning
11:15 - 11.30 Story Time
11:30 - 12.00 Lunch Time
12:00 - 13.00 Independent Learning
13:00 - 13.35 Register and Carpet Time
13:15 - 14.45 Group input and Independent Learning
14:45 - 15.00 Snack Time
15:00 - 15.15 Home time Preparation

Fees and EYEE 

Our Fees

2 year olds - £15.30 (3 hours)

3 & 4 year olds - £13.95 (3 hours)

Lunch session - £3.30 (45 mins)

Great News! Starfish Pre-school are able to offer 30 hours of funded placement for your 3-4 year olds, if you are eligible through meeting the Government Criteria, as follows:

Parents of three and four year olds will need to meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare:

They earn or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months

This equates to £120 a week (or c.£6,000 a year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 a week (or c.£5,800 a year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old and £56 a week for apprentices in their first year

This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on zero hours contract

The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work

Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave

Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work

Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months

If one or both parents is a non-EEA national, the parent applying must have recourse to public funds 

A parent will not meet the criteria when:

Either parent has an income of more than £100,000

If one or both parents is a non-EEA national and the parent applying does not have recourse to public funds                     

Please visit http://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for more information and to check eligibility.

We also offer 2 year old funding to register for this and for more information please visit
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/earlyyears

How To Pay Starfish Pre-School Fees 

We use SCOPAY for our Starfish Pre-School online payments of fees. 

SCOPAY allows you pay for your child’s account fees anywhere, anytime using a credit or debit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay.

You can log into your SCOPAY account on the website: www.scopay.com or the SCOPAY app, available to download for free from the App Store and Google Play.

All families have access to SCOPAY; if you have not yet registered, please get in touch with our School Office to request an access code. 

 

↑