Hyde Heath Pre-School

Prior to 1978, the PreSchool was housed in the Village Hall and had its beginnings as a play group. A group of women in the hamlet established a committee to generate money and take care of the group's welfare, and it opened three mornings a week. When it originally started, the supervisor served as the group's leader and had completed a year of day release training to earn a Foundation Certificate. All staff members were also certified in first aid. The group developed a curriculum that was founded on the idea of play-based learning. Annual inspections were conducted by social services, and Playgroup Advisors conducted frequent inspections as well. A member of the Pre School Learning Alliance, the playgroup. As enrollment increased, the playgroup expanded its hours and changed its name to Hyde Heath Community Pre School. The pre-school relocated to a classroom in the village school in September 1992 at the request of the governing body and the head teacher at the time. It was believed that having the kids attend the same school would ease their transition to "big school." This move gave the pre-school a permanent location rather than forcing them to pack up, allowing them to create display boards and giving the kids access to kid-sized restrooms and sinks. Due to the pre school's success, it expanded to opening five mornings a week. The older kids were given extra specialised attention on Tuesday mornings when the funding scheme was implemented, helping them be ready for entering school. The persons involved in the pre-school developed a Toddler Group, which was well-liked and assisted with a smooth transition into pre-school, much like what has happened now.