About Us
Welcome!
We are Cuckfield Preschool Playgroup. We are a charity-operated preschool for 2-4 year olds, situated in the beautiful Sussex village of Cuckfield, striving to give children the best start in life.
Our Story
Cuckfield Preschool Playgroup was established 1969 and moved to its present site, Cuckfield Village Hall, in 1990. We have a dedicated team of staff who provide the best in childcare and early learning experiences for our children.
Our Team
Ana Micu – Manager/Designated Safeguarding Lead
Lily Ogilvie – Deputy Manager/ Designated Safeguarding Lead
Jo Mumby- Curriculum Lead/SenCo
Helen Short – Practitioner/ Designated Safeguarding Lead
Hayley Watts – Practitioner
Vicky Power – Practitioner
Reshmi – Practitioner
Critina Andras – Practitioner
Nicki Gutherie – Practitioner
Linda Surridge – Practitioner
Philosophy & Mission
We aim to provide children with a stimulating, happy, caring and safe environment to help them to develop their full potential in all areas through playing and learning together – supported by experienced and well-trained staff.
Helping Your Child Explore, Grow, & Learn
Our preschool offers a vibrant and spacious environment, with two large rooms designed for play, learning, and meals. These bright, welcoming spaces provide plenty of room for the children to explore and engage in a variety of activities. Outside, the expansive grounds are carefully designed to support a range of outdoor play options, including a mud kitchen, sandpit, digging area, gardening space, wet play area, and a dedicated area for bikes and scooters.
Children have the freedom to move between the indoors and outdoors whenever they wish, encouraging a seamless blend of learning and play. With daily opportunities for outdoor exploration, we believe in the importance of outdoor learning as a key part of our curriculum, helping children develop not only their physical skills but also their creativity and connection with nature.
At our preschool, we change our themes on a weekly or fortnightly basis to both reflect the children’s interests and explore the world around us. These themes provide an opportunity to celebrate various festivals and occasions, fostering an appreciation for the diverse cultures and backgrounds within our preschool community. Inclusion and celebrating diversity are core values for us, and we ensure our activities and themes reflect this by highlighting different traditions, holidays, and experiences.
We also have strong connections with the local community, particularly with Holy Trinity Primary School, where the majority of our children transition after preschool. Our close relationship with the local church, Holy Trinity, is another special part of our community involvement, and the children particularly enjoy participating in the annual Christmas Tree Festival, a tradition that brings joy and a sense of belonging to all involved.
What We Offer
Curriculum
At Cuckfield Preschool Playgroup we follow the Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which includes the seven areas of learning: Personal, Social and Emotional, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. We also strongly believe in the power of outdoor play and nature, therefore we are proud to provide children with daily opportunities for outdoor play and learning.
Events
Our preschool is charity-operated and therefore relies on voluntary donations and parents and carers fundraising to support the level of staffing and resources which we believe are important. Our parents and carers fundraising committee support the preschool by organising a wide range of charity events including Cuckfield Mayor’s Procession, Christmas street market stalls and raffle, sponsored scoot and splash events, charity evenings and bake sales.
We are incredibly grateful to our parent fundraisers for this invaluable support and they also find it is a great way to get to know the other parents and carers.
What Our Families are Saying
