St Mabyn Pre-School

Our church is getting a new roof, the village shop is going strong, and the school is loving its new outdoor learning space. Now, it's time for the youngest members of St Mabyn to benefit from improved village services, and fight off the dragons of urbanisation.
In September, for the first time in its history, the St Mabyn Pre School will be held five sessions a week; one of the days will even be an optional full school day, to help busy parents with their schedules.
This is a bold move for the small group, which previously only held three sessions in the village hall. But changes in Government funding this spring meant that St Mabyn could offer more funded sessions to parents: now, 15 hours a week. Rather than fall behind the towns, the committee to take up the challenge.
"We're really excited about the new hours," said chairman Gillian Molesworth. "We have been talking to parents about what they want, and we've been able to respond positively - it's great."
The pre-school sessions will now last a full three hours on Monday through Thursday, from 9.10am-12.10pm Additionally, there will be an afternoon session on Mondays from 12.10-3.10, to coincide with school hours. On Wednesdays, children will be able to take advantage of a lunch club for a small fee - if parents want more of these, the committee is always ready to respond.
Supervisor Angela Brown said: "The great thing about St Mabyn is that we can provide the kids a variety of settings: the park, the school grounds, and the church. Together the village makes a great experience for the children."
The pre-school have just completed a year of growth: in 2007-8 it received roughly £5,000 to upgrade its services. Jenny Ahern from the Pre-School Learning Alliance helped the committee to modernise the school's policies and systems. The pre-school also bought two laptops, one for the setting and one for the children to experiment during one-to-one supervision.
Gillian said: "The message is: we're here, we're better, so come meet us and have a look. You and your child are always welcome to free taster sessions. These village services cannot survive if they're not supported, so it's a case of 'use it or lose it!'"
The St Mabyn Pre-School is open to children aged two to five. For children under three years, sessions are £6. Lunch club is £3 for all children. For more information, call the dedicated Pre-School phone on 07929 092 088.

Photo: Scary dragons of Urbanisation: left, Gracie Kent, 3, and right, Maisy Romero-Cross, 4; behind, Freddy Molesworth, 3, champion of Village Services