Findon Village Preschool

A woodland area with a mud kitchen and bug hotel gives Findon Village Preschool a clear outdoor character. Mature trees surround its outdoor space, and children can choose between indoor and outdoor play each day throughout the year. This is an offer built around exploring and doing, with quieter space indoors for books and conversation.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good at its July 2024 inspection. There is capacity for 26 children in total, while the current preschool offer accepts children aged 2 to 5. Based on High Street in Findon Village, it trades as Findon Village Woodland Preschool.

Acorn Room and Oak Leaf Room offer different kinds of play rather than separate published age stages. Holiday clubs extend the offer to children aged 2 to 8, with morning, afternoon and all-day attendance patterns.

Rooms and Ages

Acorn Room centres on hands-on exploration: paint, jelly and water sit alongside construction toys, dressing-up clothes and a large dolls house, giving children materials for creative play and practice with small hand movements. There is scope to build, pretend and experiment rather than follow one activity throughout the session.

Oak Leaf Room provides a quieter counterpart, with cushions, soft blankets, sensory toys and books supporting conversation, storytelling and a place to relax. Its emphasis on early speech makes the room more than a retreat from busy play: staff use these experiences to encourage children to express themselves.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and everyday experiences into their education. Alongside it, the Curiosity Approach uses natural materials and neutral colours, with children encouraged to explore their own ideas and interests. The practical distinction is in the resources and the way children can use them.

Art, music, movement, language and mathematics are part of the programme. Language activities emphasise enjoyment rather than correcting pronunciation, while mathematical ideas arise through conversation and ordinary play. These are useful priorities for children who are beginning to explain what they think and notice patterns around them.

In July 2024, children experimented with coloured water and lavender, with adults asking questions about the changes they made. Painting lines and circles, squeezing pipettes and using balancing beams also featured in their day. The examples connect physical activity with early writing: children practised both whole-body balance and smaller hand movements.

Planning needed greater precision in July 2024. Staff sometimes pursued several learning intentions together, making the support for an individual child's next step less specific. That matters alongside the appealing activities: an engaging experience also needs a clear purpose for the child taking part.

Outdoor and Community Life

Activity Garden combines adult-organised play with opportunities for children to choose their own activities. The daily indoor-outdoor arrangement gives outdoor play a regular place in the preschool day, rather than reserving it for an occasional outing.

Woodland School is the name of the preschool's woodland learning area, where children have both guided activities and time to play freely. A bug hotel, mud kitchen and play equipment provide concrete starting points for investigating nature and imaginative play. The woodland area adds a different setting for exploration alongside the garden and indoor rooms.

In July 2024, staff listened to parents about children's needs and helped children settle into the day. Children practised finding their names and putting away their belongings, giving them manageable jobs of their own. These small routines helped make the day familiar.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and recognised good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including targeted plans, collaboration with parents and professionals, and use of additional funding. Those are practical mechanisms for coordinating support around a child, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

Routine changes were a weaker point in July 2024. Some children who found transitions difficult received too little help and became unsettled. Families whose children need preparation before changing activities should give this finding weight alongside the positive support arrangements.

Communication with parents in July 2024 included meetings about children's care and development, as well as family fun days. Staff also worked with parents and local schools on the move to school. Opening food packets and washing hands were among the everyday opportunities to practise independence.

Current first-aid arrangements include a first aider on duty throughout the preschool day and paediatric first-aid training for staff. For families seeking ideas to use at home, Tiny Happy People provides communication activities, while The Communication Trust offers practical help for parents concerned about their child. These resources extend the conversation beyond the preschool day.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm, at High Street, Findon Village, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 0TA. In July 2024, it operated during term time.

Holiday clubs cater for children aged 2 to 8 and run from 8.30am to 4pm. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 12.30pm; afternoon sessions run from noon to 4pm, and an all-day option is also offered. This gives families a choice between shorter holiday sessions and a whole club day.

Woodland games, crafts and team activities feature in the holiday offer. Children need sturdy footwear and clothing suited to the season, including waterproofs or sun protection as appropriate. The outdoor emphasis has a practical consequence: dressing for the weather is part of preparing for the day.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07762 906911. Holiday-club enquiries can request a booking form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. In July 2024, the preschool received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four; current prices come in the preschool's written quotation. A place-securing deposit is refundable when the child joins.

For holiday clubs, parents supply a packed lunch, water and summer sun cream; drinks and biscuits are provided for snacks. Families therefore need to prepare lunch and the relevant sun protection themselves.

• Support during changes of activity. In July 2024, some children became unsettled when routines changed because they needed more help. During a tour, discuss how staff prepare a child who finds these changes difficult.
• Purpose behind the play. Planning in July 2024 sometimes covered too many intentions together. Ask how staff now select and follow up a precise next step for an individual child.
• Holiday-club support. Families whose child receives one-to-one support at school are asked to contact the preschool before booking, so the support required can be discussed. This condition matters when weighing the holiday offer.

Findon Village Preschool suits families who value daily outdoor choice, hands-on materials and a quieter room for books and conversation. Its woodland area gives that preference a concrete home: children have a mud kitchen and bug hotel to explore, alongside the activities indoors.

The July 2024 Good judgement sits alongside two meaningful cautions about planning precision and support during routine changes. For holiday care, the offer suits families choosing morning or afternoon sessions as well as an all-day club. The strongest fit is a child who enjoys active exploration, with their individual support needs discussed carefully at a tour.