Great Chart and Singleton Pre-School

A living willow tunnel, wooden building platforms and movement set to music give Great Chart and Singleton Pre-School a character rooted in active play. Based at Singleton Village Hall in Ashford, this parent-committee-run charity combines space to explore with a close link between home and each child's key person. Children have choices here, from selecting construction resources to deciding how to use paint.

At its 2 February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding, found safeguarding effective and identified rapid progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The practical offer starts with morning attendance from two and a half; full days are reserved for children in the year before school, alongside a Friday-afternoon trial for three- and four-year-olds.

There are 36 places across the setting. Parents can join the committee to help decide how funds support equipment and activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics alongside creative exploration and understanding the world. Here, observations inform individual journals and planning. The emphasis is on what a child does, explores and discovers rather than completing worksheets.

Morning play mixes children's choices with adult-led activities. A role-play area, dressing-up clothes and play dough sit alongside construction equipment and tools for making marks. Resources stored in trolleys let children choose materials themselves. Daily community blocks, wooden shapes and platforms that can be combined with other resources, give building projects room to change direction as children's ideas develop.

Foam and clay encourage creative exploration, while children choose how to use paint and craft resources. Learning need not result in something to carry home.

Sticky Kids adds music and movement, encouraging children to move different parts of their bodies. Active Movers contributes short physical activities during the day. For older children, Write Dance connects movements made to music with marks on large sheets of paper mounted on the wall, encouraging pencil control through movement.

Afternoons are designed to extend learning and independence in the year before primary school, sometimes through smaller key-person groups. Book Bags gives children attending afternoons a weekly opportunity to choose a library book to share with family or friends. Rhymes, stories and books with objects to find make reading something to take home and enjoy together.

Outdoor and Community Life

The village-hall setting includes a main hall and a smaller hall, with a fenced outdoor area containing a play and storage house. Outside, a mud kitchen, water channelling kit and living willow tunnel give children different ways to experiment. The aim is outdoor play each day, with natural materials, den-making and tree climbing alongside bikes and ball games.

In February 2024, staff supported children climbing the tree above a slope, helping them tackle a physical challenge. Visits to shops and a residential home also gave children opportunities to practise conversation beyond the hall.

Nature walks visit Millennium Wood or Great Chart at different times of year. Walks to Singleton shops explore the local surroundings, while singing at the residential home brings children into contact with another generation.

A key person is allocated before a child starts. The Getting to Know You form gathers interests, dislikes and family details, helping staff choose activities that will appeal to that child. Settling is treated individually: parents can stay until their child feels comfortable, with staff helping them through the process.

Parents can view and regularly take home the learning journal, adding photographs and comments. Their contributions help the key person plan next steps alongside observations and targeted activities, connecting learning at home and pre-school.

The SENCO coordinates strategies from external agencies, connecting their advice with children's support at pre-school. Families can also discuss behaviour concerns with the manager and SENCO.

In February 2024, staff used story and resource sacks to help families with matters such as toilet training, and supported children experiencing a family bereavement. Newer practitioners worked alongside more experienced colleagues, while coaching and training supported their work. Current staff training covers first aid, behaviour management and specialist needs.

Food arrangements require some preparation at home: afternoon attendees bring lunch, while private-session fees include drinks and snacks; funded snacks carry a voluntary charge, with the option to send a snack instead. Lunches are kept without refrigeration, so families provide cooling packs, and the lunch-box policy asks them to exclude nuts and peanut butter.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Singleton Village Hall, Hoxton Close, Ashford, Kent TN23 5LB. The pre-school operates for 38 weeks of the year and closes on bank holidays. Its regular opening window is 9am to 3pm Monday to Thursday, with Friday mornings ending at noon.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday, for funded and fee-paying children from two and a half. Full days run from 9am to 3pm Monday to Thursday and are restricted to children in the year before starting school. Afternoon sessions on those days also serve that older group, with activities intended to build independence before the move to primary school.

A Friday-afternoon session, noon to 3pm, began as a trial in September 2026 for three- and four-year-olds. The trial is due to be reviewed by September 2027. It adds a different option to the established pattern, but its trial status matters for families planning beyond the current year.

Admissions, fees and funding enquiries go to 07784 915943 or greatchartsingletonpreschool@gmail.com. The separate session contact number is 07759 269942, used for absences, changes and late collection. Keeping the two routes separate directs urgent messages to the village hall during the children's day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered term-time, including the 15-hour entitlement, working-parent funding and Free for 2 provision for qualifying children. Eligibility conditions apply. The morning-only offer limits qualifying two-year-olds using working-parent funding to 15 hours; the standard timetable accommodates 27 hours for qualifying three- and four-year-olds, with Friday afternoons now under trial.

Private fees include drinks, snacks and other consumables, but families supply packed lunches for afternoon attendance. On funded hours, snacks have a voluntary separate charge and parents can supply their own instead. Additional private sessions are charged separately from funded hours, and outings, celebrations or entertainment beyond usual activities are outside the standard fee.

Fees are invoiced by term and paid in advance. Absence through illness or holidays does not bring a refund, while a chargeable session cancelled before opening because of unforeseen circumstances is refunded or credited. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation.

Moving on to School

The pre-school describes a relationship with Great Chart Primary School involving invitations for older children to watch sports day and Christmas performances. Teachers and support staff visit during June and July, and other destination schools can visit too. Attending does not guarantee a school place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

With parental permission, a progress summary goes to the next setting or school, helping its staff get to know the child.

• Age changes the timetable. Mornings begin at two and a half, while established full days and afternoons serve children in the year before school. At a visit, discuss which pattern fits your child's stage and intended start date.
• Friday afternoons are a trial. The noon-to-3pm session for three- and four-year-olds started in September 2026 and will be reviewed by September 2027. Ask how this affects your planned funded-hours arrangement before building a longer-term routine around it.
• Packed lunches and allergies need planning. Afternoon lunches need cooling packs, and the lunch-box policy excludes nuts and peanut butter. Families managing allergies should confirm the current arrangements for their child, including snacks.
• Parents help run the charity. Volunteer committee members help shape spending and development, while fundraising supports resources and additional activities. Families can take an active role in how the pre-school develops.

Great Chart and Singleton Pre-School suits families seeking term-time mornings, or full days in the year before school, with active play and a personal key-person relationship. Write Dance, outdoor construction and community visits give the day substance; journals and Book Bags connect it with home. The Outstanding judgement from February 2024 adds weight to that offer. The decision turns on the age-based attendance rules, the practicalities of packed lunches and the Friday-afternoon trial, rather than a promise of all-year childcare.