The Treehouse Club, Quilter's Hall Preschool

Mill Meadows outings, messy play and woodland exploration give Quilter's Hall a clear outdoor character. Based at the scout hut on Laindon Road in Billericay, it combines play-led preschool learning with experiences beyond the building. Children have opportunities to explore their neighbourhood as well as natural surroundings.

At its 24 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and found safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 26 children aged two to five. That is a whole-setting place count, rather than the number attending together in a particular group.

Term-time attendance includes School Day sessions and a combination of morning and afternoon sessions. The important practical distinction is that shorter sessions must form a mixed attendance pattern: families cannot book mornings only or afternoons only.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play offering opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and independence. Alongside this, Forest School brings learning into natural surroundings through outdoor exploration. At Quilter's Hall, woodland activity and trips sit beside messy play, giving children different ways to investigate materials and follow their interests.

In June 2025, children chose what to explore and helped water plants in the garden. Using the tap and handling watering cans made this an active task rather than simply watching an adult. The physical detail matters: the garden offered something children could help care for, with a practical purpose for their movement and coordination.

A sand tray provided another example that month. Children used toy diggers, filled them with sand and flattened it, while conversation connected their play with traffic signals and road safety. Handling the materials exercised their fingers; discussing the traffic lights gave the activity a language element too. Stories also held children's attention, with children identifying pictured characters as they listened.

Outdoor and Community Life

Mill Meadows, the local park, the library and the high street are destinations for outings. These extend the preschool experience beyond woodland activity: children encounter community places as well as outdoor spaces. In June 2025, local-library visits and organised nature activities were part of the children's experience.

Outdoor participation comes with practical preparation. Children need a small backpack, spare clothes, plimsolls and wellies, with weather-appropriate additions such as a summer sun hat or winter waterproof coat. Families choosing this setting should be comfortable with an outdoor kit routine as well as the appeal of nature-based play.

Relationships and Communication

An online journal lets parents follow their child's day. It gives families a way to keep up with nursery experiences beyond conversations with staff, including activities they might otherwise hear about only through their child.

In June 2025, staff shared assessments with parents each term and held meetings about children's development. Observations informed the next steps in learning, while staff discussions considered individual needs. For parents, the useful combination was information about what a child had done and a discussion of what should come next.

Everyday care also had a practical emphasis that month. Staff comforted upset children and responded to personal-care needs, while older children were encouraged to clear away snack rubbish and wash their hands. Familiar routines gave children manageable responsibilities within the preschool day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with families and other professionals to adapt learning for children needing additional support, helped children learning English share their home languages, and supported good progress. These findings describe the practice assessed at that visit, including the partnership involved in responding to individual needs.

There was also a clear teaching improvement point in June 2025: staff needed more guidance to adjust their conversations and interventions consistently so that children's learning went further. Warm care and engaging activities did not remove that need. The question for families is how adults build on an interest once a child is already absorbed in play.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 4th Billericay Scout Hut, Laindon Road, Billericay, CM12 9LL. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the preschool closes for school holidays. Enquiries use the Quilter's Hall contact form or telephone 01277 297 465.

School Day sessions run from 9am to 3pm, AM sessions from 9am to noon, and PM sessions from noon to 3pm. A minimum of two attendance days each week applies. For children aged two and above, bookings must combine morning and afternoon experiences, whether through School Day sessions, a mixture of AM and PM sessions, or both. A shorter session is therefore an option within that balanced booking pattern, rather than a mornings-only arrangement.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for 15 hours and 30 hours, subject to eligibility. Funding is delivered during term time and allocated to complete sessions; it cannot cover part of a session. Where a chosen session extends beyond the child's remaining entitlement, the uncovered time is charged privately. Families do not have to buy additional childcare hours to access funding.

Parents supply food and drinks for every attendance pattern: a School Day needs lunch and both snacks, an AM session needs lunch and a morning snack, and a PM session needs an afternoon snack. Packed food must meet the preschool's food policy.

Personal-care supplies also come from home: parents provide nappies, wipes and creams where needed, plus sun cream in warmer weather. Separately, materials for enrichment activities are included during privately paid hours; during funded hours, these resources and optional enrichment can be purchased through Essentials & Extras, a voluntary service covering additions beyond core EYFS provision.

Forest School sessions, gardening and cooking or baking appear among those optional enrichment activities. Children whose families opt out receive alternative learning experiences that meet EYFS requirements. Extras are not a condition of funded childcare, and families make their opt-in or opt-out choice each term. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The attendance mix. At least two days each week are required, and AM-only or PM-only bookings are excluded. Consider whether a combination of shorter sessions or School Day attendance fits your family routine.
• Teaching beyond the activity. In June 2025, staff needed to extend learning more consistently through their interactions. During a visit, ask for an example of how practitioners now develop a child's thinking during sand play or gardening.
• Outdoor preparation. Woodland exploration and outings to Mill Meadows are part of the offer, with wellies, spare clothes and seasonal clothing required. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how outdoor participation is adapted to your child's needs.
• Packed food and funded extras. Food comes from home, while enrichment resources have different arrangements for private and funded hours. Families managing allergies should confirm current packed-food practice and discuss their choice about Essentials & Extras.

Quilter's Hall suits families seeking term-time preschool with outdoor exploration, messy play and outings into Billericay. Its attendance model serves both School Day bookings and mixed morning-and-afternoon patterns, provided the minimum attendance and session mix work for the household.

The June 2025 teaching improvement point deserves attention when weighing the outdoor offer. For parents comfortable supplying packed food and outdoor kit, the combination of community outings, practical play and an online journal offers a clear reason to consider this setting.