Impstone Preschool

A low-level hob for children's cooking, a covered courtyard and Monday visits to care-home residents give Impstone Preschool a character rooted in practical learning and community life. Its home is Pamber Heath Memorial Hall in Tadley, where purpose-built preschool accommodation came into use in January 2024. Children have space to play, cook and spend time outdoors, with familiar weekly activities shaping the day.

Ofsted rated Impstone Good at its October 2023 inspection and judged safeguarding effective. The preschool has capacity for 35 children, and its admissions policy welcomes children aged between 2 and 5. It is a charity managed by volunteer trustees drawn primarily from parents and carers, giving families a way to contribute to decisions about the setting.

Term-time attendance includes morning, afternoon and day bookings, with flexible starts and finishes.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for children's learning and care: here, play, stories, movement and practical activities give children opportunities to develop communication, independence and physical skills. It is the shared foundation for early years provision. Impstone's weekly cooking and visiting football sessions add concrete experiences to that everyday programme.

Free play occupies substantial parts of both the morning and afternoon, including activities with a key person. The routine also makes room for PE, stories, rhymes and singing. Smaller story and activity groups meet before lunch, while the afternoon ends with a shared activity before further play for children staying later. This balance matters for children who enjoy choosing their own activity but also benefit from a predictable rhythm.

WeeKicks runs a football session each Wednesday morning. Cooking takes place weekly and connects with the current topic or special occasions. The low-level hob puts cooking equipment at children's height.

In October 2023, staff used objects alongside stories to help children connect illustrations with things they could handle. Books also introduced cultural differences. In restaurant play, children took food orders in writing and discussed their favourite dishes, combining conversation and early mark-making in an activity with a recognisable purpose.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor classroom and play area extend activities outside. By April 2024, the covered courtyard was used daily, keeping outdoor play possible when weather disrupted garden use.

On Mondays, a small group visits a local care home to share games, songs and stories with residents. This brings conversation with people beyond the staff team into the weekly routine. The visits are small-group experiences, rather than a claim that every child attends each week.

In October 2023, children put on their own outdoor footwear, balanced and climbed on large equipment, and experimented with different spoon sizes for digging.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is planned around the individual child, with parents involved throughout the process. Accompanied visits and settling visits form part of the joining arrangements, and additional visits can be agreed. This gives the first separation a structure while allowing the pace to respond to the child and family.

Key-person activities are included in the daily routine. Tapestry Learning Journal, an online journal for photographs and videos of children's experiences, is used with parental permission, and newsletters now reach families through the same system. Having learning updates and preschool news in one place gives parents a practical way to keep track of both their child's experiences and the wider setting.

In October 2023, parents received daily spoken feedback and development updates through an app; children initiated conversation with unfamiliar people and followed familiar routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a Lead SENCO, a Speech & Language Lead and a Speech & Language Assistant. The team has undertaken training in Makaton, a communication approach using signs, and visual aids, while working towards becoming a Communication Friendly setting. That is work in progress, rather than a completed designation. For families whose child needs help communicating, the useful detail is the combination of dedicated roles and practical communication tools.

All team members hold paediatric first-aid qualifications, including training relating to epilepsy and EpiPens. A Designated Safeguarding Lead and an assistant safeguarding role are also part of the staffing structure. These describe the arrangements in place; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection position above.

The registration process gathers information about allergies, dietary needs, disabilities, medication and involvement with health professionals. Parents can therefore bring these matters into the conversation from the start. Staff also help families complete forms for Hampshire's Children's Centres and requests for support, providing a practical link to assistance beyond preschool.

Child-sized toilets and a rise-and-fall changing bed were among the additions described in April 2024. The sensory room has received wall resources, with soft play mats also introduced in the sensory classroom. These physical details matter alongside the support roles: care involves the spaces and equipment children use as well as the adults working with them.

Sessions and Attendance

Impstone operates at Pamber Heath Memorial Hall, Pamber Heath Road, Pamber Heath, Tadley, RG26 3TQ. Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, following Hampshire school dates. The timetable therefore needs to fit a family's arrangements for school holidays as well as its ordinary working week.

The morning session runs from 9am to noon, with Lunch Club extending attendance from noon to 12.30pm. Afternoon sessions are also offered. There is also an all day session from 9am to 3pm and a full day session from 8.30am to 4pm. Flexible starts and finishes can be arranged within the opening window.

After discussion during settling, attendance can be agreed from one session each week through to every day; the usual recommendation is at least two sessions to help children settle. That recommendation is different from a minimum booking requirement. The waiting list is ordered by age and/or need, with priority applications considered following an appropriate professional's recommendation that entering the preschool would be of real benefit to the child.

Enquiries use email, telephone, text or the contact form. Electronic and printed application forms are offered, with sessions and hours agreed by contract each term.

Funding and Paid Extras

Impstone accepts 15-hour and 30-hour funding for eligible children. Its funding terms include provision from the term following a child's third birthday and funding for some children from age 2. Funded attendance is term-time, and eligible 30-hour funding can be used across the opening hours or shared with another setting or childminder.

Private sessions and additional paid hours are offered. Obtain current prices in a written quotation; the opening hours and fees page covers booking options. Funding forms must be completed before the funded term starts.

Fees are paid monthly in advance. Leaving or reducing sessions requires one month's notice or the equivalent fees, except when a child moves on to school. Illness and holidays during term time do not attract refunds unless the manager and Parent Management Committee agree otherwise. These terms matter when a family's work pattern or childcare needs change.

• Term-time fit. Shorter sessions and longer day bookings all follow the term-time calendar. Families needing care during school holidays will need arrangements that cover those breaks.
• Teaching follow-through. In October 2023, staff did not consistently give children opportunities to revisit, practise and extend learning independently, and professional development needed closer attention to individual teaching skills. Ask how staff now decide when to step back and how their development is planned.
• A visit with a practical purpose. Viewings are offered from 4.15pm, Monday to Thursday. Use the visit to discuss your child's settling plan and the meals, snacks and consumables arrangements for the proposed funded or private booking, including any allergy needs.
• Parent involvement. Volunteer trustees help run the charity, while other parents can support fundraising and events. This suits families who value a voice in preschool life; consider how much time you would like to contribute.

Impstone suits families seeking a community preschool with morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting all day or full day attendance during term time. Weekly cooking, WeeKicks football and care-home visits give the offer substance, while the newer accommodation adds practical features such as the low-level hob and covered courtyard.

Individual settling plans and communication support roles strengthen the practical appeal. The October 2023 Good judgement also came with teaching improvements that deserve discussion.