Patcham Village Pre-school

An enclosed garden, mixed-age play and school preparation involving uniforms and lunch trays give Patcham Village Pre-school its character. Children choose where to play, find their coat pegs and practise everyday tasks for Reception. Shared experiences take precedence over separate age-based rooms.

There is capacity for 28 children aged two to five at 21 Old London Road, Patcham, Brighton, BN1 8XR. At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good, while identifying two priorities: more opportunities for children to make expressive artwork independently and more consistent help with sustained conversation. Both matter alongside the practical strengths of the environment.

Term-time attendance includes flexible hours, mornings and afternoons; families need childcare arrangements that accommodate school-holiday closures.

Rooms and Ages

Children of different ages play together. Some groups follow development rather than birthday: stories vary between longer texts and picture-led books to match children's needs.

The Large Main Hall has a single-level layout, stable core activity areas and direct access to outdoor play, with its daily resources adjusted around children's interests. Photographs of children taking part in activities are projected onto a wall, making their own experiences part of the room. The Quiet Room provides a carpeted setting for nurture groups, speech and language work linked to individual support plans, and daily adult-supported activities.

Low coat pegs carry names and picture cues and change position, encouraging children to find their belongings. Child-sized toilets, potties and low sinks help children practise personal care independently.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the statutory basis for learning and care: children's experiences cover seven areas, including communication, physical development, relationships, literacy and mathematics. Here, activities connect those areas with children's interests rather than treating them as separate lessons. Playing, talking, moving and investigating are the everyday vehicles for learning.

Alongside that foundation, In the Moment Planning means responding to an interest as it develops, rather than following only an activity planned in advance. Practitioners also plan fortnightly, leaving room to adapt when children take play in another direction. Birth to 5 Matters is used as non-statutory guidance alongside the framework, rather than as a replacement for it.

The daily routine alternates shared moments with time for children to pursue their own play. A short morning gathering leads into indoor and outdoor choices; group activities draw on children's interests, and stories bring the morning and the day to a close. Toothbrushing forms part of the routine, linking oral-health discussion with something children actually practise.

Role play includes familiar stories and everyday situations such as shopping or ordering in a café. Construction play adds another way to experiment and solve problems. Yoga sessions, language introductions and daily individual or small-group time broaden the offer, while supervised baking gives children a practical activity in the kitchen.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden combines paving for bikes and scooters with grass for larger activities, climbing equipment and picnics. Children can move between the hall and garden, so outdoor play is part of the day rather than a separate occasional event. Den spaces offer somewhere to share a story outside; warmer weather also brings snacks and lunch into the garden.

Village life supplies material for play and observation. Children watch passing traffic, carry out traffic surveys and imitate vehicles with their own wheeled toys. Visits into the community and visitors to the preschool extend learning beyond the premises, connecting children's play with people and places around them.

Relationships and Communication

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding, sensitive support for children finding it hard to settle and good progress for children including those with SEND, supported by cooperation with other professionals.

Tapestry, an online learning journal, lets staff and families exchange photographs, video and notes. Observations arrive every three weeks; parents can contribute comments and experiences from home.

Three yearly key-person consultations offer telephone, video, face-to-face or written formats. Parents can give relatives or friends Tapestry access, including those living further away.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO and a deputy safeguarding lead role, and several practitioners have paediatric first-aid training. Individual support plans and small-group speech and language activities have a place in the Quiet Room. Elsewhere, quiet cosy corners give children somewhere to pause when feelings become difficult to manage.

For children learning English alongside a home language, visual resources support communication. The preschool works with the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS), including interpreters who help assess communication in the child's home language and inform planning. With permission, families facing similar challenges can also be linked with one another for support.

School preparation is practical as well as emotional. The final preschool year includes the Tigers group, with school-related role play, uniforms and practice carrying lunch trays. Receiving teachers visit the preschool, and children visit their future schools. Those experiences give children opportunities to rehearse unfamiliar routines and express worries before the move.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm during term time. An optional early start is at 8.50am; the detailed hours arrangement offers an extended day until 3.45pm on Monday, Thursday and Friday. The early start carries an additional charge, while extended attendance can use funding or be paid privately.

Morning sessions run from 9am to 12pm and afternoon sessions from 12pm to 3pm. Flexible attendance is also offered: the minimum is six hours a week, with three hours per day. This allows families to choose hours around their circumstances while retaining a minimum attendance commitment.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01273 554060 or through the contact form, and registration uses a downloadable form. Visits can be arranged in person. Emergency care can be arranged on an ad-hoc basis, subject to availability, for children already registered with the preschool.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision is term-time. The arrangements include 15 hours a week over 38 weeks for eligible two-year-olds and the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, plus up to 30 weekly hours for eligible three- and four-year-olds under the working-parent entitlement. Additional unfunded hours can be bought privately, and working-parent codes require validation every three months.

For funded children aged two, three and four, a separate voluntary enrichment charge covers snacks and drinks, alongside activities and supplies. Families choosing to opt out must notify the manager before attendance begins and arrange to supply the relevant items daily; nappies are excluded from the package.

The non-food items covered by that charge include wipes, sun cream, nappy bags and a toothbrush; baking, yoga, outings, celebrations and online journals are also covered. This is a funded-place charge structure rather than an assurance that those items are included in every attendance fee. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation, and the fees page explains the categories of charge.

Invoices are issued monthly, with payment timing accommodated around family finances provided payment arrives before the due date. Tax Free Childcare is accepted. The written notice terms need particular attention because they use both a four-week period excluding school holidays and a one-month period.

• Creative work and conversation. September 2024 priorities concerned independent expressive art and sustained conversational exchanges. On a visit, ask to see how children now choose creative materials and how practitioners extend a conversation beyond questions and answers.
• The attendance pattern. Term-time opening, a six-hour weekly minimum and extended attendance on Monday, Thursday and Friday need to fit the family timetable. Discuss the intended days and any early-start arrangement before committing.
• The enrichment choice. Funded children's snacks, selected supplies and activities sit within a voluntary charge, with an opt-out involving daily provision from home. Ask how that arrangement would work for your child, including any food requirements.
• Notice wording. The terms specify both four weeks excluding school holidays and one month, with written or emailed notice during opening hours. Obtain a clear written agreement on the applicable period before signing.

Patcham Village Pre-school suits families wanting mornings, afternoons or flexible term-time attendance, including extended days. Mixed-age play, indoor-outdoor movement, targeted support space and practical school preparation give it clear appeal. The September 2024 priorities on art and conversation temper that assessment.