Coltishall & Horstead Preschool

Hens, growing vegetables and a weekly allotment visit give Coltishall & Horstead Preschool a character that reaches beyond its play spaces. Known as Wildflowers, this charity-run preschool combines children choosing their own activities with a day that makes room for stories, conversation and practical independence. The setting has capacity for 26 children aged two to five.

At its 23 October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical attraction is the connection between indoor play and outdoor experience: children can use the outside area throughout their attendance, while the Wildflowers Allotment brings growing food and caring for hens into their week.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day sessions, plus separately booked Breakfast Club and Twilight provision.

Learning and Activities

Choice shapes the learning environment. Children decide whether to explore construction, craft, role play or the outside pod, and select the materials they want to use. Loose parts and natural materials sit alongside equipment for larger movements; paints, glue and craft materials support making. This gives a child several ways to pursue an idea, rather than requiring everyone to complete the same activity.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning, development and care, with play supporting language, social skills and physical development. Alongside it, Planning in the Moment means practitioners respond to an activity a child is already absorbed in, using conversation and interaction to extend understanding there and then. The practical distinction is that an interest can become a learning opportunity while it is still alive.

The day also contains deliberate pauses for shared learning. At 11.30am, communication and language take centre stage through rhymes, stories, songs, syllable work and listening games. Children work with practitioners in groups in different areas of the setting, allowing staff to observe language skills and plan their next steps. Afternoon play then has an uninterrupted stretch from 1pm to 2.30pm before tidying and a choice of activities.

In October 2024, counting was woven into choosing a book by vote, while name recognition and initial sounds connected early literacy with children's own identities. Stories also prompted discussion about characters' feelings. These examples show how familiar activities can carry mathematical, language and emotional learning, rather than requiring a separate lesson for each.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Wildflowers Allotment is a weekly destination, with fruit and vegetables, hens and a digging space. Visits include gathering eggs, checking crops, stories and snacks, as well as practising road safety. There is a real task behind the outing: children help care for living things and see where some food comes from.

In October 2024, children used wheelbarrows between the growing beds and handled digging tools while searching for worms. Those experiences put coordination and problem-solving to work on something concrete. The current day also allows occasional sound walks on the field and use of the tennis courts for physical activity. These sit alongside daily access to the preschool's large outdoor area, rather than replacing it.

Relationships and Communication

Starting preschool includes two settling sessions of two hours each, giving children time to become familiar with their key worker and surroundings. A key person system continues that relationship and supports two-way sharing with families. For a child who needs familiarity before exploring independently, the starting process has a clear structure.

Communication can be adapted to family circumstances through individual meetings, email, text messages or a translator. Newsletters and memos carry practical updates, while Tapestry is used for communication about events. Families can also join the preschool committee, giving them a route into its organisation as well as their own child's day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children needing additional help were supported through collaboration with families and other professionals, and that children made progress in their learning and development. Current arrangements include a SENDCo working with key persons, families and other agencies, with adjustments to resources and the environment according to children's needs. The policy also recognises that some needs may prevent a placement being offered at a particular time; individual suitability matters.

Early Years Operation Encompass links the preschool with Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Police to support children affected by domestic abuse incidents. Trained key adults receive confidential notifications so they can respond to a child's circumstances. This is a specific support mechanism, alongside safeguarding lead roles and staff training.

Everyday independence gets attention too. Children help prepare snacks, wash their hands, make food and drink choices, and clear away afterwards. Practitioners eat alongside children at lunchtime, modelling social habits and healthy eating. Dietary needs are recorded and shared with staff involved in preparing or supervising food.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool is at Coltishall Village Hall And Recreation Ground, 41 Rectory Road, Norwich, NR12 7HL, next to the village hall and opposite the park. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Full Day Sessions run from 9am to 3pm, Morning Session from 9am to noon, and Afternoon Sessions from noon to 3pm, all Monday to Friday. Twilight Sessions run from 3pm to 5pm, Monday to Thursday; Breakfast Club is a separate booking from 8.35am to 9am. The later session therefore extends attendance on four weekdays, while Friday follows the daytime pattern.

Sessions are agreed for the whole term, with the same days and lengths from week to week. Families confirm the following term's pattern at the end of each term. This suits a predictable weekly routine; it requires more planning from parents whose working days change regularly.

Term dates follow the Norfolk County Council school timetable, including planned bank holiday and inset closures. The preschool closes during school holidays. Its waiting-list rules consider age and time on the list, with home proximity and an attending sibling also potentially taken into account.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private hours and funded childcare are offered, including Universal 15 hours and Extended 30 hour’s entitlement, delivered during term time. Eligibility conditions apply, and additional attendance beyond a child's funded entitlement is charged privately; invoices distinguish funded from chargeable hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and a deposit is required to secure a placement.

Breakfast and a drink are included in the separately charged Breakfast Club session; Twilight includes light tea with private or partly funded attendance, while fully funded Twilight attendance carries a separate tea charge. A voluntary snack and consumables contribution is requested per session, with the alternative of bringing a snack, but the terms make allotment participation conditional on paying that contribution.

Moving on to School

The preschool describes a close link with Coltishall Primary School, including regular contact with its Reception teacher and invitations to performances and events. This gives children contact with school life, but attending preschool does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Allotment participation and charges. Weekly visits are part of the preschool's appeal, but the snack and consumables contribution is tied to taking part. The contribution is therefore part of the decision for funded and private attendance.
• A fixed termly pattern. Morning, afternoon and full-day choices offer different lengths of attendance, but the weekly pattern must stay consistent across the term. Match that requirement against your working schedule, including Friday's lack of Twilight provision.
• Teaching development. In October 2024, staff training needed to become more precisely targeted so children could gain more from the intended curriculum. A visit is an opportunity to ask how practitioners' development now supports Planning in the Moment.
• Individual support and diet. The SENDCo coordinates support, and dietary requirements are recorded for staff. Discuss your child's specific adjustments and current food-handling arrangements when considering whether the setting fits their needs.

Wildflowers suits families seeking term-time preschool with either shorter morning or afternoon attendance or a full preschool day. Breakfast Club and Twilight add options around those patterns, within a booking model that requires a stable weekly commitment.

The weekly allotment, children's control over their play and dedicated language time give the day clear substance. Balance those attractions against holiday closures, the contribution linked to allotment visits and the October 2024 teaching-development priority. For families comfortable with those terms, the combination of practical outdoor learning and flexible session lengths is persuasive.