Tinytoons Pre-school & Nursery

Makaton at snack time, sound-recording buttons in play and carol singing with older neighbours give Tinytoons a recognisable character. Language runs through the day, while bikes, construction and dance give children other ways to explore and express themselves. This is a preschool with concrete ideas about what children should practise, rather than a curriculum described only in broad ambitions.

Based at The Laura Trott Leisure Centre in Cheshunt, Tinytoons has 24 places in total. At its 3 September 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good and found safeguarding effective, with attentive adult interaction and support for children's communication among its strengths. The important qualification concerned longer activities involving the whole group: some children struggled to sustain their attention.

Attendance choices include morning, afternoon and full-day sessions, with breakfast club for an earlier start.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS gives the day its educational framework: children develop language, movement, relationships and early understanding through play and planned experiences. Tinytoons turns those areas of learning into identifiable activities. Makaton is used during registration, snacks and group gatherings to support communication; daily letters and sounds activities give children practice in listening, attending and making vocal sounds.

The communication resources are practical. Children can use pretend telephones for conversations and sound buttons to record and replay what they hear. Adults introduce vocabulary while describing play, giving words a connection to something children are already doing. Books extend beyond the book corner into other learning areas, so stories and print are part of play rather than confined to one spot.

Early literacy progresses from linking pictures with their opening sounds towards joining spoken sounds together. Writing and more challenging sound work support preparation for Reception.

Mathematics also has both a dedicated area and a place in everyday play. Puzzles, construction and den building introduce shape, space and problem solving; a daily timeline helps children understand the order of their day. In September 2024, children counted building blocks outdoors and fitted numerals into a number mat. Adults also used tower building to prompt discussion about quantity and stability, connecting counting with a problem children could investigate.

Small groups were a useful part of the September 2024 nursery day. Staff planned around individual learning needs, and children sustained their attention during expressive storytelling. Longer whole-group activities were less successful for some children, even with adult support for those who moved away. Group organisation is therefore a meaningful point for families to explore, especially where a child finds extended sitting and listening difficult.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supports movement through bikes, cars, ball games and obstacle courses. Threading, tweezers, scissors and playdough exercise the smaller movements needed for handling objects and developing control. Each session includes a 15-minute physical activity, with possibilities including football coaching, yoga, dancing and keep fit. Movement has a place in the planned session as well as in children's chosen play.

A visiting dance teacher works with children during the autumn and winter terms, and staff continue dance during the rest of the year. Creative activity also includes mixing colours and choosing craft materials. The role-play area changes with topics, giving children fresh situations to act out and opportunities to try unfamiliar roles.

Community contact reaches beyond the nursery. Children share harvest celebrations and Christmas carol singing with a local elderly day centre, with a carol visit to the Beaumont centre also recorded. Children in need fundraising introduces the idea of helping others. Parents are invited to share their cultures, and celebrations and unfamiliar foods give children concrete ways to explore lives beyond their own family.

Relationships and Communication

In the term before starting, families visit to exchange information with staff while their child joins in play. A free trial follows, with a start date agreed once parent and child are happy to proceed.

During the four-week settling period, parents or carers should be ready to remain on site if needed. Staff will telephone if a child struggles to settle and they consider parental presence helpful. Families need flexibility during these first weeks.

A key-person system links observation, assessment and planning for each child. Progress is recorded in an online learning journey that parents can access and use for two-way communication. This gives families a route to contribute information as well as receive updates, which matters when a child's interests or needs change between home and nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND planning begins before admission, followed by a child profile on starting. A SENCO coordinates the policy; an Inclusion Development Officer can help with specialist equipment or outside support. Health visitors, speech therapists, advisory teachers and local authority advisers can contribute advice.

Where a child needs longer to become comfortable with the routine, hours may be reduced temporarily. The plan is reviewed with parents after two weeks, with further reviews every two weeks if the shorter timetable continues. Families considering this arrangement need to weigh the gradual introduction alongside their own care requirements.

Staff undertake training in the EYFS, first aid and safeguarding. Water is provided throughout the day, and children are encouraged to make healthy choices during lunch and snacks. For preparation for school, the curriculum builds independence, social skills, language and early literacy; it places those foundations within ordinary play and routines.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Laura Trott Leisure Centre, Windmill Lane, Cheshunt, EN8 9AJ. Tinytoons operates across 48 weeks, with an opening window of 8am to 4pm. The session choices include a morning from 9am to noon, an afternoon from 1pm to 4pm and a 9am to 4pm day; full-day care from 8am to 4pm is also offered. Breakfast club runs from 8am to 9am and carries a separate charge.

Children can join the waiting list from age one, and allocation follows registration date order. That is a waiting-list rule, rather than a statement about the age at which nursery attendance begins. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email, WhatsApp or the contact form, with the pre-start visit arranged during the preceding term.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2024, Tinytoons provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Paid hourly care and session charges are also part of the attendance model. Families should obtain a current written quotation for the pattern they intend to use, including breakfast club where relevant; the fees page sets out the charge categories.

Non-food consumables carry a separate weekly charge. A non-refundable registration charge applies when accepting a place, but funded children are exempt. After the four-week settling period, withdrawal requires six weeks of written notice counted in term time.

• Whole-group teaching. In September 2024, some children lost engagement during longer group activities, and improving their organisation was the required next step. On a visit, ask how staff now adjust group length and participation for children with different attention spans.
• Settling and family schedules. The four-week introduction may involve a parent staying on site, while a reduced SEND timetable is reviewed at two-week intervals. Consider how either arrangement would fit work and other childcare commitments.
• Starting age and everyday provisions. The waiting list accepts details from age one, while the children attending in September 2024 were aged two to three. Before joining, establish the current attendance ages, meal arrangements and what the weekly consumable charge covers.
• Leaving a place. Six weeks of written term-time notice applies after settling, and the registration charge is non-refundable except that funded children do not pay it. Read those conditions alongside the sessions offered before accepting.

Tinytoons suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions as well as a full day, with an earlier breakfast option. Its strongest character comes from the detail of the day: Makaton in routines, daily sound work, garden movement and contact with older members of the community. The online learning journey and staged settling arrangements also give parents defined ways to participate.

The September 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with group organisation the clear issue to examine. For families who value language-rich play and a gradual introduction, there is plenty of concrete substance here. The decision should also account for settling flexibility, separate consumable charges and notice measured in term time.