Wormley Pre-school

A parent-led charity with a garden, a story-rich morning routine and close links to Wormley Primary School gives Wormley Pre-school a clear identity. It welcomes children aged two, three and four and has capacity for 30 children. Parents can contribute to how the setting runs through its elected volunteer committee, making family involvement part of its organisation as well as its daily relationships.

At its April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and found safeguarding effective. The practical appeal lies in its term-time provision, opportunities for children to become independent and continuity work with the neighbouring school's early years team. Funded childcare and privately paid placements are both offered.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage shapes the learning here: children practise language through conversation and stories, explore materials through play and learn to manage everyday tasks. The current routine combines activities children choose with learning led by adults, followed by tidying, shared stories, snack and outdoor play. That gives the morning several different kinds of participation, from choosing an activity to listening and contributing in a group.

Soft Start provides a gentle beginning, allowing children time to settle between 8.45am and 9am. Later, Individual Storytime, Book Look includes one-to-one storytelling. These are useful details for families whose children benefit from a gradual transition into the day and individual attention around books. Group story and carpet time also provides a place for discussion and sharing.

In April 2025, staff expanded children's vocabulary during hospital role play, introducing words for medical equipment such as a stethoscope and thermometer. Songs accompanied play dough activities, linking language to what children were doing. Shape cutters prompted children to name familiar shapes and learn words for others, while painting gave them practice controlling a brush. The learning was rooted in concrete objects and actions.

There was a limitation to that approach in April 2025: staff sometimes planned appealing activities without being sufficiently clear about the learning they intended. Some children consequently lost interest and chose something else. Enjoyment and a clear teaching purpose both matter; this remains a useful point to explore when considering the pre-school.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden play forms part of the current morning routine, with an emphasis on developing children's larger movements. In April 2025, a bug hotel provided material for close observation: children discussed differences between snails and slugs and used magnifying glasses to examine a snail's features. It is a tangible example of outdoor exploration supporting conversation as well as curiosity.

The Goodbye Song marks the end of the morning before Soft Finish, a gradual transition home. Together with the opening routine, it gives the day recognisable bookends. For a child learning the rhythm of preschool, those repeated stages can help make the sequence understandable.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2025, practitioners knew the children assigned to them and understood both their existing knowledge and their next learning steps. Home visits and settling arrangements helped establish contact with families, while an online platform kept parents informed about children's progress. Play-and-stay sessions also invited parents to take part in activities alongside their children, giving them a practical connection to preschool life.

Monthly newsletters provide updates about news, events and announcements. This complements the direct communication seen in April 2025: families had opportunities to discuss concerns with staff and use information about learning to support their children at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progressed well from their starting points, with leaders working alongside families and outside agencies to obtain support. The deputy also holds the SENCO role, giving families a designated special educational needs coordinator within the team.

Everyday independence had practical expression in April 2025. Children removed their coats, washed their hands before snack and used a nose wiping station themselves. Sharing and taking turns were also developing, although staff sometimes needed to intervene sooner when children forgot behaviour expectations. These observations connect personal development to small, repeatable tasks and interactions.

Sessions and Attendance

The pre-school is based at Wormley CE Primary, Cozens Lane East, Broxbourne, EN10 6QA. It operates during term time, with opening hours of 8am to 4pm from Monday to Friday. Its current daily routine begins at 8.45am and finishes with a home-time period ending at noon; those are routine timings rather than a description of the whole opening window.

Applications use a completed form sent to preschool@wormleyprimary.co.uk to join the waiting list. Families can also contact the setting by email or telephone. The waiting-list process is a durable joining rule, rather than a statement about places being free now.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can access funded early education, and the pre-school accepts two-year-old funding alongside the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements. Privately paid placements and childcare vouchers are also accepted. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

Moving on to School

The pre-school describes itself as a separate establishment from Wormley Primary School, working with the school's Nursery and Reception team to support continuity for children moving there. That relationship can help connect the preschool experience with the next stage. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a place at Wormley Primary School.

Parents can also become involved through the volunteer committee, whose responsibilities include finances, personnel, policies and fundraising. It brings families into decisions about running the pre-school, so participation extends beyond attending activities with children.

• Teaching purpose and behaviour reminders. In April 2025, staff needed clearer intentions for planned learning and quicker responses when children forgot expectations. On a visit, ask how these two areas have been addressed in everyday practice.
• The attendance timetable. Term-time opening hours span 8am to 4pm, while the daily routine runs from 8.45am to noon. Which attendance arrangement would apply to your child, and how would it fit your working day?
• School continuity. The link with Wormley Primary School supports transition work, but attending preschool does not secure a school place. Treat preschool choice and school admission as separate decisions.

Wormley Pre-school suits families seeking term-time early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds, with opportunities for parent involvement and a morning routine built around stories, play and garden exploration. Funded and privately paid attendance both form part of its offer. Its April 2025 Good judgement supports the choice, while the two improvement priorities give families concrete points to weigh. The school relationship is useful for continuity, with school admission remaining a separate matter.