Lindfield Pre-School Nursery

Woodland exploration and small-keyworker-group routines give Lindfield its character. Forest School runs three times a week, while the annual RSPB bird survey turns a visit to the local park into a chance to spot and record birds. These are concrete ways for children to investigate their surroundings, alongside the nursery's indoor play and group activities.

At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Lindfield Good and found safeguarding effective. The practical caveat concerns the changes between activities: in February 2024, some children lost interest while waiting for lunch, and managing these intervals more effectively was the improvement requested.

Based at Chilterns Lifestyle Centre in Amersham, Lindfield has capacity for 55 children aged two to five. Children start in the term following their second birthday, subject to space. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside breakfast and after-nursery care during term time.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation, movement and group activities provide the day-to-day opportunities to learn. Sessions begin with children choosing indoor or outdoor activities, followed by register time, a drink and healthy snack with their keyworker group, age-appropriate activities, singing, movement and stories. The sequence combines time to pursue an interest with shared routines.

A personal Keyworker gives each child an individual point of contact. Snack time in these small groups also creates a regular setting for conversation, rather than making every part of the session a whole-group activity. This structure matters for families weighing how much individual attention sits within a busy preschool day.

In February 2024, younger children persisted with magnets to pick up and move small objects. Mathematics also appeared in everyday tasks: younger children counted snack fruit, while older children matched quantities of shells to numbers and explored measurement. These examples show learning attached to things children could handle and investigate.

During that same month, cultural displays prompted children to try traditional hats from different countries. Staff asked questions and allowed thinking time before children answered. The emphasis was on participation and conversation, rather than simply displaying information for children to look at.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds practical exploration of nature. Activities can involve a mud kitchen, making dens with natural materials, examining insects and trees, or using simple tools, including vegetable peelers for whittling. Some sessions take children to nearby woods or the local park. The three-times-weekly programme gives outdoor investigation a recurring place in nursery life; individual activities vary.

Each January, children take part in the RSPB bird survey, spotting birds in the local park and recording different types. This gives an outing a clear purpose and connects observation with keeping a record. It is a named recurring activity, rather than an unspecified promise of trips.

In February 2024, children used ride-on toys in the outdoor area and joined songs involving movement and following instructions. Older children also took community walks that included learning about road safety. These experiences brought physical activity into both the nursery space and its surroundings.

A personal Keyworker is part of Lindfield's current care arrangements, and parents can participate in their child's progress. All staff attend safeguarding and paediatric first aid courses on a three-year cycle. Those training arrangements describe how staff preparation is organised; the dated safeguarding judgement sits separately in the inspection position above.

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found communication and language support especially strong and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very effective, including work with parents, referrals and other professionals. In February 2024, staff used words from children's home languages, alongside individual and small-group support. This provides a concrete account of how communication needs were addressed at that time.

Children also practised managing feelings in February 2024: adults spoke calmly during disagreements, and turn-taking games created opportunities to wait and listen. Visual timetables helped children understand the sequence of the day, although the lunch-time waiting period remained the weakness identified. A recognisable routine did not meet every child's needs equally well during those intervals.

Preparation for school was practical in February 2024. Children looked at photographs of their future schools and used school uniforms for dressing up; new teachers visited where possible. These activities made the next setting more familiar without implying an admissions advantage.

Lindfield Toddlers offers another route to familiarity: children over 18 months can use the nursery facilities and get to know staff on Thursday mornings, from 9.30am to 10.50am. Registration is required before attending. This group is separate from the nursery's starting-age rule.

Sessions and Attendance

Term-time provision runs Monday to Friday. Morning sessions last from 9am to noon, with afternoons from 12.45pm to 3.45pm; lunch occupies the interval between them. Children are offered at least three sessions each week, with the pattern able to increase in later terms, and a mixture of mornings and afternoons is encouraged.

Breakfast Club has an early option from 8am to 9am and a later option from 8.30am to 9am. After-school Club begins at 3.45pm, with a shorter option ending at 5pm and care continuing until 6pm Monday to Thursday. Friday care finishes at 5pm.

After-school Club can be booked regularly or for individual days, but sessions must be booked ahead. Its less structured activities include crafts, musical games and occasional visits to the park or library. This creates a different rhythm from the nursery sessions, with time to wind down.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use 15 or 30 hours of government-funded care within the core period of 9am to 3.45pm, during term time. Children receiving funding are expected to attend their full 15 funded early years hours. Extra hours and wraparound care are charged separately; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Families supply a packed lunch, including during funded hours; breakfast is included with the early Breakfast Club option but excluded from the later option. After-school Club charges include a snack and drink, with high tea included in the longer option.

Consumables carry a separate voluntary charge per session, including for funded attendance. Funding therefore needs to be considered alongside the chosen attendance pattern and additional services, as set out on the fees page.

The address is Chilterns Lifestyle Centre, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham, HP6 5AH. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or contact form.

• Changes between activities. In February 2024, waiting before lunch left some children disengaged and affected behaviour. On a visit, ask how these intervals now accommodate children with different interests and needs.
• Term-time attendance. Morning and afternoon sessions offer different patterns, but nursery provision follows school terms. Families needing care through the holidays should weigh that calendar against their working year.
• Funding and the full bill. Funding applies within core hours, while wraparound care and extra hours are charged separately and consumables attract a voluntary charge. Request a written quotation for the exact weekly pattern you intend to use.
• Starting and settling. Nursery entry begins in the term after a child's second birthday, and Lindfield Toddlers provides earlier familiarity with the setting. Ask how the personal Keyworker organises the transition into nursery sessions.

Lindfield suits families looking for morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with breakfast and after-nursery care available to extend the day. Forest School, the RSPB bird survey and small-keyworker-group routines give that offer a clear identity. The February 2024 Good judgement supports the overall picture, with managing the waits between activities identified as the improvement priority. The decisive practical fit is term-time attendance, with funded core hours kept separate from wraparound charges.