Marlow Bottom Pre-School CIO

Woodland behind the Village Hall gives Marlow Bottom Pre-School CIO a clear sense of character: Forest School adds hands-on exploration of nature to a day built around play. Indoors, children have a spacious hall; outside, an enclosed garden and covered play area keep outdoor activity part of the routine even in wet weather. This is a parent-run preschool with a practical emphasis on independence before school.

Children can start from two, and the preschool caters for children aged two to five, with 28 places in total. At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with relationships between children and staff a particular strength. The improvement priorities concerned committee oversight and staff stepping into disagreements soon enough.

Attendance is term-time, with morning and afternoon sessions, plus whole days for funded children. The important distinction for families is between the younger children’s morning routine and afternoons geared more towards children preparing to start school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the educational framework, covering children’s communication, physical development, relationships and early learning through play. Children choose activities, handle materials, listen to stories and join group games.

Mornings begin with wake and shake, a brief exercise activity in the garden. Children then choose their own play indoors before access opens between the hall and garden. Later group activities include movement to music, beanbag games and drama, with a shared story closing the morning. The rhythm gives children time to pursue an interest as well as practise joining in with others.

The hall accommodates a sandpit, climbing frame and craft activities, while an inner room provides space for storytelling, construction and floor puzzles. Water play and dough add opportunities to experiment with texture and materials. Children can experiment and build.

Afternoon activities change for children staying through lunch, with more emphasis on counting and phonics. Independence is woven into games too: practising putting on a coat before music finishes turns a useful school skill into something children can rehearse playfully. Afternoons are preferred for children starting school the following September, although the preschool allows flexibility.

In February 2023, learning activities combined several skills rather than treating them separately. Children predicted whether objects would sink, recorded their choices through marks and discussed vegetables’ shapes. Scissors and dough gave their hands practice, while pretend shopping connected counting with prices. Mathematics, language and physical development overlapped.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School takes learning into the woodland behind the preschool, using direct experience of nature alongside the indoor curriculum. The garden offers a different kind of outdoor activity, with artificial grass, a rubber safety surface and a wooden climbing frame. Its covered area means rain need not end outdoor play.

In February 2023, forest school activities included making bird feeders by threading cereal onto pipe cleaners. This combined patience, careful hand movements and nature learning.

The shops opposite the hall also provide opportunities to explore topics such as food and the Post Office. These local experiences connect pretend play with familiar places children can recognise beyond preschool.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who exchanges information with parents and uses observations to plan the child’s learning. Parents can access these records and discuss progress with that practitioner; records also pass to the child’s next setting. Families have a continuing point of contact.

Settling arrangements include accompanied sessions before the agreed start, allowing children to become familiar with activities and their key person. When several children begin together, start dates can be staggered to give each child time to settle. The emphasis is on familiarity and an individual start.

In February 2023, communication included conversations each day, newsletters, parent meetings and open days. However, disputes between children sometimes developed before staff intervened. The concern was about timely support: children needed help earlier to practise listening to another child and finding a compromise.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCo) provides a named role for additional-needs support. The key-person system, individual education plans and liaison with professionals such as therapists and health visitors provide mechanisms for discussing needs and following progress. These mechanisms help organise individual support.

Nappy-changing facilities are available, and staff continue potty-training routines used at home. The team includes practitioners with early years or teaching qualifications, while staff receive children’s first-aid and epi-pen training. There is also a Safeguarding Officer role.

Staffing arrangements provide at least one adult to five children aged three to five and at least one adult to four two-year-olds. These are staffing ratios, not the number of children in a session, and should be considered separately from the preschool’s overall capacity.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; whole-day attendance for funded children runs from 9am to 3.30pm on those days. Thursday ends at noon. Lunch club runs from noon to 12.30pm on the days with afternoon provision and can join a morning or afternoon booking.

For two-year-olds, the recommended pattern is at least two mornings each week, rather than a compulsory minimum. Children can begin at a term or half-term boundary. Admissions priority goes to families living in Marlow Bottom, and a waiting list operates when the preschool is full.

Applications use the admissions form, with queries handled through the preschool administrator. Offers are normally made around half a term before the intended start. Leaving during the school year requires at least half a term’s notice, with payment for allocated sessions expected during that notice period.

Getting There

The address is The Village Hall, Marlow Bottom, Marlow, SL7 3NA, beside the Barn Club on Marlow Bottom Road. Parking is provided in front of the hall, and visitors are also directed to the Barn Club car park; the drive and gate must remain clear for emergency access.

The preschool describes close links with Burford School, including guidance from Reception teachers on practical preparation. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families still use the local authority admissions process. Practising coats, shoes and other everyday tasks supports transition without conferring an admissions advantage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal Funded Entitlement and Extended Funded Entitlement are accepted, alongside funding for eligible two-year-olds. Delivery is term-time only. The extended entitlement can reach 30 hours, but the preschool operates for 29 hours each week, so families cannot use the entire entitlement here.

Funding can cover separate sessions or whole days and can include lunch club. Hours beyond a child’s funded allocation are charged privately, with current prices supplied in the preschool’s written quotation. Funded attendance requires a Parent/Provider Agreement setting out the agreed days and hours.

Fruit and vegetable snacks are free through a fundraising-supported healthy eating initiative, with children helping staff prepare them. The admissions policy requires a deposit: for funded children it is refunded within six weeks of starting, while for non-funded children it is credited against the first and final non-funded terms.

• The weekly timetable. Term-time attendance and Thursday’s noon finish shape the childcare pattern. Morning sessions, afternoons and whole days for funded children provide different options, but the pattern needs to fit the family’s working week.
• Improvement priorities. In February 2023, committee members needed clearer understanding of their responsibilities, and staff needed to respond sooner to disagreements. Ask how oversight and intervention during play now work.
• Settling and session choice. Accompanied sessions and staggered starts support familiarisation, while afternoons lean towards school starters. A visit with your child can help assess which routine suits them.
• Food and everyday supplies. Fruit and vegetable snacks are free. Before joining, ask what to bring for lunch and nappy changes, and how dietary needs are handled.

Marlow Bottom Pre-School CIO suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, school-preparation afternoons or funded whole-day attendance ending at 3.30pm. Woodland learning, a covered garden area and practical independence activities give its offer substance. Parent involvement also extends into the preschool’s management.

The Good judgement from February 2023 sits alongside specific concerns about oversight and intervention during play. For families comfortable with the timetable, the combination of outdoor exploration, a key-person relationship and flexible funded attendance makes this a useful preschool option to consider.