New Millside Pre-School

A mud kitchen, Woodland Learning on neighbouring school grounds and a curriculum shaped partly by children’s ideas give New Millside Pre-School its character. This Aylesbury setting takes children aged two to five, combining practical play with a clear route through early learning. Its outdoor space includes a soft-surfaced play area and a grassed digging area: there is room for movement as well as making things.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding at its 5 May 2022 inspection. The detail behind that judgement matters: in May 2022, children used pretend money during outdoor games, explored animal names through early writing and became absorbed in activities they had chosen themselves. These were practical examples of learning woven into play.

There are 76 places in total, a whole-setting capacity rather than the size of a session. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance are offered during term time. For parents, the strongest reasons to consider New Millside are its concrete outdoor resources, individual planning and several ways to stay involved in their child’s learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the shared foundation for the day: children develop communication, movement, relationships and early literacy and mathematics through play. New Millside plans learning in phases around children’s development and starting points. Birth to Five Matters, an assessment tool, helps staff identify next steps alongside observations and children’s choices.

Water, sand, drawing, paint and playdough remain available for children to revisit. Construction resources encourage problem-solving; the home corner supports imaginative play. In May 2022, jungle animals inspired writing activities: older children wrote animal names while younger children connected dots to practise letter shapes. Outdoor games included counting with pretend money, linking number work to play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Woodland Learning adds exploration using different senses in part of Broughton Infant School’s outdoor grounds, alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage. Bikes, scooters, planting and the mud kitchen extend outdoor play. Tyres, scaffold boards, milk crates and guttering give children materials for climbing and building their own structures.

In May 2022, children encountered baby rabbits seasonally, watched ducklings hatch and made car ramps from drainage pipes. Golden Rules, the behaviour expectations discussed and written with children, give them a say in shared routines. As a Rights Respecting Setting, New Millside teaches children about their rights and respecting others’ rights; it received the UNICEF Rights Respecting setting award in 2012.

Relationships and Communication

A personal key person tracks each child’s development, plans around individual needs and discusses progress with parents. Home visits follow agreement of sessions, giving families time to explain their child’s needs before preschool begins.

The four-step settling process follows the child’s response: parents can stay if needed, receive contact if distress continues and get a reassuring text when their child settles. A gradual introduction is another option. Parents remain nearby during first sessions. Tapestry, the online learning journal, lets families view learning and contribute photographs or achievements from home; stay-and-play sessions offer involvement in person.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and strong early support for children with SEND, including prompt identification of concerns, targeted plans and work with other professionals. Those are inspection-time judgements; the current support mechanisms include a SENCo, individual planning and regular review of progress.

The Local Offer sets out home-link diaries for sharing activities and targets, visual timetables to explain routines and support from outside agencies with parental consent. METAS supports families and the setting with communication barriers and English as an additional language. Dual-language books and words supplied by parents offer another practical way to connect home language with preschool life.

Wheelchair access, an accessible toilet in the main corridor and a flat, soft-surfaced outdoor area are concrete features for families considering physical access. For trips, the support arrangements can include visual preparation and a SEN support worker according to the child’s needs. Individual requirements still deserve a detailed conversation, rather than being reduced to a general promise of inclusion.

Children receive fruit and other snacks with milk or water, and the pre-school has a no-nuts policy. Families supply pull-ups for children who need them and labelled sun cream, which is reapplied at lunchtime for all-day children.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Broughton County First School, Narbeth Drive, Aylesbury, HP20 1NX. New Millside runs Monday to Friday during term time, with funding offered across 38 weeks of the year. The pattern suits families whose childcare can follow the term calendar.

Morning Session runs from 9am to noon, Afternoon Session from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and All Day Session from 9am to 3.30pm. These are fixed sessions. Children attend the full funded session unless a different start or finish has been agreed specifically to manage hours above their entitlement.

Applications go through the application and waiting-list form, returned to office@newmillsidepre-school.co.uk. The allocation policy gives priority to specified groups, including children with SEND and siblings already attending, with catchment status also affecting the order. Families outside the catchment can apply. This is a structured allocation process, rather than a simple first-come queue.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, extended hours for eligible working parents and funded routes for eligible two-year-olds are offered. Children can attend only from their second birthday, including those using a qualifying working-parent entitlement that began at a younger age. Funding is delivered term-time rather than stretched across the year.

Private sessions and hours beyond a funded entitlement are charged. The fees policy gives families a choice between paying for excess hours and agreeing an attendance adjustment to stay within their entitlement. It is a useful distinction: an all-day booking pattern and a funding allowance do not necessarily cover the same total attendance.

Invoices are issued each half term, with payment due within two weeks; payment plans can be arranged. Paid sessions remain chargeable during holidays and short illnesses. Donations are voluntary, including contributions of resources, and families are under no obligation to give them. Current prices come in the pre-school’s written quotation; its fees and funding page explains the charge structure.

Cancelling a place requires half a term’s notice. Reducing sessions requires at least four weeks’ notice, with the change applied for the following half term. These terms matter if work arrangements or school-start plans change.

Moving on to School

The pre-school works closely with Broughton Infant School while remaining independent of it. It supports transition through school visits and sharing children’s achievements, and its Local Offer describes former children returning to discuss starting school. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time coverage. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions run within a 38-week term-time offer. Match that calendar and the fixed finishing times to your working arrangements before choosing a pattern.
• A supported start. Home visits and the four-step settling process give several ways to prepare. At a visit, discuss how the key person would adapt the first sessions to your child, including any communication or sensory needs.
• Food and personal care. The no-nuts policy and parent-supplied pull-ups and sun cream affect daily preparation. If your child has an allergy, confirm current food handling and the individual arrangements during your visit.
• Allocation and school entry. Catchment and other priorities influence preschool session allocation. The Broughton Infant School connection supports preparation for school, but families must make a separate Reception application.

New Millside suits families seeking either morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting an all-day term-time pattern. Its appeal lies in the connection between planned learning and practical resources: Woodland Learning, construction materials and children’s own choices give the day several starting points.

The May 2022 Outstanding judgement adds weight, while current key-person arrangements, home visits and individual planning give parents concrete support mechanisms to consider. The decision is practical as well as educational: fixed sessions, the term calendar and allocation priorities need to work for the family.