Wendover Pre-School

A playroom, a garden and a quiet room for individual work give Wendover Pre-School a compact but varied setting at Wendover Memorial Hall. With capacity for 24 children, its appeal rests on personal attention and learning shaped around the child. Children aged two to four can attend.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the pre-school Outstanding overall, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. That is a dated assessment, but the detail behind it is useful: in September 2023, staff extended conversations during play, children helped one another and everyday tasks became opportunities to practise independence.

The current approach combines individual learning plans with information from home. Parents contribute to the starting picture, and staff use observations to decide what comes next. Morning and afternoon attendance sit within a term-time calendar, with a minimum booking of two sessions each week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides the curriculum: children develop language, movement and social understanding through play, alongside early reading, mathematics, creative work and exploration of the world. This is the statutory starting point. Wendover's own approach adds planning around individual interests, with targeted activities when a child needs extra support or a further challenge.

All About Me is the entry form that brings parents' knowledge into that planning. Individual focus sheets then identify the child's needs and next steps. Progress is considered through Settling, Flourishing, and Sunshine, stages which use engagement and connection as indicators. The practical value is a learning plan that can respond to the child, rather than expecting every child to progress in the same sequence.

In September 2023, conversation was woven into play. A child describing a rock as large heard an alternative word, massive, while garden telephones prompted imaginative exchanges in which children waited for a reply. These were small interventions with a clear purpose: extending vocabulary and giving children reasons to listen as well as speak.

Physical learning was equally concrete in September 2023. Children squeezed and stretched dough, examined moving vehicles while lying on the floor, and used expansive movements during wake-up and dance sessions. Hanging and swinging activities were also planned to develop strength. Hand control and whole-body movement belonged to the same account of learning, rather than being treated as separate concerns.

Outdoor and Community Life

The dedicated garden accompanies the main playroom, while a quiet room provides another setting for individual activities or work with a smaller group. Children can move freely to a covered outdoor area with an all-weather canopy. That gives outdoor play some protection from the weather and offers a different pace from the indoor room.

In summer, some fruit grown at the pre-school is picked for snack times, connecting what grows there with what is served.

A Learning Journey Book records each child's experiences through photographs, observations and creations. Families can take it home and contribute photographs or other meaningful material, and children help select content when ready. At the Graduation Ceremony, departing children receive their book, giving families a record of the learning and friendships built during their time here.

Relationships and Communication

Each family has a key person who supports settling, helps with care such as toileting and works with parents on the child's play plan. This relationship does not mean that one practitioner shadows the child throughout the session. Other staff also build relationships, so familiarity extends beyond a single adult.

In September 2023, parents' descriptions of their children's interests and existing abilities helped shape the opening sessions. Children formed attachments to staff quickly, and staff encouraged friendships through everyday support. One child sought an adult's help when a friend became distressed during toileting. It was a practical example of children learning to recognise another person's needs.

Conversation with the key person can take place around sessions when time permits, with a separately agreed discussion when a longer exchange is needed. Pre-bookable parent support sessions also address subjects such as sleep, eating, oral hygiene and toilet training. For families facing a specific difficulty, this creates a route to a fuller conversation than a brief handover allows.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Learning plans draw on home information and observations, with targeted strategies for children developing at different rates. Advice may be sought from speech and language therapists or occupational therapists. These are concrete support mechanisms; the next step depends on the individual child's needs.

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to respond to concerns and children supported to consider risks during physical play. In September 2023, cooperation with local schools also supported the move into school. That transition work concerned children's preparation and continuity of care.

Morning and afternoon snacks comprise fruit or vegetables with a carbohydrate, while families supply a packed lunch for Lunch Club. The pre-school has a nut-free policy and asks families to check lunchbox ingredients; uneaten lunch returns home so parents can see what their child has eaten.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm, Monday to Thursday. Attendance is term time only, across 38 weeks, following the autumn, spring and summer terms. The minimum is two sessions per week, and an increase can be considered each term if the setting can accommodate it.

An online application adds a child to the waiting list and does not offer particular sessions. Families receive an acknowledgement and are contacted in the term before their preferred start date to update their preferences. When a place is offered, formal acceptance and a deposit are required before the child is added to the upcoming term's register.

Getting There

The address is Wendover Memorial Hall, Wharf Road, Wendover, Buckinghamshire, HP22 6HF. On-site parking for parents collecting or bringing children is private and permit only, so the permit arrangement matters for families using a car.

Enquiries can be made by WhatsApp, telephone or email, with WhatsApp identified as the quickest contact method. The online application also allows families to explain additional needs and their preferred attendance days.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered to eligible children, and private fees apply to fee-paying attendance or hours beyond a child's funded allocation. The term-time calendar is an important part of that arrangement. Eligibility and the child's allocation remain separate from the sessions the pre-school can offer.

Fees are reviewed each academic year, and payment methods and terms can vary. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, with the deposit and any hours beyond funding clearly identified. Packed lunches remain the family's responsibility, alongside the snacks supplied during sessions.

• Term-time rhythm. Attendance follows 38 weeks of school terms, and Friday has a morning session only. This suits a school-term routine; families needing holiday care will need to plan that separately.
• Settling and individual support. Key-person care, All About Me and targeted learning plans provide a clear starting structure. During a visit, discuss how those arrangements would work for your child's interests, care needs and preferred sessions.
• Funding and the full quotation. Funded attendance and privately paid hours are separate, and acceptance involves a deposit. What would your chosen pattern include for meals, non-food consumables and any additional charges?
• Packed lunches and allergies. Lunch Club relies on food from home, and the pre-school applies a nut-free policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice and how their child's dietary needs will be handled.

Wendover Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions within a school-term routine, with individual planning and an active role for parents. Its playroom, garden and quiet room give children different spaces for shared play and more concentrated activities; the Learning Journey Book connects those experiences with home.

The September 2023 judgement gives substantial inspection backing to the setting's approach at that time. For a present-day decision, the strongest practical fit is the combination of a small total capacity, key-person relationships and learning plans shaped by what children do and what parents contribute. The term-time calendar and packed-lunch arrangement deserve equal weight alongside the educational appeal.