Tree Tots Pre-school

Treasure hunts with tweezers, building plans made real with large bricks, and children preparing their own snacks give Tree Tots Pre-school a practical, hands-on character. These were features of its March 2024 provision, with learning woven into play and everyday tasks. Based in the grounds of Jotmans Hall Primary School in Benfleet, the independently owned pre-school also has access to school facilities.

At its 26 March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Tree Tots Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The main improvement point concerned how consistently staff stretched children's thinking through their conversations and responses during play. That is a useful distinction: the activities themselves offered plenty to explore, but adults could sometimes have taken the learning further.

There are 26 places in total; children attending in March 2024 were aged two to four. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions provide different ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning through play, with areas of learning and assessments helping staff plan activities and understand children's development. At Tree Tots, the practical examples from March 2024 make that framework tangible. Searching coloured rice for hidden objects and lifting them with tweezers exercised the small movements used for increasingly precise hand control. Pretend medical play gave children opportunities to imagine familiar situations and act them out together.

Mathematical ideas appeared inside activities rather than as a separate exercise. In March 2024, children explored shape and size while building, and discussed ingredient quantities when making dough. This gives numbers a purpose a young child can understand: quantities affect what they make, while shapes affect what they construct.

Stories and songs also featured in the March 2024 day. Adults discussed illustrations and characters with children, while singing happened daily. Conversations around a story invite children to explain what they notice, rather than simply listen to an adult read.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2024, outdoor play continued across different weather conditions. Bicycles, running, yoga and scavenger hunts offered different kinds of movement, from energetic exercise to balance and stretching. Nature searches added something to look for and talk about outside.

The builders role-play area brought planning and construction together. Children drew designs before using large bricks to make their buildings, linking an idea on paper with a physical structure. It also created a reason to cooperate: a shared building needs more than one child's ideas and effort.

School facilities extend the setting's surroundings beyond its own premises. Community walks and outings are included in its risk-assessment arrangements, although the March 2024 outdoor examples remain the clearest picture of how children used their environment.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions introduce a child to the pre-school and their key person while giving parents time to discuss support and care routines, including nappy changing. Familiarity is built before the usual attendance pattern begins. This makes settling a conversation about the individual child, rather than just an introduction to the building.

The Online Tapestry Learning Journal shares photographs and short accounts of play, and parents can contribute experiences from home. Parents' evenings provide time to discuss development and next steps; termly newsletters offer a separate channel for setting news. These serve different purposes: the journal gives a window into daily experiences, while a meeting allows a fuller discussion.

In March 2024, children practised cutting fruit, spreading bread and washing their plates after snacks. Handwashing and wiping their own noses were also encouraged. Everyday care was used as an opportunity to practise independence, with adults helping children work through frustration and feelings.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND made good progress, with staff recognising developmental concerns promptly, seeking specialist involvement and using targeted plans. A SENCO role remains part of the staff structure, providing a specific point of responsibility for additional needs.

The current care arrangements include discussing behaviour concerns with parents so that home and pre-school can use a consistent response. Prescribed medication can be administered after the relevant form has been completed. Daily risk assessments cover the building; toys, equipment and outings are also assessed.

Sessions and Attendance

Tree Tots is based at Jotmans Hall Primary School, High Road, Benfleet, SS7 5RG. Sessions run Monday to Friday: mornings are 9am to noon, afternoons noon to 3pm, and full days 9am to 3pm. A shorter session therefore offers a different attendance pattern from staying through the day, rather than simply a different collection time.

In March 2024, the pre-school operated during term time. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone, and funding application forms can be requested by phone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes eligible two-year-old places, the two-year working-parent 30-hour entitlement, 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and an eligible extended 30-hour entitlement for that age group. Eligibility conditions apply. Private sessions and hours beyond a child's funded allowance are also charged. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation.

Snacks, requested lunches and consumables carry separate voluntary contributions, with donation or bringing snack and lunch from home offered as alternatives when families cannot contribute. The funding and fees information explains this structure, which matters when comparing the cost of funded hours with a family's complete attendance plan.

Moving on to School

Tree Tots describes a close relationship with Jotmans Hall Primary School and occupies its grounds. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families seeking a state-school place still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Transition work includes visits to schools and visits from teachers to meet the children. Developmental records are shared when a child moves settings or attends another setting alongside Tree Tots, helping the next team understand the child's learning so far.

• Challenge during play. The March 2024 improvement point was about adults taking children's learning further through their interactions. During a visit, ask how staff now develop a child's ideas beyond the starting activity, especially when that child is ready for more challenge.
• The weekly pattern. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions have clearly defined times. Ask how these can be combined across the week and whether the current calendar matches your family's term-time requirements.
• Contributions and food from home. Snack, requested lunch and consumables contributions are voluntary. Discuss how the donation and home-provided food alternatives would work for your chosen sessions, so the arrangement is clear before joining.
• A school site, with a separate application. Access to Jotmans Hall Primary School facilities is useful, but Reception admission remains a separate process. Choose the pre-school for its early-years provision rather than an assumed school place.

Tree Tots suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions as well as those wanting a full day. Its strongest practical features are the settling arrangements, the two-way Tapestry journal and a school-site setting with transition links. The March 2024 picture adds purposeful outdoor movement, imaginative construction and everyday independence. The balance is clear: plenty of worthwhile experiences, with the depth of adult interaction the specific point families should explore.