Silsoe Pre-School

A small communication den, summer fruit and vegetable growing, and a speech-and-language programme give Silsoe Pre-School a recognisable character: practical play with conversation woven through it. This charity pre-school serves children aged two to four on Chestnut Avenue in Silsoe and has capacity for 36 children. It shares the premises of the Lower School, Silsoe C of E VC; attending preschool does not secure a later school place.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Silsoe Pre-School Outstanding and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The most useful detail beneath that grade is how children's interests shaped activities: a fascination with planting led to imaginative play with natural materials, supported by reference books and new vocabulary.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance run during term time.

Rooms and Ages

The meadow room and forest room each have a room leader. Both classrooms are at ground level, making access between the entrance and learning spaces straightforward. A small den provides a quieter communication space, while fundraising has also supported improvements to the book zone and quiet corner. These are useful alternatives to busier play when a child wants to talk or spend time with a book.

In September 2024, children chose activities indoors and in the garden. Staff extended their planting interests through imaginative play with natural materials and illustrations, combining children's choices with adult guidance.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS structures learning through play, exploration, movement and creative thinking, indoors and outside. It is the shared early-years framework; Silsoe's approach within it follows children's interests. Language, relationships and physical development sit alongside early number work, literacy, art and understanding the world, so school preparation includes talking, cooperating and investigating as well as beginning to recognise letters and numbers.

Lift off to Language is a speech-and-language programme, complemented by the communication den.

In September 2024, popular stories supplied themes for activities, while observations helped staff decide what each child should explore next. Reference books also entered play, connecting children's questions with pictures and information. At that inspection, Ofsted found that teaching and work with visiting professionals supported children's progress and that children approached the move to school as confident communicators.

Outdoor and Community Life

Summer growing involves fruit and vegetables, giving children something tangible to connect with discussions about food. Daily opportunities for movement include cycling, climbing, throwing and dancing, and external professionals regularly provide activities such as football coaching. Physical play therefore has both child-led and organised elements.

Weekly wellbeing activities include yoga, learning about emotions, healthy eating and looking after teeth. In September 2024, village walks, contact with a local retirement home and church, and collecting food for a food bank extended children's experiences beyond the classrooms. Staff explained the purpose of the collection, making helping others something children could understand through an actual task.

Relationships and Communication

A Stay & Play session at the beginning of a child's joining term introduces the setting and the child's key person. Parents can meet the wider team while their child explores. This gives settling a shared starting point, with an opportunity to meet the child's key person during Stay & Play.

Evidence Me observations give parents individual learning updates. Friday emails cover the group's planning and learning, providing material for conversations at home.

In September 2024, families could borrow books, games and activities from a lending library. Children also brought photographs and objects from home in boxes to share with others. These opportunities connected home life with preschool conversations, letting children talk about people and traditions that mattered to them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A designated SENDCO coordinates support, works with families and external agencies, and reviews children's next steps. Support can be organised through a written SEND Plan or an EHCP, with regular reviews involving parents. Where needed, preparations before a child starts include professional meetings, Health Care Plans, relevant staff training and assessments of access to activities.

Practical accessibility includes an adapted toilet with a handrail and changing facilities, plus disabled parking in the Lower School car park. Speech-and-language therapists and a SEND advisory teacher are among the professionals with whom the setting has regular contact. These are identifiable mechanisms for discussing a child's needs and arranging support.

The staff structure includes safeguarding lead and deputy roles, a SENCO and a physical-and-nutrition coordinator. Current wellbeing work covers emotional regulation as well as food and oral health. In September 2024, adults helped children recognise feelings and consider what to do when upset or anxious, using consistent expectations across the setting.

Transition arrangements include meetings, sharing SEND and EHCP documentation, and inviting receiving schools or settings to observe children where practical. That supports continuity of care; it does not confer an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Silsoe Pre-School is on Chestnut Avenue, Silsoe, Bedford, MK45 4GP. Attendance is term-time only, Monday to Friday: morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3.15pm, and full days from 9am to 3.15pm. The funded-session information also describes half-day attendance using either the morning or afternoon window.

Applications are made using an application form, with new admissions organised termly and mid-term starts dependent on availability. Existing families can request session changes before places are allocated to new starters. Deferring confirmed additional preschool sessions creates a new waiting-list request for those sessions.

For two-year-olds, the stated staffing arrangement is one adult to four children, better than the legal minimum of one to five. The stated arrangement for children aged three to four is one to eight, which meets the standard minimum. Neither figure describes the number of children in a room.

Sharing premises with Silsoe C of E VC Lower School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority's admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible two-year-olds can use up to 15 funded hours, and three- and four-year-olds have access to the universal 15-hour entitlement; eligible families can also use 30 funded hours. Delivery is term-time, with the universal entitlement described over a 38-week school year. Funding entitlement does not guarantee a place or a particular session pattern.

The Happy & Healthy Learners Package is a separately invoiced contribution requested from families using funded hours, covering snacks, learning resources, cooking ingredients, events and non-food consumables such as wet wipes and nappy bags. It is invoiced monthly; families receiving certain benefits who qualify for EYPP or are government supported may opt out by email, with no change to their child's care, activities or opportunities.

Families provide a packed lunch for afternoon attendance, while funded-hours snacks are covered by the separately charged package. The lunch-box policy asks families to exclude foods containing nuts or sesame because children attending have allergies.

A registration charge applies when a child attends more than five sessions weekly or is ineligible for government funding on their start date. It covers application administration. Private sessions are also offered; current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure explained on its fees and session information page.

• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-day patterns stop outside term time. Families needing holiday childcare will need a separate arrangement.
• Settling and session changes. Visits can be arranged with your child. Use one to discuss the Stay & Play introduction and how the waiting-list rules would affect later requests for additional sessions.
• Funded-hours extras. The Happy & Healthy Learners Package is requested and invoiced monthly, with an opt-out for the specified qualifying families. Include this and any applicable registration charge when reviewing a written quotation.
• Lunch-box allergies. The policy excludes nuts and sesame from packed lunches. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and discuss any Health Care Plan before attendance begins.

Silsoe suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting a full day during term time. Its strongest practical details are the communication den, Lift off to Language, regular parent updates and a structured route for individual support. The September 2024 Outstanding judgement gives those arrangements a substantial inspection context.

The decision is chiefly about fit: term-time attendance, packed lunches and the funded-hours contribution need to work for the family. For parents who value interest-led play, active days and continuity between home, preschool and the next setting, there is plenty of concrete substance here.