You & Me Pre-School

A cabin beside Chelmer Village’s green gives You & Me Pre-School a recognisable setting, while its charity structure gives parents a role beyond the daily routine. Based within the grounds of the Church of Our Saviour in Chelmsford, it accepts children from two until they move on to primary school as rising five-year-olds. There are 20 places in total. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than a count of children attending across the week.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Outstanding and found safeguarding effective, with children making exceptional progress and developing confident communication. The date matters: this is a strong assessment of practice at that visit, rather than a fresh judgement on today’s team.

The current day combines indoor and outdoor choices, shared stories and practical independence. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance sit within a term-time calendar. For parents, the clearest appeal is a preschool experience built around play and preparation for school, with a key person linking children’s learning to home.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through play, covering language, movement, relationships and the beginnings of literacy and mathematics alongside creative exploration. This is the early-years foundation rather than a separate branded programme. Here, weekly planning combines activities directed by adults with play children initiate themselves, allowing staff to respond to interests while covering the areas of learning.

Books are accessible throughout the preschool. The curriculum gives communication and language a central role, with questioning intended to extend children’s thinking and help them explain ideas. Its practical aims include using scissors, digging with a spade and giving meaning to marks on paper.

In June 2022, water play gave mathematics a practical setting. Children moved water between containers, compared quantities and used language about how full a jug was. Imaginative play included an ice-cream shop, where children invented flavours and discussed prices. Such examples show how conversation, pretend play and early number work could share the same activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor play are offered in both parts of the current day, with planned activities available in each. Quiet activities in the Cabin give children somewhere to pause when they need a calmer spell.

In June 2022, the mud kitchen supported pretend cooking, while planting tomatoes, flowers and herbs gave children direct experience of growth. Outdoors, brushes were used to make patterns and shapes, and children practised balancing and climbing. These were concrete opportunities to investigate materials and movement, rather than outdoor time serving only as a break from learning.

Circle time always includes a story and may also bring songs, rhymes or discussion. Before play ends, a warning accompanied by jingle bells helps children prepare for the change. Tidying then becomes part of the day’s learning, giving children responsibility for the space they share.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Person System assigns each child a practitioner when they start. This person helps with settling, observes development and maintains the child’s Learning Journal. Development records can be shared with parents, giving conversations about progress something concrete to work from. The arrangement also provides a consistent contact when a child needs additional help.

Settling takes account of children’s routines, preferences and interests. Families have ongoing access to their key person for discussion, alongside a yearly parents’ evening devoted to their child’s development. This combines ongoing conversation with a more concentrated review, rather than making families wait for a single formal meeting to raise something important.

In June 2022, children had close relationships with their key people and practised independence by pouring drinks and preparing fruit for snacks. Parent questionnaires also informed changes to provision. Those observations give substance to the preschool’s emphasis on relationships, while remaining a picture of that earlier period.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO) works with families, the child’s key person and relevant professionals on an individual support plan. Where appropriate, this may involve Speech and Language Therapists or Health Visitors. The mechanism is specific: support is planned around the child, with the adults involved working together.

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), additional funding to support eligible children’s learning, can pay for targeted resources, staff training or external support. How it is used is discussed with the child’s key person. These are possible uses of funding, rather than a promise that every child receives each intervention.

Staff have safeguarding and paediatric first aid training, and a designated safeguarding lead role is in place. The daily routine includes nappy changes and reminders for children learning to use the toilet. Clothing children can manage themselves supports that growing independence; protective clothing is supplied for messy activities, while uniform remains optional.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Cabin, Church of Our Saviour, Ashton Place, Chelmer Village, Chelmsford, CM2 6ST. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The preschool operates for 38 weeks each year, with dates aligned to Essex County Council’s calendar.

Morning Session runs from 9am to noon, Afternoon Session from noon to 3pm, and Full Day from 9am to 3pm. Children may follow different attendance patterns, but the preschool asks for at least two sessions each week; a Full Day counts as two sessions.

Enrolment forms are requested through 01245 466535 or manager@youandmepreschool.co.uk. Children can be added from birth, although attendance starts from age two. Allocation follows the date a completed form is received and the intended starting term, with starts generally offered in September, January or April. Future requests for extra sessions are subject to a separate waiting-list rule: priority goes to immediate starts and children already attending who wish to increase their current sessions.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool accepts the 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, funded provision for eligible two-year-olds and extended funding of up to 30 hours for eligible working families. Funding is used across the 38-week term-time year. Entitlement depends on the relevant age and family conditions; accepting funding does not itself establish a family’s eligibility.

Funding can cover all or part of session costs, and hours beyond a child’s entitlement are paid privately. Fees are due at the beginning of the term, including when a child is absent; families should obtain a current written quotation. The fees and funding page explains the structure.

Families supply packed lunches for afternoon or full-day attendance, while snacks have a separate voluntary contribution that parents may decline; the preschool’s nut-free policy excludes nuts and nut products from packed lunches. Lunches cannot be refrigerated or reheated, so an insulated container is recommended.

Parents also supply nappies, wipes and nappy sacks when needed. A further voluntary contribution supports resources and experiences, with an option to opt out. These contributions are separate from payment for additional childcare hours.

• Term-time fit. The 38-week calendar and 3pm finish suit preschool attendance alongside school terms. Families needing care through holidays or later afternoons should weigh that timetable carefully.
• Building familiarity. At least two sessions a week are requested, and a full day counts as two. During a visit, discuss how the key person would introduce your child to the routine within your intended pattern.
• Lunch and allergies. Afternoon attendance includes a packed lunch, and food cannot be heated or refrigerated. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice alongside the nut-free policy.
• Parent participation. A voluntary committee, largely made up of current or former parents, meets each half term. Families can contribute through committee work, fundraising or practical help such as gardening, making this a setting where parental involvement can extend beyond development discussions.

You & Me suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as a full preschool day, within a school-term timetable. Its strongest current practical features are the consistent key-person contact, indoor and outdoor choice, and clear place for stories and independence in the routine.

The Outstanding judgement from June 2022 adds substantial historical weight. The present decision rests on whether this cabin-based, parent-involved charity and its session pattern match the child and family. For those who value that combination, it deserves serious consideration.