Moulton Pre-School

Parent volunteers help run the charity, children have a large outdoor play area, and learning reaches beyond the pre-school through community visitors and trips. Moulton Pre-School has a village identity with practical substance: a committee that families can join, individual key workers and an online account of each child's learning.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and disabilities benefited from personalised support involving outside professionals. Those judgements belong to that visit. The two educational priorities were more consistent teaching about healthy eating and dental care, and broader exploration of cultures and traditions beyond the local community.

There is capacity for 45 children in total. Entry begins in the term after a child's second birthday, while morning, afternoon and all-day attendance give families different ways to organise their week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and development, with play used to build skills and understanding. Here, the daily timetable combines music and movement, conversation around stories, small-group activities and messy play. Children also have time to choose their own play.

Children's interests shape the learning. In June 2023, cutting paper for rainbow-fish pictures gave children a chance to revisit their scissor skills, while lively storytelling introduced unfamiliar vocabulary. Staff allowed time for children to answer questions rather than rushing to supply the answer themselves.

Nature provides another strand. Children explore how living things change, examine their features and learn about caring for their immediate surroundings. Planting, growing and learning about life cycles connect discussion with things children can observe. This is a useful complement to stories and creative play, giving questions about the natural world a concrete starting point.

The Creepy Crawly Show brought a story to life during a special visit, followed by opportunities to touch creatures including a snake, a tarantula and a baby hedgehog. It was an individual event, rather than a weekly programme. Its value lies in the direct encounter: children could connect a story with animals they could see close up.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large outdoor play area supports den building, balance activities and exploring nature. Outdoor play is part of the daily timetable, and families are asked to provide suitable winter clothing because garden activities continue in colder weather. For children who enjoy physical play, the outdoor space is a substantial part of the offer.

Past outings have included Delamere Forest, Chester Zoo and Wheelock Farm. These destinations bring different environments into children's experience, although they should be read as examples of trips rather than a fixed schedule. Community visitors have included beekeepers and emergency-service professionals, adding opportunities to learn about work beyond the pre-school.

In June 2023, children visited a local care home to share songs and stories with residents. A vegetable patch also gave them an everyday connection with growing food. These activities linked learning with other people and the garden, though the educational priority about wider cultures remained an important counterweight to the strong local emphasis.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker who gets to know the family and uses that knowledge to plan individual learning.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to bring together observations, photographs and videos. Parents can view it on a computer or through an app and contribute things their child does at home. That creates a practical link between home experiences and pre-school learning: an interest outside the setting can become useful information for staff.

In June 2023, staff gathered information about children when they first started, using it to support settling. Children formed close relationships with adults and friendships with one another. Clear expectations about behaviour were reinforced through the way staff spoke and acted, alongside encouragement when children persisted with a challenge.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SEND policy sets out individual planning, collaboration with outside agencies and parental involvement throughout assessment and review. Targeted interventions are reviewed with families every six weeks, with new targets agreed afterwards. This gives parents a defined review process and a way to discuss whether support needs to change.

A SENCO role and a safeguarding lead role are in place. The team also has paediatric first-aid training.

Breakfast and snacks follow a seven-week menu rotation with both cold and warm choices, while lunch is brought from home. Breakfast and the after-school snack are included in their respective session fees, and the morning snack is provided.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm. The main pre-school patterns are Morning Sessions from 9am to noon, Afternoon Sessions from noon to 3pm, and All Day Sessions from 9am to 3pm.

Before School runs from 8am to 9am and After School from 3pm to 5.30pm, for children aged two to eleven. The Before and After School Club includes transfers to and from Moulton Primary School. For a family with children at different stages, that school connection may make the club useful alongside a younger child's pre-school attendance.

The calendar follows school terms. Attendance patterns can be flexible where they preserve continuity for children, rather than disrupting their familiar routine. Applications can be returned by email to enquiry@moultonpre-school.org.uk; the application process includes contact in the term before the requested start to arrange visits.

Getting There

The address is Back Room Moulton Village Hall, Main Road, Moulton, CW9 8PB. The application form also uses the Village Hall address, while other information uses St Stephens Church Hall; the visit-location question below matters before making arrangements.

The SEND policy describes ramps, accessible toilets and disabled parking by the entrance. Families needing these facilities should include their particular access needs in the visit discussion.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted under the categories 2 year funding, 3-4 year old funding and 30 hours funding. The two-year-old offer is subject to eligibility. Funded hours are delivered during term time, with 15 or 30 hours per week across 38 weeks, and additional private sessions can be purchased.

For funded attendance, packed lunch comes from home and there is no separate meals or snacks charge in the charge schedule. Parents supply nappies, wipes and cream where needed, as well as labelled sunscreen for warm weather; this applies to the supplies children bring for their sessions, including funded attendance. The same schedule assigns no separate consumables charge.

Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation. The sessions and fees page sets out the booking choices and funding structure, helping families distinguish their funded hours from additional paid attendance.

The pre-school describes links with Moulton Primary School. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families still use the local authority admissions process. Separately, in June 2023, school transition involved visits and conversations to prepare children for the move, which is useful preparation rather than an admissions advantage.

• The visit location. The application form gives the Village Hall address, while the sessions information names St Stephens Church Hall. Confirm which hall hosts your child's sessions and where the visit will take place.
• Health habits and wider cultures. The June 2023 priorities concerned dental care, healthy eating and learning beyond the local community. Ask how these now appear in everyday activities, including the approach to drinks brought from home.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and all-day choices serve different routines, but the term calendar creates breaks in provision. Match the attendance plan to your family's school-holiday arrangements.
• Individual support. The SEND policy includes six-week reviews with parents. For a child needing additional support, use the visit to discuss initial targets, outside-agency involvement and how those reviews would work for your family.

Moulton suits families seeking a community-run pre-school with morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a 9am-to-3pm day and school-linked wraparound care. The outdoor space, nature activities and Tapestry learning journal give that offer substance. Parent involvement is part of its structure, too.

The June 2023 Good judgement provides a positive dated assessment, with clear educational priorities to explore before joining. Term-time provision and the hall-location question are the practical considerations that deserve attention alongside the learning and care.