Constantine Preschool

A weekly woodland session beside a stream gives Constantine Preschool a clear identity. Bosahan Woods is the setting for Forest School, where outdoor exploration and practical activities add a different rhythm to the preschool week. Back at the preschool, a purpose-built eco building provides the indoor base. Children can attend from their second birthday, and the setting has capacity for 26 children aged two to four.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Constantine Preschool Outstanding, found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children’s communication, including those with special educational needs. That is a dated judgement, but a substantial one. Its most useful detail is the connection between attentive adult conversation, practical challenges and children taking an active part in their learning.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning and afternoon sessions plus Breakfast Club and After School Club. This is a preschool with woodland learning and several ways to shape the day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, conversation, play and practical exploration give children ways to practise those developing skills. Forest School adds regular woodland experiences, with an emphasis on personal, social and emotional development through hands-on activity.

In March 2022, staff used children’s interests as starting points for longer conversations. A child’s observation about a buttercup became a discussion about making butter; talk about animals introduced new vocabulary concerning creatures active at night. These were small exchanges with educational substance. Adults allowed thinking time rather than filling every pause, giving children room to formulate an answer.

Practical challenges also featured in March 2022. Children copied an adult attempting to lift an object with tweezers, while other activities included learning to light fires safely. The thread connecting those examples was participation: children tried things themselves, with adult guidance, rather than simply watching a demonstration.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bosahan Woods hosts the weekly Forest School session. The preschool has a designated woodland space beside the stream, giving exploration a recognisable base. Activities include using tools, investigating through the senses and learning physical and social boundaries. The practical value is time to try, repeat and develop an interest outdoors.

The session schedule changes twice each year so children attending on different days can take part. Parents receive a letter covering learning aims, consent, safety information and the required kit. Clothing and attendance patterns therefore matter to the experience, as much as enthusiasm for being outside.

In March 2022, the preschool’s outdoor area had also been developed for children who preferred learning outside. Woodland activities included sharing the task of carrying long sticks, helping another child across an obstacle and clearing hazards from a friend’s route. These examples show how an outdoor task can combine physical effort with cooperation. The environment supplied the challenge; children had a part in solving it.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is assigned a key worker on starting. That person becomes the main contact for family queries, giving parents a clear point of continuity. Tapestry, a secure app, carries photographs, messages and information about the child; termly conversations with the key worker take place at the setting. The combination gives families both ongoing updates and a scheduled opportunity for a fuller discussion.

In March 2022, staff discussed individual children’s needs at the start of sessions and adjusted their support through observation. Adults acknowledged feelings and helped children work through upset, while encouraging them to do tasks for themselves. Independence was approached through practice and patient encouragement. For a parent, that is a useful picture of the care behind the more adventurous activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo role coordinates support for children with special educational needs, with other staff also undertaking SENCo training. The preschool works with families and outside agencies, identifies individual needs and reviews its approaches. These are concrete mechanisms for organising support, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

Current arrangements include employment checks before staff start and paediatric and emergency first aid qualifications for full-time staff. These describe the practical arrangements around care. The safeguarding judgement belongs to March 2022, as set out above.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Trebarvah Road, Constantine, Falmouth, TR11 5AG. Preschool opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, for children aged two, three and four.

Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am, with last admission at 8.45am. After School Club has separate 3pm to 4pm and 4pm to 5pm sessions on weekdays. These are useful extensions around the preschool sessions, and each is a separately priced booking option.

Families can enquire by telephone or email. The application route also leads to arranging a visit, making it possible to discuss how the session choices would fit a child’s routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid sessions are offered. Funding options include 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, 30-hour funding subject to eligibility, and 15-hour funding for eligible two-year-olds. Attendance is term-time only. Funding eligibility needs to be considered separately from the choice of paid sessions and clubs.

Breakfast Club and After School Club carry their own charges. Current prices come in the preschool’s written quotation; the fees and funding page sets out the session structure and funding routes.

In March 2022, the preschool occupied its own building within the grounds of Constantine Primary School. Attending the preschool does not guarantee a Reception place; families still need to follow the local authority admissions process.

• Woodland days and kit. Forest School takes place weekly, and its session schedule changes twice a year. At a visit, discuss how that rotation fits the days you intend to book and the kit your child will need.
• The complete childcare bill. Morning and afternoon sessions can be supplemented by separately charged clubs. Ask for a written quotation explaining how funding applies to your pattern, including the arrangements for meals, snacks and non-food consumables.
• A separate school application. The March 2022 school-site arrangement does not confer a Reception place. Plan the school application separately from the preschool booking.

Constantine Preschool suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with the option of breakfast and after-school provision during term time. Its clearest attraction is the weekly Forest School experience at Bosahan Woods, supported by a key worker relationship and Tapestry updates. The Outstanding March 2022 judgement adds weight to that offer, while the practical decision rests on whether the session choices and woodland schedule fit family life.