Delaware Pre School

Forest School, a community-run organisation and a purpose-built classroom give Delaware Pre School its character. Based at Delaware Community Learning Centre in Albaston, Gunnislake, it takes children aged 9 months to 4 years and has 39 places in total. Outdoor activity has a clear place in the day, with space for climbing, riding and exploration rather than an indoor-only routine.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 14 March 2023. That judgement is useful context, but the detail matters more: the strengths included language development and relationships, while the youngest children's individual learning and older children's group activities needed more consistent attention.

Families can choose morning, afternoon or full-day care, with additional early and late sessions. The community model also gives parents a practical role in how the pre-school is run, through an elected committee and voluntary help.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences help children build communication, physical skills and independence. At Delaware, cooking, clay modelling and gardening add concrete ways to explore materials and practise using their hands. Topics change each week, giving activities a changing theme.

In March 2023, babies and toddlers explored sound with bells and developed movement through balancing, climbing and crawling. Water play supplied opportunities to hear mathematical language as they filled containers and emptied them again. These were simple experiences with several purposes: movement, exploration and conversation happened together.

Older children, in March 2023, practised recognising their names and connecting letters with sounds in friends' names. They also compared hand sizes and worked on counting and number recognition. Language was part of ordinary interaction, with adults describing children's actions and extending conversations through questions.

There were two important limits to this picture in March 2023. Whole-group activities did not consistently hold every older child's attention or deepen their learning; work with babies and toddlers also needed more precise attention to individual learning needs. The improvement actions called for better organisation of group activities and stronger staff monitoring and coaching for the youngest children. These are useful points to explore alongside the activities themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds outdoor exploration and exercise alongside the classroom programme. The playground and outdoor space support daily running, riding and climbing, while the outside area remains accessible to children. For families who value movement during the nursery day, that combination is a practical strength.

In March 2023, older children investigated birds and insects in the garden using magnifying glasses. Adults helped them approach wildlife carefully, linking curiosity with learning how to behave around living things. This gave nature study a concrete setting rather than leaving it as a classroom topic.

Visitors include the local Police, Fire brigade and Coastguards. Their visits bring people from outside the pre-school into children's experiences. Community involvement extends to families too: volunteers can contribute to fundraising, grounds maintenance or preparations for the Christmas nativity, according to the time they can give.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Person System gives each child a practitioner who oversees their development, reviews progress and maintains their achievement record. Parents contribute to the All about me file, helping staff celebrate achievements and plan what comes next. This supplies a specific way for home and pre-school to share knowledge about the child.

In March 2023, staff comforted upset babies and toddlers with cuddles, while older children drew adults into their games. Children also practised waiting for others to finish speaking and taking turns. Older children managed shoes and coats independently, making everyday routines part of preparation for greater independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described prompt identification of children needing extra help, with the special educational needs coordinator working alongside parents, staff and other agencies to address their individual needs. Those findings belong to that inspection date.

Current arrangements include a dedicated Special Educational Needs and Disabilities coordinator, staff background checks and first-aid certification. The classroom is purpose-built, and the outdoor play areas are secured and checked for suitability. These are concrete arrangements rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

The School Readiness Programme supports the move to primary school through visits and time with teachers. Delaware works with local schools, helping children become familiar with their next environment. This is transition preparation; attending the pre-school does not guarantee a school place.

Sessions and Attendance

Delaware opens Monday to Friday throughout the year, including school holidays. Full-day care runs from 7.30am to 5.30pm; the Morning Session is 9am to noon and the Afternoon Session noon to 3pm. Sessions between 9am and 3pm have a three-hour minimum.

Early Risers Club runs from 7.30am to 9am, and After School Club from 3pm to 5.30pm, allowing pre-school children to extend their attendance. These additions can be paid for in quarter-hour units and can form part of funded hours.

Holiday attendance follows the all-year-round pattern: the calendar reserves school-holiday sessions for all-year-round children. Training days and bank holidays bring closures, so year-round provision still has exceptions. Enquiries go by telephone or email through the pre-school's contact route.

Getting There

The address is Delaware Community Learning Centre, Albaston, Gunnislake, Cornwall, PL18 9EZ. The community centre provides the setting's base, with its purpose-built classroom and outdoor play space.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered to eligible children from 9 months old, with funded places also offered for children aged 3 and 4. Eligibility remains a condition of the younger children's offer. Private childcare is also offered, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page sets out the attendance and charge structure.

Healthy snacks include fresh fruit, while the hot snack at 4.15pm carries a separate meal charge. Funded new starters have no enrolment fee; non-funded new starters pay an enrolment charge that includes two hours of settling sessions, used in the way that best suits their child.

• Learning at both ends of the age range. The March 2023 improvement actions concerned individual learning for the youngest children and engagement in older children's group activities. During a visit, ask how staff now plan for these two needs.
• Attendance across holidays. Holiday sessions are for all-year-round children, and training days bring closures. Match the attendance pattern and calendar to the weeks your family needs care.
• The complete charge structure. A hot snack is charged separately and non-funded starters pay an enrolment charge. Ask whether meals and non-food consumables are included in your proposed funded or private arrangement.

Delaware suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those using full-day care with early or late additions. Forest School and daily outdoor movement give the experience a clear practical character; the Key Person System and All about me record offer a defined link between home and pre-school.

The community-run structure will also appeal to parents who want opportunities to contribute. Balance those strengths against the March 2023 concerns about individual learning for babies and toddlers and the organisation of older children's group activities. The activity list is useful, but how staff adapt those experiences to each child matters most.