Pensilva Pre-School

All-weather playsuits, small-group language work and gym activities in the primary school hall give Pensilva Pre-School a clear character. Outdoor play is part of ordinary learning here, while the connection with Pensilva Primary School gives children opportunities to become familiar with a larger school environment before moving on.

Ofsted rated the setting Good at its July 2021 inspection. Pensilva has 21 places in total and accepts children from two and a half to five years old. It is a preschool choice for that age group rather than provision for babies.

Morning, afternoon and longer term-time sessions offer different ways to organise attendance. Parent involvement also has a formal place: an elected committee runs the preschool, with opportunities for parents and carers to participate.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships and the beginnings of literacy and mathematics. This is the shared early-years framework; Pensilva's practical approach includes weekly planning shaped by children's interests and observations of their development. Activities can therefore follow what engages a child while extending their learning.

Tizzy Time adds a specific language programme for children aged three to four, including those experiencing language delay. Groups of six to eight work on listening, vocabulary and sentence-building through interactive stories featuring Jake and Tizzy. A different story is used each week, and participating children take a copy home. That gives families a concrete way to continue the same language work beyond the session.

Children learn in mixed groups, with visual timetables and other visual prompts helping them anticipate the day's activities. The combination matters: children can learn alongside one another while having cues about what happens next. Regular routines provide structure around the play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor learning carry equal weight, and children can use both areas except in extreme weather. All-weather playsuits help keep outdoor play possible on rainy days. Climbing, cycling, crawling and running are among the physical activities, so movement is woven into the day rather than confined to an occasional exercise session.

The primary school hall is used for gym activities during the year. Besides providing space for movement, this introduces children to the size and sound of a school hall. Summer-term transition days, supported by preschool staff, build further familiarity with school life.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for individual care and learning, with the allocation reviewed after six weeks to allow relationships to develop. The key person also helps families reach specialist support where appropriate. This gives parents a clear contact whose role extends beyond recording activities.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to collect photographs, observations and comments about a child's experiences and development. Discussions with parents sit alongside those records. The useful feature is the connection between what staff notice, what families share and how the child's learning is planned.

Parents can also contribute through the preschool's committee. Its Annual General Meeting takes place in the autumn term, when the following year's committee is elected. This offers a practical route into the organisation of the setting, beyond conversations about an individual child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A lead SENCO role supports the preschool's work with additional needs. When staff or parents raise a concern, the process involves assessment, a plan developed with parents, implementation and review. Individual learning plans provide more targeted support, and professional links include speech and language therapists, health visitors and an area SENCO. These are specific mechanisms for responding to a child's needs.

Toilet training is not an entry hurdle: children are accepted whether they use nappies or the toilet. Families supply nappies and spare named clothing, and communication with staff helps maintain a consistent approach between home and preschool.

All staff hold paediatric first-aid qualifications and receive ongoing safeguarding and child-protection training. Safeguarding lead and deputy roles are assigned, and staff carry out daily checks of indoor and outdoor areas. These are care arrangements rather than a substitute for the dated inspection judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Pensilva Primary School, School Road, Pensilva, Liskeard, PL14 5PG. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07890023924 or through the contact form.

Attendance runs Monday to Friday during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3.15pm, and the longer day from 9am to 3.15pm. Breakfast club can start at 8am or 8.30am; breakfast is provided for children attending between 8am and 8.30am, with no breakfast served after 8.30am. Afterschool club runs from 3.15pm to 4.30pm only when demand is sufficient, so it is a conditional extension to the core sessions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including the universal 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday and additional funded hours for eligible children. Funding is delivered during term time, with neither banked nor stretched hours accommodated. The preschool's minimum starting age remains two and a half, including for children eligible for funding earlier.

The EY2c Parent Declaration Form must be completed fully and returned on time for funding to be used. Supporting documents include proof of the child's date of birth and, where applicable, eligibility-code details. Attendance before the completed declaration is handed in is charged privately. This makes the paperwork part of arranging funded attendance, rather than an administrative detail to leave until later.

Lunch can be supplied from home or purchased as a hot meal, freshly prepared by Aspen in the Pensilva Primary School kitchen on a three-week menu cycle. Snacks are served in small groups with milk or water.

Consumables have a mixed arrangement: parents provide nappies and apply sun cream before attendance, while a separate voluntary consumables charge can be accepted or refused. Private session charges apply to hours outside funding; current prices belong in the preschool's written quotation. The fees and funding page explains the payment and declaration arrangements.

School preparation includes supported transition days and invitations for children's future Reception teachers to meet them and discuss their learning. Being based at Pensilva Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time coverage. The three core session patterns operate during term time, and the afterschool extension depends on sufficient demand. Families needing holiday care or a dependable later finish should weigh that against their working pattern.
• Language support in practice. Tizzy Time combines small-group work with stories taken home. At a visit, ask how participation and the key-person review would be organised for your child.
• Funding paperwork. A completed EY2c declaration is required before funding can be used, and attendance beforehand is charged privately. Build the form and supporting documents into your starting arrangements.
• School familiarity and admissions. Hall activities and transition days introduce children to school life, but attendance does not secure a Reception place. Keep the school application separate from choosing preschool.

Pensilva suits families choosing between morning attendance, afternoon sessions and a longer term-time day. Outdoor access, Tizzy Time and practical school-transition work give those sessions substance, while key-person care and individual learning plans provide clear support mechanisms. The conditional afterschool club and term-time calendar are the principal practical limits. For families whose timetable fits, this is a preschool with concrete ways to connect play, language and preparation for school.