Cheylesmore Pre-School

A large shared playroom, a covered outdoor area and a physical garden give Cheylesmore Pre-School a clear emphasis on play and movement. Based at Cheylesmore Community Centre in Coventry, it combines spaces for construction, imaginative games and messy learning rather than organising its offer around a list of named rooms. That makes the layout an important part of choosing it.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective help to participate alongside other children. The main improvement concerned helping the youngest children take greater responsibility for their personal care. Warm relationships and practical learning sit alongside that specific next step.

The pre-school has capacity for 42 children aged two to five. Attendance is term-time only, with paid full days, morning and afternoon sessions, plus several funded-only patterns. Families can choose between shorter sessions and longer days, but the funded timetable needs its own careful reading.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play across its seven areas of learning. Here, the large playroom separates quieter activities from construction, role play and messy learning, giving children different ways to explore and take part. There is also a designated area for children under two.

In April 2024, staff planned learning around what individual children could already do and what they needed to practise next. Teaching happened within games and everyday routines, including getting coats on for outdoor play. This gives a useful picture of the approach: learning was woven into ordinary activity rather than confined to a separate lesson.

Language work was concrete. In April 2024, children joined action songs and story conversations, while adults repeated their words and allowed time for answers. Staff also used additional programmes to guide speaking activities. For parents, the useful detail is the conversational pace: children had opportunities to think and contribute, rather than simply listen.

Imaginative and cooperative play also featured in April 2024. A pretend safari prompted discussion about animals and their food; younger children rebuilt block towers, while older children took turns with a hammer-and-ramp ball game. These examples show different kinds of participation, from shared construction to waiting for a turn.

Outdoor and Community Life

The covered outdoor area, large play area and physical garden extend the play space beyond the main room. Families choosing this pre-school should weigh that outdoor provision alongside its indoor layout, especially for a child who enjoys movement and hands-on activity.

In April 2024, outdoor play included wheeled toys and experiments with water, sand and utensils. Pouring into differently sized containers introduced language about volume and capacity. Physical activity and early mathematical ideas met in the same game.

Drama Tots is an additional activity covered by the snacks and consumables contribution, alongside trips, special events and parties. Its place in the charge structure matters when comparing attendance costs: the contribution covers more than everyday supplies.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2024, children sought comfort from familiar adults, and staff changed the play environment to suit children's interests and needs. That is a useful account of responsive care: relationships influenced both reassurance and the activities children encountered.

An open-door policy encourages parents to contribute and be involved. In April 2024, parents were positive about the information they received on care and learning. The current invitation to participate and that dated feedback offer two different perspectives on communication, rather than a promise that every family's experience will be identical.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENDco role and a designated safeguarding lead. Staff hold Enhanced DBS checks and have completed safeguarding and paediatric first-aid training. These are practical arrangements; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection position above.

Independence deserves close attention. In April 2024, children chose activities and practised skills such as cutting paper with scissors, but the youngest children needed more opportunities to manage personal care as soon as they were ready. For families approaching toilet training or greater independence with clothing, that is the most useful issue to explore during a visit.

Sessions and Attendance

Cheylesmore Pre-School operates during term time and closes for school holidays. Paid sessions comprise a full day from 8am to 5pm, a morning from 8am to 12.30pm, or an afternoon from 12.30pm to 5pm. These are different booking options, rather than merely an opening window.

Funded-only arrangements have their own times: five days from 9am to 3pm for 30 hours, five mornings from 9am to noon for 15 hours, or five afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm for 15 hours. Another option uses two or four days, from 8.30am to 4pm or 9am to 4.30pm, for 15 or 30 hours respectively. Extra hours require booking at least 24 hours ahead.

The setting is based at Cheylesmore Community Centre, Coventry, CV3 5JX. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 02475093679 or through its contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the two-year-old entitlement for eligible families, universal funding of up to 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances, and extended funding of up to 30 hours for eligible working families. Delivery is term-time. Private sessions and additional paid hours are also offered; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Snacks are charged separately through a weekly contribution, as are wipes and sun cream. This applies to funded places too. Families may opt out, in which case they supply snacks meeting the healthy-eating policy, wipes and sun cream, and make further contributions towards events and parties where required. The fees and funding page explains this arrangement.

A deposit is required, with repayment through the final invoice conditional on giving four weeks' notice; for funded-only attendance, it is deducted after the first complete term. Targeted two-year-old funded-only sessions require no deposit and follow a separate booking rule: they are offered one month before term begins, in order of application, with preferred sessions not guaranteed.

• Younger starters. The main age range is two to five, while the designated under-two area and funded offer extend to younger children. How would an 18-month-old's attendance and use of that area be arranged?
• Personal-care independence. In April 2024, the youngest children needed more opportunities to handle personal care when ready. During a visit, explore how adults now support clothing, toileting and increasing independence.
• Funded timetable and contributions. Funded-only mornings and full days have different times from paid sessions, and snacks and supplies sit within a separate contribution. Choose the actual timetable and opt-out arrangement together when weighing the fit for family routines.

Cheylesmore Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those wanting full days. Its shared playroom and outdoor spaces give play a substantial physical setting, while the April 2024 observations describe learning through conversation, imaginative games and practical exploration.

The decision turns on the details: the funded timetable, the contribution for snacks and supplies, and how the youngest children are helped towards personal-care independence. Those are more useful distinctions than the Good grade alone.