Willow Tree Pre-School Charitable Incorporated Organisation

Outdoor learning gives Willow Tree its character: Cherry Lane Adventure Playground is its base, with forest areas, play equipment and Cherry Lane Playing Fields next door. Its Willow Woody sessions take learning outside, giving children practical challenges and opportunities to explore nature. This is a parent-supported charity with a clear emphasis on play and participation.

The preschool welcomes children aged 2 to 4 and has 48 places in total. At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged provision Good and safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of today's provision.

Morning and afternoon preschool sessions sit alongside separately charged after-school care for preschool children aged 3 and over. For families, that makes the distinction between the preschool day and its additional care important when planning attendance.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care, with child-chosen play and activities guided by adults helping children build knowledge and practical skills. Willow Tree adds its Forest School ethos: children explore natural surroundings, tackle real-life challenges and learn about taking manageable risks. The emphasis is on doing and discovering.

Willow Woody is the preschool's named Forest School provision, with sessions led by trained staff at Cherry Lane Adventure Playground. Forest areas and daily use of outdoor equipment give that approach a physical setting. For a child who enjoys movement and exploration, the outdoor space is a substantial part of the offer rather than an occasional destination.

In June 2022, children used a track for scooters and bikes, and explored a sticky mixture through imaginative jungle play. Activities also included making marks in sand and using tricycles and balance bikes. These examples show how physical movement, sensory exploration and imagination were combined during that period.

Practical independence had a place too. In June 2022, children prepared fruit with knives, managed their coats and served themselves drinks. Caring for stick insects, a tortoise and a gecko gave them tasks involving other living things. These were concrete opportunities to practise responsibility, rather than simply hear about it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Visits include farms, museums and theatres, with parents invited to take part. Regular workshops also bring families into children's activities. The value is the connection between learning at preschool and experiences shared with a parent, rather than a separate programme of entertainment.

Langley Green Children and Family centre provides another community connection: preschool managers participate in its partnership board, exchanging information and support for families. Parents also elect the charity's trustees. Their responsibilities include finances, staffing, policies and fundraising, so family involvement reaches beyond helping at an event.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with parents on care and learning. A journal tracks achievements, while conversations help establish the child's next steps. Completing the All about Me part of the learning journal gives staff information about familiar routines before they begin planning support.

Settling sessions precede regular attendance, and an individual settling plan can be arranged for children who need more time. That gives families a way to shape the start around their child's response. Prescribed medicines can be administered once permission paperwork is completed and insurance arrangements are agreed where applicable.

Communication continues through updates, meetings and newsletters. Parents can contribute information about interests at home, and children receive a book bag so they can borrow books to read with their families. This gives parents a practical role in learning between sessions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support is organised through the key person, the SENCO and other professionals as appropriate. With parental consent, the Target Setting Support (TSS) team can advise; Portage and Sensory Support are also involved when relevant. Individual Educational Plans can bring staff and professionals together around shared strategies and goals.

The main hall, toilets and outdoor areas are wheelchair accessible. Visual timetables help children understand routines, and language books are shared with families whose children use English as an additional language. These are specific mechanisms families can consider against their child's needs.

Moving on to school includes arranging visits in both directions: children visit schools and teachers visit the preschool. When children attend another setting, their learning next steps can be shared to support continuity. This is preparation for a change of setting, with familiar information travelling alongside the child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Cherry Lane Adventure Playground, Cherry Lane, Langley Green, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 7NX. Preschool morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoon sessions run from 11.45am to 2.45pm. Families can register their interest through the preschool's enquiry form, or contact the team by telephone or email.

After-school care is an additional paid option for preschool children from age 3, starting at 2.45pm and finishing at either 5pm or 6pm. For school-age children, the walking collection service serves Langley Green Primary School and Our Lady Queen of Heaven. Those collection arrangements are a care service, with no implication of an admissions relationship.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid preschool sessions are both offered. The funding options include 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds, up to 30 hours for eligible working parents of two-year-olds, and the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, covering 38 weeks and starting from the term after their third birthday. Eligible three- and four-year-old families can also receive 30 hours. The entitlement is expressed on a term-time basis, with the three- and four-year-old schemes covering 38 weeks.

Private preschool care is charged by session, with payment possible per attendance or for several sessions ahead. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Missed paid sessions remain chargeable, including absence through illness, so attendance commitments have a direct bearing on the family budget.

Children attending the afternoon session bring lunch from home. After-school care includes a snack as part of its activities.

• Younger children in group activities. In June 2022, Ofsted identified a need to organise larger-group activities better for younger children and improve staff monitoring so language teaching was consistently good. A visit is an opportunity to ask how group sessions and staff support have changed.
• Planning the afternoon. Afternoon preschool requires a packed lunch, while additional after-school care starts from age 3. These are different arrangements to account for when choosing sessions and planning food.
• Individual support. Settling plans, wheelchair access and external-professional involvement provide concrete starting points. Families needing additional support can use a visit to discuss how the key person and SENCO would apply these arrangements to their child.

Willow Tree suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions with an emphasis on outdoor exploration, and those wanting additional after-school care once their child is old enough. Willow Woody, the playground setting and parent participation give it a recognisable character.

The June 2022 assessment provides a positive starting point, alongside specific improvement priorities about group activities and language teaching. For parents, the strongest decision rests on the fit between that outdoor approach, the session pattern and the child's individual care needs.