Westnewton Pre School

Weekly church or beach outings, woodwork and a garden room give Westnewton Pre School a clear outdoor identity. Exploration extends beyond the nursery garden: children use local surroundings as places to investigate, play and practise managing risk. This is a setting where clothing and the practicalities of outdoor days matter to the family routine.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding and found safeguarding effective, with exceptional progress supported by teaching that developed children's existing skills and interests. That judgement belongs to the provision inspected then, when children were aged two to four; the present offer extends from nine months to school entry.

There are 20 places in total, within the school setting at Westnewton.

Term-time attendance includes full-day and half-day choices, with a shorter Friday. The strongest reason to consider it, however, is the relationship between everyday learning and the outdoors, rather than the length of the day.

Rooms and Ages

The Garden Room serves children approaching Reception, combining a Montessori style of learning with a dedicated woodwork workshop. Here, the named approach sits alongside a tangible activity: children have a space for making and working with materials. It gives families something concrete to discuss when considering the pre-school stage.

Elsewhere, the conservatory takes inspiration from Reggio Emilia, with the Atelier workshop area emphasising exploration of processes and imaginative thinking. The practical detail is the workshop itself, rather than a promise attached to a pedagogical label. The broader environment includes a garden room where loose materials can be used across indoor and outdoor space.

The age offer now begins at nine months. Families considering a baby place should therefore distinguish the current younger-age provision from the older children's experiences behind the dated inspection judgement.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning framework: play and activities develop communication, movement and relationships alongside early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. These areas connect to the child's day through adult-guided activities and play that children choose themselves. Neither takes over the whole routine.

Simon Nicholson’s loose part theory adds a specific way of using materials. Shells, metal, fir cones and wood can become different things in children's play, rather than having one fixed purpose. This creates opportunities to discuss ideas and work through practical problems together. For children approaching Reception, philosophy for children sessions extend the emphasis on thinking and discussion.

Children also make plans for their play and discuss what they have done with peers and Key Workers afterwards. That gives adults a way to hear children's intentions, rather than judging an activity solely by its finished product. Pouring drinks and learning to put on coats and wellingtons bring independence into ordinary routines.

In November 2022, learning included using dice and toy bears to explore quantities and comparisons, while younger children used simple signing to express what they wanted.

Outdoor and Community Life

Church School and Beach School are the weekly Friday outdoor destinations. Church School involves exploring a local church and its surroundings, with games and craft activities; the church also offers shelter for packed lunches. Beach School uses the beach and dunes for investigating the local environment and learning about risk. Outdoor visits continue in different weather conditions, so suitable clothing is part of participation.

Parents take children directly to the Friday destination and collect them there. This is a substantial feature of the attendance pattern, not simply an outing added to the usual nursery day. Children need outdoor footwear, appropriate clothing and a packed lunch.

The Eco-Hyde adds climbing challenges within the setting, while the garden includes ride-on equipment and spaces for conversation. Local walks extend the outdoor approach beyond Friday. In November 2022, children explored the village daily and used cemetery headstones to identify familiar letters and numbers, connecting early learning with places in their community.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has Key Workers who support settling and remain a point of contact for the family. Parents can share health and wellbeing updates before a session or arrange a conversation when the day finishes. The practical value is continuity: the people supporting the child also receive information about changes at home.

Tapestry is the child's online learning journey, bringing observations and achievements into a record that parents can contribute to. Meetings with Key Workers provide another opportunity to discuss development, and families can download the record when the child's nursery education finishes. Newsletters and comments on observations keep communication going between meetings.

In November 2022, children had close relationships with staff and settled readily. Staff listened to children and modelled respectful behaviour; older children helped younger ones. These examples give substance to the dated inspection position on relationships, rather than turning it into a general promise about every future child's experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO and deputy SENCO, alongside designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles. Key Workers provide the everyday route for sharing a child's needs, health and wellbeing. These are identifiable responsibilities within the team, giving families a starting point for conversations about additional support.

Food can fit different attendance choices: the school kitchen prepares nursery lunches for a separate charge and caters for food allergies, while families may send a packed lunch instead. Morning sessions include a provided fruit snack.

A password arrangement applies when an alternative adult collects a child in an emergency. Parents give staff both the collector's name and the password beforehand. Following sickness or diarrhoea, children must have a clear 48-hour interval before returning, a practical consideration for families arranging work and childcare.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Matthews C of E School, Westnewton, CA7 3NT. Opening hours run from 8.45am to 3.15pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 9am to 1pm on Friday, during term time. This is a school-term routine, so families need their childcare arrangements to fit that calendar.

Full-day and half-day attendance are both offered. Starts can be agreed for 8.45am, 9am or noon; full days finish at 3.15pm, while Friday is a half day from 9am to 1pm. The choice of starting point allows different routines, but the Friday outdoor location also affects where parents bring and collect their child.

Placement enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. The useful discussion is about a child's intended pattern, including whether the Friday destination fits the family's travel arrangements.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are offered. Funding includes 15 hours from a child's second birthday, or 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds where parents or carers meet the funding criteria. Attendance is term-time; eligibility conditions matter when deciding which hours a family can use.

Lunches are charged separately, including alongside funded attendance. Charges also apply to unfunded places and additional attendance beyond the funded entitlement. Families can choose a packed lunch instead of the nursery lunch, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The pre-school occupies space at St Matthews School. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Nursery learning and school admissions are separate decisions.

• Friday means a different location. Weekly Church School or Beach School visits require parents to bring and collect children at the destination, with outdoor clothing and a packed lunch. Consider how that fits your Friday routine.
• A younger starting age. Care now begins at nine months, while the November 2022 judgement concerned children aged two to four. During a visit, how are settling, sleep and the daily environment arranged for babies?
• Term-time attendance and paid lunches. Full-day and half-day choices operate within the school-term calendar, and nursery lunches carry a separate charge. Weigh the attendance pattern and food choice together when reviewing a quotation.

Westnewton suits families seeking either full-day or half-day term-time attendance who want outdoor exploration to be a substantial part of nursery life. Church School, Beach School and the workshop spaces give that preference practical expression. Friday requires family involvement in the travel arrangements.

The Outstanding November 2022 judgement provides a strong dated assessment of the older-age provision. For parents considering the current baby offer, the younger-age arrangements deserve their own attention alongside the established outdoor character and Key Worker communication.