Molly's Pre-School

Stories, small experiments and trips into the surrounding community give Molly's Pre-School its character. Based within Langafel C of E Primary School in Longfield, it has 33 places in total, with a preschool day organised around term-time sessions rather than the school holidays.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged Molly's Good overall, found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The practical detail behind that judgement matters: children explored melting ice with pipettes and used pictures to understand routines; families received story sacks and ideas for learning beyond preschool.

There was also a clear improvement point. Staff needed to communicate more consistently about behaviour expectations. That gives parents a useful question alongside the positive findings, rather than a reason to overlook them.

Morning and afternoon sessions are offered, with a lunch club between them. Families can therefore consider different parts of the preschool day, while keeping its school-term calendar in mind.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical experiences help children build skills together. At Molly's, the November 2024 examples show how that can work in ordinary activities.

Books had a substantial place in the day. In November 2024, children sought out adults to read with them, talked about the stories and combined reading with close, comforting interaction. For a child beginning to enjoy books, that makes reading a shared pleasure as well as an opportunity to practise language.

Experimenting had its place too. During the same month, staff supplied pipettes for an investigation into melting ice and changed resources to sustain children's interest. Questions encouraged children to think further about their discoveries. The useful distinction is between simply setting out an activity and helping children explore what happens within it.

Independent effort was encouraged in November 2024. Adults allowed children time to work through difficult tasks, stepping in when help was needed rather than immediately taking over. Children also practised speaking to their peers. Those opportunities connect persistence with the confidence to express an idea in front of others.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2024, outings included village shops and nearby woodland, while parents accompanied visits to petting farms. Children also grew vegetables. These experiences linked learning to recognisable places and living things: the surrounding area became part of what children could talk about and investigate.

Families contributed to learning about cultures and religions during that period, sharing their backgrounds and helping shape what children explored. This brought different ways of life into the preschool's activities through people children knew, rather than leaving the subject entirely to adult explanations.

In November 2024, adults responded warmly to children and remained nearby to recognise when emotional support was needed. They encouraged children to persevere while making help accessible. For parents weighing independence against reassurance, both aspects of that practice are relevant.

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with parents and other professionals to obtain additional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, using visual schedules and portable picture prompts to help children understand routines. The concrete mechanisms are more useful than a broad promise of inclusion: they show how an instruction or change in activity could be made easier to understand.

Sand timers and sound cues were also used in November 2024 to prepare children for changes during the day. However, adults did not always communicate consistently enough to reinforce the same behaviour expectations. Supportive tools and consistent adult responses need to work together.

Home learning extended the relationship with families in November 2024. Staff supplied story sacks and suggested challenges for outings in the community. This gave parents practical ways to carry learning into family time, rather than relying only on updates about what had happened at preschool.

Current collection arrangements require a familiar adult to collect a child. A different collector must be notified in advance and use the password procedure. Sessions take place on locked school premises, and staff refresh safeguarding training annually and hold paediatric first-aid certificates. These are arrangements for managing care, separate from the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Molly's is at Langafel C of E Primary School, Main Road, Longfield, DA3 7PW. Morning sessions run from 8.50am to 11.50am, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions run from 12.35pm to 3.35pm, Monday to Thursday, with Friday finishing at 3pm. Lunch Club runs from 11.50am to 12.35pm on weekdays.

Attendance is term-time only. School holidays, bank holidays and inset days are closures, so this calendar needs to fit the family's wider childcare arrangements. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01474 702004, specifying the Longfield setting.

The children attending in November 2024 were aged two to four. Molly's occupies primary-school grounds, but preschool attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority's school admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both funded and fee-paying attendance are offered. Funding options include 15 Hours Universal Funding, Working Families Funding and EL2 - 15 Hours, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions; funded attendance follows the term-time calendar. Tax-Free Childcare can also be used to pay for sessions. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For funded sessions, invoices include a voluntary Parental Payment towards snacks, consumables, activities and special events. This is separate from the funded entitlement, and its voluntary status matters when families consider the overall charge structure.

Children staying for lunch bring a packed lunch, while snacks on funded sessions are covered by the voluntary contribution. Parents supply nappies and wipes when needed, and children also bring sun cream, a named water bottle, spare clothes and suitable outdoor clothing; the voluntary funded-session contribution separately covers consumables.

• Consistency between adults. The November 2024 improvement point concerned communication about behaviour expectations. During a visit, ask how staff now agree and reinforce their responses across the day.
• A school-term timetable. Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and Lunch Club offer different attendance choices, but holidays and inset days are closures. The pattern suits families who can arrange care around that calendar.
• Funding and what comes from home. Funded-session invoices carry a voluntary contribution, while packed lunches and personal supplies come from parents. Discuss how the contribution works for your chosen sessions, including the arrangements if you decline it.
• School premises and next steps. Sharing a site with Langafel C of E Primary School does not guarantee Reception admission. Consider the preschool choice and the later school application as separate decisions.

Molly's suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions within a school-term routine, with Lunch Club providing an additional part of the day. Its November 2024 practice combined shared reading, practical investigation, community outings and ways to help children understand daily routines. Those details give the Good judgement substance.

The behaviour-communication improvement point deserves attention when choosing. For families comfortable with term-time closures and supplying lunch and personal items, this is a preschool worth considering for its emphasis on independence, conversation and learning through everyday experiences.