St. Michaels Pre School

An allotment gives this Wilmington preschool a practical thread running through its play: children plant crops, watch them grow and taste what they have produced. St. Michaels Pre School operates as a charitable, pack-away setting in a church hall. Its character is rooted in community preschool education, with children’s interests shaping activities.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 28 February 2024. There is capacity for 30 children in total, and the current offer is for children aged two to five. Term-time attendance and three-hour sessions make this a preschool model rather than an all-year childcare arrangement.

The strongest detail is concrete: growing food, exploring outdoors and using play to start conversations. In February 2024, the teaching priority was for staff to spot more opportunities to take children’s learning further. Families should weigh the engaging activities alongside that need for more consistent extension of learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children’s learning and development through play. Here, the child-led approach means practitioners build play opportunities around what interests the children, including outdoor exploration. That gives their curiosity a practical role in shaping the day.

In February 2024, an imaginary travel agency prompted children to discuss destinations, handle tickets and move suitcases around the room. This gave conversation a purpose within their play. A recurring number hunt brought written numerals into an activity children could search through and discuss, connecting number recognition with something active.

Creative activities had tangible starting points. In February 2024, older children investigated paint with real daffodils as inspiration, while younger children spent time shaping play dough. Staff also used floating and sinking investigations to start discussions about what objects would do. These examples show the variety of materials and questions within the inspection-time day; the improvement priority was to make better use of the moments when an adult could deepen that exploration.

Outdoor and Community Life

The pre-school allotment links planting, growing and tasting across the seasons. Children can follow the life of a crop rather than encounter food only when it is ready to eat. Outdoor exploration is also part of the play-based approach, giving the allotment a place within the wider preschool day.

In February 2024, children used bird books to talk about birds spotted outside. Talking tins went home with families and provided material for later group conversations, connecting discussion at home with discussion at preschool. Regular local outings also helped children explore their surroundings. These were recurring trips, rather than a stated weekly schedule.

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) successful, including progress in speech and listening. Small-group language activities used bubbles and repeated sounds, while additional sessions supported listening and language development. The practical emphasis was on helping children participate in communication, rather than simply expecting them to join larger conversations.

In February 2024, pictures of coloured monsters helped children identify their feelings, and a comfortable space gave them somewhere to relax. Practitioners responded patiently when children needed emotional support. Timers helped explain whose turn came next, making waiting something children could understand through a visible cue.

Relationships also connected preschool and home. In February 2024, families received updates on their children’s progress and ideas for learning at home. Managers sought local-authority specialist advice when individual needs required it, and shared information with other settings and schools during transitions. That information-sharing supported continuity when children moved on, rather than implying any advantage in securing a school place.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool operates during term time at St. Michaels Church Hall, 2 High Road, Wilmington, Dartford, DA2 7EG. Opening hours are 8.30am to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday. These are the opening hours, distinct from the three-hour sessions offered for attendance.

Extended sessions are also offered, with an additional charge outside the free early education entitlement. This matters when planning a longer preschool day: funded attendance and a paid extension are separate parts of the arrangement. Families can contact the setting by telephone, email or its contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool accepts universal 15-hour funding and 30-hour funding for working-parent families. Its funding information describes the 15-hour entitlement over 38 weeks, fitting the term-time model. Eligible two-year-olds are also accepted through FREE FOR 2, the funded early education route for children who meet its criteria.

Funding is claimed by the preschool for the hours a child attends and paid directly to the setting by the local authority. For funded attendance, families complete a parental declaration and supply a birth certificate or passport; the child must be included at the term’s headcount. Extended sessions remain separately charged rather than being included in that entitlement.

• Extending learning. The February 2024 improvement priority concerned recognising when children were ready for further support and challenge. During a visit, ask how practitioners now build on an activity once a child has mastered its first step.
• Term-time planning. Attendance follows the term-time model, with three-hour sessions and paid extensions. Consider how that pattern fits the family’s week and school holidays.
• The cost of a longer day. Extended sessions sit outside the free early education entitlement. Ask for a written quotation covering the intended attendance pattern, food and non-food consumables.

St. Michaels Pre School suits families seeking term-time places with three-hour preschool sessions, as well as those who want paid extended sessions. The allotment and child-led outdoor play give it a recognisable character, while the February 2024 examples show how everyday materials can prompt language, number work and imaginative play.

The teaching improvement priority deserves attention alongside the Good judgement. For families who value a community preschool setting, the central decision is whether its term-time rhythm and approach to developing children’s interests match what they want from the preschool years.