Riverside Nursery School

A pack-away hall, a grassy garden and direct access to Post Wood give Riverside Nursery School a recognisable character: play can spread across an adaptable indoor space, the field behind it and nearby woodland. Based at Great Amwell Scout HQ in Ware, it now trades as Riverside Playschool. The hall is shared with Scout and Guide groups in the evenings, so this is a preschool organised around changing resources and layouts.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Riverside Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, and the practical appeal today rests on concrete arrangements: a key person for each child, a play-led day and outdoor access from the main hall.

Riverside has 49 places in total, accepts children from their second birthday and serves the preschool years. Its term-time attendance choices include mornings, afternoons, Mini Day and Full Day bookings, with a shorter Friday.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes the curriculum: children learn through play, with activities supporting their developing knowledge, communication and everyday skills. Riverside combines activities children choose for themselves with games planned by adults around their key children's development. Children can also join another adult's activity. That gives the day some direction while leaving room for interests to change.

The daily rhythm begins with registration, sometimes followed by a story or shared news. Free play and adult-led activities follow, with a snack partway through the session. Tidying, singing, stories or a game bring the session towards its close. These recurring points give children a predictable structure around their choices.

Resources change weekly, or more frequently when children's interests call for it. The open-plan hall allows staff to rearrange activities and bring outdoor toys inside during poor weather. Small-group teaching and individual work are part of the current approach, with regular assessments used to identify strengths and areas needing extra help.

In March 2022, painting, pretend hairdressing, books, scooters and sand digging combined physical and imaginative play. Comparing and counting seeds with a magnifying glass brought early mathematical language into practical activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Double doors connect the main hall with a grassy garden. Temporary fencing sections off the field, allowing the outdoor area to expand in summer. Children can move between indoor and outdoor play while adults work in both areas, although extreme weather or maintenance can interrupt garden use. Outdoor play therefore belongs within the session rather than depending solely on a separate outing.

Post Wood adds woodland walks, storytelling and minibeast searches. In March 2022, woodland exploration included acting out The Gruffalo, linking a familiar story with movement and imaginative play. The woodland access is a useful addition to the covered, enclosed play area and rear field, giving children different kinds of outdoor space.

Riverside also supports CCAA, a charity helping families affected by childhood arthritis. Cashback from uniform orders and money raised through charity events support that work. Uniform itself is optional, and comfortable clothes suitable for paint and mud are the practical choice.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who plans activities, follows development and builds a relationship with them. Learning Journal records keep parents informed, and families can contribute their own observations. Parents can follow development across sessions.

Children do not need to be toilet trained before starting. Staff work with the approach families use at home when toilet training begins, helping the child experience a consistent routine across both places. The team includes a manager, deputy manager and preschool assistants, with regular training and designated safeguarding roles.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo role sits within the team, alongside experience supporting communication needs. The Children's Therapy Centre operates from a room at Riverside and offers speech, language and communication sessions for children with delays or other communication needs. Its service has a wider age remit than the preschool, so the two should not be confused.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked effectively with parents and outside agencies to help children with SEND participate in daily routines. In that same month, staff used signing alongside speech and encouraged children to talk about their activities; children learning English had opportunities to practise vocabulary in small groups. These are dated examples of support, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's provision.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Great Amwell Scout HQ, 142 London Road, Ware, SG12 9NH. Riverside operates during term time, generally following Hertfordshire County Council's calendar, with mornings only on Fridays. A large car park sits in front of the hall.

Morning Session runs from 9.15am to 12.15pm. Afternoon Session is 1.15pm to 4.15pm, excluding Tuesdays and Fridays; funded children can finish it at 3.15pm. Monday to Thursday, Mini Day runs from 9.15am to 2.15pm and Full Day from 9.15am to 4.15pm. Lunch Club occupies 12.15pm to 1.15pm except on Fridays, when Riverside closes at 12.15pm.

Breakfast Club is temporarily paused. Individual attendance times can be considered where there is a need, but that arrangement is separate from the named sessions. The combination of mornings, selected afternoons and longer days gives families several ways to organise term-time care.

Applications use an online form, or families can request a form directly. Children can start from their second birthday rather than waiting for a new term. The waiting-list order follows receipt of the application and fee. For enquiries, calling is the quicker route: emails are checked twice weekly during term time.

Funding and Paid Extras

Riverside offers government-funded childcare from age two, including Universal Childcare (15 Hours), working-parent funding and Supported Families of 2 year olds (15 Hours), subject to the relevant eligibility rules. Funding is delivered during term time and can cover morning, lunch and afternoon sessions. Additional sessions beyond funded hours are paid privately, and funded hours cannot be changed until the following term.

For standard paid sessions, snacks and consumables are included. During funded sessions, snack is charged separately unless families supply their own, milk remains free, and a voluntary half-term contribution supports items such as craft materials, playdough and cooking ingredients. Lunch Club children bring a packed lunch; water and milk are supplied free.

The initial application payment is described as non-refundable and includes a registration charge and a deposit credited against the first invoice. The registration-charge exemption applies only to families applying solely for government-supported two-year-old funded hours as non-working families. Fees are billed half-termly and are due before the half term begins; current prices come in Riverside's written quotation. The sessions and fees page sets out the attendance and charge structure.

• Shorter and uneven weekdays. Friday ends at 12.15pm, afternoon sessions exclude Tuesday, and Breakfast Club is paused. These details matter more than a general description of daytime care when matching attendance to working hours.
• Individual learning and independence. In March 2022, learning intentions were not consistently precise enough for each child, and staff did not always extend independence through tasks such as coats and pouring drinks. A visit is an opportunity to ask how staff now plan individual challenges and help children do more for themselves.
• Working-parent funding and term commitments. The working-parent funding description gives both 30 hours and 15 hours per term-time week. Clarify which applies before committing: funded hours remain unchanged until the next term, and funded snacks and consumables have separate arrangements.
• The trading-name change. Riverside Nursery School now trades as Riverside Playschool. Before joining, confirm that the application and written quotation use the current terms, including how the registration charge and invoice credit are separated.

Riverside suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, selected afternoon sessions or longer Mini Day and Full Day attendance, with outdoor play built into a flexible hall-based setting. Post Wood and the adaptable garden give its play-led approach concrete places to develop, while the key person and Learning Journal provide a clear structure for parent communication.

The March 2022 Good judgement sits alongside improvement points on individual learning intentions and independence. The decision turns on the weekly attendance pattern, funded extras and how today's practice addresses those points.