Tutbury Preschool

Tiny Tots, Rising Stars and a garden used for outdoor learning give Tutbury Preschool a clear identity: younger children have their own room, older children build towards school, and both can come together for shared activities. Based on Cornmill Lane in Tutbury, the preschool has capacity for 40 children. Its room age bands run from two to four years.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the preschool Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That is a dated judgement, with a specific curriculum improvement to weigh alongside it. The strongest practical features today are the separate age-based rooms, a calm sensory area and Forest school, which uses outdoor play and exploration to develop children's understanding of themselves and their surroundings.

Morning, afternoon and whole-day sessions can be combined during term time. Parent involvement also has substance here: a voluntary committee of parents and carers oversees the preschool, employs staff and directs fundraising. Families can contribute to how the setting develops, rather than simply attend its events.

Rooms and Ages

Tiny Tots serves children aged two to three, while Rising Stars caters for those aged three to four; the two indoor rooms allow age-based activities as well as joint play. Rising Stars children choose a reading book each week, extending their contact with books beyond activities within the room.

The secure outdoor play area adds another setting for activity. A sensory area provides lights and textures within a deliberately calm space, giving children somewhere to relax as well as explore.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework guides learning through children's communication, relationships, movement and early experiences of reading, numbers and the world around them. This is the foundation of the curriculum; Forest school adds an outdoor approach alongside it.

Forest school places play, reflection and exploration of nature within the learning programme. Its emphasis includes environmental conservation and children's awareness of their place in the world. A planned shelter is intended to support year-round use of the outdoor home area and lunches outside.

In January 2023, pretend play in a kitchen gave younger children opportunities to handle pots, serve imaginary drinks and hear adults introduce vocabulary through conversation. Books and songs also featured: older children invented alternative lyrics, while mark-making progressed from paintbrushes in sand to more controlled pencil use. These examples connect language and early writing to activities children already enjoy.

Current mathematics activities include counting, numbers, shapes and measures. Construction, Plants that grow and Numeracy week have also appeared as learning topics. These subjects give parents concrete starting points for discussing children's learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is part of the learning offer, rather than simply an exercise space. In January 2023, children planted and gathered vegetables, rode wheeled toys and used large climbing equipment. That combined learning about food with opportunities to practise coordination and balance.

Visitors bring community roles into children's play. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue service introduced children to its work through helmets, a fire truck and water hoses. Glenthorne Vets used dressing up and a pet-care game to explain looking after animals. Both visits offered something tangible for children to handle or act out, making unfamiliar jobs easier to understand.

Local library trips support the preschool's reading activities. Other experiences have included a village walk to post children's letters and look at houses and shops. These are purposeful outings: children connect what they make and discuss indoors with places and people outside the setting.

Relationships and Communication

A key-person policy gives families an identified approach to relationships with staff. In January 2023, children formed close bonds with their key person, and staff gathered information from parents before attendance began. That helped adults start with the child's existing interests and abilities, rather than treating settling as a separate exercise from learning.

Communication has several routes. The term calendar includes reports through Seesaw and half-term reports, while parent consultations have also been arranged.

The preschool arranges an induction when a family joins. Room changes also receive preparation: its June 2026 transition plans included sessions in Rising Stars so Tiny Tots could meet the staff and become familiar with their next room before September. The value is familiarity before a move, rather than expecting children to manage a new room and new adults at once.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A designated SENCO role sits within the staff structure, alongside a designated safeguarding lead and deputy safeguarding roles. Staff undertake training in child protection, first aid and food hygiene, and hold relevant childcare qualifications or are working towards them.

In January 2023, visual prompts and boards showing the present activity and what would follow helped children manage changes during the day. Staff also worked with other professionals around individual needs. Practical tools such as these can make a routine more understandable for a child who needs additional preparation.

Policies cover allergies, medicines, toileting, safe sleep and the role of the key person. Food follows a simple arrangement: children receive a snack with milk or water during each session, and families supply a packed lunch and drink for a whole day; morning-only or afternoon-only children may also bring lunch to eat with the group.

Preparation for school includes communication beyond the preschool. In January 2023, the manager worked with a local primary school's Reception teacher, and later parent information asked families to identify their child's next school so meetings could be arranged. This supports a handover of information about the child.

Sessions and Attendance

Term-time attendance is the core model, with morning sessions running from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm and whole days from 9am to 3pm. Families can mix these patterns, subject to availability. The preschool also opens from 7am to 9am and from 3pm to 5pm, extending its opening hours around the main sessions.

Joining starts through a telephone or email enquiry, followed by an induction. A contact form provides another enquiry route. Fees are payable ahead of attendance, and current prices come in the preschool's written quotation. Late collection can attract a charge when parents or carers are at least 10 minutes late after a morning-only or afternoon session, so collection arrangements need to fit the booked finish.

Getting There

The address is Cornmill Lane, Tutbury, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 9HA. Term-time operation makes the holiday calendar a practical part of the choice, especially for families whose work continues through school holidays.

Funding and Paid Extras

Think2 funding provides eligible two-year-olds with 15 hours of sessions. Government Funded Nursery Education provides 15 hours a week from the term following a child's third birthday, and the preschool also accepts 30 hours funding. Delivery is term-time, and funded sessions can be combined with paid sessions.

Packed lunches and drinks are supplied by parents, alongside the session snacks and milk or water provided by the preschool. Families also supply named sun cream and sun hats.

• Mathematics development. The January 2023 inspection asked for more opportunities to extend children's mathematical vocabulary and skills. During a visit, ask how counting, shapes and measures are now developed through play, and what has changed in this part of the curriculum.
• Extended opening and term-time care. Morning, afternoon and whole-day sessions sit within a wider opening window, while attendance remains term-time. Ask how the additional opening hours can be booked around your preferred sessions and match the holiday dates to your childcare needs.
• Food and individual needs. Whole-day children bring lunch, and the policy list includes allergies and medicines. Families managing an allergy should confirm current handling arrangements, including snacks, before joining.

Tutbury Preschool suits families seeking a term-time combination of mornings, afternoons or whole days, with separate rooms for younger and older preschool children. Forest school, weekly book choices for Rising Stars and community visitors give its offer substance. The parent committee provides another way for families to take part.

The January 2023 Good judgement is a useful foundation for the choice, but the mathematics development point should remain part of the decision.