Wildern Opportunity Group

Communication takes several forms at Wildern Opportunity Group: words, pictures, objects and Makaton signing all have a place. Alongside its preschool, a referral-based Opportunity Group provides individual support for children with special needs. That combination gives this Hedge End setting a clear purpose: helping children participate in play and communicate in ways that work for them.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, found that learning was effectively adapted for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and judged safeguarding effective. The same assessment identified improvements needed in mathematics, creative expression and everyday independence. Those strengths and limitations belong together.

All sessions take place in the Small Hall at the Hedge End 2000 Centre, and the setting has 26 places in total. Preschool attendance can be morning, afternoon or all day during term time, while the Opportunity Group runs separate Friday sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, exploration and relationships. Here, the curriculum gives communication practical forms: picture exchange, communication boards, objects of reference and Makaton signing, used to help children express themselves. This makes the communication emphasis more concrete than a general ambition to develop language.

Children's interests shape activities alongside themes such as bees, transport and rock pools. The curriculum also addresses confidence, resilience and independence.

In June 2022, children explored construction by putting together a garage for toy cars and used sand to invent ice creams. Adults extended conversations around children's drawings, including ideas about electricity and telephone connections. The examples show how an ordinary play activity could become a discussion, rather than being confined to making an object.

Bucket Time, used in June 2022, helped children direct their attention towards unfamiliar activities. Visual timetables supported understanding of routines, while signing offered another way to communicate needs.

Mathematics needed more deliberate attention in June 2022: opportunities to practise number recognition and ordered counting were missed during activities. Creative work also needed broader opportunities for children to express their own ideas. Drawing materials alone were not enough. For parents, the useful distinction is between having resources and using them to extend learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Herbs, strawberries and tomatoes have been planted outside, giving children living things to observe as they grow. The sustainability plan adds a bug hotel to discussions about insects and seasons, and proposes watching frog development in a tank and butterflies emerge before release. Nature learning therefore includes change over time, rather than only naming animals.

Some activities connect home and preschool. The sustainability plan includes planting seeds in pots for children to take home and encouraging families to share photographs through the parent portal. Home bears Booboo and Jojo also go out with children preparing to leave for school. These give families a tangible way to take part in children's experiences.

The outdoor space deserves a practical question, too. A fundraising project concerns resurfacing ground that floods and can become unsafe when frozen. This is directly relevant to how reliably children can use the area in wet or cold weather; it should sit alongside the planting and nature activities in a family's assessment.

Relationships and Communication

EYLOG is the online learning journal through which families receive their child's learning journey. Current terms also promise progress updates and direct parents to their child's key person as the first contact for a concern, with the manager handling matters that need further attention. There is a clear route for both routine information and problems.

In June 2022, communication with families included conversations at collection and updates through a mobile app. Staff also helped children manage emotions through quiet conversation, drawing on soft play and sensory materials to help them refocus.

The Opportunity Group accepts referrals from the southern parishes area. It offers one-to-one care, SENCO support and regular involvement from health and education professionals, with support towards participation in the inclusive preschool. Families considering this provision need to distinguish its referral route and individual care from the ordinary preschool booking arrangements.

The terms recognise that a child's needs may exceed the support the setting can provide. In that situation, the group works with the family, local authority and other agencies to identify suitable support, and the agreement may end. This is an important limit to understand alongside the specialist provision.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Snacks are included in fees, with seasonal fruit and foods connected to current topics; the nursery publishes a nut-free policy and requires families to keep allergy information updated. Parents supply sunscreen for outdoor play.

The snack arrangements encourage children to help prepare food, clear their crockery and assist with washing up. In June 2022, however, opportunities to build independence during eating routines were inconsistent. That difference makes everyday practice a useful subject for a visit: the opportunity needs to reach the child, rather than remain an adult-led task.

Collection arrangements require parents to identify authorised adults and notify changes beforehand. Someone who does not usually collect the child must provide proof of identity, and staff contact the parent if they are not satisfied about the arrangement. Registration also includes consent for medication and emergency treatment, making these practical care arrangements part of joining.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hedge End 2000 Centre, St Johns Road, Hedge End, Southampton, SO30 4AF. Preschool runs Monday to Friday, with morning sessions from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and an all-day option from 9am to 3pm. Flexible attendance is offered within the preschool opening window.

For privately paid attendance, choosing a later start or earlier finish does not reduce the charge: the booked session is charged in full.

Friday Opportunity Group sessions run from 9.30am to noon and from 12.30pm to 3pm. The setting operates for 38 weeks annually and closes for school holidays and bank holidays; the terms also provide for five staff-training days each year. Families needing holiday childcare must account for that term-time pattern.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01489 787968 or by email to info@wildernopportunitygroup.co.uk. After a successful application, families have one week to accept the offered place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are both offered, including up to 30 funded hours and 15 funded hours for two-year-olds. Attendance follows the term-time calendar. The contract also addresses periods when early-years funding does not apply, when the full weekly fee is payable. Families can request the nursery's current schedule of fees.

A deposit applies to a fee-paying place and is returned after payment of the final invoice; an administration charge applies if the place is not taken up. At least one month's notice is needed to leave or reduce attendance hours, with fees payable for that notice period if insufficient notice is given. Illness and holidays do not attract refunds for missed sessions.

• Outdoor access. The resurfacing project addresses flooding and frozen ground. During a visit, ask how outdoor play is managed while that work is pending.
• Referral-based support. The Opportunity Group combines individual care with professional involvement and a route towards preschool participation. Discuss how the referral and support arrangements would apply to your child, including the setting's limits on meeting needs.
• Everyday learning. June 2022 priorities included mathematics, creative expression and independence during routines. Ask for current examples of how staff extend counting, children's own artwork and self-care.
• Attendance and care arrangements. Privately paid flexible attendance is still charged by the full session, and holidays fall outside the term-time offer. Before joining, discuss the booking pattern and, for an allergy-affected child, confirm current food practice.

Wildern Opportunity Group suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting an all-day preschool pattern. Its referral-based Opportunity Group serves a different need, with individual care and professional involvement central to that offer.

Communication tools, EYLOG and the connection between specialist support and preschool give families concrete reasons to consider it. The June 2022 improvement priorities and the outdoor resurfacing project also deserve attention. The strongest match is a family whose attendance needs and child's support requirements fit the particular provision being offered.