Jigsaw, St John's Pre-School

Woodland grounds and a school play field give Jigsaw, St John's Pre-School an outdoor dimension beyond its own outside area. For children who enjoy exploring, that is a practical attraction: stories, music and creative activities sit alongside outdoor play in the preschool's own area and the school's woodland and play field.

The preschool has capacity for 34 children aged two to five, at Abshot Road in Titchfield Common, Fareham. At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall. The detail behind that judgement included adults extending children's ideas through conversation and practical experiments, alongside two improvements needed in sharing learning information and using children's home languages and cultural backgrounds.

Attendance can be a half day or full day during school terms. That makes the setting relevant to families seeking shorter preschool sessions as well as those wanting attendance across the school day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships alongside early reading, mathematics and creative exploration. Jigsaw combines activities initiated by children with those organised by adults. Dance, making things, reading and exploring nature give children different ways to participate, rather than requiring every interest to lead to the same activity.

In March 2023, paint became a route into early mathematics. Children made prints using toy animals, counted the marks and compared hand sizes with adults. This example matters because number and comparison were connected to something children already wanted to do. The learning grew out of the play.

Paper aeroplanes supplied another example that month. Adults discussed construction and shape, then encouraged children to test their planes outdoors and predict their flight. Making, talking and experimenting were linked within one activity, giving children a reason to explain their ideas and see what happened.

Outdoor and Community Life

Access to the St Johns School woodland grounds and play field extends the outdoor offer beyond the preschool's own area. The outside space is used in different weather conditions, so coats, wellies or sun cream form part of the preparation for the day. This is a setting where outdoor clothing has a regular practical purpose.

In March 2023, children drew treasure maps in chalk on the outdoor tarmac. Adults used the game to prompt discussion about finding and hiding treasure, connecting drawing with language and problem solving. Outdoor space was serving imaginative learning as well as physical activity. These examples describe practice at that time, rather than a fixed timetable of activities today.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is introduced to a key person when joining. That practitioner builds a relationship with both the child and their family, providing a clear personal connection within the preschool. For parents, the useful distinction is having someone who gets to know their child's needs, rather than relying solely on communication with the staff team as a whole.

Settling arrangements allow for individual differences, with staff working alongside parents and carers. The childcare agreement also promises regular progress updates. Together, these arrangements give families a role in the child's introduction to preschool and an ongoing account of their development once attendance begins.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with emerging needs and SEND good, with a SENCo coordinating individual education plans and collaboration with families and other agencies. Those findings describe the provision at that date.

Current inclusion procedures call for discussion of family identity during settling, books representing different backgrounds and abilities, and positive recognition of bilingual communication or signing. The inclusion policy also sets out cooperation between practitioners and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator. These are mechanisms parents can discuss in relation to their own child, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

The March 2023 improvement points remain relevant questions about practice: staff needed a more dependable way to share individual learning priorities when a child's usual practitioner was absent, and more consistent use of home languages and cultural knowledge. Neither point should be lost beneath the overall grade.

Sessions and Attendance

Jigsaw operates during term time, with school holidays outside its opening pattern. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm on weekdays. Families can request a morning session from 9am to noon, an afternoon from noon to 3pm, or a full day from 9am to 3pm. The shorter sessions offer a different attendance choice from staying through the day.

Initial enquiries use a form returned to manager@jigsawpreschool.com. Once an offer is made, parents must accept within one week or it may be withdrawn. The agreement requires six weeks' notice to reduce attendance or leave; insufficient notice leaves fees payable for that notice period. This matters when planning changes to work or childcare arrangements.

Getting There

The address is St John the Baptist Primary School, Abshot Road, Titchfield Common, Fareham, PO14 4NH. Being based in the school's grounds does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds, including the 30-hour entitlement. The usual funded pattern is 15 hours each week over 38 weeks. Additional attendance beyond a child's funded entitlement is privately charged and invoiced monthly.

Funded daily sessions carry a supplementary charge covering snacks and consumables, alongside other extras. Parents also supply sun cream when appropriate for outdoor play. A non-refundable registration charge applies to each child; current prices come in the preschool's written quotation, with the charge structure explained on its fees and important information page.

• School-term attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions all sit within the term-time calendar. Families needing care during school holidays will need to plan around those closures.
• Learning continuity and home languages. In March 2023, improvements were needed in sharing children's learning priorities and reflecting their languages and cultures. During a visit, ask how another practitioner picks up individual plans and how your child's home language enters daily activities.
• Settling before the start. Families can visit with their child repeatedly during the preceding term. Use that opportunity to discuss the key-person relationship and the pace of settling for your child.
• The full cost of funded attendance. Funded daily sessions include a supplementary charge for snacks, consumables and other extras, while additional hours are privately invoiced. Read the written quotation alongside the six-week notice requirement before agreeing attendance.

Jigsaw suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as full days within a school-term routine. Its own outdoor area, access to woodland grounds and a play field, and a mix of creative and child-led activities give the offer a clear shape.

The Good judgement dates to March 2023, and its two learning-related improvement points deserve attention. For parents whose calendar fits term-time attendance, the strongest reasons to consider Jigsaw are the outdoor opportunities, the different session choices and the personal connection provided by a key person.