Priory Park Pre-School

A garden children can choose for themselves, herbs grown for play and a curriculum organised around confidence, communication and independence give Priory Park Pre-School a clear preschool character. Its community-hall setting in Locks Heath has capacity for 26 children. The emphasis is on the years leading towards school, with play and everyday self-care doing much of the preparation.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good at its 6 December 2022 inspection. Morning and all-day attendance options sit alongside child-directed play and individual development records.

Parents have a role beyond receiving updates. A voluntary Parent Committee helps run the charity, including setting fees and organising fundraising. For families who want to contribute to their child's setting, that is a concrete route into its organisation.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for children's learning, development and care: here, its areas of learning translate into conversation, movement, counting, stories and creative play. It is the shared framework, while Priory Park's own curriculum supplies the organisation of the day. That curriculum changes with each year's children, rather than remaining a fixed sequence of activities regardless of their interests or development.

Four named pillars make the intentions easier to understand. Wellbeing Warriors concerns emotions, friendships, healthy habits and confidence in seeking adult help. Respectful Communicators develops listening, conversation and cooperation, including taking turns to contribute within a small group.

Independent Investigators centres on trying unfamiliar activities, solving problems and exploring materials, construction, music and technology. Responsible Learners brings together sensory exploration, books, number work, physical skills and self-care. Threading, scissors, easels and large outdoor paint brushes give children different ways to practise coordination; fastening clothes and putting on shoes connect learning with tasks they need to manage themselves.

Staff make weekly plans around individual children's interests and needs. Daily preschool helpers also take responsibility alongside adults. That gives independence a job to do, rather than treating it only as a curriculum aim. The curriculum overview connects these intentions with activities and routines.

In December 2022, number learning included correcting counting sequences with ponies and introducing fractions while preparing apples for snack. Play dough involved measuring ingredients and mixing coconut flour, water and paint in a large tray. These examples show how mathematical language and sensory exploration could sit within ordinary play, rather than requiring a separate formal lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can move between the indoor space and the garden through free-flow play, choosing where to pursue their interests. A small garden area also brings plant care into the experience, with herbs grown to enrich play.

In December 2022, outdoor activity included tricycles crossing a small bridge, cones to steer around and obstacle courses assembled from crates, tyres and planks. Timers helped children share turns. The physical challenge was accompanied by practice in waiting and managing feelings, an important combination for children learning to play together.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes their development and maintains an activity record that parents can view whenever they wish. Parents can contribute to those records through a comment sheet, adding knowledge from home to the setting's picture of the child.

Families are encouraged to join a preschool session. Children can also bring small objects connected with the week's theme, while treasured possessions stay at home. These are straightforward ways to link home interests with preschool conversation. Parents can contribute ideas for weekly themes, share experiences or help wash equipment and dressing-up clothes.

In December 2022, communication with families included daily conversations and meetings each term, alongside advice about continuing learning at home. Children ate their parent-provided lunches with their key person and talked about healthy food. That describes the arrangement at the time, including the role of familiar adults in an everyday care routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A feelings board gives children a way to identify their emotions, and the curriculum explicitly includes managing strong feelings, negotiating difficulties and recognising how others feel. A SENCo role and designated safeguarding lead roles are part of the staff structure. These are identifiable responsibilities, rather than a general promise of support.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good progress. In December 2022, support included cooperation between the special educational needs coordinator and parents, choice boards for communication, and bucket time to practise attention and listening. The useful detail is the mechanism: adults were adapting communication and working with families, rather than expecting every child to participate in the same way.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Community Hall, Upper Brook Drive, Locks Heath, Southampton, SO31 6PT. Visits can be arranged by telephone on 07549 155651 or by emailing prioryparkpreschool@gmail.com. Waiting-list registration is free and can be made at any time; joining that list should not be read as a promise of a place.

Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm, while afternoons run from 12.15pm to 3pm. There are also day options ending at 1.15pm or 2.15pm, both beginning at 9.15am, and an all-day option from 9.15am to 3pm. Attendance hours can vary between days.

Play clothes and shoes suitable for climbing and running are recommended. Flip-flops and crocs are excluded by the preschool's footwear guidance. This matters in a setting where messy materials and physical play are part of the curriculum: clothing needs to support participation rather than make children anxious about getting dirty.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool participates in the Early Years Education (EYE) Grant Scheme and describes funded provision as up to 15–30 hours per week, from the term following a child's third birthday until the term of their fifth birthday, with additional private hours charged separately. Funding paperwork is completed each term, including a declaration about the funded hours claimed. Families should use a current written quotation to establish their own combination of funded and paid attendance; the description is not a guarantee of individual entitlement.

Snacks and non-food consumables, including wipes, handwash, nappies and sun cream, are supported through a separate voluntary contribution invoiced half-termly. The same contribution supports the funded offer; it is explicitly voluntary. Fees for paid attendance remain payable during absences caused by illness or holidays. The admissions and fees information explains this structure.

Moving on to School

The preschool describes Sarisbury Infants and Park Gate Primary as schools children move on to. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families still use the local authority admissions process. The practical value of the preschool's preparation lies in communication, self-care and learning to cooperate, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Curriculum breadth. In December 2022, the improvement priority was to make the new curriculum cover all seven areas of learning consistently. A visit is an opportunity to ask how the four pillars now translate into the full breadth of children's activities.
• Ages at entry. The preschool caters for children aged 2.9yrs to 4yrs. Ask how the starting point applies to your child's birthday and proposed start date, especially when planning their preschool year.
• Contribution and absences. The contribution supporting snacks and consumables is voluntary, while fees for paid hours continue during sickness or holidays. These are different terms with different implications for the family budget.
• Parent participation. The Parent Committee has responsibilities for staffing, fees and fundraising, and families can also contribute through sessions and records. Consider how much involvement you would enjoy, and ask about the practical expectations of a committee role.

Priory Park suits families choosing morning or afternoon sessions as well as those needing a longer preschool day. Its strongest current features are concrete: free-flow garden access, a curriculum with explained priorities and a key-person record parents can read and contribute to. The committee offers another way for families to take part.

The December 2022 Good judgement gives a useful quality reference, with curriculum breadth the improvement point to keep in view. For parents seeking preschool preparation through conversation, physical play and growing independence, this is a clearly defined offer.