Stoughton Preschool

A courtyard garden and direct access to Stoughton Recreation Ground give Stoughton Preschool a clear outdoor identity. Inside, the Small Room and Big Room separate younger children’s settling needs from the growing independence of older children. The setting has 36 places in total, and its current age offer runs from 18 months to 5 years.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good on 6 December 2022. That assessment belongs to an earlier stage of the setting: the current offer includes both year-round attendance and a term-time option. Morning and afternoon sessions can be combined with clubs extending the day.

Rooms and Ages

The Small Room serves children aged 18 months to 2.5 years, with a smaller group arrangement intended to help them settle and develop relationships. For children aged 2.5 to 5 years, the Big Room emphasises independence and preparation for school in a space designed for their stage of development.

That division gives families a useful way to think about progression through the preschool. The younger room’s emphasis is familiarity and confidence; the older room’s is increasing independence. These are room arrangements, rather than a promise about how many children will attend on a particular day.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS framework organises learning across seven areas, bringing language, movement, early reading, mathematics and creative play into the child’s day. Play-based activities are planned to suit children’s needs, rather than treating learning as a sequence of formal lessons. Stories and mark-making sit alongside opportunities to explore the world and practise social skills.

In December 2022, children voted for the story they wanted to hear and used a comfortable reading area stocked with books, newspapers and magazines. Goldilocks and the Three Bears prompted an activity mixing porridge ingredients, connecting a familiar story with practical exploration. Younger children also explored polar animals in shaving foam and searched for dinosaurs in a sand tray. These examples show how an interest could become something to handle, discuss and investigate.

The same December 2022 assessment identified a limit to adult-led activities: prepared materials sometimes narrowed children’s choices. Mixing their own colours, experimenting with resources and deciding how to proceed were areas needing more room. Mathematical learning also needed to extend beyond counting into shape, space and measurement.

Outdoor and Community Life

The courtyard garden provides an outdoor space within the setting, while direct access to Stoughton Recreation Ground opens up opportunities to explore parkland and its facilities. This is a practical part of the setting’s character, rather than an occasional destination requiring a separate journey.

In December 2022, outdoor play included balancing along wooden planks and practising controlled jumps with adult support. Children also helped care for Timmy the tortoise, checking his bath water and preparing vegetables for him. That activity connected care for a living creature with everyday discussion about food and responsibility.

Relationships and Communication

In December 2022, younger children sought their key person for comfort before sleeping, and adults used calm conversation to help children share and take turns. Familiar relationships were part of the daily routine, including moments when a child needed reassurance rather than an activity.

Today, an open-door approach gives parents opportunities to speak with staff, raise questions and discuss their child. Settling is supported with time and individual attention. For families making a first move into childcare, that emphasis matters as much as the choice of sessions: the practical arrangement needs to work for the child as well as the adult.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described accurate monitoring of development, prompt specialist referrals and targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Small-group work, individual help and collaboration with speech and language therapists were among the approaches used then.

The current team includes special educational needs coordination and safeguarding roles. Enhanced DBS checks form part of staff appointment arrangements, and key staff have paediatric first aid training.

School preparation is an explicit aim, with confidence, independence and positive behaviour among the skills developed. The Big Room’s emphasis on doing more for oneself gives that preparation an everyday context, rather than reducing it to early reading or counting alone.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Attendance is offered across 48 weeks of the year, with a term-time-only option for families whose childcare needs follow that pattern.

The Morning Session runs from 9am to noon, and the Afternoon Session from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Breakfast Club covers 8am to 9am and includes breakfast; Lunch Club bridges noon to 12.30pm; After School Club runs from 3.30pm to 5pm. Combinations of these attendance periods can be requested, allowing a shorter session or a longer day assembled around the family’s needs.

The routine includes indoor and outdoor play, a snack period, and songs and stories before the morning finishes. It can be adjusted to children’s needs and unexpected opportunities. That flexibility concerns the activities within the day as well as the attendance pattern.

Getting There

The address is Stoughton Youth Centre, Stoughton Recreation Ground, Off Worplesdon Road, Guildford, GU2 9RS. Contact is through the enquiry form or by telephone on 07941 427101. A separate address description used for visits needs attention before travelling, as explained below.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted without top-up fees, and funded entitlement can cover Breakfast Club and Lunch Club if families choose to use it that way. Funding starts from the term after a child becomes eligible and can be used during opening weeks, subject to the chosen attendance pattern and available sessions. Additional paid sessions are also offered, with current prices obtained in a written quotation from the nursery.

Healthy snacks are included at no extra charge in both morning and afternoon sessions, while parents supply a cold packed lunch for Lunch Club because food is neither cooked nor reheated. Staff eat alongside children, and the allergy policy discourages exchanging food between children.

• The youngest children’s group. The Small Room begins at 18 months and emphasises a smaller group arrangement. During a visit, ask how that arrangement works for a child’s intended attendance days and how settling is organised.
• Independent exploration and mathematics. In December 2022, children needed more freedom to experiment with materials and more learning about shape, space and measurement. Examples of current child-led activities would help families assess those priorities.
• Two address descriptions. Stoughton Youth Centre, GU2 9RS, is the address above; visit information uses Stoughton Community Centre, Off Worplesdon Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 9RT. Clarify the meeting point before making the journey.
• Cold lunches and food allergies. Lunch Club requires a packed lunch that will not be heated, and exchanging food is discouraged. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice and plan lunches around the cold-food arrangement.

Stoughton suits families seeking either morning or afternoon sessions, with clubs to extend attendance, and those choosing between term-time care and attendance across the year. Its courtyard, access to Stoughton Recreation Ground and separate age-based rooms give it a recognisable shape. The December 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, balanced by clear priorities around independent exploration and mathematics. The practical appeal lies in combining shorter preschool sessions with a longer attendance pattern when needed.