Totterdown Preschool

Woodland play has a proper place in the week at Totterdown Preschool: a dedicated Forest School area on site, outings to Ash Ranges and weekly sessions give children more than a garden to explore. Based at Harpers Scout Hut in Ash, this term-time preschool takes children aged two to five and has capacity for 42 children. Its character is practical and outdoorsy, with independence and managing emotions central to the day.

At its 20 March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good overall, judged behaviour and attitudes Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind those judgements matters: in March 2024, children cooperated readily, staff helped them talk about feelings, and everyday tasks included dressing themselves and serving their own refreshments. Small responsibilities gave children opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance patterns make this a choice for families with different term-time routines. The main decisions concern which days to attend, how Forest School fits those days and the additional charges alongside funded hours.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care, bringing together language, physical development, relationships and later learning through play. Totterdown combines activities children can choose for themselves with adult-led learning. Its approach to school preparation puts emotional readiness, social confidence and independence alongside early literacy and mathematics.

Staff write down children's dictated stories, connecting speech with writing. Room signs, pictures and symbols support understanding, alongside book discussions and inventing stories.

Singing Phonics begins in the spring term, moving from sounds in the surroundings and body percussion towards rhyme, alliteration and letter sounds. The preschool combines Jolly Phonics action songs, Read, Write Inc letter-writing cards and Letters and Sounds games. These resources give children several ways to engage with sounds and writing: through movement, pictures and play.

Balancing, running and climbing precede finer work with scissors, threading, play dough and mark-making tools. Writing their own names gives children a practical reason to use these skills.

In the moment planning means adults observe and teach within children's chosen play. Weekly topics and organised group sessions add adult-led learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Harpers Scout Hut is set back from the main road, with indoor space connected to an outdoor area that children can move between freely. Outdoor play continues in different weather conditions. Water play, construction, climbing and sliding give the setting physical variety, while a place to read and relax offers a quieter alternative.

Forest School adds a more structured strand of outdoor learning through practical exploration of nature. Children have a weekly one-hour session, beginning with a group game before opportunities for free play and an activity shaped around a theme. Den building, bug hunting and nature trails are among the experiences; some sessions involve woodland tools or supervised fire activities. Participation in the theme activity follows children's interests.

The dedicated on-site area and visits to Ash Ranges give that work different settings. Forest School takes place on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with priority on those days for children taking part. That detail matters when choosing a weekly pattern: it connects a booking decision directly to the experiences a child will have.

In March 2024, garden activities included making bird feeders, investigating habitats and using small gardening tools. A visiting farm also extended children's learning experiences. These were tangible ways to connect play with the natural world, rather than relying solely on pictures or explanations indoors.

Relationships and Communication

Group time, stories, snacks and outdoor play follow a predictable sequence, giving children familiar points through the day.

Settling guidance encourages families to use routine pictures and link collection to a familiar activity. Staff telephone parents if they cannot comfort a child who continues crying.

Weekly updates with photographs show parents the activities, while key workers monitor individual next steps. Regular meetings let families discuss progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator organised targeted support with key persons, families and outside agencies, including for children awaiting a diagnosis.

Additional language assessments and referrals are offered when needed. Routine boards and social stories help prepare children for difficult situations; Occupational Therapy resource sheets cover managing noise, dressing and scissors.

Leadership is provided by qualified early years teachers. In March 2024, staff supported emotional understanding through group conversations about feelings and helped children regain control when they struggled. Those examples show what the emphasis on emotional readiness looked like in practice at that time.

Daily snacks fall within the separately charged consumable provision, as do nappies, wipes and nappy bags. Children staying for lunch are served a hot meal with two courses, and Lunch Club carries an additional charge.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Harpers Scout Hut, Harpers Road, Ash, GU12 6DA. Attendance is term-time, Monday to Friday, with morning sessions from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm and all-day attendance from 9am to 3pm. Lunch Club runs from noon to 1pm and can form part of different attendance combinations.

Intakes take place in January, April and September, with admissions handled in application order. For two-year-olds, the minimum is six hours a week across two sessions. The terms give differing minimum weekly hours for older children, making the agreed booking pattern an important point to settle before signing.

Days remain fixed within a term and funded days cannot be swapped. Changes must be requested before the next term; leaving requires at least six weeks' notice.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at enquiries@totterdownpreschool.co.uk, by telephone on 07846993052 or through WhatsApp. The preschool uniform uses a green sweatshirt in winter and a polo shirt in summer, both with its logo; other clothing should allow comfortable movement and getting dirty.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal funding, working parents funding and FEET funding are accepted, including 30-hour funded places. The funding offer is term-time; universal entitlement is described as up to 15 hours weekly across 38 weeks. Funding can be used for the morning, afternoon or all-day patterns. Participation does not itself establish a family's eligibility.

The admissions and charges page separates funded provision from additional charges. Snacks and non-food consumables are charged separately, including during funded attendance. The consumable provision also covers cooking ingredients, messy-play materials and some activities; additional weekly services have a separate charge when they fall on a child's attendance day.

Additional charges are described as voluntary, with payment expected. EYPP and FEET claimants are offered alternative provision. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

An admissions charge is payable with the forms and includes a welcome pack. Its refund depends on whether the pack is wanted, whether money remains outstanding and whether the child starts their booked place. Invoices arrive by email each term and can be paid monthly, by half-term or in one payment.

• Older children's minimum attendance. The admissions terms give 15 hours weekly for children aged three and above, while the funding and charging sections give 12 hours across two days. Ask which requirement applies to the proposed place and have it included in the agreement.
• Forest School days. Wednesdays and Thursdays prioritise children joining Forest School. Consider these days if woodland learning is a reason for choosing Totterdown, and discuss the attendance pattern alongside its charges.
• Teaching challenge. In March 2024, planning did not consistently translate into sufficiently challenging next steps, and further development of staff interactions was required. At a visit, ask how practitioners extend play for a child who has already mastered an activity.
• Term-time family routines. Fixed days within a term and six weeks' leaving notice require forward planning. A visit is also the time to discuss the settling routine and how staff would respond to a child who needs more support with separation.

Totterdown suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or all-day preschool during term time, especially those who value regular woodland learning. The on-site Forest School area, Ash Ranges outings and practical language activities give it a clear identity. Its March 2024 strengths in behaviour sit alongside a specific teaching-development priority. The decision turns on whether its outdoor offer, fixed attendance arrangements and complete charge structure fit the child and the family's week.