In2play Outdoor Pre-School

Outdoor play gives In2play Outdoor Pre-School its character: its base at Hastings Adventure Playground makes exploration central to the offer. This is a setting for families who want their child to learn through doing, with outdoor learning as the organising idea rather than an occasional addition.

At its 29 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Outstanding, finding highly effective teaching and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, strong preparation for further learning and effective safeguarding. The examples behind that judgement are memorable: children collaborating on an obstacle course, identifying fungi and handling real tools with supervision. They give parents something more useful than a grade alone.

The pre-school has 30 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months. Those places describe the capacity of the whole setting, rather than the number of children in an individual group.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care here. In everyday terms, that means play supports learning alongside children's emotional and practical needs. Outdoor exploration gives that framework a concrete setting.

In January 2025, children built an obstacle course together, discussing its layout and moving substantial wooden planks with attention to safety. This was more than physical exercise: the task required children to listen, agree on a plan and consider how their decisions affected others. Their own ideas shaped the activity.

Language also had a place in the day's rhythm. In January 2025, staff introduced vocabulary through meaningful experiences, while books, poetry and music featured in daily sessions. This gave children different ways to hear language and contribute their own thoughts, alongside the physical demands of outdoor play.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2025, children examined mushrooms and other fungi, made binoculars and identified common garden birds. Nature provided things to investigate rather than simply a backdrop. Sustainability and healthy living were also part of the learning, connecting children's immediate surroundings with how they cared for them.

Tree climbing, supervised tool use and a fire pit featured in January 2025. Children also practised jumping from wooden structures. These experiences involved judging what they could manage and taking responsibility within adult supervision; families considering the setting should be comfortable with this practical approach to risk.

The pace mattered too. In January 2025, the routine allowed extended stretches of outdoor play, with children choosing activities and returning to challenges. That combination of time and choice gave them room to pursue an idea rather than move quickly through a succession of adult-directed tasks.

In January 2025, relationships with staff were warm, and the daily routine was calm and familiar. Children took on small jobs and managed aspects of their own care. Independence was practised through ordinary responsibilities, rather than confined to a separate activity.

Staff helped children put feelings into words and encouraged consideration for others in January 2025. The obstacle-building example shows how this translated into shared play: children had to accommodate friends' suggestions while working towards something together.

Additional funding supported individual teaching when needed in January 2025, and staff worked with outside agencies to identify needs and arrange further help. These are concrete support mechanisms for families to discuss in relation to their own child. They describe how assistance was organised at that time.

Parents received information about children's achievements and ways to continue learning at home in January 2025. Weekend family play sessions also formed part of that relationship, giving families opportunities to participate rather than receive updates alone. Children practised preparing fruit and serving their own drinks, making snack time another occasion for everyday responsibility.

Sessions and Attendance

The pre-school is open during term time, Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Families needing care through school holidays should weigh that calendar alongside their working arrangements.

In January 2025, the main opening hours were 9am to 3pm, with an early-start session beginning at 8.30am and a later collection session ending at 3.30pm. Those additional sessions describe the arrangement at that date.

Getting There

The address is Hastings Adventure Playground, Broomgrove Road, Hastings, TN34 3FW. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01424 421201 or by email at office@in2play.org.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2025, the pre-school accepted early education funding for children aged two, three and four. Funding participation and the hours a family can use are separate questions; the funded arrangement should fit the attendance a family needs.

• Outdoor risk and independence. January 2025 activities included climbing trees and supervised tool use. At a visit, discuss how staff introduce these experiences to a child who is cautious or new to outdoor play.
• Term-time attendance. Opening runs Monday to Friday during term time. Families needing holiday care will need to plan around that calendar.
• The funded attendance package. Funding was accepted for two-, three- and four-year-olds in January 2025. Ask how funded hours, early or late sessions, food and consumables would fit together for your intended attendance, and request a current written quotation.

In2play Outdoor Pre-School suits families seeking term-time early education with outdoor exploration central to the day. Its January 2025 examples make the appeal tangible: building together, investigating wildlife and learning to handle manageable risks. The practical decision is whether that style of play and the term-time opening window suit your child and family routine.