Staunton-on-Wye Preschool and Kids Club

A pirate ship, daily outdoor access and movement set to music give Staunton-on-Wye Preschool and Kids Club a recognisable character. This Herefordshire setting combines care from nine months with clubs for primary school children, in light premises with a large enclosed play area. Outdoor play is woven through the day rather than saved for a special occasion.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, with children making good progress and familiar adults providing secure relationships. There were clear improvements to make too: more individualised staff development, sharper teaching during planned activities and better organisation of the youngest children's learning environment.

There are 30 places in total. The setting operates during term time, with earlier starts through Breakfast Club and after-school care through Kids' Club. A volunteer parent committee helps shape how it runs, giving families a route into decisions about everyday operations and policies.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, that means learning through play, conversation, movement and increasingly independent choices. The main room has spaces for construction, role play, books and making marks, alongside an adult-led activity linked to children's next steps. Children can choose where to play, while practitioners introduce more structured learning in small groups.

Older children explore rhyme, beginning sounds and blending; younger children use listening games, rhymes and stories to develop communication. Activities can continue into the afternoon when children remain interested, allowing them to revisit ideas instead of moving on simply because the timetable changes.

Write Dance adds a specific preparation for handwriting. Music and movement help children practise coordination and develop the muscles used in writing, making physical activity part of early literacy. Later group activities include instruments, stories and parachute games, bringing children together after periods of choosing their own play.

In June 2025, babies explored animals in a sand tray while staff supplied simple vocabulary and matching sounds. Older children worked together on a shelter made from sticks and made pictures using flowers and leaves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Continuous access to the enclosed outdoor area gives children room to move between indoor activities and fresh air. A mud kitchen and sandpit support exploratory play, while the pirate ship, climbing frame and slide offer different opportunities for movement and imaginative games. Bikes, ride-ons and a race track add further reasons to be active.

Forest School brings outdoor learning through practical woodland activities, including den-building, stories, climbing and cooking over a fire. Younger children have sessions on Tuesdays; Rooted Forest School visits for the older children on Thursdays. This gives the outdoor offer a recurring structure alongside everyday garden play.

Gardening, composting and recycling connect the setting's emphasis on sustainability with things children can do themselves. Welly walks and outings to the village playground extend play beyond the premises. Day trips have included farm parks, theatre and Madley Environmental Centre; these are examples of past outings rather than a fixed future itinerary.

Relationships and Communication

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that the key person arrangements worked well, parents received regular communication and babies' familiar home routines informed sleep and care. Information-sharing with the local school and other providers also helped maintain continuity when children moved between settings.

The current team includes key worker roles for under-twos, two-to-three-year-olds and three-to-four-year-olds, alongside learning support assistants and a Forest School Leader. Early years qualifications across the team include degree-level study.

Settling arrangements allow for different starting points: some children adjust quickly, while others need a gradual approach worked out with their family. Two mornings each week are recommended to help children settle; this is a recommendation rather than a compulsory minimum booking. Concerns can first be discussed with the child's keyworker and then taken to the manager if necessary.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Babies have cots, and children over 12 months can use fold-out beds. Sleep arrangements aim to follow home routines, which gives parents a practical starting point for discussing naps and comforters. Reusable nappies are welcomed, with staff following the family's routine.

Child-sized toilets, potties and training seats support children learning to manage toileting, and there is an accessible toilet. A daily Time to Shine routine includes toothbrushing with each child's own toothbrush and supplied fluoride toothpaste. These are concrete provisions for everyday care, alongside play and learning.

Children can bring a packed lunch or order a separately charged hot lunch prepared by external caterers. Morning and afternoon snacks are also charged separately, with families able to send fruit or vegetables instead; parents supply nappies, wipes, bottom cream and formula or breast milk where needed.

If a child develops sickness or diarrhoea, the return rule is 48 hours after the last episode. Staff contact parents to collect a child who becomes unwell during the day, and medicines can be administered under parental guidance.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Staunton-on-Wye Pre-School, Staunton-on-Wye, Hereford, HR4 7LT. Opening hours are 8am to 4.30pm on Monday and Friday, and 8am to 5.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, during term time. The different closing times matter for anyone organising a regular working week.

Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am, Monday to Friday, for preschool children and children attending Staunton-on-Wye Primary School. Breakfast can be provided if required. Kids' Club takes children up to age 11: it runs from 3.30pm to 4.30pm on Monday and Friday, and from 3.30pm to 5.30pm on the other three weekdays.

Children attending Staunton-on-Wye Primary School are collected by a member of staff at 3.30pm. Both clubs can be booked termly, subject to availability, and regular days require advance booking. This is a practical link for families with children at the neighbouring school, rather than an admissions advantage: preschool attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

General enquiries can be made by telephone on 01981 500682 or through the contact form. The application process includes a completed form and a proposed start date. Parent committee meetings are open to all parents, and committee officers are elected or re-elected at the annual general meeting.

Funding and Paid Extras

Nursery Education Funding (NEF) is accepted for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds using 15 or 30 hours. The setting operates during term time and also accepts Tax Free Childcare. Eligibility remains a condition of the funded offer; paid childcare is charged by the hour, with current prices obtained in a written quotation from the nursery.

Budget separately for ordered hot lunches and nursery snacks, or choose the permitted food-from-home alternatives. Non-food supplies for babies and some toddlers come from parents, including nappies and wipes.

• Teaching precision. In June 2025, staff sometimes finished tasks for children and missed opportunities to extend language; individual learning targets did not consistently shape adult-led activities. At a visit, ask how practitioners now use those targets and encourage children to do things themselves.
• The youngest children's day. The June 2025 findings called for better organisation of the learning space and staff deployment to sustain young children's interest, alongside more precisely targeted staff development. Ask how the under-two day is arranged around play, rest and individual attention.
• Different weekday finishes. Monday and Friday close at 4.30pm, while the middle of the week extends to 5.30pm. Families needing a consistent later finish should weigh that difference before choosing regular days.
• Term-time care. Both the preschool opening pattern and the school clubs fit the term-time calendar. This suits families whose care needs follow school terms; those needing holiday cover will need to plan that separately.

Staunton-on-Wye Preschool and Kids Club suits families seeking term-time preschool mornings or a broader day supported by Breakfast Club, as well as school-age after-school care. Its strongest practical attractions are continuous outdoor access, recurring Forest School sessions, movement-based Write Dance and a parent committee with a role in everyday decisions.

The June 2025 judgement provides a positive quality marker, but the teaching and environment improvements deserve attention alongside it. For parents comfortable with the term-time model and different weekday finishes, this is a setting with plenty of concrete daily experiences to discuss, from woodland activities to sleep routines and early communication.