Fazeley Pre-School

A maths shed, daily bug searches and a garden built for making things give Fazeley Pre-School its character. Based at St Paul's Church Hall in Fazeley, this charitable, non-profit setting combines play-led learning with space for children to climb, plant and experiment. The outdoor provision is a substantial part of the offer, rather than a break between indoor activities.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good at its 14 July 2023 inspection, describing a curriculum that combined children's choices with adult guidance. There are 26 places in total; separately, the pre-school limits attendance to 24 children per session and accepts children aged two and a half to five.

Families can choose a morning session or an all-day session, across a term-time year. The distinction matters: this is an option for both shorter attendance and a day extending through lunch.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to practise language, movement and social skills. Here, adults watch and listen before joining children's play, giving them time to try ideas and work out problems themselves. That approach leaves room for a child's own interests while allowing staff to extend an activity when useful.

Indoor and outdoor play both serve that purpose. Children can explore materials, use their imagination and test new skills with others. The practical emphasis is on doing: making something, trying another solution or negotiating how a shared game will work.

In July 2023, a daily book talk gave children opportunities to discuss stories and describe their characters. This went beyond simply listening to a book being read: children put their observations into words and took turns contributing. At that time, staff also helped children prepare fruit for snacks, introducing safe handling of utensils alongside an everyday task.

Outdoor and Community Life

The patio has an art and craft tent, while a quieter reading space offers another pace of activity. A maths shed supplies resources for exploring mathematical ideas outside. These areas give children different reasons to use the garden, from making and reading to active play.

Tyres, wooden planks and crates can become vehicles or obstacle courses. The Mud Kitchen provides a place for pretend cooking, and the sand pit has accessories that children select for themselves. These are materials children can rearrange, so the activity can change with their ideas rather than follow a single fixed use.

Two climbing frames, a balancing beam and a small trampoline add physical challenges. Raised beds bring gardening within reach: children plant bulbs and seeds, observe growth and help collect leaves in autumn. Bug hunting takes place daily, with careful handling part of learning about the creatures children find. Nature is something to investigate directly.

In July 2023, community outings included a local allotment and the canal, where children fed ducks. Celebrations introduced festivals during the year, although children needed more opportunities to contribute their own family cultures and traditions. That distinction matters: encountering a celebration and sharing personal experience offer different ways to learn about other people.

Relationships and Communication

Each practitioner acts as a key worker for a small group of children. Parents can speak with their child's key worker or the manager around sessions, and can look at the key worker file. This gives families a regular contact for discussing their child's experiences rather than relying solely on occasional meetings.

Parents' meetings take place three times a year, with time to discuss progress and look through the child's learning book. Families are also encouraged to share achievements from home, contribute resources and bring their own skills or experiences into pre-school life. Information can travel in both directions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A deputy manager also holds the SENDCO role, and the team has paediatric first aid and food hygiene training. The manager holds designated safeguarding and health and safety responsibilities. These are identifiable arrangements for support and welfare, rather than a general promise about care.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, praised support for children with SEND and reported good progress for those children and disadvantaged children. In July 2023, staff worked with outside agencies and directed additional funding towards individual support and dance lessons intended to develop physical skills.

School transition also had a practical shape in July 2023: staff exchanged information with primary school staff, accompanied children on school visits and took part in school events. Those activities helped connect the child's familiar pre-school experience with the next setting. They concern preparation and continuity, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Pauls Church Centre, Coleshill Street, Fazeley, Tamworth, B78 3RQ. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. The pre-school operates for 38 weeks each year.

There are three-hour morning sessions and six-hour all-day sessions, with the all-day option running from 9am to 3pm. Children bring their own packed lunch for the all-day session. Families choosing between the two patterns therefore need to consider both the length of attendance and the lunch routine.

The main intake takes place in September. Applications for that intake need to arrive by 31 March; later applications join the waiting list. Offers are sent during the Easter holidays, and the waiting list prioritises older children. This is a clear application timetable, so planning starts well before the intended September entry.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form, and an application form can be downloaded. Three staff training days form part of the annual calendar.

Funding and Paid Extras

The pre-school offers Nursery Education Grant (NEG) funding from the term after a child's third birthday, covering up to 15 hours weekly across 38 weeks. It also accepts Think2-funded children and offers working-family funding of 30 hours across 38 weeks for families who qualify. The general working-family entitlement starts from nine months, but Fazeley's own session age range starts at two and a half.

Private attendance is also offered. For non-funded children, payment falls due in advance at the start of each week; lunch is supplied by parents. The funding and fees information sets out the attendance and funding arrangements.

• Term-time routines. Attendance runs across 38 weeks, with morning and all-day options. Families needing childcare during school holidays will need an arrangement that covers those weeks.
• September applications. Fazeley Pre-School's main intake uses a 31 March application deadline; its own waiting list is ordered by age, with the oldest children considered first. Work back from the intended starting September when planning a pre-school application.
• Teaching development. In July 2023, targeted coaching and training were needed to help staff extend learning further. During a visit, ask how staff development now supports children who are ready for a greater challenge.
• Family cultures. The July 2023 improvement priorities included more opportunities for children to share their backgrounds and traditions. Ask how your family's experiences could become part of the activities.

Fazeley Pre-School suits families seeking either a shorter morning pattern or an all-day, term-time session. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of adaptable outdoor materials, gardening and daily investigation of nature, supported by regular key-worker contact and scheduled parent meetings.

The Good judgement from July 2023 provides a positive inspection position, alongside specific priorities for teaching development and children's contribution to cultural learning. For parents who value play, outdoor activity and a clear September application cycle, this is a setting with a recognisable offer and useful routines.