Falconwood Preschool

Falconwood Preschool is a 26-place sessional setting at the Scout Association, 7th Welling, 30 Falconwood Parade, Welling. Its latest inspection, in July 2022, judged it Good across education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Safeguarding arrangements were effective at that visit.

Warm relationships and purposeful play are the clearest strengths. In July 2022, children made good progress from their individual starting points, communicated confidently and behaved well.

The Early Years Foundation Stage framed learning through play, so staff started from what children could do and planned their next steps across the early curriculum. In July 2022, inspectors found staff knew what children could do and what they needed to learn next, then used modelling, questions and narration to extend play.

The July 2022 examples are unusually concrete. Children counted fish in sand, learned shape names and numbers of sides, wrote numbers on pretend train tickets and compared prices. Role play moved from serving pretend ice creams to arranging chairs as a train and discussing a beach journey. Children also decorated biscuits using details from The Gruffalo.

Outdoor activity included controlling ride-on vehicles and imaginative water play. Regular football coaching and an end-of-term opportunity to try horse riding added physical variety at the time of the inspection.

Children had strong relationships with staff in July 2022. Songs, stories and role play supported speech, language and social communication, while work with parents, schools and nurseries helped learning at home and transitions. Additional funding was targeted to individual needs.

Safeguarding was effective at the inspection. Staff understood child-protection concerns and reporting routes, maintained safe premises and equipment, and taught emergency procedures. One improvement point matters for everyday confidence: practitioners needed to be more consistent in encouraging independence and self-help. Children sometimes opened packed lunches and spread butter on toast, but opportunities to try tasks independently were not planned consistently throughout the day.

The preschool is based at Scout Association, 7th Welling, 30 Falconwood Parade, Welling, DA16 2PG. It has 26 places in total and operates as sessional day care on non-domestic premises. Families should request the current written quotation and discuss the attendance pattern directly with the preschool.

• Independence in daily routines. The July 2022 inspection asked for more consistent support for self-help skills. Families can discuss how children are now encouraged to manage food, belongings and routine tasks for themselves.
• The practical offer. Ask about current session times, eligible ages, funded entitlement, meals, consumables and the minimum booking pattern so the arrangement can be assessed as a whole.

Falconwood Preschool suits families seeking a small, sessional early-years setting where conversation, imaginative play and physical activity carry real weight. The 2022 inspection evidence shows warm relationships, good progress and effective safeguarding, balanced by a clear development point around independence. Families needing either regular part-week sessions or a consistent term-time pattern should establish which current options match their week before deciding.