Magdalene Preschool

Child-led play has real substance at Magdalene Preschool. Its Planning in the Moment approach follows children's interests as they arise, while the spacious free-flow environment gives them room to choose, persist and move confidently between indoor and outdoor experiences.

The March 2026 Ofsted report card found a strong standard in all six evaluated areas, with safeguarding met. Children made rapid progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and others facing barriers to learning. The Canning Road setting operates as a term-time, sessional preschool rather than a day nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supplies the seven areas of learning, covering children's communication, physical and personal development alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts. Planning in the Moment makes that framework practical: practitioners observe child-chosen activity, recognise a teachable moment and extend the learning there and then.

That responsive approach was visible in March 2026. Children concentrated together on a giant alphabet floor puzzle, while staff extended pirate play by helping them make cardboard telescopes. Books and resources also opened conversations about difference, including a doll with a hearing aid. These are small, concrete examples of adults building language, imagination and inclusion from the play already under way. A rolling snack introduced by leaders protects that sustained play from unnecessary interruption, so a child absorbed in a puzzle or invented story does not have to abandon it because the whole group has been called to eat.

Outdoors, children have all-day, year-round free-flow garden access. The garden includes a mud kitchen, bikes and a slide; the report card also records children choosing resources, moving them in wheelbarrows and using climbing frames. Independence runs through the routine too, from putting on wellies and coats to pouring water and spreading butter on crackers.

Each child has a dedicated key worker and a focus week once per half term. Learning observations, care diaries, reminders, updates and photographs are shared through a secure online platform, giving families one continuing record rather than disconnected snapshots.

In March 2026, staff showed a detailed understanding of individual children and used calm voices, familiar activities and familiar areas when a child felt overwhelmed. Younger children sought comfort readily. Clear boundaries and consistent routines helped children share, use courteous language and regulate their behaviour, while stable staffing gave them continuity. Staff used regular observation and assessment to plan children’s next steps, and meaningful mathematics featured frequently in interactions. Parents told the inspector that the team was flexible and accommodating and that personalised support helped their children flourish.

Safeguarding was met in the 2026 report card, which found that leaders fulfilled their responsibilities and had established an open safeguarding culture. Inclusion was also a strong standard: targeted training, additional funding and work with families and external professionals helped children with SEND and other barriers participate fully and make excellent progress from their starting points.

Mealtimes were unhurried and closely supervised at that visit. Morning snacks rotate weekly. Children aged three and over attending Lunch Club bring a healthy packed lunch, and the nursery publishes a nut-free policy while accommodating allergies and dietary needs.

Sessions and Attendance

Magdalene Preschool is at the Magdalene Centre, Canning Road, Croydon CR0 6QD. It runs in term time. Morning sessions are 9am to noon and afternoon sessions are noon to 3pm. For children aged three and over, Lunch Club runs from noon to 1pm; early drop-off from 8.30am to 9am must be booked in advance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded provision includes the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, working-family entitlement for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds, and qualifying two-year-old funding, delivered during term time. Eligible families can also use Tax-Free Childcare. Fee-paying places and funded places are both offered, and the nursery provides its current age-based prices through a written quotation.

Invoices are issued half-termly and missed sessions are not refunded. Lunch Club and early drop-off are separate session categories. Families support snacks through an annual donation. Parents provide nappies and wipes when required, spare clothes and underwear, a labelled water bottle, and a sun hat and sunscreen in summer; Lunch Club children bring their packed lunch.

• Sessional pattern. The core offer is built around morning and afternoon sessions in term time, with short wraparound options rather than continuous year-round day care. Families needing holiday cover or a longer uninterrupted working day will need another arrangement.
• Lunch arrangements. Lunch Club is for children aged three and over and requires a healthy packed lunch from home. Families managing an allergy should discuss the current nut-free practice and dietary arrangements before joining.
• Joining choices. Early drop-off requires advance booking, and session combinations will shape the length of a child's day. Ask which combinations can be booked together and how the half-termly invoicing and withdrawal terms apply to your preferred pattern.

Magdalene Preschool suits families seeking a focused, term-time preschool experience rather than conventional long-day care. Planning in the Moment is more than a label here: the 2026 report card shows adults extending alphabet work, imaginative play, independence and inclusion from children's own choices.

The combination of morning sessions, afternoon sessions and age-three-plus Lunch Club gives useful part-day flexibility, with early drop-off adding a modest extension. Its strongest case is educational and relational: rapid progress, calm routines, stable staffing, purposeful SEND support and a free-flow environment in which children can lead their play.