Royal Eltham Pre-School

A church hall, children choosing between indoor and outdoor play, and fruit-and-vegetable exploration through TastEd give Royal Eltham Pre-School a clear character. This is a parent-committee-run charity with one main hall and a secure outdoor area. Its appeal lies in active learning, family involvement and a day shaped around children's interests.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The current age range runs from 2 years 9 months to 5 years, with capacity for 32 children in total. Morning and extended sessions operate during term time.

The setting occupies St Luke’s church hall on Westmount Road in Eltham. A secure outdoor area and ramps with handrails give the physical setting practical substance: children can move between play environments, while access arrangements support participation.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means play, stories, physical activity and opportunities to develop skills, with practitioners using observation to decide what each child needs next. Adult-directed activities sit alongside children's own choices, rather than filling the whole day with prescribed tasks.

Planning responds to children's interests. Stories use props and invite children to participate; practitioners document starting points and subsequent development through observation and assessment. This gives activities a purpose beyond keeping children occupied: the next experience can build on something a child is beginning to understand or practise.

TastEd adds a concrete healthy-eating programme. Children explore different fruits and vegetables, taste them and learn about flavours. Support comes from Well Hall and Westhorne Avenue Co-op. For a child hesitant about unfamiliar food, the useful feature is an opportunity to investigate it as part of learning, rather than encountering it only at lunch.

In June 2023, children explored the work of artists and sculptors, with a new person introduced monthly. Children examined sunflowers before painting with fine brushes and connected their work with Van Gogh. That example brings together looking closely, handling tools and talking about an idea. It makes the creative work more substantial than simply producing something to take home.

Language also travelled beyond story time in June 2023. Raft-building prompted discussion of floating and oars, while a conversation about thunder led to images of lightning. Staff used sign language during activities and songs. These examples show how making, experimenting and discussion could become opportunities to practise communication.

Outdoor and Community Life

One main hall connects with a secure outdoor space. Children choose whether to play inside or outside through a free-flow arrangement, and outdoor activities extend the learning day. Fresh air and movement are part of each session, rather than an occasional departure from indoor activity.

In June 2023, physical challenges took place both indoors and outside, and craft work included using scissors. Families also contributed cultural experiences: one example involved sharing the Greek Easter tradition of colouring eggs red. The combination gave children opportunities to try physical skills and encounter experiences beyond their own household.

Relationships and Communication

Each practitioner has allocated key children and considers their developmental stage, culture, background and additional needs when planning activities. Regular observation provides continuity: the adult responsible for following a child's development has a basis for choosing the next activity.

In June 2023, new families joined a group stay-and-play session to begin settling in. Staff used that time to learn about children's interests, while parents explored the curriculum. Weekly newsletters and home-learning packs extended communication beyond conversations at the setting; story bags included props that families could use together at home.

Parent involvement also had a practical role in June 2023. Surveys and a parent forum gathered feedback, and families helped organise a summer picnic involving current and former families. This sat alongside the parent management committee that runs the charity, giving family participation a place in both daily relationships and the organisation itself.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo role supports arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The Early Years Inclusion Team and other agencies visit to assist children with additional needs, while policies are shared with families, staff and professionals. These are useful mechanisms for coordinating support around an individual child.

In June 2023, individual sensory resources and cues helped children understand a visual timetable. This is a concrete example of adapting the experience to the child, rather than expecting every child to use the same materials in the same way. Current arrangements also include a Safeguarding Officer and a Physical Activity and Nutrition Coordinator, and all staff hold first-aid qualifications.

Sessions and Attendance

The pre-school operates on five days each week during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; extended sessions continue from 9am to 3pm. There is no separate afternoon session. Families can combine full and half days, subject to availability, so the pattern can accommodate shorter mornings as well as a longer preschool day.

School holidays are outside the operating calendar. For care beyond the pre-school's sessions, families can obtain details of a network of established childminders. This is a referral arrangement, rather than an additional session delivered by the pre-school.

Getting There

The address is St Luke’s church hall, Westmount Road, London SE9 1XQ. The main hall and outdoor area have access arrangements that include ramps and handrails at the front and rear.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use government funding for three- and four-year-olds, including the 15- or 30-hour arrangements. Provision is term-time, and the 30-hour funding can be divided between this pre-school and another setting. Private paid hours are also offered; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Children attending extended sessions bring a packed lunch from home because the pre-school does not supply meals. The packed-lunch arrangement also applies when an extended session uses funded hours.

• Term-time mornings or extended days. The choice is 9am to noon or 9am to 3pm, with no separate afternoon session. At a visit, discuss how a combination of mornings and extended days would fit your child's routine.
• Lunch from home. Extended attendance means providing a packed lunch. Families managing food allergies should discuss how lunch arrangements work alongside TastEd tasting activities.
• Shared space and individual support. Children use one main hall and an outdoor area, with a SENCo and visiting inclusion support. Use the management-team tour to discuss how those spaces and arrangements would work for your child.
• Personal care during extended sessions. When discussing the longer day, ask what personal-care supplies your child should bring.

Royal Eltham Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or extended preschool days, with children learning through a mixture of their own choices and adult-led activity. TastEd, free-flow outdoor access and a parent-run structure give the offer substance. The June 2023 Outstanding judgement is a strong dated assessment; the practical choice today rests on whether its session lengths, shared hall and packed-lunch model fit family life.