Wingle-Tye Pre-School 2

A large playroom, a quieter room and a fenced outdoor area give Wingle-Tye Pre-School 2 a clear balance between busy play and calmer activities. Beside Fairkytes Art Centre in Hornchurch, this preschool takes children from two years old and combines child-chosen activities with experiences led by adults. A slide, wendy house and child-sized picnic bench make the outdoor space more than an extension of the indoor toy collection.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on communication, independence and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Two improvements matter for families: giving children more freedom in creative work and making sure information from parents reaches the staff who need it.

There is capacity for 29 children in total, while the setting limits attendance to 25 in a session. Term-time attendance includes morning, afternoon and full-day patterns.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and development: here, learning through play gives children opportunities to develop language, relationships, movement and understanding of the world. Alongside that framework, In the moment planning combines children's choices with adult-led experiences. The practical appeal is room for a child's interests to shape what happens, rather than every activity being fixed in advance.

Choice has a concrete place in the day. Children select toys, with water play, dolls, puzzles and playdough among the indoor options. A welcome bird is used for self-registration: children find their names and place them on it. This turns recognising their own name into part of an everyday routine.

Story and discussion periods alternate with music and movement. Children sing, dance and use instruments, while themes include road safety and celebrations such as Diwali. The schedule varies across the week to accommodate children's wishes. It supplies a recognisable sequence without making each day identical.

In March 2024, learning about emergency workers led into medical role play, including checking heartbeats and blood pressure. Children encountered vocabulary connected with the equipment and learnt about bones. Older children also joined groups for early literacy and mathematical learning before moving to school. These are useful examples of play and more directed teaching working together.

Creative freedom was less consistent at that point. Some planned activities restricted children's exploration of materials, rather than leaving room for their own ideas. That distinction is important: having art resources is different from allowing children to decide what to make with them.

Outdoor and Community Life

The smaller indoor room is intended for quiet activities, while the main playroom accommodates more active play. Outdoors, the fenced area contains the slide and wendy house, alongside a picnic bench sized for children. Families choosing between settings can weigh both opportunities for movement and somewhere to step back from busier activity.

Outdoor choices include a sand table, bikes and scooters, planting, and games with bats and balls. Balance beams and chalking add different ways to move and experiment. In March 2024, children practised cycling on a track and learnt to share bicycles. Physical play therefore also provided opportunities to take turns.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who follows their progress and reports to parents. Staff undertake continuing training, and the team includes designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles, a SENDCO and a first aid officer. These are identifiable responsibilities within the team, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

In March 2024, familiar staff helped new children through shared play and comfort. Everyday independence was encouraged through putting on outdoor clothing and helping prepare tables for meals. At snack time now, the daily routine includes preparing food, arranging drinks and choosing a seat. These small responsibilities give children opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that funded one-to-one help and work with external agencies supported children with SEND to make good progress, but identified weaknesses in passing information from parents between staff. A parent may have explained a child's needs to their key person without that knowledge reaching another practitioner. The practical question is how the whole team receives and uses those details.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Current safeguarding procedures include checks before staff employment, supervised trainees, emergency collection passwords and termly fire and intruder drills. There are also procedures for medication and for children with medical needs or allergies. These arrangements cover recruitment, collection, emergency practice and individual health needs.

After lunch, children can choose books or puzzles for a quieter period. Parents supply packed lunches for full-day and afternoon attendance, while snacks are separately charged through voluntary contributions. Food arrangements therefore involve both something prepared at home and a snack offered by the preschool.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 53 Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1AX, beside Fairkytes Art Centre. Enquiries can be made through the branch contact form or by telephone on 01708 438282. Visits with children are by appointment.

The normal Monday-to-Friday patterns are full-day care from 9.15am to 3.15pm, morning care from 9.15am to 12.15pm and afternoon care from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. The funding policy also gives a temporary opening timetable of 9am to noon, noon to 3pm and 9am to 3pm, conditional on local roadworks being unfinished. The applicable timetable needs resolving before a family plans attendance.

A waiting list operates. If applications exceed places, returning children take priority; new admissions are considered by location and age. This is a durable admissions rule, rather than an indication of how many places are free.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded education is delivered over 38 weeks, with entitlement used for agreed weekly attendance rather than occasional extra sessions. The funding routes include 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds, expanded working-parent funding of 30 hours for two-year-olds, universal funding of up to 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and extended working-family funding of up to 30 hours for those ages. Eligibility conditions apply.

A Parent Declaration Form is required each term, including details of hours used with another provider. Extended funding eligibility must be reconfirmed every three months. Private attendance and additional hours beyond entitlement are charged, with fees payable in advance each half term, including during illness and holidays. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Snack contributions are voluntary, including on funded attendance. Enhanced Learning Resources carry a separate voluntary charge: they support theme activities, with photographs added to children's Learning Journals each term. Visiting entertainers may also involve voluntary contributions, and reasonable alternatives are offered to families who decline voluntary costs. Four weeks' notice is required to relinquish a place.

• Creative choice. In March 2024, some activities limited children's own exploration. During an appointment, ask how children now choose and use creative materials, rather than simply completing an adult's design.
• Sharing your child's needs. Information did not consistently travel from key persons to other staff in March 2024. Ask how dietary, developmental and care details reach everyone working with your child.
• Roadworks timetable. Normal session times and the conditional temporary timetable differ. Confirm which applies to the proposed attendance dates before arranging work or collection.
• Food and additional costs. Packed lunches come from home, and snack and resource contributions are voluntary. Request a written breakdown of the voluntary contributions and alternatives.

Wingle-Tye Pre-School 2 suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those choosing a full preschool day. Its appeal lies in concrete daily experiences: choosing toys, using the outdoor equipment, preparing snacks and taking part in music and discussion. The quieter room adds a useful counterpoint to active play.

The March 2024 Good judgement provides a positive assessment, with two specific cautions about creative freedom and communication across the team. Families whose child needs carefully coordinated support should give the second issue close attention. The attendance options are useful, provided the applicable roadworks timetable fits the family's plans.