Ruislip Stars Pre School

An indoor sensory garden, a children’s kitchen and trips linked to learning themes give Ruislip Stars Pre School a day that extends beyond table activities. At its 4 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings about children’s learning and preparation for school. Practical independence runs through the current routine too: children help serve breakfast, pour drinks and talk about their day together.

At 514 Victoria Road, Ruislip, HA4 0HD, the preschool has 60 places in total and caters for children aged 30 to 60 months. This is the preschool branch, separate from the younger children’s nursery further along Victoria Road. Entry normally starts from 2.5 years once children are confident using the toilet, a condition that matters as much as age when planning the move.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the learning framework: children develop communication, physical skills, early literacy and number understanding through play and planned activities. Alongside that foundation, the group-wide Ruislip Stars Nurseries curriculum uses children’s interests and individual targets to shape activities. A key person reviews progress with parents, so planning connects what a child enjoys with what they are working towards. The preschool curriculum explains that approach.

An open-plan room allows children to move between activities rather than spend the whole day at one table. The ICT Hub, indoor sensory garden, children’s kitchen and messy play areas are accessible during free play, with practitioners supporting children’s choices. Those different spaces give families a useful picture of the day: children can explore different spaces during free play as well as take part in group activities.

In March 2022, books shaped much of the learning. Children explored stories, songs and rhymes in small groups and dens, practised writing their names and connected letters with sounds. A story-of-the-week approach gave activities a shared starting point. It also gave parents something concrete to discuss at home, rather than a broad account of what their child had done.

Cooking had a practical teaching role in March 2022. Children used a purpose-built kitchen several times a week, talking about quantities and comparing measurements as they worked. Dancing and making shapes with string offered other ways to explore movement and ideas. These examples show how early learning was woven into things children could do and handle.

Outdoor and Community Life

Trips are planned through the week around the learning theme, with community activities including visits to a local shop or library. The destination serves the topic. For families who value learning beyond the setting, that connects activities indoors with familiar places children encounter outside it.

Sports day 2025 brought preschool families together for the annual event. World book day 2025 involved dressing as story characters, listening to stories, acting them out and using story sacks. Red nose day 2025 combined red clothing with activities about helping others. These dated examples show how stories, movement and community themes have also become shared occasions, rather than remaining individual activities.

Relationships and Communication

Parents receive a conversation about their child’s day at collection and an email covering activities, photographs and food eaten. That combination is useful: the immediate conversation allows an exchange with a practitioner, while the email gives families details to return to later. The group-wide curriculum also provides a parent login after the settling schedule has finished, with home-learning tasks available to download.

Independence is practised in ordinary routines. At breakfast, children help themselves to food and pour milk or water; at lunch, they take part in serving their meals. Morning fruit snack includes choosing and cutting fruit. These are small, repeatable tasks that let children practise doing things for themselves with staff support.

Later in the day, children gather to reflect on what they have done before moving into group activities. This creates a pause between active play and the end of the day. In March 2022, staff also taught children about feelings, personal safety and online safety, connecting care with language children could use to express themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were cared for well, but teaching did not consistently extend learning for them or for children learning English as an additional language because planning and adaptation needed improvement. That is the material qualification to the Good judgement. Families whose children need additional support should make the way activities are adapted a central part of their visit discussion.

Meals are prepared at the preschool by its chef, and breakfast includes cereals, wholemeal toast and fruit. Eating is also a social part of the routine, with conversation about food preferences and the day’s activities rather than simply a break between learning tasks.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool opens from 7am to 8pm on weekdays and operates throughout the year. That broad opening window is useful for parents with early starts or late finishes. Enquiries go through the preschool contact route, and show-round bookings can be made by telephone on 020 8845 4007.

New children join throughout the year rather than waiting for one fixed cohort start. The group-wide curriculum allows for different starting points, using individual assessments and targets to plan learning. For a child moving into preschool, the key practical condition is readiness for the usual toilet-independent entry rule, alongside age.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2022, the preschool received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. Families arranging care now should use a current written quotation from the preschool to understand their own attendance and payment arrangement.

• Toilet-independent entry. Children normally begin from 2.5 years once confident using the toilet. Discuss how that transition would work for your child, especially if toileting needs additional support.
• Adapted learning. The March 2022 improvement point concerned teaching for children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language. During a visit, ask for a practical example of how an activity is adjusted to an individual child’s needs.
• Your attendance arrangement. Opening runs from 7am to 8pm on weekdays. Ask which booking pattern, funded-hour arrangement and charges for meals or consumables would apply to your proposed attendance.

Ruislip Stars Pre School suits families seeking preschool care with practical independence, themed trips and a clear connection between the day’s activities and communication at home. The children’s kitchen and indoor sensory garden give that offer substance. Its Good judgement dates to 2022, and the concern about adapting teaching deserves attention alongside the positive findings. For a child ready for the preschool’s usual toilet-independent entry, this is an option with a recognisable daily routine and plenty of practical learning to discuss on a visit.