Fairfield Playbox Preschool

A maximum of 25 children per session gives Fairfield Playbox Preschool a clear sense of scale. Based at Kingston Methodist Church in Kingston upon Thames, it combines play-led learning with individual progress journals and a SENCO role held by the manager. Parents have several ways to stay involved, from progress discussions each term to Watching Week, a summer-term invitation to spend time at preschool.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. The current age range is 18 months to four years, broader than the children attending at that visit. Morning attendance and a term-time day are both offered, with a minimum booking of two mornings each week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, with activities adapted to each child's needs. It is the baseline for early-years provision rather than a separate branded programme. Here, choosing activities and resources is part of the day: children can select materials from a creative trolley, and staff use individual interests when planning what comes next. That gives children a practical way to influence their play.

In November 2024, stories, songs and conversations were central to the day. Children shared memories, contributed ideas and invented sea creatures during imaginative play on a rocking boat. These are concrete opportunities to practise speaking and listening, rather than language work confined to a formal activity.

Early mathematics also grew out of play at that visit, as children explored the dimensions and shapes of materials. Drawing, tracing and chalk offered different ways to make marks. The combination matters: children could express an idea through conversation, pretend play or a picture, rather than needing to respond in one prescribed way.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor learning are both part of the current offer. Obstacle courses, colour mixing and making sandwiches are examples of activities through which children try things for themselves. The creative trolley adds another physical resource for independent choice.

In November 2024, children used scooters and practised pedalling, giving physical play a clear emphasis on movement and coordination. They also went outside regularly. Those observations describe the day at that time, rather than a fixed activity timetable.

Kingston Methodist Church runs Playbox, and families of any faith or none are welcome. Celebrations and multicultural activities take place through the year, with opportunities to explore clothing and food from different cultures and for families to contribute. The practical emphasis is participation: children's own backgrounds can become part of shared learning.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker, and development records are shared with parents. In November 2024, settling arrangements helped children establish close relationships with staff. Children also practised everyday independence by helping themselves to snacks and handling some personal-care tasks. Starting preschool and becoming more self-reliant were treated as connected parts of the day.

Tapestry Journal gives every child an individual account through which parents can follow progress. Meetings each term add a chance for discussion, while Watching Week invites parents into preschool during the summer term. These are different forms of involvement: an ongoing journal, a scheduled conversation and an opportunity to see the setting's activities.

Parents can also speak regularly with their child's key worker or the leaders. Parent Representatives attend management committee meetings each term, and an annual questionnaire gathers family views. Communication therefore extends beyond an individual child's learning to how the preschool is run.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The manager acts as SENCO, attending borough network meetings and training organised by Achieving for Children. Parents are involved throughout assessment, planning and review, and staff coordinate with other professionals, including physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. With parental agreement, the Inclusion and Improvement Adviser can also be consulted. These are identifiable support mechanisms, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

The November 2024 inspection identified two priorities: more opportunities for children learning English as an additional language to use their home languages, and better use of visual prompts to help children with SEND choose independently and understand routines. Both concern access to everyday play and participation. They deserve attention alongside the preschool's individual planning and professional links.

Current arrangements include a designated safeguarding lead and staff safeguarding training. Fire practice takes place each term. Transfer arrangements with other settings and schools form part of the SEND policy, helping support continue when a child moves on.

Sessions and Attendance

Playbox opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, for 38 weeks during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, while the extended funded arrangement covers a 9am-to-3pm term-time day. The minimum attendance is two mornings per week. This is a preschool timetable built around term-time attendance, so families need to match both the daily finish and the holiday pattern to their care needs.

Applications are ordered by the date they are received, with exceptions for children whose parents regularly attend Kingston Methodist Church and occasional priority for children with special needs or referrals from Kingston Social Services or Achieving for Children. An offer requires a response within 14 days. Four weeks' notice is required to leave or reduce attendance.

The address is Kingston Methodist Church, Fairfield South, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2UJ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07410 380 566 or through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted, with no extra charges. The admissions policy sets out Universal 3 and 4 Year Old Funding, Extended Funding for 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds, and 2 year old funding. Delivery is term-time: the universal and eligible two-year-old arrangements cover 15 hours weekly across 38 weeks, while the extended arrangement covers 30 hours across the same period for eligible families with a valid code.

Extended-funding eligibility must be reconfirmed every three months. After the grace period, a family losing that eligibility can retain morning attendance through universal funding and pay for afternoon sessions, or continue with mornings alone. The distinction matters when planning an attendance pattern that depends on extended funding.

• Term-time fit. Morning sessions and the 9am-to-3pm day both follow a 38-week calendar, with a two-morning minimum. Consider how that pattern fits working hours and school holidays.
• Language and visual support. The November 2024 priorities concerned home-language opportunities and visual prompts for children with SEND. At a visit, ask how these now work during play, choices and daily routines.
• Admissions and changes. Date-ordered applications have church-attendance and referral exceptions, and reducing hours requires four weeks' notice. These rules matter when deciding when to apply and how firmly to commit to a pattern.

Fairfield Playbox suits families seeking either morning preschool sessions or a longer term-time day, with a small whole-setting scale and several routes into their child's learning. Tapestry Journal, termly discussions and Watching Week make parental involvement concrete; the SENCO role and professional links give inclusion a defined structure. The language and visual-support priorities remain useful questions for a visit, especially for families whose children need help accessing routines or communicating across languages.