Noah's Ark Pre-School

A committee-run pre-school with a strong Catholic connection and a sharply defined sessional model, Noah's Ark serves children aged two to four from its bungalow on Ewell Road, Tolworth. It has capacity for 30 children and follows the school year rather than operating as a year-round day nursery. Families can choose morning, afternoon or all-day attendance on weekdays.

The February 2026 Ofsted report card found safeguarding standards met and judged every evaluated area at the Strong standard. The most persuasive detail sits beneath those judgements: children made rapid progress from their starting points, including children who had begun with limited English, while routines and expectations helped them concentrate and cooperate. The setting combines that work with direct access to outdoor provision and a close relationship with families.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the curriculum. In practical terms, staff begin with each child's starting point, plan play and guided activities across communication, physical, personal and early academic development, then use observation to decide what should come next. The 2026 inspection describes staff introducing expressive words such as slimy and gooey during play, weaving number and size language into activities, and giving children frequent chances to draw, write, count and create.

Language is a genuine strength. Nursery songs are sent home in families' own languages, connecting familiar singing with books and English songs at pre-school. Children were confident listeners and enthusiastic singers during the inspection.

Physical development is equally deliberate. Staff planned daily movement opportunities for children who needed them, using outdoor stretching and balancing alongside indoor music and dance. Children learn together in a pre-school group spanning the inspected age range, with activities adapted to different needs and developmental stages.

Outdoor and Community Life

The setting has direct access to outdoor provision on its premises. Its published outings policy also describes local walks and visits supported by risk assessments and parental consent.

Community identity is unusually visible. Noah's Ark describes established links with Our Lady Immaculate church and school, as well as local charities. It also operates as a charity overseen by a parent committee.

Relationships and Communication

Warm relationships are not simply claimed in promotional copy. In February 2026, staff quickly noticed changes in a child's mood, shared those observations with parents and gave extra reassurance after absences. Embedded routines helped them anticipate transitions such as lunch, while simple expectations around indoor voices and walking feet supported calm group times.

Parent partnership has useful, concrete forms. Staff model story reading for home, discuss children's progress and direct families towards relevant services. Electronic learning records and regular communication help connect experience at home and in pre-school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Inclusion is a central strength. Leaders and staff identify early signs of delay, adapt teaching and work with professionals including speech and language therapists. The inspection found children facing barriers to learning made sustained progress, and staff training had improved the use of resources during group activities.

Safeguarding standards were met in the 2026 report card. Supervision included regular headcounts, while children learned age-appropriate independence through toileting and handwashing. The setting publishes a nut-free policy and asks parents to pack a healthy lunch with suitable cold storage. At lunch, children find and open their own lunch boxes as independently as possible, turning an everyday routine into self-care practice.

Sessions and Attendance

Noah's Ark runs Monday to Friday for 38 weeks of the academic year. Morning sessions are 8:40am to 11:40am, afternoon sessions start at 12:15pm, and an all-day pattern runs from 8:40am to 3:15pm.

The main intake is September, with applications considered for January or April when the setting can accommodate them. The application form places a child on the setting's waiting list. Successful September applicants are normally contacted in April.

Funding and Paid Extras

The pre-school publishes 15-hour funded places for eligible two-year-olds and three- and four-year-olds, plus the extended 30-hour entitlement for eligible families. Delivery is term-time.

Private sessions, the lunchtime interval for funded all-day children, snacks and extracurricular activities sit within the setting's published charge structure. Numeric fees are deliberately omitted because families need a current quotation. The fees and admissions page also sets a four-week notice requirement for changes. Parents provide lunch and the food policy explains how children are encouraged to manage their lunch boxes independently.

Getting There and Moving On

The address is The Bungalow, 401-403 Ewell Road, Tolworth, Surbiton KT6 7DG.

Noah's Ark says many children move to Our Lady Immaculate Primary School and describes a longstanding close relationship with it. That relationship does not secure a Reception place. Families must still apply through the local authority's admissions process; the relationship confers no stated admissions priority.

• A school-year timetable. The 38-week model and 3:15pm finish suit pre-school sessions, not year-round or late-evening childcare. Families need separate cover outside term dates.
• Committee participation. Parent governance is part of the setting's identity, and the pre-school actively recruits committee members. The governance model will suit families comfortable with an actively involved parent body.
• Lunch and allergies. Parents pack lunch and are asked to follow the published nut-free and healthy-lunch guidance. The published policy includes cold-storage expectations and a request to avoid nuts.
• Group organisation. Children aged two to four share the pre-school model. Families can discuss how ages are grouped across different attendance patterns.

Noah's Ark best suits families wanting a focused, term-time pre-school rather than extended day care. Its morning, afternoon and all-day patterns offer meaningful choice within that model, while the 2026 report card gives unusually current reassurance about language development, inclusion, behaviour and safeguarding. Home-language songs, purposeful movement work and close parent communication make the educational approach tangible.

The trade-offs are equally clear: the day ends at 3:15pm, lunch comes from home and the setting relies on an engaged charitable committee. For a two- to four-year-old who would benefit from consistent routines, confident language work and a close community connection, it is a compelling option to visit.