Humpty Dumpty Pre-School

Storybook groups give Humpty Dumpty Pre-School its character: The Gruffalo children head outdoors for scooters and football, while The Very Hungry Caterpillar group turns the Home Corner into a place for pretend medical care. This Hackbridge pre-school combines a hall-based setting with a garden and a keyworker system. Familiar people and recognisable play areas organise the day.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, with imaginative storytelling, communication and collaborative play among its strengths, while asking for better organisation of large-group activities. That judgement belongs to that visit. The practical appeal today lies in book-named groups, hands-on play and individual planning with parents.

Humpty Dumpty has capacity for 30 children at All Saints Centre, New Road, Mitcham, CR4 4JN, and accepts children from their second birthday under the relevant funding conditions. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance operate during term time, with Breakfast Club extending the start of the day.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, physical skills, independence and early understanding through play and planned activities. Planning combines staff observations with information from families, so a child's interests help shape the next steps. Long-term and shorter-term plans give that work structure.

Each child belongs to a book-named key group with its own keyworker. These book-named groups organise children around their own keyworker. Little Rabbit Foo Foo emphasises painting at easels and building models from different materials; The Smartest Giant in Town uses Peppa Pig toys, train track and small bricks for miniature play and construction. Children have concrete materials to handle, arrange and experiment with.

Imagination takes another form in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, where children play doctors and nurses in the Home Corner. The Tiger who came to Tea makes creations in the messy area to take home, while What the Ladybird Heard combines drawing, painting and playdough with garden play. These examples make the groups recognisable without turning their names into claims about a separate curriculum.

A weekly sign-language word adds another way to communicate. Staff-led activity tables include cutting, sewing and gluing, alongside opportunities to choose puzzles, water play, sand and books. Making something to take home is a child's choice. The craft trolley remains accessible for children who want to design their own work, giving creative play room to develop beyond a set task.

In October 2022, children extended the story Whatever Next through a pretend spaceship made from a cardboard box, with an adult reading alongside their play. They also worked together on construction and recalled collecting conkers during nature walks. Those examples show how stories, practical experiences and conversation connected at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Gruffalo group uses bikes, scooters and footballs in the garden; Shark in the Park combines garden cycling with indoor imaginative play. Outdoor movement therefore has a clear place alongside quieter activities. The large hall accommodates activity areas, including small-world play, a science table and a maths table, rather than relying on one type of play throughout a session.

Independence also runs through ordinary routines. Children help put resources away, practise managing coats and shoes, and choose activities during free play. These small responsibilities give them something useful to do for themselves and for the group.

Relationships and Communication

A keyworker takes particular responsibility for a child's observations and progress records, with parents encouraged to contribute information about preferences, routines and family life. Families can remain while their child settles. The arrangement gives the child a familiar adult and gives parents a clear person with whom to discuss development.

Conversations can take place before or after a session, and a private appointment can be arranged away from the hall. Parents can examine the keyworker's records and receive them when their child leaves. This makes communication more specific than a general account of whether the day went well: interests, progress and next steps can be discussed together.

The registration form gathers information about sleep, health, allergies, dietary requirements and home language. Staff have paediatric first-aid training, and the manager and deputy manager hold designated safeguarding roles. These are arrangements for care, rather than a substitute for a dated inspection judgement.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support successful, with staff working with parents and other agencies to plan for individual needs. Current SEND arrangements include SENCO oversight and Individual Plans developed with parents, with longer-term outcomes supported by smaller targets, strategies and resources reviewed every six weeks. That gives families a defined process for discussing what support is being tried and what happens next.

Language support begins with assessing a child's language skills, rather than treating limited English as a learning difficulty. Planning draws on parents' knowledge of their child's routines and interests. Where additional professional help is appropriate, the SENCO or keyworker liaises with external agencies.

School transition has a practical mechanism for children needing additional support: the pre-school invites the receiving school's SENCO or nursery teacher to visit and arranges a discussion with parents. Written parental consent is sought for passing development summaries to the next setting or school. This concerns continuity of support, rather than an admissions advantage.

A quiet area provides somewhere to rest, and children who fall asleep are placed away from active play while remaining near a member of staff. Toothbrushing support starts at age three. The Oral Health Team trained staff; the team belongs to Kings College Hospital (NHS Foundation Trust). Oral health becomes something children practise during the nursery day.

Sessions and Attendance

The main term-time patterns run Monday to Friday: mornings from 9.30am to 12.30pm, afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and all-day sessions from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Breakfast Club runs from 8.30am to 9.30am. A lunchtime club operates between noon and 12.30pm, with optional attendance and a separate charge for unfunded children.

The admissions policy recommends at least two booked sessions each week; this is a recommendation rather than a compulsory minimum. Families specify their preferred days and hours, and booked days follow a regular weekly pattern. The waiting list is ordered by registration date, with family circumstances, agency referrals, siblings and proximity also capable of being taken into account.

Term-time attendance means half-term breaks and seasonal holidays need separate care arrangements. Paid sessions continue to be charged during a child's illness or family holiday. Reducing or cancelling sessions requires six weeks' notice, so changes to work or family arrangements need to be planned ahead.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour universal entitlement and extended funding, with the 30-hour pattern running from 9.30am to 3.30pm on weekdays across 38 term-time weeks. Funding routes for eligible two-year-olds are also accepted, including younger-child funding used once the child has turned two and the code has been claimed in the preceding term. Participation depends on the relevant eligibility conditions; parents must keep their eligibility checks up to date.

Additional private hours can accompany a funded booking where the pre-school can accommodate them. Breakfast Club is separately charged and sits outside funded hours.

Parents supply a healthy packed lunch, including during funded attendance, while Breakfast Club includes cereal or toast in its charge. Fresh fruit is offered twice daily at snack time, with milk and water to drink.

Families also bring nappies, wipes and nappy sacks when needed, including for children attending funded sessions. The pre-school can support potty training after a child has settled and the family has begun the process. A registration payment is refundable when the child leaves provided six weeks' written notice has been given; the session contract also sets conditions for return of the deposit.

• Group story times. In October 2022, some children lost interest during larger-group activities. During a visit, ask how stories and songs are now organised to keep children with different attention spans involved.
• Term-time coverage. Morning, afternoon and all-day patterns stop for half-term and seasonal holidays. Match that calendar to your working year before choosing the regular weekly booking.
• Starting at two. Younger-child funding is used here only from the second birthday, with the relevant code claimed in the preceding term. Discuss how the keyworker will settle your child and how toileting support will fit their routine.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Families provide lunch and the registration form asks about allergies and dietary needs. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food-handling practice, including arrangements for snacks and Breakfast Club.

Humpty Dumpty suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those wanting an all-day pre-school pattern, with an earlier start through Breakfast Club. Book-named key groups, garden movement and open-ended creative materials give the offer a clear identity. The keyworker relationship and six-week SEND plan reviews provide useful ways for parents to stay involved.

The October 2022 Good judgement is a dated assessment, and engagement in larger groups remains a sensible visit question. For families whose calendar fits term-time care and who are comfortable supplying lunches and changing supplies, the combination of practical play and individual communication is the strongest reason to consider it.