Chicksand Preschool

In September 2024, real vegetables in play, a garden for daily exercise and practical support for parents gave Chicksand Preschool its character. At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest detail is the connection between children's learning and family life.

Based on Hanbury Street in London, E1 5JY, the preschool has 24 places in total and caters for children aged 24 to 60 months. It opens during term time, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm, and closes for school holidays.

In September 2024, fruit and herbs became materials for imaginative play and art. These familiar ingredients gave children something tangible to explore through their senses. The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for learning, development and care; here, play, conversation and physical activity illustrated how those requirements translated into children's day.

Books, singing and repeated vocabulary featured throughout the day in September 2024. A picture-based timetable helped children understand the sequence of activities, including those learning English as an additional language. During dough play, practitioners demonstrated tools and encouraged children to persevere.

Outdoor activity had a practical purpose too. In September 2024, children exercised daily in a large garden and grew vegetables which they later tasted as snacks. Growing and eating were connected, giving healthy food a place in children's own experience.

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children formed close relationships with staff, children with SEND received targeted help, and staff assessed development carefully and acted when extra support was needed. These findings matter for families whose children need an individual response rather than the same approach for everyone.

In September 2024, a sensory area combined coloured lighting with comfortable furnishings to help children settle. Parents and children also shared family objects and customs at multicultural events, bringing their backgrounds into preschool life.

Support extended beyond children's activities. In September 2024, parenting workshops helped families connect, while staff directed parents towards a foodbank and online-safety classes. Staff also worked with families on oral hygiene, and received supervision and coaching to develop their practice.

The Hanbury Street address and 9am to 3pm opening window suit a term-time routine rather than coverage through school holidays. Monday-to-Friday opening provides a clear weekly framework for planning childcare.

In September 2024, the preschool offered funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. That was part of its term-time provision.

• School-holiday cover. Chicksand closes during school holidays. Families needing year-round childcare will need arrangements for those periods.
• Following children's interests. The September 2024 improvement priority was for staff to recognise more consistently when a child's spontaneous interest could lead to further learning. On a visit, ask how practitioners build on those moments now.

Chicksand suits families seeking a term-time preschool routine with a 9am to 3pm opening window. Its September 2024 picture combines sensory play, daily garden activity and substantial work with parents. The improvement priority gives families a useful point to explore: how readily staff turn children's own ideas into the next learning opportunity.