Thurston Childcare, Fledglings

A garden used as another room, separate spaces for individual support and The Nest for younger two-year-olds give Thurston Childcare, Fledglings a clear character. Thurston Church of England Primary Academy hosts the preschool, which combines active exploration with quieter work. It accepts children aged two to five and has 108 places in total. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of a child's group.

At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding, finding that carefully planned teaching and individual assessment helped children make excellent progress. The practical examples matter as much as the grade: learning drew on children's home lives, books, animals and encounters with people in the community. The judgement belongs to that inspection date.

Families can choose a Full Day or a shorter Pre-School Day, with Early Risers and Late Leavers also offered. These different patterns make the setting relevant to more than one working routine.

Rooms and Ages

Fledglings serves children aged two to five, combining sensory exploration, construction and quieter reading with doors opening onto the garden; The Nest houses the youngest two-year-olds in a calmer setting before they move into Fledglings.

Low-level resources let children choose activities independently; family photographs and soft toys provide familiar points of reference. Sharing, tidying and pretend play help children practise being part of a group.

Separate rooms accommodate individual work and nurture groups, giving children quieter spaces alongside the main preschool room.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, social understanding and physical skills through play, with adults guiding activities as well as following children's interests. At Fledglings, the day includes both approaches, adjusted to children's needs and energy. Paint, sand, water and playdough are offered each session, giving children repeated opportunities to handle materials and experiment.

In May 2022, staff connected a toothbrushing activity with children's own families, helping them count the toothbrushes at home and discuss toothpaste flavours. An everyday health topic became a chance to use numbers and descriptive language. Familiar stories also gave younger children opportunities to join in with rhymes they recognised, making listening an active part of the experience.

In May 2022, singing and story groups punctuated the day, alongside small-group teaching with each child's key person.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden access is built into the setting's layout, with an all-weather porch extending the outdoor space. Children can move between indoor and outdoor play, and the garden functions as an additional learning area. For families who value movement and exploration, this is a concrete part of the offer.

In May 2022, children helped care for chickens, met police officers and could join planned yoga. Bees, honey and hives supplied new vocabulary, extending conversation beyond familiar toys and books.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person to build a relationship with. Daily verbal feedback accompanies updates through Tapestry, an online learning journal that parents can also contribute to, connecting home and nursery experiences.

For younger children, the daily diary includes sleep, food and nappy-change information. That detail is useful when home and nursery routines need to fit together. Children may bring a comforter and an item to share with the group, providing a familiar object or an interest from home that staff can use in conversation.

In May 2022, staff sent families activities linked to nursery subjects, helping parents extend children's learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and additional support well integrated into children's routines through plans agreed with parents. Current arrangements include a designated safeguarding role at each setting and annual safeguarding training for staff. These are the procedures in place; the effectiveness judgement remains dated.

SEND support has a defined process. The SENCO coordinates assessment and additional provision, works with families and other professionals, and oversees a cycle of assessing needs, planning support, putting it into practice and reviewing it. Support Plans set achievable goals and the strategies staff will use. This gives families something specific to discuss at reviews, rather than a general promise of extra help.

Wellcomm, a speech and language toolkit used to identify possible delays, adds a named mechanism for recognising communication needs. Where additional funding is received, the policy allocates it to extra staffing during the core term-time day, with remaining funding supporting SENCO time or resources. Other funding can support individual work or a specialist small group, according to the child's needs.

Medical support can include an Individual Health Care Plan developed with family involvement and professional input. Before a child with SEND moves to another setting, transition planning can involve meetings with receiving staff, photographs and a visit with their key person and parent. The purpose is to carry useful knowledge about the child forward, so the next setting can prepare.

Sessions and Attendance

The Fledglings address is Pond Field Road, Thurston, IP31 3FT, on the primary academy site. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays, a week at Christmas and staff training days.

The Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. The Pre-School Day starts at 8.50am and finishes at 3.20pm; Early Risers covers 7.30am to 8.50am, and Late Leavers runs from 3.20pm to 6pm. The shorter day is a separate attendance choice, while the early and late sessions provide additional parts of the day.

Return the initial registration form to info@thurston-childcare.org.uk. The waiting list starts in birth order; funded eligibility, time waiting, proximity, siblings and the setting's ability to meet individual needs may also influence admission.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered under Suffolk County Council's arrangements. The entitlements include 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds and 30 hours for eligible families; Fledglings' own age range remains two to five. Tax Free Childcare is also accepted. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen sessions and extras.

An in-house chef prepares food, with meals and snacks charged separately on an opt-in basis; families opting out provide all food for their child's sessions. Nappies, wipes and nursery-applied sun cream carry no additional charge, although parents apply sun cream before attendance and may bring their own nappies or wipes.

Regular additional activities are supported by fundraising where it can cover the cost. They may change or be withdrawn, and any introduced charges are on a voluntary opt-in basis; charges for individual outings or special events are communicated beforehand. This makes the session choice and the extras choice separate parts of the family's budget.

Attending nursery on the academy site does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Children's records can be shared with receiving primary schools with parental consent, supporting transition without conferring an admissions advantage.

• The Nest and the main preschool space. Younger two-year-olds have a separate setting before moving into Fledglings. During a visit, discuss how that move is planned for your child and how individual support rooms are used.
• Food choices and allergies. Catering is opt-in, and opting out means providing meals and snacks. The nursery has a nut-free policy; allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements and any individual health plan before starting.
• Funding across the year. The nursery opens throughout the year and offers funded places. How would your entitlement be allocated across your chosen attendance pattern, and which additional hours would be privately paid?
• School-site convenience. Nursery and primary school share a site, but Reception admissions remain a separate application. Plan the school application alongside nursery transition arrangements.

Fledglings suits families choosing either a shorter Pre-School Day or a Full Day, with early and late sessions providing further options. Its strongest current physical features are the garden access, separate support spaces and The Nest for younger two-year-olds. The Outstanding judgement from May 2022 adds substantial inspection backing, while the current SEND procedures give families concrete support mechanisms to discuss.

The decision is practical as well as educational: choose the attendance pattern, decide between catered and parent-provided food, and establish how funded hours fit the booking. For a child who enjoys choosing resources and moving between indoor and outdoor play, this setting offers a clear fit.