Bolney Under Fives Pre-School Group

Bolney Bonfire Night gives this preschool a recognisable village character: its principal fundraiser brings families together while helping pay for equipment and keep childcare fees down. Family outings and seasonal celebrations extend that connection beyond the preschool day. This is a setting where community participation has a concrete purpose.

Bolney Under Fives Pre-School Group has 26 places in total, with a current age range of 6 months to 5 years. Its address is Rawson Hall, The Street, Haywards Heath, RH17 5PF. At its 22 November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall. Morning and afternoon preschool sessions sit alongside Wallabies Wrap Around Care, which provides breakfast, after-school and holiday arrangements.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning here, with practical play helping children develop their abilities, relationships and understanding. The preschool builds activities around children's interests and strengths. Visiting professional coaches add opportunities to develop skills, at no additional cost to parents; these are additions to the preschool programme rather than a replacement for its everyday teaching.

In November 2024, children chose resources for themselves and pursued their own play ideas, including the youngest children. Staff used books, rhymes and conversation to develop language. That combination matters: children had opportunities both to initiate an activity and to hear adults introduce language around it. However, younger children did not consistently hear familiar and new words reinforced by staff. Enjoying an activity and receiving enough language support were separate issues.

One November 2024 activity combined music, singing and dough. Children pressed and shaped the material, exercising the hand and finger muscles used later for writing. The example gives a useful picture of learning through movement and play: an enjoyable group activity also had a clear developmental purpose. It was not simply something to fill the session.

Outdoor and Community Life

At least two family outings take place each year, alongside Sports Day and parties at Christmas and the end of the academic year. These occasions give parents opportunities to share experiences with their children and meet other families. Visitors also contribute experiences intended to broaden children's learning and life skills.

Bolney Bonfire Night takes place annually on the Friday nearest 5 November. It is open to everyone and requires no ticket, with a bonfire, fireworks and food among the attractions. Fundraising supports replacement equipment as well as fees, so participation connects directly with the preschool's resources. The charity has a small committee and also takes part in the summer village fun day.

Food rescue is another practical community link, through partnerships with Food Share, Fareshare and Food Drop. Donations can be made through this activity. These partnerships belong to the setting's fundraising and community work; they should not be confused with arrangements for children's meals.

In November 2024, children settled comfortably, trusted their key person as well as the wider staff team, and used the preschool confidently. A key person gave them a familiar adult relationship within the wider staff team. Children also sought out play companions and selected what they wanted to do, showing how relationships and independence worked together in daily life.

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) good, with individual programmes and cooperation between staff, parents and external professionals helping those children make progress. The practical mechanism matters as much as the judgement: support was organised around individual needs and involved people beyond the setting.

During November 2024, staff used books to discuss privacy and children's bodies in an age-appropriate way. Everyday expectations included taking turns, listening and walking indoors, with adults demonstrating kindness and respect. These were concrete ways of helping children understand boundaries and their responsibilities towards other people.

Routines needed more attention. In November 2024, some younger children spent too long waiting after finishing an activity, becoming restless before they could move on. Predictable routines were helpful overall, but the pace did not always suit the youngest children. For families considering care from infancy, how staff recognise that a child is ready for something different is an important part of the conversation.

Sessions and Attendance

Preschool morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. These are separate attendance patterns, useful for families organising childcare around part of the day. Wallabies Wrap Around Care adds a Breakfast Club starting at 8am and ending at 9am for preschool children, or at school drop-off for schoolchildren.

After-school care finishes at 5.30pm and begins when school ends. Collections cover Bolney CEP and Twineham Primary School, while morning school drop-off is to Bolney CEP only. These are childcare transport arrangements, rather than a promise of admission to either school.

Wallabies holiday care operates during the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays for children aged 1 to 11. Themed days include daily dance lessons and visiting providers, with reptile activities, yoga and mindfulness among the examples. Holiday provision therefore serves a broader age range than the preschool, which matters when planning care for siblings.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by emailing supervisor@bolneyunderfives.co.uk. The setting is at Rawson Hall on The Street, with the postcode RH17 5PF.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2024, the preschool provided government-funded early education places for children from nine months to four years. That is a dated account of its funded provision, rather than a guarantee of an individual family's entitlement or booking. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Professional coaches brought into preschool sessions carry no additional charge to parents.

• The youngest children's pace. In November 2024, some children waited too long between activities. On a visit, discuss how practitioners respond when a younger child finishes early or becomes restless.
• Language during play. The November 2024 improvement point concerned inconsistent reinforcement and extension of younger children's vocabulary. Ask how adults now adapt their conversations for children at different stages of speech development.
• A quotation for your attendance pattern. Morning and afternoon preschool sessions, breakfast care and school-holiday provision serve different needs. What would your proposed booking include, covering funded hours, food and non-food consumables?

Bolney Under Fives suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions with a strong connection to village life, and those who also need breakfast, after-school or holiday childcare through Wallabies. Its family events and fundraising give that community character substance. The Good judgement from November 2024 is a useful anchor, balanced by specific improvement points about the youngest children's waiting time and language support. Those are the most useful issues to explore when deciding whether the day will suit your child.