Horsted Keynes Preschool

A village hall, a dedicated garden and close ties to village life give Horsted Keynes Preschool its character. Children can choose between indoor play and the garden during core hours, while fields behind the hall extend the possibilities for outdoor activity. This is a preschool where the surrounding community forms part of children's learning, rather than simply providing its address.

At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding, highlighting teaching that included children at different stages of development and the careful use of their interests to extend learning.

The preschool has 26 places in total and accepts children aged 2 to 5. Its home is The Village Hall on The Green in Horsted Keynes, Haywards Heath, RH17 7AP. Morning and afternoon sessions operate during term time, with a particular restriction on Wednesday afternoons for children approaching school age.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning and care framework: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships alongside early literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding of their world. Play, investigation and children's interests shape how those areas become everyday experiences here. The curriculum page explains this approach, including responding to a child's curiosity as an opportunity to teach.

Early reading has concrete routines. Letters and Sounds Phase 1 develops listening and awareness of sounds through stories, rhymes and sound games; Jolly Phonics introduces letter sounds using songs, actions and practical activities. Children learn two new sounds each week, build words with letter cards and practise writing using different tools. A weekly newsletter shares the sounds being explored, giving parents a specific connection between preschool activities and practice at home.

In April 2023, children explored water moving through containers and tubes, using the activity to develop mathematical language. Elsewhere, a pretend ice-cream shop became a problem-solving exercise as children adjusted a mixture that was too sticky or dry. Practical play brought conversation and experimentation together.

Outdoor and Community Life

The main hall is the children's base. During core hours, doors open to the other rooms and garden so children can choose where to play; this arrangement continues in different weather conditions, making suitable outdoor clothing part of the daily preparation. Free play is followed by group activities such as puppets, music or stories, and the morning and afternoon share a familiar routine even when activities change.

A dedicated preschool garden and access to the fields behind the hall give outdoor play a substantial place in the day. Walks also take children to the park. In April 2023, garden activities included cutting citrus fruit and adding herbs to pretend drinks, while children had made a bug hotel and were exploring how to handle snails carefully. The physical experiences mattered: children could smell, manipulate and investigate real materials.

Village connections extend beyond walks. The preschool has links with First steps, the toddler group held weekly in the Martindale, and includes St Giles church among places children visit. In April 2023, local outings also involved tending allotments and practising road safety; visits to a care home brought singing and stories with residents.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts, with a second key person providing a contact when the first is absent. Allocation takes account of which practitioner attends most of the child's sessions. Continuity is the aim, but the sessional pattern means the same key person cannot always remain throughout a child's time here.

Settling begins with information from home. Families complete registration details and an All about me section on Tapestry, the child's online learning journey. Observations over two to three weeks help staff establish starting points, with the timing dependent on attendance. Parents then discuss the baseline assessment and next steps with the key worker. For a child anxious about attending, a home visit may be arranged with parents and the manager.

Communication continues through termly key-person meetings and conversations around sessions. Tapestry also accepts photographs of learning at home, and a weekly Tapestry challenge gives families an activity connection. Books, story bags, games and puppets can be borrowed, so support for learning at home includes actual resources rather than advice alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs Coordinator role supports the team, and the key person is the first contact for parental concerns. Staff training includes special educational needs and emotional coaching, alongside healthy eating and sun safety.

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with attentive supervision, staff understanding of concern-reporting procedures and regular safeguarding questions and quizzes; it also found that staff used their knowledge of individual children to include them in learning. Everyday independence is encouraged through practical tasks, including managing coats and shoes and washing hands after using the toilet.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions are 1pm to 4pm on Monday and Thursday; Wednesday afternoons use the same times but are restricted to children leaving for school the following year. Families can choose a combination of morning and afternoon sessions.

The preschool operates for 38 weeks annually, during term time. Agreed hours are chosen each term, with changes normally made for the following term. Once the term's funding claim has been submitted, added hours are charged privately. Occasional extra sessions may be arranged at the manager's discretion, subject to availability; they are charged at the normal hourly rate.

Applications go through a form, followed by registration paperwork and agreement to the terms. The administrative contact is admin@horstedkeynespreschool.org.uk. Requested sessions are not guaranteed, including for children on the waiting list. The shared Village Hall can occasionally be required for other purposes, causing a closure with as much notice as possible.

Getting There

The Village Hall is just off Station Road and has off-road parking. This is a practical benefit for families travelling from outside the village as well as those living nearby.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Funded Entitlement (15 hours) and Extended Funding (30 hours) can be used for any session, subject to eligibility, within the term-time offer. Privately paid sessions are also offered. Funded hours carry a separate snack charge, with the option to supply a daily snack instead under the healthy-eating policy and current allergy guidelines; families choose either arrangement.

An administration charge applies when joining. Agreed hours are billed despite absence, and leaving requires four weeks' notice; fees remain payable for that period if notice is not given. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation, while the fees and funding terms explain the charge structure.

Moving towards school includes links with the reception class at St Giles. From the summer term, children leaving for primary school the following September have opportunities for regular visits to the village primary school, enjoying stories and meeting the Reception class and teacher. These are transition activities: attendance does not guarantee a school place, and families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Wednesday afternoons. These sessions are for the following year's school leavers, and attendance is term-time only. At a visit, discuss how the morning and afternoon choices would fit your child's age and your working week.
• Key-person continuity. A back-up contact is provided, but session choices can affect which practitioner becomes the main key person. Discuss how communication would work across your proposed attendance pattern.
• Snacks and allergies. Snacks are charged separately on funded hours. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice.
• Shared premises and leaving terms. Village Hall use can occasionally cause closures, while leaving requires four weeks' notice. Build both conditions into the practical decision, rather than considering session times alone.

Horsted Keynes Preschool suits families seeking morning attendance or a combination of mornings and eligible afternoons during the school terms. Its appeal lies in the connection between a shared hall, outdoor choice and village experiences, supported by specific early-phonics routines and parent communication through Tapestry.

The April 2023 Outstanding judgement gives the offer a strong dated foundation. The practical fit remains specific: Wednesday afternoons have an age-related condition, key-person continuity depends partly on sessions, and the preschool shares its premises. For families comfortable with those arrangements, the garden, community links and preparation for school make a coherent choice.