Capel Pre-school and Out of School Club

Woodland walks, playground planters and a building filled with children's artwork give Capel a recognisable village character. Capel Pre-school and Out of School Club occupies a purpose-built, self-contained building in the grounds of Scott Broadwood CofE Infant School. This is a preschool where the surrounding village becomes part of the learning day, through visits to the allotments, shops and woodland.

The setting has 26 places in total for children aged two to five. At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement belongs to that visit; the practical appeal today lies in the combination of outdoor experiences, gradual settling and a clear key-person arrangement.

A parent committee runs the charity, with profits returned to resources and facilities. Families can choose morning or afternoon sessions, with Breakfast Club, Lunch Club and After School Club extending the day. The term-time calendar matters as much as the daily timetable when deciding whether it fits family working arrangements.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play, conversation, physical activity and developing relationships, alongside early reading, mathematics, creative work and exploration of the world. This is the framework all early-years providers follow. Capel makes it concrete through activities children can choose themselves, practical cooking and shared discussions about what they would like to do next.

Books, musical instruments, painting materials, puzzles, sand and water are accessible daily; child-friendly storage lets children choose further equipment. Cooking provides supervised peeling and cutting practice, while group activities include programmable toys. Coming together time combines stories, music and conversation, with children's requests helping shape the following day.

In April 2023, children invented animal-puppet stories with adults adding developments. Bucket time practised watching, listening and following instructions; outdoor storytelling included The Gruffalo. Children choose a book to take home after lunch, linking preschool reading with family life.

Outdoor and Community Life

The playground includes a climbing frame, slide, trampoline and wheeled equipment such as scooters and trikes. Planters provide space for growing fruit and vegetables. These are different kinds of outdoor experience: energetic movement sits alongside the slower work of tending plants and watching them change.

Woodland Sessions bring outdoor play and learning into the weekly timetable. Older children have Woodland Walk on Monday and Friday mornings. Sessions go ahead across different weather conditions, except very high winds and thunderstorms, so waterproof trousers, a waterproof coat and suitable boots are part of the practical preparation. Families supply sun cream and a sun hat for sunny conditions, with warmer clothing for colder days.

Village outings include the store, garage and church, while visits to the allotments introduce vegetable growing beyond the preschool's own planters. Walks around the woodland near the cricket pitch include collecting seasonal finds such as leaves and acorns. These experiences connect learning with places children may recognise from family life.

Family events include Sports Day and a Christmas Party with carol singing. They give parents and carers opportunities to join activities with their children, alongside the everyday exchanges with staff.

Relationships and Communication

Settling involves three visits: an hour with a parent present, an hour including a short separation, and a three-hour session with the parent leaving if the child is ready. An allocated key person gives the child a familiar adult as separation develops gradually.

The key person plans learning, care and wellbeing with the family and provides progress updates, including concerns. Parents can speak with other staff or arrange longer manager discussions.

In April 2023, staff used a visual timetable to explain routines to children upset by separation. Putting on coats and finding names for self-registration also gave children everyday opportunities to practise independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO coordinates additional support, working with families and, with parental consent, health or social services. Support planning sets individual learning goals and is reviewed with parents and staff. This gives families a specific mechanism for agreeing what help their child needs and revisiting it as needs change.

The staffing structure includes a deputy SENCO and designated safeguarding lead roles.

Food arrangements centre on what families send from home: parents supply healthy session snacks and packed lunches, while milk and water are offered. The food policy asks families to avoid chocolate, sesame seeds and nut products, and managers work with parents on an allergy risk assessment; heat-sensitive packed-lunch food can be kept in the fridge, which has some space for this purpose.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 89b The Street, Capel, Dorking, RH5 5JX. Attendance is during term time, with closure for school holidays. Morning Session runs from 9am to noon and Afternoon Session from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, allowing families to choose either part of the preschool day.

Lunch Club bridges the sessions from noon to 12.30pm. Morning children can stay for lunch before going home, and afternoon children can join lunch before their session. That makes lunch an attendance choice as well as a meal break.

Breakfast Club operates Monday to Friday from 7.45am to 9am. After School Club runs from 3.30pm to 5pm for the preschool day, with a shorter Preschool After School Session from 3.30pm to 4pm also offered. Breakfast includes cereal or toast, and the after-school provision supplies a light snack.

For Scott Broadwood School children, staff provide the link between club and school: breakfast children are walked over at 8.50am, and school children are brought to preschool after their school day ends at 3pm. The school after-school booking windows are 3pm to 4pm and 4pm to 5pm.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15-hour and 30-hour weekly entitlements, with the extended working-family offer delivered over 38 weeks. Free Early Education for Two Year Olds (FEET) provides eligible Surrey two-year-olds with up to 15 hours weekly from the term after their second birthday. Additional private hours are charged separately from funded attendance.

Parents provide preschool snacks and packed lunches, including when using funded sessions; Lunch Club carries its own attendance charge. Families also provide sun cream for woodland activities. An administration charge applies, and early arrival, late collection and overdue payment can generate additional charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and funding terms explaining the charge structure.

Preschool sessions are invoiced monthly in advance; Breakfast Club and after-school sessions are billed monthly in arrears. Booked sessions remain payable when missed through illness or holidays. Withdrawing a child or changing sessions requires at least half a term's written notice, making attendance changes something to plan ahead.

Registration begins with a form requested from the preschool, followed by a choice of preferred sessions. If those sessions cannot be accommodated, the child joins a waiting list and the family is contacted when a session becomes available. The preschool's position within the infant-school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Learning through lunch and shared childcare. In April 2023, healthy-eating messages at mealtimes were inconsistent, and staff did not actively coordinate learning goals with other settings children attended. During a visit, ask how lunchtime learning now works and how goals are shared when a child attends another provider.
• Outdoor preparation. Woodland activities continue in most weather, and older children's walks take place on Monday and Friday mornings. The clothing requirements and session days matter for families who want their child to participate comfortably.
• Changing the weekly pattern. At least half a term's written notice is required for withdrawal or session changes, and booked absences remain payable. Consider that commitment alongside the term-time calendar before choosing sessions.
• Food allergies. Families pack snacks and lunch, and the preschool uses parent discussions and risk assessments to manage allergies. Confirm current practice for your child's allergy during the visit, including how food brought by other families is handled.

Capel suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with lunch and breakfast or after-school care to extend attendance. Its strongest practical features are the woodland timetable, accessible play materials and staged settling arrangements, all within a parent-run charity. The April 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment, while the mealtime and shared-setting improvement points deserve a direct conversation. Term-time closure, food preparation from home and notice commitments complete the decision.