Daisychain Preschool

Play shaped by children's interests gives Daisychain Preschool its character, with In the Moment Planning turning what children choose to do into opportunities to extend their learning. Based at Guide Headquarters in Cannon Grove, Fetcham, the preschool combines an indoor play setting with an outside area and local outings. It has 24 places in total.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Daisychain Good and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's staff practice. The current Fetcham offer caters for children aged two to five, with morning, afternoon and all-day attendance across a term-time year.

Learning and Activities

In the Moment Planning starts with children's interests: practitioners use open questions during play and help children make choices. Assessments then identify areas needing further attention. This sits within the Early Years Foundation Stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to build skills and activities adjusted to what each child needs next. The practical appeal is responsiveness: an interest can become the starting point for learning rather than being set aside for a fixed activity.

In July 2022, water play brought mathematical ideas into ordinary activity. Children counted while using pipettes and explored whether containers were full or empty. Stories also featured in the day, with children requesting favourites and remembering parts they enjoyed. These examples give a concrete picture of learning through conversation and play.

The same July 2022 account identified a limitation in those conversations. Some practitioners spoke at such length that children had too little space to consider a question and answer it. Open questions are useful, but the pause afterwards matters too. This is a relevant point to explore alongside the current planning approach.

Outdoor and Community Life

Cannon Grove Park is part of the preschool's setting, and the outside area supports free-flow play. Sensible, supportive footwear and clothing suited to paint, water and sand are part of the everyday preparations. This is a preschool day that calls for practical clothes.

In July 2022, children used the local park daily for physical play, including football and moving through tunnels. A mud kitchen in the preschool's outdoor area supported imaginative play. These are inspection-era examples, rather than a promise about the current frequency of outings. The parent contract also allows local visits during the preschool day; parents who do not want their child to leave the premises must notify the preschool in writing.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2022, staff collected information from families before children started and used it to help them settle. Familiarity with individual children informed the key-worker arrangement, while family photographs in the home corner gave children something personal to talk about. The settling process began with knowledge of the child, rather than treating everyone as having the same starting point.

Parents received updates both through an online system and through conversations with staff in July 2022. Mother's Picnic and Father's Week also gave families opportunities to participate in preschool life. The parent contract includes consent choices for photographs used on Tapestry, making permission for children's images a practical part of family communication.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-worker arrangement supported children's progress, including those with SEND, and that advice from other professionals helped staff plan individual support and prepare children for their next educational stage. These findings belong to that assessment. They provide useful detail about how support worked at the time, rather than a general assurance for every child now.

Medical information has a clear place in enrolment. The registration form asks about medical conditions, allergies and food intolerances, symptoms staff should recognise, and whether staff need additional training for a child's needs. It also asks about additional support. That gives families a structured way to explain needs before attendance begins.

Lunch comes from home for children attending morning or all-day sessions; snacks are covered by a separate consumables charge. Daisychain has a no-nut policy, including peanut butter, and requests packed lunches without chocolate or fizzy drinks.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Guide Headquarters, Cannon Grove, Fetcham, KT22 9LH. Opening hours are 9.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, over 38 weeks, with term-time attendance.

All-day sessions run from 9.30am to 3.30pm, mornings from 9.30am to 12.30pm, and afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. The minimum booking is two sessions each week, expressed as two full days or two half days. Families can therefore choose shorter attendance or a whole preschool day within the same setting.

Breakfast club runs from 8.30am to 9.30am and can be booked for a term or on an ad-hoc basis. It is charged separately and falls outside funded hours. An online registration form gathers family and health information, while the session-request form records the attendance pattern requested.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted, including the Working Parent Entitlement for 2 years +, alongside paid hours outside the funded allocation. Attendance is term-time. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The separate session consumables charge covers snacks, nappies, wipes and additional resources, with contributions towards end-of-term parties and graduation. Packed lunches remain the family's responsibility, including during funded attendance; the snack and consumables charge is separate from funded hours. Breakfast club has its own charge.

A one-off administration charge includes a logo sweatshirt, polo shirt and sun hat. Children are asked to wear their logo clothing each day. Cancellation requires a term's notice, with full fees payable otherwise, and booked days missed do not receive refunds. These terms matter when deciding how stable an attendance pattern the family can maintain.

Getting There

Drivers should use the car park directly in front of the building and consider neighbouring residents and the Tennis Club. The unmade road at the end of Cannon Grove should not be used by vehicles.

• Conversation and staff development. In July 2022, children sometimes had too little time to answer, and access to ongoing staff training was inconsistent. During a visit, ask how practitioners now build pauses into conversations and how regular development reaches the whole team.
• The term-time timetable. Attendance covers 38 weeks, with a two-session weekly minimum; breakfast club is separately charged. Match the morning, afternoon or all-day pattern to the family's working hours and holiday arrangements.
• Lunch and allergies. Morning and all-day children bring packed lunches, and the preschool has a no-nut policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice and how their child's needs will be communicated to staff.
• Leaving notice. A term's notice is required to cancel, and missed booked days receive no refund. Allow for those commitments when planning a change of childcare.

Daisychain suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions as well as those wanting an all-day pattern during term time. In the Moment Planning gives a clear account of how children's interests shape activities, while the park setting and outside play add practical appeal. The July 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark. Conversation skills and consistent staff development deserve attention when assessing the current experience, alongside the packed-lunch routine and separate charges.