North Holmwood Pre-School

A village-hall setting with parent committee involvement and a spring-term language programme gives North Holmwood Pre-School a recognisable character. Based at North Holmwood Village Hall on Spook Hill, it combines play, stories and physical activity with opportunities for families to help shape how the pre-school runs. Equipment and activities are financed through fundraising events.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement comes with two practical improvement priorities: giving children more opportunities to do things for themselves and building mathematics into everyday experiences.

There are 28 places in total. Children can attend from age two, although the usual starting point is the beginning of the term after they reach two and a half; attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and all-day patterns.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning in language, relationships, physical development, literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Here, the example timetable translates those areas into a mixture of play chosen by children, activities guided by adults, movement and stories. It gives families a concrete picture of how learning fits into a session.

Morning activities include snack time, physical play indoors or outside, music and movement, then a story before collection. After lunch, the afternoon alternates child-led activities with physical activity, dancing, singing and another story. These are example routines rather than a promise that each day follows an identical sequence.

Talking Time adds a spring-term programme aimed at communication and language. Playful activities, including shaving-foam worms, encourage children to join in. Its practical value is the invitation to communicate through an activity that catches their interest, rather than language work being confined to sitting and listening.

In January 2023, language learning also ran through pretend play: a doctor's play area introduced vocabulary for medical equipment and treatment. Books were used with individual children and groups, with picture books supporting younger or non-verbal children and questions encouraging older children to think about what might happen next. Conversation had a purpose within the play.

Outdoor and Physical Play

A climbing frame, trampoline and outdoor area give physical play tangible form. Comfortable clothes that can tolerate paint or glue are encouraged, and overalls are supplied for messier activities. Soft-soled footwear is preferred for using the equipment and playing outside.

In January 2023, children explored melting ice and used hammers to break it apart. Outdoor play also prompted discussion about frost and taking care on an icy slide. These examples show how observation, new vocabulary and practical exploration were brought together at that time. Staff also describe planting seeds and bulbs with children, providing another route into conversations about nature.

Relationships and Communication

Settling allows room for parental judgement. Parents may stay during the first sessions while their child gets used to the routines, or choose to leave if that works better for their child. The approach allows the initial separation to respond to the individual child rather than follow one fixed expectation.

Parent involvement extends beyond settling. A parent management committee runs the pre-school, with new members welcomed and elections held at the Annual General Meeting. Membership of the Pre-school Learning Alliance sits alongside that parent-led structure. For families who want an active role in the setting, committee participation offers a concrete way to contribute.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO, a designated safeguarding lead and a deputy safeguarding lead, alongside an assistant whose role includes special-needs support. Staff hold early-years qualifications, and the team includes practitioners trained in paediatric first aid. These are identifiable responsibilities and skills, rather than a general promise about care.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieved good outcomes, with needs identified early, support plans put in place promptly and referrals made when necessary. The useful detail is the sequence of identification, planning and additional support, which gives families a specific starting point for discussing their child's needs.

Medication during a session requires a completed, signed medication record. Parents acknowledge first aid by signing the accident book, and are contacted immediately following a serious accident. Children should stay away for 48 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea. These procedures set out what families need to do when health issues affect attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is North Holmwood Village Hall, Spook Hill, North Holmwood, Dorking, RH5 4JP. Attendance is term-time only. Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm on weekdays; the contact timetable gives afternoon sessions from 12.15pm to 3.15pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and all-day bookings are offered on those three days.

Lunch Club extends attendance until 1pm from Monday to Friday and carries an extra charge. Tea Club runs until 4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, also at an additional cost. These extensions give families options beyond the ordinary session boundaries.

Telephone enquiries can be made on 07931 212 006. Enquiry hours are 9.15am to 12.15pm, Monday to Friday.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal Free Early Education (FEE) funding can provide up to 15 hours each week from the term after a child's third birthday. Extended Free Early Education funding is subject to eligibility and can provide an additional nine hours weekly at this setting from that same starting point. Free Early Education for Two year olds (FEET) is also offered subject to its criteria; families apply online and share the confirmation with the pre-school leader. Funding forms require the child's birth certificate.

Parents supply a healthy lunch. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page sets out the payment and booking terms.

Fees are paid ahead of attendance, normally half-termly, with weekly payment possible by special arrangement. A deposit is taken when a place is offered and returned when the child leaves. Withdrawal requires half a term's notice, and absence, sickness or holidays do not generate a refund. Those terms matter when planning both the start and end of attendance.

• Afternoon timetable. The home timetable includes Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, while the contact timetable omits them and the fee schedule restricts afternoon bookings to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Which afternoon pattern can the pre-school offer for your proposed attendance?
• Independence and mathematics. In January 2023, adults sometimes prepared food that children could have helped with, and counting and mathematical language needed more everyday practice. On a visit, ask how snack preparation and routine play now give children opportunities to practise these skills.
• Starting and settling. Children can attend from two, but usually begin in the term after two and a half, and parents can stay for initial sessions. Discuss how that starting pattern and settling approach would work for your child.

North Holmwood Pre-School suits families looking for term-time morning sessions or afternoon and all-day attendance, with a parent-led structure and a practical emphasis on play, language and movement. Talking Time gives communication a named place in the spring programme, while committee membership offers parents a role beyond attendance. The January 2023 Good judgement is useful context; the improvements requested around independence and everyday mathematics deserve attention alongside the timetable decision.