Ashurst Pre-School

Children's interests and the changing seasons shape the curriculum at Ashurst Pre-School. This Colbury setting combines play with a clear emphasis on the next stage of childhood. Its connection with Foxhills Infant School adds a practical thread to that preparation.

Ofsted rated Ashurst Pre-School Good on 27 January 2023. Children attending then were aged two to four; the strongest examples of daily life were hands-on exploration, conversation with staff and opportunities to develop physical coordination outdoors. There were also two clear improvement points: protecting stories from interruption and applying behaviour rules consistently.

Full days and short morning or afternoon sessions run during Hampshire term time. That gives families different attendance patterns within a term-time calendar.

Rooms and Ages

In January 2023, the pre-school occupied separate units within the Foxhills Schools grounds. That school-site context helps explain its emphasis on the move into education, although sharing a site does not confer a Reception place.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical experiences support their developing skills. Ashurst's topics follow children's interests alongside seasonal changes, celebrations and religious festivals. This gives familiar experiences from children's lives a place in their learning, while the year supplies fresh subjects to explore.

In January 2023, younger children investigated coloured rice using equipment for scooping and pouring. Staff showed them how to handle the tools and introduced words connected with their actions. The example brings language and physical exploration together: children had something concrete to talk about while experimenting for themselves.

Older children cut shapes, coloured designs and talked about rainbows and boomerangs during that January 2023 visit. They also recognised letters from their names and practised forming them. These were practical beginnings to literacy, with cutting and drawing giving children opportunities to control their hands as well as express ideas.

Books were accessible for independent browsing, and staff read with small groups in January 2023. However, a story before lunch was interrupted so children could wash their hands, leaving them without its ending. The improvement point was specific: routines needed to give an absorbing story time to finish.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2023, outdoor play included balancing and climbing using planks and large tyres, alongside running and jumping. Paint mixing in large bowls brought smaller hand movements into the same outdoor environment. The physical offer covered both whole-body movement and the coordination needed to manipulate tools.

The balance between indoor expectations and energetic play also mattered. During January 2023, older children discussed rules using photographs of themselves demonstrating them, but reminders were inconsistent when children ran indoors. A rule children can explain still needs dependable reinforcement during the day.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2023, communication with a child's key person included an online platform carrying information about progress and next steps. Parents received suggestions for extending learning at home. That makes the exchange more useful than a simple account of what a child has done: it connects activities in the setting with what families can support afterwards.

Learning at Home resources include EYFS guidance for parents and carers, ideas for helping children learn and information about the ways children learn. These give families a separate route into understanding the curriculum, alongside conversations with practitioners.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support for children with SEND through cooperation between staff, families and other professionals, including input from a parent who was a speech and language therapist. This was a concrete example of drawing on specialist knowledge to support children's learning.

Current staff responsibilities include safeguarding, special educational needs and disabilities, looked-after children, and health and safety. These roles identify where responsibility sits for families discussing a child's care or additional needs.

In January 2023, there were 16 staff working with children, of whom 13 held qualifications at level 3 or above. Daily health conversations at that time covered handwashing, toothbrushing and balanced eating. Children explained the purpose of washing their hands, giving the routine meaning beyond following an adult's instruction.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Foxhills Lane, Colbury, Totton, Southampton, SO40 7ED. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during Hampshire term time.

The Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm. Short morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, while short afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. These are different ways to use the setting: a full day covers a longer working window, while a short session allows a smaller block of pre-school attendance.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07301277109 or by email at ashurstpreschool@tiscali.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Paid childcare has separate hourly price bands for children aged two to three and three to four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page also covers funding for eligible two-year-olds and the additional 15 funded hours for three- and four-year-olds, bringing that entitlement to 30 hours where eligibility conditions are met.

Attendance follows the Hampshire term-time calendar. Uniform is optional, with a hoodie, jumper and T-shirt among the choices, so buying uniform is separate from arranging childcare.

For moving on, the pre-school describes working with Foxhills Infant School to support children's preparation. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process. The relationship is relevant to preparation, while the admissions decision remains separate.

• Term-time calendar. Full days and short sessions follow Hampshire term time. Families whose work continues through school holidays need to account for that calendar when choosing their attendance pattern.
• Stories and consistent rules. The January 2023 improvement points concerned interrupted reading and uneven reinforcement of behaviour expectations. On a visit, ask how stories are protected and how staff now apply the same rules throughout the day.
• The complete childcare bill. Funding is conditional on eligibility, and uniform is optional. Ask for a written quotation that explains the treatment of meals, snacks and non-food consumables alongside funded and paid hours.

Ashurst Pre-School suits families seeking either short morning or afternoon sessions, or a full day within Hampshire term time. Interest-led topics and the relationship with Foxhills Infant School give it a clear identity.

The January 2023 examples show what its approach looked like in practice: rice exploration supported conversation, craft developed hand control and outdoor equipment encouraged movement. The reading and behaviour improvement points deserve attention alongside those strengths. For families choosing a term-time pre-school, the combination of different session lengths and purposeful preparation for school is the central attraction.