Hyde Pre-School

Rope bridges, forest swings and cooking over a fire give Hyde Pre-School a clear outdoor identity. Based at Hyde Church Community Centre in Fordingbridge, it has direct access to the New Forest and a dedicated outdoor learning area within the church grounds. Forest Schools adds weekly, child-led outdoor experiences to the preschool day. This is practical exploration, with tools, trees and opportunities to make decisions.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged Hyde Pre-School Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That judgement sits alongside specific teaching improvements, which matter when weighing the outdoor offer against the learning support inside.

Hyde welcomes children aged 2 to 5. An elected parent committee runs the preschool, giving families a route into decisions about its operation. Morning and afternoon sessions, alongside flexibility within those sessions, support different attendance patterns.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the statutory foundation: children develop language, physical skills and relationships alongside early reading, mathematics, creative expression and understanding their world. Hyde uses play, adult guidance and observations of individual children to plan learning within that framework. Development Matters and Birth to Five guidance help shape the planning; they sit alongside the EYFS rather than replace it.

Children's choices and adult-organised activities both shape learning. Practitioners respond to emerging interests, demonstrate skills and introduce challenges during play. Parents' observations inform planning, while staff discussions share development information and support strategies, connecting learning at home with preschool.

There are concrete examples of independence in the day. In December 2024, children selected activities for themselves, managed their coats and lunch boxes, and used photographs with emotion pictures to communicate how they felt. An egg timer helped children take turns on a tricycle. These small routines make sharing and expressing feelings something children practise, rather than simply hear adults explain.

That month, children persisted with balancing blocks into towers and drew adults' attention to their creations, practising perseverance alongside the outdoor challenges.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weekly Forest Schools sessions extend the day into a natural environment, with children making choices and exploring under adult support. The dedicated area is in the church grounds, while activities also include exploring the surrounding forest. Rope bridges and swings provide movement challenges; bug hunts give children something small and specific to investigate.

The practical work goes further than outdoor free play. Children can learn about fire safety, cook over a fire, whittle and use tools such as a hand drill or saw. These experiences introduce materials and processes they would not necessarily encounter during an ordinary preschool session. The preschool's curriculum explains how adult guidance and children's own ideas fit together.

Access to Forest Schools has conditions. Children must also attend at least one preschool session each week and be settled and comfortable with the setting. Hyde advises that they should be out of nappies because the outdoor provision has no changing facilities. The outdoor offer therefore needs to fit the child's readiness as well as a family's enthusiasm for it.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person supports settling, follows development and builds a relationship with the family. Parents can speak with that practitioner or arrange a meeting, giving them a regular contact for care and learning.

Hyde normally suggests two hour-long settling sessions: parents can stay for the first and are encouraged to leave their child for the second. The gradual separation is a concrete part of the settling arrangement. It allows the child to begin building familiarity while a parent is still close, then experience a short period independently.

All About Me Books contain family photographs and information completed together. Accessible during sessions and refreshed each term with celebrations or trips, they give practitioners conversation starters and children a way to share home life.

Tapestry, an online learning journal, lets staff and parents exchange activity photographs and comments about individual children. Half-termly newsletters cover themes, events and fundraising; email and noticeboard messages provide further preschool news.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role provides a point of contact for developmental concerns. Staff are expected to discuss difficulties they identify with parents and work together on suitable help and strategies. The curriculum also includes development checks for children aged two where these have not already been completed, and staff meetings to discuss concerns. These are practical mechanisms for identifying support needs.

Safeguarding arrangements include designated lead and deputy roles, training for staff working directly with children, and rules governing collection by authorised adults. Those staff also receive paediatric first aid and food safety training. Children with allergies have healthcare plans, and an allergy list is kept in the kitchen for staff reference. These are arrangements families can discuss in relation to their own child, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

In December 2024, children served themselves fruit and poured drinks at snack time, while adults reminded them about handwashing. A book lending library also helped families continue learning at home. Staff maintained links with local schools through seasonal events to familiarise children with different surroundings, and worked with other settings children attended to coordinate care and learning. These were transition and communication practices, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hyde Church Community Centre, Hyde, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 2QH. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday; Friday is closed. The morning session runs from 9am to noon and the afternoon session from 1pm to 3pm, with lunch between noon and 1pm. Children can attend flexibly within the sessions, so the opening window and the booked attendance pattern are separate considerations.

Hyde operated during term time only in December 2024. Joining enquiries use a contact form, followed by a team response. Morning and afternoon bookings accommodate shorter attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Hyde accepts Early Years Education (EYE) funding, including up to 15 hours per week from the term after a child's third birthday; two-year-old funding and 30-hour funding depend on parental circumstances. Private paid childcare is also offered, and current prices come in the preschool's written quotation. The fees page sets out the funding and payment arrangements.

Invoices are issued at the start of each half term and payment is due within two weeks. Families pay for sessions they have agreed their child will attend even when the child cannot attend. That makes the agreed booking financially significant, rather than a pay-as-attended arrangement.

Parents provide a healthy packed lunch for children staying over lunchtime, while a mid-morning snack is offered; Hyde asks families to exclude sweets and chocolate bars and publishes a nut-free policy. Each child brings a named water bottle, with water accessible during the session.

• Teaching for the individual child. In December 2024, activities did not consistently stretch older children or allow enough independence, and conversations missed opportunities to develop language. During a visit, ask how practitioners adapt an activity for different stages and allow children time to answer.
• Forest Schools readiness. Participation requires at least one preschool session each week and a child who is happy and settled; being out of nappies is advised because there are no outdoor changing facilities. Consider how that fits your child's current care needs.
• The attendance commitment. Opening ends at 3pm and Friday is closed, while agreed sessions remain payable during absence. Weigh the morning, afternoon and flexible options against the childcare cover your family needs.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Families supply lunch under Hyde's nut-free policy, and children with allergies have healthcare plans. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice.

Hyde Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance, with flexibility inside those sessions and a substantial outdoor element. Weekly Forest Schools, family-photo books and two-way journal communication give its offer a recognisable shape. Parent committee involvement adds a practical route to influencing preschool life.

The December 2024 Good judgement supports that choice, but the teaching concerns deserve attention, especially for older children needing greater challenge or more time to express themselves. The strongest fit is a family whose schedule works with the four-day opening pattern and whose child is ready for the conditions attached to outdoor participation.