Testwood Baptist Church Pre-School

A courtyard used daily and a Secret garden with a tree house give Testwood Baptist Church Pre-School a clear outdoor character. Based behind Testwood Baptist Church in Totton, it combines an indoor Playroom with two outdoor spaces that offer different kinds of play. There is room to ride, dig, hide and make things, rather than a single playground doing every job.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, and found effective targeted SEND support, while identifying weaknesses in staff understanding of the curriculum, children's independence and communication with parents about support. Those reservations matter alongside the grade. A later December 2025 complaint outcome also warrants attention, especially because notification failures occurred on both occasions.

The pre-school accepts children from age two and has 26 places in total. Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, making this a setting to consider around the school-year calendar rather than year-round childcare.

Rooms and Ages

The Playroom brings together a home corner for pretend play, books in a cosy reading area, art materials and space for shared meals. Toys and musical instruments add further ways to explore. These are different starting points for children with different interests: a child can act out familiar situations, settle with a book or make something.

The emphasis is learning through play. The indoor layout gives children practical materials and familiar settings through which to experiment and communicate.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides the day, covering children's learning, development and care through experiences such as play and interaction. It is the common framework for early years settings; Testwood's hands-on approach sits within it.

In January 2024, children explored plants and seasonal changes in a group activity. Stories, songs and repeated words supported conversation, while staff also used words from children's home languages. For a child learning English alongside another language, that made familiar vocabulary part of the interaction.

The same January 2024 account gives a concrete example of mathematics in action: children filled containers with water in the mud kitchen, measured and counted decorations for their creations. That connects number and quantity to something children are making. The counterweight was consistency: staff did not all understand how to put the intended curriculum into practice, including helping children learn to put on their own coats.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Courtyard is used every day. Sheltered areas allow play in different weather, with water activities and a sandpit alongside bikes, slides, ride-on cars and diggers. It offers both movement and materials to manipulate, so outdoor time can involve more than running around.

At the bottom of the site, the Secret garden has a bark-covered surface, hiding places, a tree house and a mud kitchen. Its layout gives imaginative play a different setting from the Courtyard. In January 2024, children also used a climbing frame and balance beam, making choices about movement and seeking help from friends or staff when balancing.

Medical and allergy information is gathered through the application pack, and health care plans can be created where needed. This gives families a practical route for explaining a child's needs before attendance begins. The team includes a safeguarding lead role, while the deputy manager also holds the SENCO role.

In January 2024, children received comfort when they needed reassurance, helped one another tidy away toys and asked others for assistance during play. Comfort and cooperation were part of daily life in January 2024. They belong to that date, rather than establishing how every interaction works now.

Support for children with additional needs deserves a close look. In January 2024, individual support plans and work with other professionals were part of provision, and additional funding bought story sacks to encourage attention and participation. However, information about children's support was not always shared readily enough with parents. Effective support and clear explanations to families are separate needs; the latter was an improvement point.

In its outcome dated 4 December 2025, Ofsted recorded that allegations-management procedures had been reviewed following identified failings, but that a significant event had not been notified within the required timescale, an offence for which it took no further action. This followed a January 2024 failure to notify changes to the committee, which had not affected children's safety or the running of the setting and attracted no action. The December outcome describes action already taken on procedures; it does not establish a new overall inspection grade.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only. The Morning Session runs from 8.45am to 11.45am; the Afternoon Session runs from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. An Early Start runs from 8.30am to 8.45am, with Lunch Time between 11.45am and 12.30pm. These separate parts of the day make the booking structure more useful to understand than the opening window alone.

There are five inset days each year, with dates given to parents before the academic year. Contact is through an online form, email or telephone. The address is 283A Salisbury Road, Totton, Southampton, SO40 3LZ.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both funded and privately paid attendance are accepted from age two, with private charges applying to children without funding or to attendance beyond funded hours. Funding information covers 30 Hours Funding for Working Parents and 15 hours of two-year-old funding for families receiving additional support (FRAS). Attendance is term-time only, so this is a term-time offer.

Funding starts in the term after the relevant eligibility point, and applications need confirmation before the preceding term ends. Staff can help with an assisted FRAS application. The fees and funding page explains charges for privately paid attendance and hours beyond funded entitlement.

Parents supply a lunchbox and drinks bottle, plus nappies and wipes where needed and sun cream in summer. The packing list also includes labelled spare clothes, wellies and clothing suited to the season, giving families a clear preparation list for indoor and outdoor play.

• Notification and safeguarding procedures. Notification failures occurred in January 2024 and December 2025. At a visit, ask how significant events are now escalated and how staff put the reviewed allegations procedures into practice.
• Independence and support updates. January 2024 improvement points covered self-help skills and communication about SEND support. Ask how staff encourage children to manage coats and other tasks, and how families receive updates on individual plans.
• Term-time session planning. Morning and afternoon sessions sit within a term-time calendar with five inset days. This suits some working patterns, but families needing holiday care must account for those closures.
• Health and daily supplies. Families provide lunchboxes, drinks and relevant care consumables. If allergies or medical needs affect your child, confirm current arrangements and how a health care plan would operate.

Testwood suits families seeking either morning or afternoon preschool attendance during term time, with hands-on indoor play and daily use of the Courtyard. The Secret garden adds another setting for exploration, rather than simply extending the same outdoor space.

The January 2024 Good judgement gives a positive inspection baseline, but curriculum consistency, independence and communication about additional support were material weaknesses. The later notification finding adds a further decision point. The appealing spaces and session structure need to be weighed alongside those concerns.