Worstead Preschool

A sensory room, Forest School and a village-hall base give Worstead Preschool a recognisable character: play indoors sits alongside outdoor exploration and physical activity. At Queen Elizabeth Hall on Ruin Road, the preschool has capacity for 26 children aged 24 to 59 months. It is a charity, with fundraising woven into its year.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good on 25 April 2023. That judgement provides a useful starting point, but the practical detail matters too: the current offer includes an online progress portal, individual learning journals and parent consultations, while the inspection identified a concern about younger children getting enough rest during longer attendance.

Opening hours run from 8am to 4pm on weekdays, across the year. Three-hour sessions and additional clubs give families several ways to organise attendance; their detail belongs alongside the funding arrangements below.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides the curriculum: children learn through play, with activities shaped around their interests and development. Adult-led experiences sit alongside activities children choose, indoors and outside. Communication, physical development and personal development receive early attention, with literacy, mathematics, creative work and understanding the world also informing planning.

A weekly activity plan is displayed on the porch whiteboard. This gives parents a concrete view of what children will be doing, rather than leaving learning as an abstract promise. Messy play is part of sessions, so clothes that can withstand it are sensible everyday equipment.

Forest School adds outdoor learning to that foundation. In April 2023, frequent outings involved investigating mud and small creatures, with staff extending conversations around what interested the children. This is a useful example of an outdoor experience becoming a starting point for learning, rather than simply time away from the main space.

Multi-sports, Yoga and Music and Movement are also part of the offer, adding sport, stretching and movement-based activity. In April 2023, children practised listening during yoga and explored different body positions alongside staff. The sensory room provides another place to explore and develop skills, giving indoor activity a separate physical setting.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play continues in different weather, with families providing suitable warm and wet-weather clothing. In April 2023, children used the garden for climbing, running and balancing, and explored the neighbouring field. Those spaces supported both energetic movement and learning how to judge the space around them.

The charity generally holds three principal fundraising events each year: Easter, Summer and Christmas fair. These connect family involvement with the preschool's finances. A Parent, Baby & Toddler Group also runs on Fridays during term time, extending its activities to younger children and their families.

Relationships and Communication

The key-person arrangement starts with the child's relationships. Where possible, the adult a child naturally takes to becomes their key person, responsible for planning and reviewing their experiences. That makes the relationship part of daily learning as well as settling.

Each child has a Learning Story containing photographs, observations and suggested next steps. Parents contribute information about interests, needs and progress, and the journal goes home with the family when the child leaves. An online portal gives another way to follow progress, while two parent consultations during the year provide dedicated discussion time with the key worker.

Before enrolment, families complete an All About Me form alongside the registration form. Its purpose is practical: staff can understand what matters to the child before planning their start. In April 2023, settling arrangements were tailored to individual children, with familiar activities helping them separate from their parents.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A special educational needs coordinator works with the key person and family, offering advice on activities, adapted teaching and other professionals to contact. The support structure includes early recognition and intervention; additional SEND funding may support individual time during attended sessions, where a child is eligible.

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support was effective, children made good progress and safeguarding arrangements were effective. These are dated judgements, alongside current mechanisms for identifying needs and planning support.

Rest needs deserve careful attention. In April 2023, some younger children attending longer sessions needed sleep, but activity in the shared room interrupted their rest. The improvement action concerned considering every child's needs when changing provision. This matters directly to families whose child still naps: a longer attendance pattern needs a workable rest arrangement as well as activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Worstead Preschool's address is Queen Elizabeth Hall, Ruin Road, Worstead, NR28 9WH. It opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, all year round, with closures of one summer week and two Christmas weeks.

Three-hour sessions are offered, with the charge depending on age. Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am on request; early morning club starts at 8.30am, and Late club runs from 3pm to 4pm. These are separate attendance options, so families can consider the main session and the additional time together. A holiday club serves children aged 2-5.

Enquiries go through the administrator by telephone, the contact form or email. Enrolment uses the registration and All About Me forms, which can be returned by post or email. Older preschool children are prepared gradually for school through increasing independence and confidence, with staff also supporting early letter sounds and numbers.

Funding and Paid Extras

Up to 30 hours funding a week is offered if eligible, and the preschool participates in the Tax Free Childcare Scheme. Paid three-hour sessions sit alongside funded provision. Current prices should be obtained in the nursery's written quotation, with the attendance pattern and any additional clubs considered together.

• Rest during longer attendance. In April 2023, activity in the shared room disturbed younger children's sleep. During a visit, ask how a child who still naps is supported through the longer parts of the day.
• Funding and the complete charge structure. Funded hours are offered subject to eligibility, alongside paid sessions and clubs. How would funding fit your chosen pattern, and what would meals, nappies and other consumables cost or require you to provide?
• Outdoor clothing. Messy play and outdoor activity in different weather are part of the routine. Plan for clothes that can get dirty and suitable wet-weather layers.

Worstead Preschool suits families looking for play-based preschool sessions with outdoor learning, physical activities and a close connection between home and the key person. Three-hour attendance, breakfast provision and late-afternoon clubs serve different routines, while the holiday club adds another option.

The sensory room and Forest School give the day concrete variety; Learning Story journals and scheduled consultations make family participation practical. The central consideration is rest for younger children during longer attendance. For a child who still needs daytime sleep, that arrangement should carry real weight in the decision.