Castor and Ailsworth Preschool

A village hall, a community allotment and a regularly visiting dog give Castor and Ailsworth Preschool a recognisable rural character. Learning reaches into the surrounding community: children visit the park in Ailsworth, grow vegetables and flowers, and practise how to behave around Herbie, the visiting PAT dog. These are concrete experiences to talk about, revisit and connect with play.

At its November 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found that children made good progress, received effective support for special educational needs and disabilities, and benefited from effective safeguarding arrangements. That judgement belongs to the inspection date. The two educational improvements concerned clearer speech modelling and helping children choose resources that were stored away.

Based at Castor Village Hall near Peterborough, the preschool has 30 places in total and enrols children from age two. Children can join before they are toilet trained. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance operate during term time, with an earlier breakfast option and a shorter Thursday timetable.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the statutory framework for learning, development and care, with play supporting language, movement, relationships and early understanding of numbers and books. Alongside it, practitioners use Development Matters, non-statutory curriculum guidance, and Birth to 5 Matters, sector guidance for early years practice. These support curriculum planning alongside the EYFS. Ofsted inspects how providers meet and deliver the EYFS.

S.T.A.R.T forms part of the preschool's school-readiness curriculum. Its goals include Confident Communicator, Fantastic Friend and Independent Individual, bringing attention to conversation, considerate play and managing personal needs. The practical emphasis is on what children can do: request help, work alongside others, persevere and select resources. School preparation reaches beyond recognising letters.

Half-term planning adapts to children's interests and development, as the curriculum information explains. The daily routine combines freely chosen play with adult-led experiences, shared snacks, conversation, singing and group activities.

In November 2021, children used pretend parking to explore number language and built obstacle courses with opportunities for climbing, jumping and balancing. Staff extended counting with play dough into simple addition. Number learning grew from play.

Quiet reading spaces with cover were also part of the November 2021 provision. Singing and signing supported communication, while objects handled and discussed with adults introduced descriptive vocabulary. However, some adult speech models were insufficiently precise, and children who were less confident or had little speech did not have equal opportunities to request materials beyond those already set out. Choice needs to be accessible to children who cannot readily ask.

Outdoor and Community Life

Ailsworth's local park has a story circle and insect homes, and children have a preschool tree to revisit. At the community allotment, planting vegetables and flowers connects learning about growing with a familiar place.

Herbie visits regularly as the PAT dog. Children learn ways to greet a dog and behave safely around one, with opportunities to stroke him. The value is specific: a familiar visitor makes animal safety something children can practise with adult support.

Family participation includes Mother's Day cream tea and Father's Day breakfast, alongside sharing interests, occupations and skills or helping with trips. The preschool aims to celebrate Christmas, Diwali, Eid and Chinese new year. Sports instruction and dance or drama activities may also feature, but these outside-agency experiences are intermittent rather than a continuous part of the timetable.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person shares individual next steps and plans through Tapestry, an online journal containing photographs, videos, activities and summary reports. Key person conversations complement these updates.

Parents also have a role in running the preschool through its elected volunteer committee. Participation can extend beyond attending an event to helping shape the service. For families who enjoy contributing to a local setting, that is a meaningful part of its character.

Tippy Toes offers a separate parent-and-child group on Tuesday mornings during term time, from 9.15am to 10.45am. Children from birth can attend with their adult; the group description centres on children aged zero to three. It allows younger children to play and become familiar with the setting before preschool age, and no advance booking is required for the group. Preschool staff and children sometimes join its closing parachute games and songs when feasible.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle. Family concerns, observations and the child's own perspective inform assessment; additional support is organised through achievable targets. The key person, SENCO and other involved staff then put the plan into practice and review progress with families and relevant professionals.

Meetings take place every six weeks to review targets and changes at home. Parents can also speak with the key person, manager or SENDCO between reviews. Information sharing with outside agencies requires parental permission, keeping families involved in decisions as support develops.

Speech and language concerns have a specific route. Staff use tools including the Teddy Bear Kit and ECAT to help identify needs, and can work with targets from speech and language therapists. Where progress is insufficient, the Peterborough SALT service offers a self-referral route for parents, alongside games and advice. Early Help can bring together professionals when a family needs support in more than one area.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Castor Village Hall, Peterborough Road, Castor, Peterborough, PE5 7AX. Attendance follows school terms, and the preschool aligns its term dates with Castor School. Families planning work and childcare across holiday periods need to account for that term-time pattern.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions are noon to 3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; Thursday has no afternoon session. A morning can be extended through lunch to 1pm, and a full day runs from 9am to 3.30pm.

Breakfast Club runs from 8.30am to 9am as an optional addition to a morning session or full day. The breakfast-inclusive day runs from 8.30am to 3.30pm. These alternatives serve different family routines: a short morning, a morning including lunch, an afternoon or a full day are separate booking choices.

Applications can be made by email, using manager@castorpreschool.org.uk, or through the application forms. Invoices are issued each term and can be settled in full or by three instalments. Ad-hoc sessions are conditional on availability and can be cancelled by the preschool at short notice to maintain staffing ratios. Funded and privately paid sessions both carry a four-week cancellation policy.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including the 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday and funding for eligible working families whose children start from age two; the preschool also identifies 30-hour funding for eligible working parents. Entitlement depends on the relevant eligibility conditions. Attendance is term-time, and current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

Parents supply breakfast, snacks and a packed lunch, while the preschool supplies milk and water; its current food policy excludes nuts, and food used for learning can be adapted for allergies or dietary needs. Children practise handling cutlery and preparing food as part of becoming more independent.

The preschool describes good links with Castor primary school and the village community. Attendance does not guarantee a school place; families still need to follow the local authority admissions process. Familiarity with school life and an admissions entitlement are separate matters.

• Thursday's shorter pattern. Afternoon attendance runs on the other weekdays, while Thursday offers the morning and optional lunch extension. Match that timetable against the hours your family needs.
• Speech and independent choice. The November 2021 improvements concerned adult pronunciation and access to resources stored away. During a visit, ask how children with limited speech now express choices and how staff model new words.
• Food and personal supplies. Meals and snacks come from home, and the preschool's food policy excludes nuts. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and discuss which personal-care supplies to bring.
• Participation before preschool age. Tippy Toes lets younger children become familiar with the setting through play. A parent or carer attends with them, so families need to allow time to stay.

Castor and Ailsworth Preschool suits families looking for term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with community involvement woven into children's experiences. The allotment, Ailsworth park and Herbie's visits give learning tangible local connections; Tapestry and the SEND review cycle provide concrete ways for parents to stay involved.

Thursday's shorter timetable and food from home need to fit family routines. The latest graded judgement dates to November 2021.