The Stacey Pre-School

An orchard, an allotment and cooking over a fire give The Stacey Pre-School a character that reaches well beyond its indoor space. This pack-away setting at The Stacey Community Centre in Portsmouth combines play indoors with regular Forest School sessions, where children learn through practical exploration of the natural world. Growing food is part of the learning, too. Children cultivate produce, harvest it and use it in cooking.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) made good progress. There were also two clear improvement priorities: sharper planning for individual learning and more consistent help for children managing difficult emotions. Both matter when weighing the outdoor appeal against the detail of everyday support.

The setting has 36 places in total and accepts children from two up to five years old. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings operate during term time, giving families a choice between shorter sessions and a longer preschool day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) frames learning and care: play and practical activities develop language, movement, social skills, literacy and mathematics. Adult-guided activities complement children's own play, with accessible resources encouraging independent choices.

The Curiosity Approach adds familiar household objects and natural materials to conventional teaching resources. Pots, tyres and pine cones become things to examine, arrange and experiment with. In The Moment is another named approach: practitioners respond to a child's interests during play and use those opportunities to extend learning. These approaches complement the EYFS by shaping how activities are organised.

Circle Time develops listening and speaking through early phonics, songs, weather, seasons and news from home. Focus Time brings smaller groups together with their key person for guided learning, including numbers and mathematics.

Both sessions combine group time, play and snacks before closing with stories or music. Children's Yoga and PE add movement to these predictable routines.

Outdoor and Community Life

The play patio connects indoors to the Forest School area and allotment, then the sensory garden and orchard. Forest School sessions throughout the week add practical outdoor learning through den building, natural materials and firepit cooking.

The allotment has a mud kitchen, a digging zone and a giant bug hotel, plus shade where children can pause. Crops have included kale, beans, potatoes, turnips and tomatoes. Children follow the growing process and cook with what they harvest, connecting gardening with food they can recognise and eat.

A slack line and climbing frame add physical challenges. The Exploration Station supports investigation, while outdoor Literacy and Numeracy stations extend reading and number activities beyond the indoor space. Orchard fruit trees offer further growing opportunities.

Reading also travels home. The Stacey Pre-School Library has over 250 books, and children can choose a loan and check it out themselves. Fable, the literacy mascot, accompanies reading adventures with families. Ready For School and Ready to Play sacks combine a book with supporting resources for learning at home, making the connection between preschool and family life tangible.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person works with the manager and SENCo to review development. Tapestry, the online learning journal, allows parents to view observations and add updates. Daily conversations, progress reports and confidential appointments provide further contact.

New starters are invited to a free Family Stay & Play session to become familiar with the setting and staff. The All About Me workbook gathers information about a child's preferences and needs. Settling arrangements are adjusted to the individual child, which makes this a process to shape around the child rather than a single timetable everyone must follow.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined structure. A SEN Support Plan or Individual Education Plan sets out support according to the child's needs, with review meetings involving parents, the key person and SENCo. Staff can work with other professionals on agreed targets and seek funding for additional resources or individual support. Information from another setting can also be used to keep approaches consistent.

Accessibility has concrete features behind it: the Forest School area has a low-gradient ramp from the patio, outdoor areas are on one level and separate raised beds accommodate wheelchair users. An accessible WC can accommodate a changing table and hoist. These details give families practical points to discuss alongside their child's support plan.

In July 2024, the inspection identified that staff sometimes pursued too many learning aims together and did not consistently help overwhelmed children use opportunities to manage their emotions. The priorities were more precise next steps and steadier use of strategies for emotional regulation. Cosy spaces and stories about feelings were already part of the provision at that time; the issue was how consistently support was put into practice.

The manager holds the designated safeguarding lead role, and staff receive paediatric first aid training. When children move to another setting or school, their latest assessment and Tapestry journal are shared, with a discussion about needs and existing support where possible. This is continuity of care and learning, rather than an admissions arrangement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Stacey Centre, Walsall Road, Portsmouth, PO3 6DN. The preschool opens on weekdays from 9am to 4pm and operates for 38 weeks during term time. School holidays therefore sit outside the regular childcare offer.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from 1pm to 4pm, and full days from 9am to 4pm. Families can combine these patterns; lunch from noon to 1pm can be added only to a morning or afternoon booking.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. Regular sessions are billed monthly, with payment due at the beginning of the month; extra sessions and additional costs are invoiced weekly after they occur. Late payment attracts a charge, so the billing timetable deserves attention alongside the attendance pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid hours are both offered. Universal Funding for 3 to 4 year olds provides up to 15 hours each week across the 38-week year, starting in the term after the third birthday. Early Learning Funding for 2 year olds offers the same weekly pattern for eligible families requiring additional support, from the term after the second birthday.

Working Families Funded Childcare for 2 - 4 year olds offers eligible working families up to 30 hours weekly across those 38 weeks. Working Families funding starts in the term after the code's start date, and parents must keep eligibility renewed. All funded arrangements require a parental declaration and documents confirming the child's identity and address. These are term-time arrangements rather than hours spread across the whole year.

Parents supply lunch for children attending the lunch period, following healthy-eating guidance that excludes sweets, crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. Snacks include fruit, vegetables, dairy foods and bread-based choices, and families are welcome to contribute healthy snacks. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page explains the funding and payment structure.

• Term-time cover. The 38-week calendar serves morning, afternoon and full-day attendance. Families needing care during school holidays will need to plan around that calendar.
• Individual next steps. July 2024 brought priorities for more precise learning plans and consistent emotional support. During a visit, ask how a child's next steps now guide activities and how staff respond when that child becomes overwhelmed.
• Outdoor participation. Gardening, den building and firepit cooking are regular parts of learning. Dress children for messy activities, and discuss any mobility or sensory needs against the ramp, raised beds and outdoor layout.
• Lunch and everyday supplies. Lunch comes from home, while the day also includes snacks. Ask how snacks and non-food supplies are handled within the written quotation for the attendance and funding pattern you choose.

The Stacey Pre-School suits families seeking term-time mornings, afternoons or full days. Connected outdoor spaces, Forest School and home-learning resources give it clear character. Key-person contact and SEND plans support parental involvement, while the July 2024 priorities make consistency of individual learning and emotional support an important consideration.