Parkside Pre-school in Association with YMCA Reading

Hedgehog Room, Squirrel Room and Fox Shelter give Parkside a character children have helped to shape. The children chose the names of the messy-play room and sheltered outdoor space, while free movement between the playrooms puts choice into the layout itself. This is a preschool for children aged two to four, on the ground floor of the YMCA Reading building, with capacity for 36 children in total.

Ofsted judged the provision Good on 26 April 2023. The practical offer is term-time attendance, with morning and afternoon sessions aimed at different stages before school. Its appeal rests on concrete details: a mud kitchen, access to a large hall, and an admissions approach that uses information from home to help children settle.

Rooms and Ages

Hedgehog Room accommodates messy play; Squirrel Room is the other playroom in the free-flow arrangement. These are spaces children can move between, rather than separate age groups described through a ladder of room moves. The layout gives children a choice about where to spend their playtime.

Outside, Fox Shelter adds a covered area alongside grass and hard surfaces, with a mud kitchen providing another setting for hands-on play. The large hall is used for dancing or circle games, sometimes twice in a week. That gives movement activities a different space from the playrooms and garden, although this is not a fixed twice-weekly timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines contribute to learning, alongside activities supported by adults. At Parkside, messy play, movement and outdoor exploration give that framework concrete settings.

In April 2023, children investigated insects outdoors with magnifying glasses, joined in songs with actions and remembered familiar stories, including Jack and the Beanstalk. These examples connect language with doing: children followed instructions and recalled stories they knew.

There was also a clear limitation in April 2023. Adults sometimes supplied an answer before children had time to work through a problem, and art activities did not consistently leave enough room for children's original ideas. The improvement priorities were to extend problem-solving and give children greater freedom to develop their own designs. Those points matter alongside the appealing play spaces: resources create opportunities, but the adult response determines how far a child can take an idea.

Relationships and Communication

An All About Me Booklet connects home with preschool by recording routines, preferences and dislikes. It gives staff something more useful than a basic application form: a picture of the child's routines and preferences to inform their care. Where possible, new starts are spread out so staff can give newcomers attention.

Parents whose children struggle to settle are kept involved in decisions about different approaches, and can telephone staff to discuss their child. The manager's responsibilities include a key person role, transition work and the two-year-old check. These are practical points of contact for families at different stages, from the first separation to preparation for school.

In April 2023, staff shared ideas with parents for continuing learning at home and worked with schools on children's transition. Children also practised everyday independence, including managing their coats and footwear and looking after their belongings. That kind of preparation concerns what children can do for themselves, as well as the activities they complete.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified rapid progress among children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, supported by individual plans, visual cues and work with other professionals. The practical mechanisms are important: visual information can make routines easier to understand, while individual planning allows support to address a child's particular needs.

A SENco role forms part of the current team structure. The admissions policy allows a planned, timed start for children with additional needs, subject to suitable staffing, premises, equipment and insurance. Families are expected to share relevant information so the setting can plan for their child; this is a conditional entry arrangement, rather than a blanket promise about every support need.

Both morning and afternoon sessions include a healthy snack. That keeps a food break within each attendance pattern, rather than making it a feature of only one session.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Reading YMCA, 34 Parkside Road, Reading RG30 2DD. Parkside operates during term time, so families need an arrangement for school holidays as well as their preschool sessions.

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am and are aimed at children due to start school the following September. Afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 3.30pm and are aimed at younger children whose school start is another year away. This distinction is more than a choice of clock time: the two patterns are presented around the child's stage before school.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0118 951 9973 or by email at info@parksidepreschool.org.uk. The preschool also has an enquiry form for arranging a look around.

The admissions policy includes a specific attendance condition: a child may lose their allocated place after two consecutive weeks of absence if parents or carers have not notified the manager. Keeping staff informed therefore matters beyond explaining a missed session.

Funding and Paid Extras

Parkside accepts funding for two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds, with provision delivered during term time. Eligibility for two-year-old funding is checked through Reading's online application process. Additional sessions are paid for separately; the funding offer and extra private attendance should be treated as separate parts of the family's arrangement.

A healthy snack is included with each morning or afternoon session, including the funded attendance described here. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the term dates and fees page sets out the charging structure. A late-collection charge applies after 15 minutes when no notice has been given.

• The right session for the child's stage. Mornings are aimed at children approaching their school-start September; afternoons target younger children. Use a visit to discuss which pattern fits your child's stage and how the term-time calendar fits family commitments.
• Room for children's own ideas. In April 2023, problem-solving and freedom in artwork were improvement priorities. Ask how adults now give children time to find solutions and develop their own designs.
• Planning an additional-needs start. A timed entry may depend on staffing, equipment and the premises being suitable. Discuss the proposed settling plan and how your child's information will be used before booking.
• Food and everyday supplies. Snacks are included in both sessions. Ask what families need to provide or pay for beyond those snacks, including non-food consumables.

Parkside suits families seeking term-time preschool, with morning attendance for children nearing school and afternoon attendance for younger children. Its child-named spaces, messy-play room, sheltered outdoor area and hall give the day several settings for play and movement. The All About Me Booklet adds a practical link with home.

The April 2023 Good judgement sits alongside clear improvement priorities around independent thinking and creativity. For parents, the useful balance is an appealing physical offer and individual settling arrangements, with attention to how adults extend children's ideas during play.