100 Acrewood Preschool

A book borrowed for the week, Thursday dancing and a garden used through the colder months give 100 Acrewood Preschool a recognisable rhythm. Based at Birchwood Hall in Redhill, this term-time preschool combines play chosen by children with activities led by adults. Its practical character is clear: families send food from home, while learning continues beyond the hall through a Lending Library.

At its 1 October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children were progressing well, including those receiving additional funding. There were also two educational priorities: deeper mathematical learning for older and more able children, and more opportunities to explore similarities and differences between people.

The preschool accepts children from two until they start school, up to five, and has 42 places in total. Morning, morning-with-lunch and all-day sessions give families different ways to use its term-time provision.

Learning and Activities

EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) shapes the day through play and activities supporting children's learning and development. Children have time to pursue their own interests alongside adult-led experiences, with resources changed and planning organised weekly. That balance gives them both choices and an introduction to activities they might not select for themselves.

Kicks Dance brings dancing into Thursday mornings. It adds a recurring movement session to the week, rather than leaving physical activity entirely to free play. The Lending Library serves a different purpose: families choose a book to take home for a week, then return it and select another. Reading becomes something to share between preschool and home.

In October 2024, sensory play included squeezing lemons into water and crushing mint to explore its smell. Children spent time developing their creations, giving them a reason to concentrate on an activity they had chosen. Natural materials also supported early mark-making: acorns and pine cones were pressed into play dough, with conversation about texture and colour accompanying the practical work.

Language activities had a social element. In October 2024, children discussed pictures during stories and joined songs prompted by objects in a story sack. Staff allowed time for answers rather than rushing questions. Those examples give a clearer picture of the day than a curriculum label alone: talking, handling materials and remembering songs were woven into play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is used in winter as well as warmer weather, with families asked to supply suitable outdoor clothing. Outdoor play includes climbing, running and splashing, so clothing needs to suit an active day rather than indoor activities alone.

In October 2024, children practised balancing on beams, rode bikes and explored herbs and other natural materials in the mud kitchen. These were opportunities to try manageable physical challenges and experiment with materials. The outdoor offer complements the sensory activities indoors.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a learning journal completed by their key worker. Photographs, examples of learning and observations make it possible for parents to see what their child has been doing, rather than receiving only a brief account of the day. Parents are encouraged to discuss development with the key worker at the end of each full term.

In October 2024, settling started with information from families about children's needs and interests. New children formed relationships with their key person, and staff used children's changing interests when planning activities. For a child beginning preschool, that links the unfamiliar setting with things already important to them.

Staff support also had a regular structure in October 2024: supervision meetings and training included safeguarding and first aid. These are dated details about how the team worked, rather than a promise about today's staffing deployment.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Food comes from home. Families provide healthy snacks and a packed lunch when their child stays for lunch; an all-day attendance requires two snacks. Lunchboxes need an ice pack, making food preparation part of the family's daily routine.

The preschool publishes a nut-free policy and asks families to exclude fish products because of a severe allergy within the setting. It also asks parents to apply sun cream before preschool and send a sunhat in warm weather. These instructions matter for packing and preparation, especially when children spend substantial time outside.

Sessions and Attendance

Three booking patterns are offered: Morning Session runs from 8.30am to 11.30am, Morning Session + Lunch from 8.30am to noon, and All Day Session from 8.30am to 2.30pm. The preschool operates during term time only. The morning and all-day patterns are identified as funding hours.

These choices have different practical uses. A morning session ends before lunch, the lunch extension keeps the child through the midday meal, and the all-day pattern reaches into the afternoon. Even the longest option finishes at 2.30pm, an important boundary for families arranging work and collection.

Getting There

The address is Birchwood Hall, Tylehurst Drive, Redhill, RH1 6EL. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email through the preschool's contact route. Showarounds are booked by appointment, with families encouraged to bring their child.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool accepts Early Years 15 hours Free Funding and 30 hours Funding. Its term-time model matters when considering how funded attendance fits a family's week; the sessions explicitly marked for funding are the morning and all-day options.

Families supply lunch and snacks, and apply sun cream before attendance. The preschool states that it does not charge for additional extras. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation, alongside the attendance pattern being considered.

• The afternoon finish. The all-day session ends at 2.30pm and provision is term-time only. A showaround is a useful opportunity to test the morning or all-day pattern against your actual collection arrangements.
• Stretch for older children. In October 2024, mathematical activities did not consistently extend older and more able children's understanding, and opportunities to explore differences between people needed strengthening. Ask to see how current activities address both priorities.
• Food and allergy preparation. Lunch and snacks come from home, with restrictions covering nuts and fish. Families affected by allergies should confirm current food-handling practice and how their child's needs will be managed.

100 Acrewood Preschool suits families seeking either a morning preschool routine or a longer term-time day, with a lunch extension between the two. Thursday Kicks Dance, books borrowed through the Lending Library and outdoor play across the seasons give its offer concrete substance. The Good judgement from October 2024 is useful context, while the educational priorities deserve attention for children approaching school age. The deciding practical question is whether its term-time calendar and 2.30pm finish fit family life.