Banstead Bunnies Pre School

Woodland exploration and real objects give Banstead Bunnies Pre School its character. Based at St Pauls Church Hall in Banstead, it combines an approach built around children's interests with Muddy Bunnies Outdoor Learning, a Thursday programme of practical exploration that includes den building, digging and learning to assess risks. For a child who wants to investigate rather than simply watch, those are useful ingredients.

At its 28 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good overall, while identifying the need for clearer learning goals and more independent challenge after activities led by adults. That judgement predates a management change announced for September 2024. It provides a dated assessment, rather than a verdict on the current team.

There are 39 places in total, and children are accepted from 18 months to four years old. Attendance follows a term-time calendar, with morning and afternoon attendance and a separate Breakfast Club.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage gives the day its educational foundation: play and activities develop language, physical skills and relationships, alongside early literacy, mathematics and understanding the world. These areas connect rather than sit in isolated lessons. Talking through an investigation, handling materials and sharing an idea can serve several purposes within the same experience.

The Curiosity Approach adds a more specific way of organising that learning. Natural materials, loose parts and objects from everyday life invite children to experiment; staff use interests such as shadows, birthdays or dinosaurs to shape what comes next. Practitioners can extend play immediately by introducing vocabulary, posing an open question or adding a resource. The practical implication is that children's interests help determine the direction of an activity.

Independence also runs through ordinary routines. Children serve themselves at snack time, put on coats, help put resources away and use real crockery. Those small responsibilities make self-care part of the day. Storytelling has several forms too: puppet performances, acting out familiar tales, shared reading and opportunities to enjoy a book alone or with another child.

In March 2022, children investigated eggs and watched tadpoles and frogspawn in a tank. Outdoors, they used oats in pretend cooking and planted produce in a garden. These examples put observation and imaginative play alongside one another, giving children things to discuss, compare and investigate.

Outdoor and Community Life

Muddy Bunnies Outdoor Learning takes place weekly on Thursdays during term time, for children from two years to school age. The woodland provides the setting for activities such as treasure hunts, making maps, climbing trees and constructing dens. Adults help children develop their ideas and consider risks as they explore. Suitable clothing is required, making this a practical part of family preparation as well as a learning choice.

Nature walks, visits from local services, community gardening and events shared with families also form part of the current approach. The outdoor space gives children exploratory resources they can use to develop their own ideas. For families who value learning through handling, building and trying things, that combination is a clear reason to consider Bunnies.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Person Approach assigns a practitioner to observe a child's development, keep records and plan their next steps, while maintaining contact with parents. This gives families a continuing relationship around learning rather than a succession of disconnected updates. Knowledge of the child feeds into planning, so observations have a practical purpose beyond recording what happened.

In March 2022, staff exchanged daily progress information with families, and an online system offered further learning information and ideas for home. Behaviour was supported through consistent responses, encouragement and praise. These are useful examples of the relationships and communication in place at that time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children needing additional help have an individual learning plan, developed through cooperation between practitioners, parents and outside agencies. The team includes a Special Education Needs Coordinator and an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant, alongside designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles. These give parents identifiable responsibilities to discuss when a child needs support.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children making good progress, including those with SEND; staff also worked with families and other professionals to address learning needs and created dual-language resources for children learning English as an additional language. Those findings belong to that inspection date. Current preparation for school emphasises communication, social skills, early reading and mathematical understanding, with children also practising responsibility for their belongings and small everyday problems.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool operates for 38 weeks a year during term time, broadly following local school holidays, with occasional differences. Opening hours are 9am to noon on Mondays and Fridays, and noon to 2.50pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Children can attend in the morning and remain for the afternoon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Breakfast Club runs from 8.35am to 9am, Monday to Friday during term time. It is a separate attendance option before the preschool day. Registration begins by contacting the preschool to discuss the family's needs; children granted a place require a completed child registration form, and parents receive a pack to read.

Getting There

The address is St Pauls Church Hall, Warren Road, Banstead, Surrey SM7 1LG. The term calendar includes half-term closures and flags a possible polling-day closure because the premises can be used as a polling station, so families need to allow for that interruption when organising care.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted for the Universal Entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, Working Parents Entitlement of 15 and up to 30 hours, and Early Learning for 2 year olds, previously known as FEET. Attendance is term-time. Private sessions and Breakfast Club are also charged, with additional charges applying to activities beyond the core provision; families receive current prices in the preschool's written quotation.

Breakfast is included in the Breakfast Club charge, while children remaining from morning into afternoon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays bring their own packed lunch. This makes the food arrangement dependent on the attendance pattern.

• Term-time commitments. The 38-week calendar broadly follows local schools, with some variation and a possible polling-day closure. Families needing care through school holidays will need to plan around those breaks.
• Thursday woodland learning. Muddy Bunnies Outdoor Learning runs weekly for children from two years to school age, and suitable clothing is required. Thursday attendance carries a specific outdoor emphasis.
• Learning depth. In March 2022, activities sometimes carried too many learning goals, and routines could interrupt investigations before children had finished. A visit can explore how staff now sustain children's investigations and extend independent learning.
• Starting at 18 months. The preschool accepts younger children than the starting age for Muddy Bunnies Outdoor Learning. Ask how settling and the daily routine are adapted for an 18-month-old.

Banstead Bunnies suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool attendance within school terms, with Breakfast Club as an additional option. Its strongest current attractions are practical exploration through The Curiosity Approach and Thursday woodland learning, supported by a key person relationship and individual planning for children needing extra help.

The March 2022 Good judgement provides a useful assessment of the provision at that time, including specific teaching improvements to pursue. For parents drawn to children directing their own play, real materials and outdoor investigations, Bunnies has a clear educational character and a calendar that needs to fit family life.