Redhill Baptist Church Pre-School

A church hall, a terrace for trikes and a garden with a mud kitchen give Redhill Baptist Church Pre-School a clear character: play has room to spread out. Christian stories, songs and festivals are part of its life, while families of any religion or background can apply. This is a church-based setting with an open admissions policy, rather than a faith requirement for entry.

At its 14 October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and found safeguarding effective. There are 29 places in total across the pre-school. The offer is aimed at children aged two to four, with admission possible from age two and attendance continuing until the term before a child's fifth birthday.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings run during school terms. The strongest practical details lie in how children start and how parents stay involved: a home visit, two preparatory visits and a termly meeting with the child's key person make the relationship more substantial than an occasional update.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes the curriculum: children build language, physical and social skills through play, alongside early experiences of numbers, books, writing and creative expression. It is the shared early-years framework, with the pre-school's Christian ethos adding stories, songs and recognition of Christian festivals.

Children choose activities alongside adult-led play, with occasional smaller-group learning. Independent tasks and choices make school preparation about practical confidence as well as letters and numbers.

The Upper Hall gives children space to move, with construction, puzzles, crafts, sensory activities and pretend play. A book corner and early writing and number resources offer quieter activities too.

In October 2024, imaginary dinosaur washing encouraged cooperation. Questions about earlier play-dough making, its ingredients and mixing gave children time to practise remembering and explaining their experiences.

Music linked listening and movement in October 2024: children varied action-song speeds and accompanied guitar and keyboard with bells, practising rhythm through active participation.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Terrace ramp supports bike and trike practice. The Garden adds a sandpit, balance beam, play houses and mud kitchen for physical and imaginative play, plus passing trains to watch on the Gatwick to Reading line.

Wellies are needed for outdoor play in all weather. In October 2024, daily outdoor play and larger indoor activities in poor weather kept physical activity in the routine.

Family participation extends beyond the building. Come and Share invites parents and grandparents to contribute a skill, hobby or culture, while special outings during the year can include a farm or library. These are opportunities for families to take part; the trips are not a fixed weekly programme.

Relationships and Communication

A home visit and two pre-school visits offer a staged introduction. Parents can stay for initial sessions where needed, and brief attendance can increase gradually by agreement, allowing settling to follow the child's needs.

Each child's key person supports settling and records progress through observations and photographs. End-of-term appointments give parents regular time to discuss that learning profile, development and wellbeing.

Parents can also join a session through a termly rota in the foyer. This offers a practical way to understand their child's activities and friendships. Resources for families are kept in the foyer, providing another point of contact between home and pre-school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

An appointed special educational needs coordinator, or SENCO, works with key persons and other professionals. Individual assessment, planning and review guide support, with funding sought for a one-to-one worker where needed.

Wheelchair access extends across the facilities, and there is an accessible toilet. Specialist toys and adaptations to learning activities are also part of the support offer. At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the curriculum supported progress and appropriate challenge, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, while identifying inconsistent delivery of some teaching intentions and unclear explanations of changes in the day.

In October 2024, staff used children's home languages alongside English and talked with children about their feelings during attendance registration. Both practices gave staff a concrete way to acknowledge children's experiences. Children in nappies are accepted, and staff work with parents on toileting routines, so independent toileting is not a starting requirement.

Preparation for school includes conversations about the change, invitations for new teachers to meet children, trying school-uniform colours and practising skills such as managing coats and washing hands. A leavers service marks the move. These activities address unfamiliar people and routines as well as practical independence.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hatchlands Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 6AE. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 3pm on the same days. An afternoon collection at 2.45pm is also possible for parents collecting older children from nearby schools.

A full day runs from 9am to 3pm. Extended attendance joins the morning and afternoon through a lunch club, and the pre-school offers up to 30 hours weekly. Provision is term-time only, so holiday care needs to be planned separately. For younger children aged two to three, the recommended starting pattern is two sessions each week, usually afternoons; this is a recommendation rather than a universal minimum booking rule.

Joining involves a registration form, with an online interest form also providing a route to staff contact. The waiting-list order takes account of application timing and age, alongside siblings, exceptional circumstances and attendance at another childcare setting. It is not simply a first-come queue.

Getting There

Families driving to the setting are directed to the front car park and bays on the left of the driveway; staff use the right-hand side. Walking and cycling are encouraged.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible two-year-olds can use the Funded Early Education for Two year olds (FEET) scheme, covering up to 15 hours weekly for 38 weeks. For three- and four-year-olds, the entitlement described is 570 hours annually, usually taken as 15 hours a week over 38 weeks; the pre-school's attendance model is term-time.

Private sessions are charged, with payment due before each term begins. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the payment structure. The deposit is refundable when a child leaves, provided all outstanding payments have been settled; an overpayment is returned if a child leaves before the term ends.

Families supply fruit or vegetable snacks, and full-day children also bring lunch; milk or water is offered at snack and lunch times, and the pre-school publishes a No Nut policy. Parents bring nappies and wipes where needed and apply sun cream at home, so these personal supplies are part of the family's preparation.

Leaving or reducing attendance requires written notice of at least four term-time weeks. Fees remain payable, or funding is claimed, through that notice date. The term-time qualification matters when planning a change around a holiday.

• Changes between activities. In October 2024, some children had insufficient warning to finish their play and understand the next activity, and teaching intentions were not consistently carried through. During a visit, ask how staff now explain transitions and support consistent teaching.
• Christian content. Stories, songs and festivals reflect the setting's Christian ethos, while applications are welcome from all faith backgrounds. Consider how that combination fits your family's preferences.
• Term-time care and notice. Morning, afternoon and full-day options end by 3pm, and the notice period counts term-time weeks. Match the pattern to work commitments and holiday arrangements before booking.
• Packed food and allergies. Snacks and lunch come from home, alongside the No Nut policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice before their child starts.

Redhill Baptist Church Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as a joined-up full day during school terms. The hall, terrace and garden support a varied play-based day, while home visits, preparatory sessions and termly key-person discussions give parents concrete ways to stay involved.

Its Christian character is part of the choice, as are the packed-food arrangements and 3pm finish. The October 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific work on teaching consistency and transitions. Those are useful points to explore alongside the settling arrangements when deciding whether this pre-school fits your child.