Battle Pre-School Playgroup

Real tools, campfire experiences and waterproof suits give Battle Pre-School Playgroup a clear outdoor character. Forest School brings children into contact with wildlife, shelter-making and practical tasks, while the garden and covered outdoor space extend the possibilities for play. This is a committee-run charity with a practical emphasis on discovery and family relationships.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children made good progress, including effective emotional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The detail matters: nature, early mathematics and language featured in hands-on activities, from observing caterpillars to weighing play dough ingredients. There was also a specific improvement point about support during changes of activity.

Battle has capacity for 24 children aged two to five. Its admissions policy normally covers two- to four-year-olds, with attendance up to and including five conditional on continued government funding and benefit to the child. Attendance is term-time only.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supplies the framework for children's learning and development: play and discovery help children build language, physical skills and understanding, with progress assessed individually. Here, the key person uses observations of children's interests to plan their next learning steps. That gives the day a connection to the child rather than simply a sequence of activities everyone completes.

Forest School adds practical outdoor exploration. Children can investigate bugs, follow scent trails, make shelters and try whittling; real tools and campfire experiences are part of the offer. Waterproof suits are supplied for every child. For families who value outdoor play in changing weather, the clothing is a useful practical detail, supporting participation rather than leaving it dependent on what comes from home.

In June 2025, caterpillars and tadpoles provided opportunities to watch living things change and discuss how to care for nature. Planting brought another kind of involvement, with children digging holes themselves. These are concrete tasks with something to observe, handle or return to, giving conversations about the natural world an immediate subject.

Early mathematics was equally practical in June 2025. A popcorn game involved counting and recognising numbers, while making play dough introduced weighing. Language extended beyond everyday labels: discussions about insects included proboscis, and plants introduced nasturtium. The combination puts numbers and unfamiliar words into activities children can understand through doing.

Creative play also had substance. In June 2025, colour-mixing activities sat alongside dinosaur skulls and dragon eggs, while a globe and Russian rhymes introduced children to countries and languages.

Outdoor and Community Life

Covered outdoor space allows access in wet weather, and wheelchair access extends outside. The building also has cloakroom facilities and disabled access.

Community involvement includes Battle marbles, Battle scarecrows and the Battle Christmas tree festival.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is each family's main contact and follows the child's development. Settling is arranged individually, taking account of the child and parents' wishes. For a child who needs a gradual introduction, that individual basis is more useful than a single settling timetable applied to everyone.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, records observations and developmental information and allows parents to contribute their own observations. It is intended for conversation in both directions. Parents can also arrange a meeting to discuss development in more depth, so communication has both an everyday channel and a route for a longer discussion.

The 27 Month Progress Review involves the key person, family and health visitor when the child is between 27 and 30 months. Where progress raises concerns, support plans can be introduced. This makes the review a point for sharing what different adults know about the child, rather than relying only on what happens during pre-school hours.

In June 2025, family support included a book-swap shelf for borrowing books and a pre-school pantry from which parents could choose food. Parent sessions covered internet safety and healthy eating. Community fundraising also helped pay for additional yoga sessions. Those examples brought support into reading at home, household needs and conversations about children's wellbeing.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO role connects families and key persons with outside agencies, including the Early Years Service. A setting support plan can set out the help a child needs, with staff working towards it and regular meetings with parents reviewing how it is going. If an additional support carer is considered necessary, the setting can apply for bursary funding; this is a conditional support route rather than an automatic staffing promise.

Wheelchair access and disabled toilets are concrete accessibility features. Support from the Traveller and English as an Additional Language Service (TEAL) also forms part of the inclusion arrangements. Pictures and frequently used words have been used to help communication with families whose first language is not English. The practical value lies in adapting communication as well as providing physical access.

During June 2025, children had calm retreat spaces available, and daily activities included practising handwashing and toothbrushing. However, the June 2025 inspection identified that support during changes of activity did not consistently match individual needs, sometimes affecting engagement and behaviour. This was the specific development priority, and it deserves attention alongside the positive overall judgement.

Preparation for school includes visits by Reception teachers, visits to a local primary school and familiarisation through school clothing, book bags and photographs. The key person, and sometimes the SENCO, can take part in transition meetings.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Asten Fields, Battle, TN33 0HP. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with a 38-week calendar. This is a school-term arrangement rather than holiday childcare.

Children can stay all day, and the minimum booking is two sessions on different days. Families complete an Admission Form and Booking Form. A waiting list operates when sessions cannot be offered, with funded children taking priority under the policy's stated conditions.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or WhatsApp/message. Fees are invoiced monthly, and booked sessions remain payable when a child is absent, including through sickness or holidays. Ending attendance or changing booked days requires four weeks' written notice, so booking decisions have an ongoing commitment beyond the first session.

Funding and Paid Extras

The funding offer covers two-year disadvantaged funding, two-year working parent funding, 15-hour universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, and 30-hour working parent funding for three- and four-year-olds. Funded hours operate during the 9am to 3pm window across the 38-week term-time calendar. Additional unfunded hours are charged; current prices should form part of the nursery's written quotation.

Snacks carry no charge, with an optional donation rota, while families supply a healthy packed lunch for children staying all day. Parents also provide the nappies, wipes, sun cream and other consumables their child needs; these carry no nursery consumables charge, including alongside funded attendance.

• Changes of activity. The June 2025 development priority concerned individual support during transitions within the day. During a visit, ask how staff now prepare children for these changes, especially if your child needs extra help with them.
• Term-time commitment. The 38-week calendar closes the setting during school holidays, and attendance starts with at least two sessions on separate days. Consider how this fits your working pattern and holiday arrangements before choosing booked days.
• Outdoor participation. Forest School includes tools, whittling and campfire experiences, with waterproof suits supplied. Use the visit to discuss how your child would be introduced to those activities and how any individual support would work outdoors.
• Everyday supplies. Lunch and personal consumables come from home, while snacks are provided without charge. Families managing allergies should discuss current snack arrangements and packed-lunch practice before attendance begins.

Battle Pre-School Playgroup suits families seeking term-time attendance, whether their child stays all day or attends sessions across different days. Forest School, supplied waterproof clothing and local events give the offer a clear identity, while Tapestry and individual settling provide practical ways for parents to stay involved.

The Good judgement in June 2025 supports a positive assessment, but the improvement priority is specific enough to matter: changes within the day need to work for the individual child. For families comfortable with the term-time calendar and home-provided lunch and consumables, this is an appealing combination of outdoor exploration, practical learning and structured family contact.