Buttercross Pre School

School grounds, a charitable structure and play led by children’s interests give Buttercross Pre School its character. Based at Bingham Robert Miles Infant School, it combines early-years provision with a relationship with the school that matters most as children prepare for Reception. It remains a separate preschool choice: attendance does not guarantee a school place.

Buttercross has capacity for 30 children aged 2 to 5. At its September 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical strengths are clear: parents can remain alongside a child during settling, toilet training is not an entry requirement, and support for additional needs has a defined planning process.

Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance are offered during term time. That gives families several ways to fit preschool into their week, rather than requiring the same length of day for everyone.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, covering communication, movement, emotional development and, as children grow, literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding their surroundings. Buttercross’s play-based approach works within that framework: staff join activities that interest children and use open-ended materials to extend their ideas. The emphasis is on learning through doing.

In September 2021, the garden supplied a concrete example. Children gathered herbs, compared leaf shapes and used a pestle and mortar to crush them. A single activity brought together handling materials, recognising shapes and learning the names of unfamiliar objects. Imaginative play also developed from simple resources: paper became a ticket for an invented train journey.

Number learning was similarly practical in September 2021. Children explored numbered ducks during water play, with staff bringing counting into the activity. Stories encouraged participation through expressive reading and familiar phrases, while manipulating dough exercised the fingers children would later use for tools. In September 2021, these activities combined counting, storytelling and practical hand skills.

There were limits too. In September 2021, staff sometimes missed chances to extend children’s vocabulary during play. Older children also needed more demanding physical activities and opportunities to judge manageable risks. Those are useful points for parents to explore, especially when choosing provision for a child approaching school age.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2021, wooden planks in the garden gave children a way to practise balance, with adult help for younger children when needed. The improvement point concerned the challenge for older children, rather than whether outdoor movement happened at all.

The current parent information allows children to bring an item for show and tell, giving a familiar possession a purpose in conversation. Buttercross is also a member of the Early Years Alliance. Its charitable structure brings parents into the wider life of the preschool through a volunteer committee, which oversees management and organises fundraising such as cake sales and seasonal fairs. For families who enjoy contributing ideas, participation can extend beyond attending events.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is paced around the child. Parents may stay during sessions while their child becomes comfortable, with short separations gradually building towards a complete session. That is a useful arrangement for a two-year-old who needs familiarity before spending time apart from home.

A key person helps children understand feelings and manage everyday disagreements. The behaviour policy emphasises reflection and calming support rather than humiliation or punishment. Where difficulties persist, the key person and special educational needs coordinator work with parents to understand possible triggers and agree support.

Communication has several routes. Managers and key persons can discuss concerns at the end of sessions, and private conversations can be arranged by telephone. A newsletter reaches parents roughly each half term, covering topics, dates, events and policy changes. These arrangements give families both routine updates and a route for more sensitive discussions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children can start before they are toilet trained, with staff and parents working together when the child is ready. Clothing that children can manage themselves is encouraged, making independence a practical part of the day rather than an abstract school-readiness goal.

The SENCO coordinates additional-needs provision through a cycle of assessment, planning, action and review, with parents involved throughout and external agencies brought in where appropriate. At the September 2021 inspection, Ofsted found effective SEND support through targeted plans, collaboration with families and professionals, and additional funding used for individual staff time. That is a dated judgement; the current policy explains the mechanism families can expect to discuss.

Safeguarding arrangements include designated lead and oversight roles, reporting procedures and staff training. Collection is restricted to people authorised by parents, with specific consent required for changes. These are arrangements for protecting children, rather than a new assurance about effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Bingham Robert Miles Infant School, School Lane, Bingham, Nottingham, NG13 8FE. Buttercross follows the infant school’s holidays and operates during term time, so families needing care through school breaks must account for that pattern.

Monday to Friday, morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am, lunch club from 11.45am to 12.45pm, and afternoons from 12.45pm to 3.15pm. All-day attendance runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm. The lunch club bridges the two teaching sessions, making the shorter patterns and the complete day genuinely different choices.

Applications use a waiting-list form on which parents select preferred days and sessions. September is the usual intake, and requested sessions or start dates are not guaranteed. General enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone during opening hours.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded education is offered alongside paid sessions and additional hours. For eligible working families, the two-year-old offer starts in the term following the second birthday and provides 15 hours over 38 weeks; some families receiving benefits may also qualify. From the term following the third birthday, the offer includes 15 hours for all children, with eligible working families able to claim 30 hours over 38 weeks. Funding can cover lunch club attendance too.

Milk and snacks are included in paid morning and afternoon session fees; parents supply lunch, nappies and wipes. Lunch-club children need a packed lunch; cooling packs are recommended because refrigeration is unavailable, and the preschool’s policy excludes nuts and packaging carrying a may-contain-nuts warning.

Bills are issued half termly, with payment due by the end of the first week of term. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen pattern through the session times and fees page.

Buttercross describes a close working relationship with Bingham Robert Miles Infant School to support children becoming familiar with school. This supports transition, not admission: families still apply for Reception through the local authority, and preschool attendance does not guarantee a place.

• Language and physical challenge. In September 2021, extending vocabulary and providing more demanding movement for older children were improvement priorities. During a visit, ask how staff now develop conversation and adjust outdoor activities as children become more capable.
• Term-time fit and entry. School holidays fall outside the attendance pattern, September is the usual intake, and preferred sessions and start dates are not guaranteed. Consider whether that calendar and booking process fit your childcare needs.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Families provide lunch, and the preschool’s food policy excludes nuts and may-contain-nuts products. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements and discuss the packed-lunch requirements before starting.

Buttercross suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting an all-day term-time pattern. Its strongest practical features are gradual settling, entry before toilet training and a clear additional-needs support process. The relationship with the infant school adds transition value, while the charitable committee offers parents a way to contribute to preschool life.

The September 2021 Good judgement is useful context, but the vocabulary and physical-challenge priorities deserve attention when assessing the day for an older child. Choose it for the fit between its play-based approach, family involvement and school-term timetable, keeping Reception admission separate from the preschool decision.