Hextable Village Pre-School

Nature walks in the Heritage Centre Gardens and children preparing their own snacks give Hextable Village Pre-School a practical, hands-on character. This community-run setting combines outdoor exploration with opportunities for families to contribute to nursery life. Parents can share skills, join sessions and add examples of learning at home to their child’s online portfolio.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and judged safeguarding effective. The setting has 26 places in total and accepts children from age 2. Its premises are at The Gallery, Heritage Centre, College Road, Swanley, BR8 7LT.

Term-time attendance includes morning and afternoon sessions as well as a full day. That gives families different ways to use the setting.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, with activities shaped around children’s development and interests. Planned group activities follow a topic, but children can also bring an interest or something to share that changes the direction of the session. This makes their own experiences part of the learning rather than leaving all decisions to adults.

Two equipped play areas allow children of different ages to mix, alongside separate activities suited to their stage of development. Children belong to either the Butterfly or Caterpillar group. These are key groups, rather than a reason to assume separate rooms or fixed age divisions.

The snack bar adds a useful opportunity to practise independence: children help prepare food and pour drinks. Books can also travel home from the pre-school’s library and be exchanged after reading. Families therefore have a simple way to continue shared reading between sessions.

In November 2024, everyday play included counting aloud, exploring shapes and sizes, and learning words for position. Physical activities involved working dough with tools and smoothing sand over toy bricks. These examples show how language, mathematics and coordination can develop within ordinary play rather than through separate formal lessons.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden provides outdoor play, while access to the Heritage Centre Gardens supports nature walks and forest school type activities: outdoor learning connected to exploration of the natural surroundings. This extends children’s experiences beyond the pre-school’s own outdoor area.

In November 2024, children used an outdoor tap to fill containers and send water through pipes and guttering. Staff had also used outdoor-learning training to develop activities in nearby woodland. Water play and woodland exploration offered different ways to experiment with materials and movement.

Family involvement has a practical form here. Parents and grandparents are welcome to attend sessions, and visitors can contribute interests such as gardening, baking or craft. Children get opportunities to learn from people beyond the regular staff team, while families can contribute something personal to the group.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a keyworker who gets to know them and communicates with their family. Settling begins with a parent staying for at least the first hour; families can remain at the start of further sessions until separation feels comfortable. The arrangement allows the keyworker and parent to agree an approach around the individual child.

Online observations and assessments give parents access to their child’s learning portfolio through a secure login. Families can add activities enjoyed at home, so communication works in both directions. This is useful for connecting nursery learning with interests that staff might otherwise miss.

In November 2024, staff used calm reminders and visual prompts to help children share and take turns. Daily independence also received attention, including dressing, nose wiping and handwashing. Those routines give children practical skills they can use beyond the pre-school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), made good progress, with support including speech and language work, simple signing and input from a speech and language therapist. The pre-school also works with professional agencies and the local authority around children’s additional needs, providing a route for coordinated support.

Families supply lunch for afternoon or full-day attendance; snacks are offered during both sessions, with a separate voluntary contribution covering snacks and some resources. The pre-school asks families to avoid nuts, sweets and chocolate in packed lunches.

School preparation includes contact with local primary schools. In November 2024, staff visited a local school and shared children’s development information with teachers to help prepare for the change of setting. This supports familiarity and continuity rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, during term time, operating for 38 weeks each year and closing on bank holidays. Its daily timetable gives a morning session of 9am to noon and an afternoon session of noon to 3pm; full-day attendance runs from 9am to 3pm. The fees table gives different times beside the morning and afternoon labels, making an agreed written timetable important.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone. Uniform is optional, and clothing suitable for messy activities is recommended. Children who use nappies need supplies from home, including nappies, wipes and nappy sacks, as well as spare clothes.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the Free for Two Scheme (FF2), the Universal Entitlement and the Extended Entitlement, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. Delivery is term-time over 38 weeks: the universal pattern provides up to 15 funded hours weekly, while eligible children using the extended pattern can receive up to 30. Hours beyond a child’s funding are charged privately.

A separate voluntary contribution covers snacks, craft materials, wipes and learning resources. Lunch comes from home, and families also bring nappy supplies, so food and consumables involve different arrangements rather than one inclusive charge. These terms apply alongside the attendance charges; families should obtain current prices in a written quotation.

Fees are payable termly. Extra outings, celebrations and entertainment outside ordinary session activities are excluded from the attendance fee. A deposit is requested when a place is accepted: it is credited against the final invoice, while funded-only families receive it back following local-authority confirmation of their funding claim.

Leaving normally requires four weeks’ written notice, except when a child starts full-time education. Without that notice, the retainer is not refundable. Absence through illness or holidays does not attract a refund. The fees and funding terms explain the charging structure.

• Agree the session timetable. The daily timetable gives morning attendance as 9am to noon and afternoon attendance as noon to 3pm, but the fees table labels the morning as 9am to 3pm and the afternoon as 12am to 3pm. Confirm the intended hours in writing before booking.
• Watch the lunchtime handover. In November 2024, children were less engaged while lunch and afternoon arrivals overlapped, and some became restless while others were eating. Ask how that transition is now organised during a visit, especially for afternoon attendance.
• Plan packed lunches and allergy arrangements. In November 2024, support for healthier food and drink choices needed strengthening, with lunch choices inconsistent. Discuss current allergy practice and lunch guidance alongside the request to avoid nuts, chocolate and sweets.

Hextable Village Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoon attendance or a full day, with opportunities to participate in their child’s learning. The Heritage Centre Gardens, snack preparation and shared home observations give that offer practical substance.

The November 2024 strengths sit alongside clear priorities around lunchtime organisation and healthier choices. Those lunchtime priorities are especially relevant to afternoon and full-day attendance.