Caldecote Preschool

In May 2024, water reflections, pirate stories and sand timers gave Caldecote Preschool a recognisable character: children’s interests became starting points for learning, while practical resources helped them manage life together. This preschool occupies the grounds of Caldecote Primary School, with 28 places in total and an offer for children aged two to four.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical attractions are its school-site relationship, play-led curriculum and choice of shorter sessions alongside a full day. Two improvements deserve attention: keeping older children challenged during independent play and gathering a fuller picture of children’s learning before they start.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care; here, children explore through play, with adults using conversation to help them think and make connections. Planning responds to individual interests rather than expecting every child to follow the same activity. The curriculum page explains this emphasis on participation and dialogue.

In May 2024, a clear water tray became an opportunity to explore sunlight and numbers. Children watched reflections from underneath, then moved the water and searched for coloured numerals. Staff used fingers to connect counting with the written number. A physical investigation became a mathematical one.

Pirate play provided another route into learning that May. Dressing up and searching for treasure in sand led children towards books about pirates, linking an absorbing game with reading. The limitation was equally concrete: staff sometimes missed the moment to extend children’s investigations, and some older children lost interest. For a child who already sustains elaborate play, the next challenge matters as much as the initial invitation.

Outdoor and Community Life

A garden formed part of the preschool’s activity space in May 2024. It gave children somewhere beyond the group room to play and learn, although the most useful detail here is how adults responded to their interests across those spaces.

Caldecote Preschool describes a partnership with the primary school sharing its site, intended to help children prepare for the move to school. That relationship gives transition a concrete local connection. It does not guarantee a Reception place: families still use the local authority admissions process.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2024, visual prompts helped children understand daily routines and settle into preschool life. Children learning English also heard words in their home language through an electronic device. These were practical ways to make the day more understandable, rather than relying entirely on spoken instructions in English.

Sand timers served a different purpose that May: children used them when negotiating turns and sharing resources. Adults added gentle reminders about boundaries, including where running was safe. The emphasis was on giving children a usable way to handle a small disagreement.

Staff also shared learning information with families and offered ideas for activities at home in May 2024. Initial conversations covered preferences, routines, allergies and health, but did not establish enough about existing knowledge and skills. That distinction matters: knowing what comforts a child and knowing what will stretch them are separate tasks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received very effective support through individual plans, information-sharing with other professionals and staff adapting activities to their development. Familiar activities were repeated while adults introduced fresh language and ideas, giving children a manageable route towards something new.

A SENCO role and an equalities and inclusion lead form part of the current team structure. There are also policies covering key-person arrangements and settling in, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and safeguarding. The policy topics also include administering medicines, illness and allergies, and parental involvement. For families managing a child’s health needs, these are relevant parts of the policy checklist they read and sign during admission.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool is based at C/O Caldecote Primary School, Highfields Road, Highfields Caldecote, Cambridge, CB23 7NX. Its term dates follow Caldecote Primary School, helping families align preschool attendance with an older child’s school calendar.

The booking menu includes breakfast from 8am to 9am, morning sessions from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, a four-hour session from 9am to 1pm and a full day from 9am to 3pm. The shorter sessions offer a different rhythm from staying through lunch and the afternoon; breakfast extends the start of the day separately.

Care Clubs is the primary school’s out-of-hours and holiday provision, open to preschool children as well as school-aged children. It is a separate school-run arrangement, rather than an extension of the preschool session menu. A preschool registration form and email contact provide routes for enquiries, and parents complete a policy checklist during admission.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded two-year-old places are accepted, alongside government-funded childcare. The funding information covers the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, eligible two-year-olds’ 15-hour entitlement and 30 hours of funded childcare for eligible families with children aged between 9 months and 3 years. Attendance follows the school’s term calendar; eligibility conditions still apply to the relevant entitlement.

Paid sessions are also offered. Snacks, non-food consumables and resources carry no additional charge, including within the funded-place charge structure. Current prices come in the preschool’s written quotation; the sessions and funding page explains the different booking options and extras.

The preschool kitchen prepares home-cooked meals daily. Lunch is optional and charged separately, with monthly invoicing; children can instead bring a packed lunch, and families entitled to EYPP funding can use it towards preschool meals.

• Challenge for older children. In May 2024, some children disengaged when their self-chosen play needed more adult input. During a visit, ask how practitioners recognise that moment and introduce the next challenge.
• The starting picture. The May 2024 improvement action called for more detail about children’s existing knowledge and skills. Ask how the settling process now captures those abilities alongside routines and health needs.
• Address details. The preschool’s contact address uses CB23 7FZ, while its provider address and inspection address use CB23 7NX. Confirm the postcode to use when arranging a visit.

Caldecote Preschool suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance as well as a full preschool day, with breakfast available as a separate option. Its school-site connection and interest-led learning give it a clear identity. The May 2024 picture is balanced: practical support and engaging experiences sit alongside specific questions about stretching older children and planning learning from the outset.