Hardwick Pre-School

A school gymnasium, an enclosed outdoor area and a classroom built for preschool play give Hardwick Pre-School a clear identity. This community setting occupies a purpose-built mobile classroom within the grounds of Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School, Hardwick Campus. It has capacity for 26 children, and children can start from two and a half. The emphasis is on learning together, becoming more independent and keeping parents involved.

At its 6 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard in achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance, and judged safeguarding standards met. Those are separate area judgements, rather than an overall grade.

An elected voluntary committee runs the preschool, with parents making up the majority of its membership. Families can therefore contribute to decisions as well as their own child's learning. Attendance is term-time, with a choice of hours between the designated arrival and collection times.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play and adult guidance, developing language, physical skills and relationships. Staff add vocabulary to conversations and help children express ideas. The Curricular Goals translate this into everyday steps: managing a coat zip, cutting a straight line, building a model and listening to a group story.

Puppets and a puppet theatre support storytelling; wooden bricks and magformers encourage construction. The role-play house becomes a shop or hospital, while an outdoor digging pit invites exploration of materials.

In March 2026, shape hunts offered different challenges for younger and older children. Staff discussed shape properties, and children explained their material choices for a pretend pizza oven: practical play became an opportunity to reason aloud.

Outdoor and Community Life

Monday gym combines climbing and balancing with practising changing independently. Families supply shorts and a t-shirt in a drawstring bag. Forest School, an approach centred on outdoor learning, occupies Wednesday afternoons. Balance bikes, trikes, a woodland climber and visits to the village playpark and school playing field add other opportunities for movement.

In spring 2026, children planted sunflowers and cress, compared plant heights and examined strawberry plants and an apple tree. They also watched ducklings grow and helped care for them, connecting vocabulary and sequencing to visible changes. The summer 2026 family trip was to Johnsons of Oldhurst; the end-of-year outing is optional, with admission charged separately.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is assigned before starting, with another staff member potentially covering their absence. Parents complete an About Me page in Tapestry, the online learning journal, before the initial visit. During that visit, the child stays with their key person while a parent remains nearby; staff telephone if the child later becomes very distressed after separation.

Tapestry records observations, photographs, videos and assessments, with families able to contribute. An Entry Assessment follows within four to six weeks, and a key-person consultation is offered in March. Class Dojo handles messages, answered by the key person or acting key person during preschool hours. Parents have both a learning record and a route for everyday communication.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND made substantial developmental progress through individual plans, tailored interventions and adapted equipment, alongside a well-established key-person system and sensitive support for settling. In March 2026, staff also used visual cues and Makaton, a system of signs supporting communication, and learned words from children's home languages. Those were practical ways to help children participate in conversations and shared activities.

The staff structure includes special educational needs coordinator and designated safeguarding lead responsibilities, as well as child support assistant roles. Paediatric first-aid cover is maintained during opening hours. These are arrangements families can discuss alongside their child's particular care needs.

There is continuing work to do. In March 2026, leaders were helping staff extend children's ability to recognise and describe emotions; the next steps also called for sustained improvement with greater impact for disadvantaged children, children with SEND, children with past or present involvement from social care services, and children encountering other obstacles to learning or wellbeing. Strong area judgements should be read alongside that continuing expectation.

Before a child leaves, the key person prepares a Transition Summary for the next school or early-years setting. Parents receive a digital copy of the learning journal too, giving the next stage both a staff summary and a record families can keep.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Limes Road, Hardwick, Cambridge, CB23 7RE. Opening hours are 9.15am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Families choose hours using arrivals at 9.15am, 11.45am or 12.45pm and collections at 11.45am, 12.45pm or 3.15pm. This accommodates shorter attendance as well as a day spanning the opening window, with lunch sitting between the shorter blocks.

Funded attendance runs over 38 weeks. The calendar includes school and preschool training closures as well as holidays; the autumn 2026 half-term break runs from 26 to 30 October. Holiday childcare therefore needs a separate arrangement.

Names can join the waiting list from age one, although the earliest start remains two and a half. Enquiries can be made by email or the contact form. Ad hoc additional hours require agreement with the manager, depend on staffing and attendance, and are paid for in advance with a separate administration charge.

Getting There

For the later arrival and collection times, and for preschool visits, access is through the village playpark entrance on Egremont Road because the school gates are locked. On-street parking requires consideration for residents: parents are asked to keep to the same side of Egremont Road and leave driveways clear.

The preschool describes links with Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School, Hardwick Campus, including summer introductions to Reception staff and the classroom for children moving there. Preschool attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Familiarity with the site supports transition, but the admissions decision remains separate.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal funding, eligible two-year-old funding and working-parent funding are accepted, with funded hours used during term time within the opening hours and designated handover times. Additional private hours can be booked beyond a child's entitlement. Working-parent codes need renewal every three months for claims to continue.

Parents supply shared snacks, packed lunches, nappies and wet wipes when needed, including for funded attendance; the preschool does not add a consumables charge for these items. Lunch must include an ice pack, and the allergy policy requests that families send neither nuts nor nut products, with dietary requirements recorded on the child's registration form.

The annual Christmas party and end-of-year trip are optional and separately charged. Private booked hours remain chargeable when a child misses attendance through illness or holidays; invoices are issued each term and may be paid in instalments. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

• Term-time hours. The day ends at 3.15pm, with school-holiday and training-day closures. This suits families whose childcare arrangements fit that calendar; it requires another solution for longer working days and holidays.
• Working-parent funding. The July 2026 newsletter specifies 15 hours of Extended/Expanded entitlement, while the practical brochure also describes an offer of up to 30 hours. Ask how many working-parent funded hours can be used in the attendance pattern you want.
• Settling and support. The initial visit involves the child's key person and a parent staying nearby. Use it to discuss separation, communication and any equipment or individual support your child needs, building on the preschool's existing planning arrangements.
• Shared snacks and allergies. Snacks supplied by families are shared, while packed lunches are individual. Allergy-affected families should confirm the current arrangements for their child, including shared food and cooking activities.

Hardwick Pre-School suits families seeking shorter morning or afternoon attendance, or a day across its term-time opening window. School gym sessions and practical independence goals support preparation for the next stage; Tapestry keeps families involved.

The March 2026 judgements support its appeal, alongside continuing work on inclusion and emotional understanding. Families need to accommodate the afternoon finish and holidays, supply food and personal consumables, and budget separately for optional events.