Fairways Pre School Playgroup

A mud kitchen and swings beneath oak trees give Fairways Pre School Playgroup a clear identity: play, outdoor exploration and close ties with the primary school whose grounds it shares. This Leigh-on-Sea setting welcomes children aged 2 to 4 and has capacity for 36 children in total. Its parent committee gives families a role in how the charity is run.

At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Fairways Outstanding overall and found that children made exceptional progress through teaching shaped around their interests and existing understanding. That judgement belongs to a dated visit, but the detail behind it is useful: practical exploration, purposeful conversation and opportunities for children to contribute their own ideas.

The current outdoor provision includes bug hunting, a mud kitchen and swings beneath oak trees. These give children different ways to investigate their surroundings, from handling natural materials to moving and playing outside.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, it connects play and everyday experiences with developing communication, physical skills and relationships. Fairways combines activities children select themselves with opportunities led by adults, allowing personal interests and shared experiences to sit alongside one another.

In May 2023, staff used their assessments of children's understanding and interests to plan the next steps in learning. Conversation was part of activities indoors and outside: adults asked questions that encouraged children to think, while stories and games involving letters and sounds supported early literacy. These interactions connected conversation, stories and early literacy with children's activities.

Practical work had a strong place in the day. In May 2023, children learnt safe handling of real tools at a woodwork bench, invented stories around a small-world fairy garden and used leaves, stones and rocks to build dinosaur settings. These examples show how making, imaginative play and discussion could reinforce one another.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outside space extends the classrooms, with resources for exploration as well as physical play. The mud kitchen gives children somewhere to experiment with natural materials; searching for bugs brings attention to smaller details in the garden. Swings beneath the oak trees add a different kind of movement to the day.

In May 2023, nesting blue tits became a sustained learning opportunity. Children watched through binoculars, and staff used photographs to help them follow the eggs hatching and the young birds growing. This gave children a real sequence to observe rather than a single isolated activity about wildlife.

Families also contributed directly to learning in May 2023. Parents demonstrated science experiments, discussed birds and helped children make crowns while talking about kings and queens. An Eid activity introduced henna hand designs. Fairways continues to invite families to share cultures and festivals that matter to them, giving children's home experiences a place in the preschool day.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and strong additional support through the special educational needs coordinator, parents and speech and language therapists. These are dated findings about practice, rather than a general promise about every child's future experience.

In May 2023, settling involved staff getting to know both children and their families, with support also provided when children moved between rooms. The emphasis was on continuity of relationships. Daily routines helped children understand what would happen next, and staff modelled manners, sharing and taking turns.

Emotional learning had concrete tools. In May 2023, the Colour Monster book and an emotion cube helped children recognise and manage feelings, alongside yoga and mindfulness activities. These gave children ways to talk about emotions as well as opportunities to pause and regulate their behaviour.

Current arrangements include working with outside agencies to address individual needs, and there is a separate email contact for SEN enquiries. Family participation is also part of the setting's approach: children are encouraged to express their interests, while parents are invited to contribute cultural experiences.

School transition was practical in May 2023. Children joined sports day and Christmas productions at the host school and had opportunities to meet their future teachers. Familiar people and experiences helped make the move less abrupt; they did not confer an admissions entitlement.

Sessions and Attendance

Fairways is based at Fairways Primary School, The Fairway, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 4QW. General enquiries can be made by email at info@fairwayspreschool.co.uk or by telephone on 01702 421180; SEN enquiries have the separate address SEN@fairwayspreschool.co.uk.

In May 2023, the preschool operated Monday to Friday, with a morning session from 8.35am to 11.35am and an afternoon session from 12.20pm to 3.20pm. Some children also remained over lunch. Those arrangements offered two different parts of the day, with lunch attendance connecting them for some children.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2023, Fairways provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Children brought lunch boxes at that time. Families should distinguish that historical arrangement from the terms of a new booking.

Moving on to School

Fairways occupies the grounds of Fairways Primary School and maintains close links with it. Attending the preschool does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process. The school connection matters for familiarity and transition, rather than securing entry.

• Attendance arrangements. Morning and afternoon sessions, with some lunch attendance, were documented in May 2023. What session times, lunch arrangements and funded-place terms would apply to your child's booking now?
• Outdoor play. Bug hunting, the mud kitchen and swings beneath oak trees are part of the setting's outdoor provision. During a visit, explore how your child would use these spaces across a session.
• Reception applications. Sharing Fairways Primary School's grounds does not guarantee admission. Keep the preschool decision and the local authority Reception application separate.

Fairways suits families drawn to a preschool where outdoor exploration, children's interests and family contributions shape the day. Its May 2023 Outstanding judgement carries substantial detail behind it, including practical learning and thoughtful support for transitions.

The attendance model documented in May 2023 served both morning-session and afternoon-session families, with some children staying for lunch. The strongest reasons to choose it are the combination of hands-on play, an established school connection and opportunities for parents to contribute to children's learning.