Westside Pre-School

An allotment, a Mud Kitchen and a community-centre base give Westside Pre-School a practical, hands-on identity. Based at West Faversham Community Centre in Faversham, it takes children aged two to five and has capacity for 30 children. The appeal is the combination of opportunities to explore, familiar adults and a day shaped around younger children's interests.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged Westside Good, found safeguarding effective and praised the progress of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, while identifying a need to develop vocabulary more fully through books and storytelling. That gives parents a clear balance: positive findings about care and learning, alongside a specific teaching priority.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions offer different ways to use the provision. The shorter options matter for families who want preschool attendance for part of the day rather than the whole opening window.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play giving children opportunities to explore ideas and practise new skills. Westside's food-play policy describes activities involving preparation, tasting and textures. Ingredients such as cornflour and pasta can become materials for exploration, while food used in pretend play is linked to a planned learning purpose. This makes ordinary materials part of the learning rather than simply something to eat.

Children's choices also shape the session. The play policy allows routines to adapt to individual needs and aims to avoid interrupting an activity unnecessarily. It includes spontaneous experiences, such as responding to snowfall. For a child absorbed in an investigation, that flexibility gives the activity room to develop rather than ending it solely because the timetable moves on.

In January 2024, children experimented with torchlight in a darkened area and discussed the effects they created. Measuring tape brought mathematical vocabulary into construction play, connecting height with the things children were making. These are useful examples of learning embedded in an activity: a child has something concrete to investigate and a reason to use new words.

The language priority deserves equal attention. In January 2024, staff held conversations with children, but opportunities involving stories and books were not used fully enough to stretch vocabulary. The distinction matters. Conversation was happening; the next step was to make more deliberate use of other ways to develop language.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Mud Kitchen provides a physical resource for hands-on play. The children's allotment adds growing to that experience, with planting that has included pumpkins, tomatoes, sunflowers and fruit trees. Children can encounter plants as things they tend and observe, giving outdoor activity a purpose beyond running about.

In January 2024, children could move between indoor and outdoor play, choosing where to explore. One activity involved running with tinsel and observing its movement in the wind. That linked physical movement with an investigation of what happens outside.

Community experiences also featured in January 2024, with visits and events involving shops, parks and care homes. These extended children's experiences beyond the preschool itself, bringing contact with different people and everyday places into their learning. They are dated examples of the nursery day, rather than a fixed outings timetable.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2024, settling sessions included time for parents to stay with their children and become familiar with routines and staff. Key people learned about a new child's preferences and interests. That approach gives the relationship something personal to build on: the adult learns what matters to the child before expecting them to manage the session independently.

Parents also knew their child's key person and received updates about development in January 2024. Today, access to children's progress through a secure app adds a way to follow learning away from the setting. The Parent Hub provides access to a computer for viewing the Interactive Learning Diary, making the diary usable for parents who need that equipment.

Optional Westside clothing keeps another everyday decision straightforward. Branded tops and hoodies can be purchased, but children do not have to wear them. Families can choose clothing that reflects their preferences rather than treating a uniform purchase as a condition of attendance.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In January 2024, the SENCo worked with staff, parents and outside professionals around children's individual needs. That gives a concrete picture of how support was organised, with information shared between the adults involved rather than held by one person alone. Westside also has a process for seeking Disability Access Fund support, asking families for the relevant form and supporting documentation where eligibility applies.

For children with ongoing medical needs, the medicines policy provides for a risk assessment involving the family and a health care plan setting out responsibilities and emergency measures. Written parental permission is required before prescribed medicine is administered, and another staff member checks each dose. These are practical arrangements for managing an individual child's treatment during attendance.

The first-aid policy states that staff training covers young children and use of an EpiPen, and that parents are informed about accidents and treatment. These arrangements explain how care is organised; the dated safeguarding judgement above remains the assessment of effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

Westside's address is West Faversham Community Centre, Bysing Wood Road, Faversham, ME13 7RH. It opens during term time, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm, with school holidays outside its operating calendar. This is a preschool timetable that families need to fit around their wider childcare arrangements.

Full-day sessions run from 9am to 3pm. Morning sessions are 9am to noon, and afternoons run from noon to 3pm; half-day bookings are also described using those two windows. The choice allows families to select a shorter session or the complete day, rather than assuming that the opening hours define the only booking option.

An expression of interest or waiting-list application uses a contact form requesting the child's date of birth, intended start date, requested sessions and a telephone number. Westside then contacts the family to discuss their requirements. Telephone and contact-form enquiries are also supported.

Funding and Paid Extras

Westside offers paid childcare alongside funded early education. Its funding arrangements include Free for Two Funding and Free Early Education. Free Early Education provides up to 15 hours per week across 38 weeks, starting in the funding term following the child's third birthday, alongside eligibility-dependent 30-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds. Details are on the fees and funding page. Attendance is term-time, and the entitlement does not guarantee a particular provider or session pattern. Eligibility and the delivery arrangement both matter when planning attendance.

Prices are inclusive, with no additional top-up or add-on fees, and half-day fees are payable in advance. Current prices come in Westside's written quotation. Optional branded clothing remains a separate purchasing choice.

Parents supply packed lunches, using an ice pack because access to a large fridge is restricted; Westside supplies snacks. Its food policy excludes nut products from lunch boxes and records children's dietary needs with parents.

• Term-time timetable. Sessions finish at 3pm and the preschool closes for school holidays. Consider how both the shorter sessions and full days fit with the childcare you need across the year.
• Language development. January 2024's teaching priority concerned extending vocabulary through more varied strategies, including stories and books. On a visit, ask how those experiences now build on children's everyday conversations.
• Lunch and individual care. Packed lunches come from home, and the food policy excludes nut products. Discuss your child's allergies, medication or dietary needs alongside the lunch arrangements before attendance begins.

Westside suits families seeking either a morning or afternoon preschool session, as well as those wanting a full day within a term-time timetable. The allotment, Mud Kitchen and examples of practical investigation give its offer character, while the app and computer access provide useful ways for parents to follow learning.

The January 2024 findings support a positive assessment, with vocabulary teaching the clear improvement priority. For families comfortable with the hours and home-provided lunch, this is a preschool worth considering for its hands-on experiences and individual care arrangements.