Chaldon Pre-School

Woodland learning and a parent-run village-hall setting give Chaldon Pre-School its character. Forest School adds hands-on exploration in a natural setting, with a yurt available during its outdoor sessions. Back at Chaldon Village Hall, indoor and outdoor play spaces support an offer for children aged 2 to 4. This is a community pre-school with a practical role for parents in how it runs.

Ofsted rated the setting Good at its July 2022 inspection, with strengths in relationships and learning alongside improvements needed in everyday independence, curriculum implementation and opportunities to explore nature indoors and outdoors. There are 32 places in total, a whole-setting capacity rather than a daily group size. Morning attendance and a longer session incorporating Lunch Club give families different ways to use the term-time provision.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the educational framework: children develop language, movement, social skills, early reading and number understanding through play and planned activities. Staff observe children's interests and development before deciding what to offer next. The balance includes activities children choose themselves and those led by adults, with quieter options when energy drops.

Forest School adds woodland experiences alongside that framework. Its emphasis is on exploring outdoors, taking initiative and learning to work with others. The separate site is less than a five minute walk away from us, in the pre-school's description of the route. A Forest School Leader runs the sessions with support from a volunteer and a pre-school staff member.

In July 2022, children hunted for insects beneath timber stumps and combined sand with mud in the mud kitchen. These were concrete opportunities to investigate natural materials and talk about what they discovered. Children also practised getting their coats and shoes on themselves before outdoor activities, bringing independence into a familiar daily task.

The July 2022 improvement priorities qualify that picture. Curriculum implementation needed greater consistency, alongside better opportunities for children to investigate nature both inside and outside. Snack routines also needed to give children more responsibility. Outdoor enthusiasm was clear; the question for families is how that learning connects with the rest of the session.

Outdoor and Community Life

Parents have a role beyond receiving updates. An elected parent committee manages the setting, including its finances, employment of staff and policies. Parents can also share their interests during sessions, help with materials and contribute to activities. For a family wanting to take part in pre-school life, there are practical routes into that involvement.

Annual events make those relationships visible. Valentines Day Cake Sale combines cakes with a morning of themed crafts and an opportunity to talk with the key worker. Mothers Day Breakfast and Fathers Day Breakfast invite the relatives and carers special to each child for tea and pastries; both are ticketed. These occasions connect family members with the child's pre-school experience, while the committee's fundraising work supports the charity's running costs.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with parents on their needs, interests and settling. Settling-in sessions are offered, and staff agree the approach with the family.

Interactive Learning Diary gives parents access to digital observations and records. Parents can contribute to their child's learning plan online and speak with the key worker about next steps.

In July 2022, staff exchanged daily updates with parents about children's activities and what they were working towards. Practitioners also used individual supervision meetings to discuss their work and the children in their care, and undertook further training.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children may start while still using nappies or pull-ups, and staff work with families on toilet learning when the child is ready. Rest and quiet activities are accommodated during sessions. These are useful arrangements for younger children whose confidence, stamina and self-care skills are still developing.

The team includes a SENCO role and a Designated Safeguarding Lead, while the admissions form gathers medical conditions, dietary requirements and information about other professionals involved with the family. At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND successful, with staff identifying needs and seeking help through the coordinator and outside agencies.

Parents supply a packed lunch, a daily piece of fruit or vegetable and a named water bottle, while milk and water are available during sessions. Parents also provide sun cream, so food and this everyday consumable form part of the family's preparations.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Chaldon Village Hall, 95 Rook Lane, Chaldon, Surrey CR3 5BN. Opening hours run from 8.45am to 2.45pm, Monday to Friday. The setting operates for 38 weeks each year during term time and closes for school holidays, making the holiday calendar a central consideration for working families.

Morning Session runs from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Morning Session + Lunch Club extends attendance from 9.30am to 2.45pm, and Lunch Club itself runs from 12.30pm to 2.45pm. Early Bird Club covers 8.45am to 9.30am and does not require advance booking. It is a useful earlier start, though the latest finishing time remains mid-afternoon.

An application requires an admissions form and deposit. If a family accepts a place but subsequently does not join, the deposit is non-returnable. The leaving agreement requires half a term's notice or payment instead, so changing arrangements has a financial consequence beyond the final day attended. The contact route is the enquiry form or chaldonpreschool@hotmail.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Free Entitlement for two year olds (FEET) where qualifying criteria are met, universal funded hours for three- and four-year-olds, and the 30 hours scheme for qualifying families. The admissions form identifies 15 Universal hours as effective from the term after the child turns three and requires families applying for 30 Hours to provide their code. Delivery sits within the term-time calendar.

Private childcare is also offered, with fees applying where funding is not received. Parents provide the packed lunch and fruit or vegetable, including during funded attendance, and supply sun cream. Forest School Session carries a separate charge in addition to funding or ordinary session fees.

Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation; the fees page explains the session and charging structure. Invoices arrive in advance of each half term and are due within 10 days. Short absences do not receive a refund, and the terms also provide for late-payment and late-collection charges. Families need to budget for their booked attendance even when a child misses a session.

• Term-time hours. Attendance ends by 2.45pm and school holidays are closed. Morning Session and the Lunch Club extension suit different routines, but both need to fit the family's working day and holiday arrangements.
• Connecting indoor and outdoor learning. The July 2022 priorities covered consistency in implementing the curriculum, opportunities to investigate nature inside and outside, and independence during routines such as snacks. During a visit, ask how woodland interests continue inside and what children now do for themselves during meals and snacks.
• Forest School and everyday supplies. Forest School Session has an additional charge, while families supply lunch, fruit or vegetables and sun cream. Ask how funded hours and Forest School charges fit your intended sessions, and which other consumables to bring.
• Parent participation. Committee management and fundraising give families a direct role in the charity. Before joining, discuss the practical expectations around meetings, events and helping during sessions so that involvement fits your time.

Chaldon suits families seeking morning pre-school sessions or a longer day incorporating Lunch Club, with an earlier start through Early Bird Club. Woodland exploration, a yurt and a parent management committee give the offer clear character. Key-person relationships and Interactive Learning Diary provide concrete ways for families to stay involved in learning.

The balance is practical. Term-time operation and a mid-afternoon finish need to work for the household, and Forest School is separately charged. The Good judgement dates to July 2022, with priorities around independence, consistency in implementing the curriculum and opportunities to investigate nature inside and outside. For parents who value community participation and outdoor experiences, there is much here to weigh alongside those questions.