Nippertime Preschool

Child-sized furniture, play trolleys that change daily and a covered outdoor area give Nippertime Preschool a practical, hands-on character. Based at Scout Hall in Warlingham, it combines opportunities for children to choose their own activities with preparation for the next stage of education. This is preschool provision built around play and growing independence.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Nippertime Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The improvement priority was specific: children needed more opportunities to use skills from adult-led activities independently during their own play. That distinction matters. An engaging demonstration is only part of learning; children also need opportunities to try things for themselves.

There are 32 places in total, and children can join from their second birthday. Attendance follows the school-term calendar, with a shorter settling-in session before the normal day. The setting's scale should not be confused with the number of children taking part in any particular activity.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the shared framework for early-years learning and care. Through play, children develop communication, movement and social skills alongside literacy, mathematics, creativity and exploration of their world. Nippertime's resources put these areas into practice.

Indoor activity areas include a library, home play, dressing-up, creative art and physical activities, plus provision for younger children and school leavers. Children can move between imaginative play, books and making things, giving them choices throughout the session.

Community Playthings trolleys hold resources children can select themselves, with the contents changed daily. This gives staff a way to respond to children's interests while refreshing what is available to explore. Child-sized sofas, tables and chairs make the space usable on children's terms.

In March 2024, learning included handling scissors and working with play dough to strengthen hands for later pencil use. Staff introduced vocabulary through conversation and used songs with objects to explore subtraction. Counting coloured cubes gave children a chance to watch a demonstration and then attempt the task themselves. These examples connect early writing and mathematics to things children can handle, rather than abstract explanations.

In March 2024, opportunities to reuse taught skills in freely chosen play were inconsistent. The improvement priority concerned children applying learning independently after adult-led activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The covered outside area supports play in different weather. Water, soil, sand, instruments, bikes and small-world resources support creative and imaginative activity, while climbing frames, slides and tyres provide physical challenges.

In March 2024, children explored balancing on wooden equipment, with encouragement adjusted to their stage of development. Younger children received gentle support, while older children were given additional challenges. Children also had opportunities to use their home languages alongside English, and calendar celebrations introduced different cultures. That adds social learning to the practical activity.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with preparation for both child and parent. Families receive staff photographs and a virtual tour before starting. The initial session runs from 9.40am to 1pm for a couple of weeks; staff then discuss with parents whether the child is ready for the normal hours. This makes the move to a longer day a conversation about the individual child.

Staff telephone parents during initial sessions. Where helpful, an older child buddies a newcomer, adding peer support to the settling arrangements.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to share photographs of children's activities, and parents can contribute to their child's journal. It creates a route for information to travel in both directions. In March 2024, communication also included termly newsletters and updates about planned topics and activities, helping families understand what children were doing at preschool.

Staff draw on training, courses, toddler groups and gymnastics classes. Understanding individual children and maintaining respectful communication with parents supports conversations about each child's needs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children do not need to be out of nappies to attend. Staff work with parents on toilet training, while parents supply nappies, wet wipes and their preferred cream. Supervised toilet visits also encourage children to manage their own self-care. This allows independence to develop gradually rather than making dryness an entry requirement.

During a child's first term, the two-year progress check produces a short written summary of development in the prime areas of learning. Its purpose is to identify learning gaps. For families, that provides a defined point at which communication, physical development and personal development are considered together.

Collection uses a password system, and a Ring doorbell covers the entrance. Operation Encompass involves working with local enforcement to keep information up to date. These are security and information-sharing arrangements; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection assessment above.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Scout Hall, Mint Walk, Warlingham, Surrey CR6 9SA. Normal sessions run from 9.15am to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 39 weeks following local school terms, with bank holidays excluded. The initial shorter session is part of settling in, rather than a permanent alternative booking pattern.

Children may start during the year once they are two. Reservations are handled by telephone or email, and the setting operates a waiting list when it cannot offer a place. Reserved attendance days cannot be transferred to other days. That makes the choice of weekly pattern consequential for families whose work arrangements change.

In March 2024, preparation for school included practising small independent tasks, recognising names and forming the letters within them. The manager also exchanged information with local schools about individual children. This helped local schools understand individual children ahead of their transition.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Universal 15 hours, Extended 30 hours (Working Parent Entitlement) and Early Learning for 2 year olds, subject to eligibility. Funding covers 38 term-time weeks; Nippertime's additional opening week is privately charged. Entitlement hours differ from this setting's delivery limits.

Up to 4.5 funded hours are offered each day, from 10am to 2.30pm. The weekly ceiling for eligible extended funding is 22.5 hours over five days. Families using the earlier part of the normal session also need to account for the time before the funded window begins. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the structure.

Children bring packed lunches; during funded hours, parents also supply milk and snacks. Nippertime's food policy prohibits nuts and foods containing nuts or traces, while explicitly acknowledging that a nut-free environment cannot be guaranteed.

For funded attendance, parents provide nappies, wipes and tissues where needed, without charges for those items from the preschool. Wipes and tissues are included in the standard session fee; nappies and preferred cream come from home. Cooking, craft and science activities are included in the standard session fee, and optional extras do not attract an additional charge alongside funded hours.

Payment is termly in advance or through monthly instalments. Illness, holidays and early collection do not reduce charges, so families need to budget for booked attendance.

• The funded window is shorter than the normal session. Funding runs from 10am, while the normal day begins at 9.15am, and the setting opens for one week beyond the funded calendar. Ask for a written quotation covering your intended days and hours.
• Independent practice was the improvement priority. In March 2024, children needed more chances to reuse skills during freely chosen play. During a tour, ask how an adult-led activity now carries into resources children choose independently.
• Lunchbox allergies need individual discussion. The nut policy restricts lunchbox contents but does not guarantee a nut-free environment. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements before their child starts.
• Starting involves a shorter day. The initial 9.40am to 1pm session lasts a couple of weeks before parents discuss extending it. The one-hour Preschool Tour can include your child, offering a useful opportunity to discuss how that transition would work for them.

Nippertime suits families seeking term-time preschool with practical play, a covered outdoor area and a gradual start. Its normal weekday session and temporary shorter settling-in session serve different stages of attendance; the latter is a transition arrangement. Tapestry, parent telephone updates and support for children still in nappies give families concrete ways to stay involved.

The March 2024 Good judgement supports the overall picture, while the independent-practice priority keeps the assessment balanced. The strongest fit is for parents who value growing self-care and preparation for school, and whose timetable works with the preschool's term dates and funded-hours window.