Stay And Play Pre-School

A modular classroom on the Felbridge Primary School site gives Stay And Play Pre-School a clear identity; birdwatching, signing and practical play give its January 2026 nursery day its character. The pre-school has sole use of the classroom during its operating hours. It caters for children aged two to five and has 21 places in total, keeping whole-setting capacity separate from the number attending any particular session.

At its 29 January 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard across achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership, with safeguarding standards met. These are individual judgements, rather than an overall grade. The useful detail beneath them is a day built around conversation, manageable routines and opportunities for children to do things for themselves.

Two session windows are offered: 8.45am to 11.45am and 8.45am to 2.45pm.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework, with children learning through play. Here, that means building skills through activities and interactions rather than treating learning as a sequence of formal lessons. The classroom is the pre-school's own space during operating hours, giving those experiences a consistent base.

In January 2026, the Big Garden Birdwatch supplied a concrete subject for conversation: children examined pictures and factual books, connected them with things they already knew and contributed ideas in small groups. Making bird feeders added a shared practical task. The combination gave children something specific to discuss and a reason to listen to one another.

Mathematics also appeared within ordinary play that January. Singing introduced counting and number rhymes, while rainwater collected in containers prompted comparisons of quantities. These examples matter because the words and ideas had an immediate purpose: children could connect what they said with what they were handling.

The January 2026 indoor activities included cutting play dough and pretending to care for others in a doctor's surgery role-play area. These offered different kinds of participation, from manipulating materials to talking through an imagined situation. There was room for both practical action and conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2026, the garden supported water exploration with pipettes and containers, alongside trikes and blocks used for balancing. It gave children opportunities to practise movement as well as investigate materials. Adults joined the play and extended the activity through interaction, rather than leaving the equipment to carry the learning alone.

An outdoor reading space was also used that January for individual language work. That is a useful contrast with the more active garden experiences: outdoor provision included a place for concentrated conversation as well as movement. The birdwatching example connected learning with the natural world, while the water activities brought changing weather into the day's exploration.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2026, key people stayed near children who needed reassurance, allowing them to move towards independent exploration when ready. Comfort and independence worked together. For a child adjusting to pre-school, that approach makes the relationship with an adult part of settling, rather than expecting confidence from the outset.

Family communication that January included examples of children's learning, their next steps and ideas for continuing development at home. Staff also worked with families around attendance and offered practical help where needed, including clothing and wellbeing support. This linked the child's nursery experience with circumstances beyond the classroom.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children made substantial gains in language and that children with SEND progressed through tailored activities, collaboration with families and outside professionals. The mechanisms behind that judgement were concrete: in January 2026, staff used emotion cards on lanyards, visual schedules and now-and-next boards to help children communicate feelings and understand what would happen next.

Makaton signing, used during everyday routines and group activities that January, gave children another means of joining in. A calm corner contained sensory materials and tools for recognising emotions, allowing children to pause before returning to activities. These were different routes into participation, rather than a single expectation that every child communicate or settle in the same way.

Daily toothbrushing followed snack in January 2026, alongside practice in handwashing and managing tissues. Self-care was taught through repeated actions. The development priority that January was to sustain high standards and pursue a greater impact for children with SEND and others facing barriers to learning; the positive inclusion judgement therefore came with a continuing improvement brief.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.45am to 2.45pm from Monday to Thursday, with Friday ending at 11.45am. The session choices are 8.45am to 11.45am and 8.45am to 2.45pm. The shorter window allows a morning of pre-school; the longer one extends attendance into the afternoon. Friday's opening window is shorter, so it needs to be considered separately when arranging a weekly pattern.

Getting There

The address is 2 Crawley Down Road, Felbridge, East Grinstead, RH19 2NT, on the Felbridge Primary School site. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07858 069749, by email at staynplayfelbridge@gmail.com or through the contact form.

Sharing the school site does not guarantee a Reception place. The physical location and the school admissions decision are separate considerations, even where remaining on the same site would be convenient.

• Friday's shorter day. Opening ends at 11.45am on Friday, compared with 2.45pm from Monday to Thursday. Families planning longer sessions need a weekly arrangement that accommodates that difference.
• Support in everyday activities. January 2026 practice included Makaton, visual schedules and a calm corner, alongside a development priority concerning children facing learning barriers. During a visit, ask how these approaches would be adapted to your child's communication and settling needs.
• The complete cost of a session. The two attendance windows offer different lengths of care. Ask for a written quotation covering funding, additional paid hours, food and non-food consumables for your intended pattern.

Stay And Play suits families seeking either a morning session or a longer pre-school day that finishes in the afternoon. The modular classroom and primary-school location give it a clear practical shape, while the January 2026 examples add substance: birdwatching conversations, water investigations and visual communication tools each served a recognisable purpose.

The strongest case rests on those specific experiences and the dated inspection judgements, rather than the school-site address alone. Friday's earlier finish deserves attention, and attending the pre-school does not settle the Reception application. For families whose schedules fit the sessions, this is a setting worth considering for its combination of play, communication and support for growing independence.