Hillside Pre-School Chorleywood

Separate learning spaces for younger and older children give Hillside its clearest practical identity. This charity-run, parent-led pre-school in Chorleywood has capacity for 18 children aged two to four, with activities organised around their different stages of development. Parents have a role in running the setting as well as following their own child's learning.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Hillside Good and found safeguarding effective, with communication and language supported well, including for children learning English as an additional language. The same inspection identified a need for better activity planning and delivery because staff sometimes missed children losing interest, affecting their continued learning. That is the important qualification to the positive judgement.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns. The combination of age-specific spaces, parent involvement and a choice of sessions gives families several concrete reasons to consider Hillside.

Rooms and Ages

Two-year-olds use a separate learning space from children aged three to four. Activities can therefore be tailored to younger children's need for security and older children's growing independence. This is an age-based arrangement within the pre-school, rather than a single activity pitched at everyone.

Choice also shapes the physical layout. Children can move between activity areas during free play, selecting materials and experiences that interest them. The Creative Area combines collage, paint and playdough with opportunities to make marks using chalk, crayons and pencils. This gives early writing a practical starting point in making and experimenting.

The Home Corner has changing role-play themes, allowing children to explore familiar situations through pretend play. Construction resources, including duplo and small world toys, provide another route into imaginative activity, with building and shared projects alongside conversation.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides the day: children develop language, physical skills, early reading and maths through play, exploration and interaction. Hillside combines children's own choices with adult-led activities, including music, stories and creative work. Small-group experiences sit alongside free play, so the day has both room for individual interests and time together.

Numbers are explored through sorting, shapes and counting resources. Books and letters have their own learning area, while instruments, songs and movement give children ways to experiment with sound and coordination. These are tangible activities rather than a curriculum name alone.

In December 2022, staff used snack-time fruit to introduce counting and brought mathematical ideas into play. Children also had time to think before answering open questions. These examples help explain how ordinary conversations and routines became learning opportunities at that point.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play forms part of the current daily routine, with opportunities to explore outside and develop physical skills. In December 2022, the outdoor space supported gardening and minibeast searches using magnifying glasses. That adds a concrete picture of the outdoor experiences at the time, alongside the current emphasis on outdoor learning.

Community involvement extends to adults. The parent committee oversees decisions and helps with fundraising; recent activities have included movie nights and tabletop toy sales. These occasions give families ways to meet one another and contribute to resources for the children. They are examples of past activity, rather than a fixed events timetable.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who follows their development and plans around their interests and next steps. Families can meet that practitioner to discuss progress, while Tapestry, an online learning journal, shares photographs and observations. This gives parents both a continuing record and opportunities for a direct conversation about learning.

In December 2022, the key-person arrangement helped children develop relationships with familiar adults, and staff drew on interests shared from home when planning experiences. Children were encouraged to manage practical tasks too: younger children practised pouring drinks, while older children helped distribute snacks. Independence was built into everyday routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCo role and a supporting SENCo role, providing identified responsibilities for special educational needs. A trained safeguarding lead is present throughout opening hours, and staff receive regular safeguarding training. Hillside also participates in Operation Encompass, an initiative supporting children affected by domestic abuse; participation describes an arrangement, rather than a separate judgement on its effectiveness.

In December 2022, communication cards were used across the group to include children learning English as an additional language. Staff also talked through disagreements and feelings with children. Both examples show practical ways that communication and relationships were addressed at that time.

School preparation had a practical element in December 2022: activities organised with a local school introduced children to school routines. This was transition work, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Hillside is based at Freechurch Hall, Hillside Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5AS. Morning sessions run from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday; afternoons run from noon to 3pm, Monday to Thursday; and full days run from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday. Each pattern includes Lunch Club. Friday attendance is morning only.

All sessions are term-time. The term calendar includes holiday breaks and inset days, with noon finishes at term ends, so the normal session pattern needs to be read alongside those closures.

Applications are made through an online form, selecting the desired days and sessions. Hillside then contacts families to discuss the application and a suitable start date. General enquiries can be made by phone or email, and prospective families are welcome to visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible children: the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds starting the term after the child's third birthday, up to 15 hours for eligible supported two-year-olds, and up to 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged two, three or four. For three- and four-year-olds, those 30 hours include the universal 15 hours. Sessions operate during term time, and funding declarations and any necessary eligibility codes must be supplied before each funding period. Funding periods are set by Hertfordshire County Council and can differ from Hillside's term dates.

Parents provide a packed lunch and drink for Lunch Club, including when using funded childcare, and Hillside publishes a no-nut policy. A voluntary contribution towards consumables is recommended separately, including for funded attendance; current prices for paid childcare come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

On-street parking is available outside the pre-school on Hillside Road. Restrictions apply in some nearby areas, so the signs matter when choosing where to park.

• Keeping activities engaging. The December 2022 improvement point concerned recognising lost interest and adapting activities. During a visit, ask how practitioners now respond when a child disengages and how this informs planning.
• Friday and holiday cover. Friday offers a morning session only, and attendance is term-time with inset days and noon finishes at term ends. Those boundaries need to fit the family's working week and holiday arrangements.
• Lunch and allergies. Lunch Club requires food and a drink from home, and Hillside has a no-nut policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice before attendance.
• Parent participation. The committee is essential to Hillside's operation, with new members needed as children move on. Consider whether a committee role or helping with fundraising would suit your family.

Hillside suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoon attendance or full days, with separate learning spaces for younger and older preschool children. The key-person arrangement and Tapestry make the relationship between home and pre-school concrete, while the parent committee offers a direct way to contribute.

The December 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, qualified by the need to keep activities engaging for every child. Friday's shorter offer and the term-time calendar are equally important to the decision: this is a pre-school whose educational approach and attendance pattern both need to fit the family.