Goudhurst Village Pre-School

A woodland play area, a village playing field and a hall opening onto a decked veranda give Goudhurst Village Pre-School a day that reaches well beyond the craft table. Based at the Church Rooms in Goudhurst, this charitable pre-school combines indoor play with gardening, outdoor exploration and opportunities to become more independent. Children can choose between indoor and outdoor activities throughout their sessions.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding, finding exceptionally strong progress and a curriculum closely matched to children's needs. That judgement belongs to that visit. The current offer includes basic French, signing, cookery and music, alongside a key-person system that gives each family a regular contact for their child's development.

The pre-school welcomes children aged two to five and has 27 places in total. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon, morning-with-lunch and full-day patterns. Its appeal is the combination of village outdoor spaces, play-led learning and practical preparation for moving on to school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides the day: children learn through exploration and play, developing language, physical skills, relationships and early understanding of reading and mathematics. This is the shared early-years framework. Here, activities started by children sit alongside those led by adults, so choosing what to investigate and joining a planned group experience both have a place.

Construction toys, puzzles and mathematical games encourage experimentation; dressing up and role play invite storytelling. Group activities include books, songs and discussions. Staff rotate equipment and develop activities around children's interests.

In March 2023, children experimenting with a tower of plastic blocks reconsidered its base after staff questioned why it kept toppling. They tested a wider foundation and made the structure stand. The example captures a useful kind of teaching: an adult introduces a problem, but children still do the thinking and experimenting. During the same visit, staff explored unfamiliar vocabulary while reading, and children sang to their friends in group activities.

Basic French adds another language to the experience, while signing, music and cookery broaden the ways children can participate. French lessons and art materials carry no additional charge. Optional outings take place each term, both nearby and further afield; parents can accompany their children. Community visitors also share skills and experiences, with animal guests included in the plans.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Church Rooms has a main hall, with separate spaces for role play, messy activities and quieter moments. Double doors connect the building to the decked veranda. That layout supports children choosing to move between supervised indoor and outdoor play, rather than treating outside time as a single scheduled break.

The Forest Fun Area gives children opportunities to build dens, investigate bugs, use a mud kitchen and gather in a story circle. Growing vegetables for snacks connects outdoor activity with everyday food.

Children also use the village playground and Glebe Field. Scooters, ride-on cars and climbing equipment support physical play; field activities include parachute games, teddy bears' picnics and the annual sports day.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person plans experiences around their needs and interests. Conversations around sessions and termly parents' meetings give families regular opportunities to discuss development.

Learning journals contain photographs and observations and go home several times a year. Parents can contribute or discuss them at pre-school. Key people also exchange appropriate developmental information with other carers, including childminders, supporting communication across care arrangements.

An optional key-person home visit offers a familiar setting for introductions, and parents may stay during settling sessions. Children need not be potty trained before starting; staff work with families on toilet learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support exceptionally strong, including agency collaboration and individual time with the SENCo to work on children's target plans. The concrete detail matters: support involved planned work towards individual goals, alongside staff understanding each child's needs.

Current facilities include disabled access and a disabled toilet. Risk assessments cover both the premises and outings, and staff and trustees undergo Disclosure and Barring Service checks. These are arrangements families can discuss in relation to their own child's needs; the dated safeguarding judgement remains separate from them.

Morning snacks include fruit and vegetables prepared using the setting's kitchen, with drinks and snacks included in fees. Children attending lunch club bring a packed lunch, and dietary requirements should be shared with staff.

Parents supply nappies, wipes and nappy bags when their child needs them, together with spare clothes. Aprons are provided for messy activities, while clothing needs to suit outdoor play: coats and wellingtons for wet weather, sun hats in summer and sun cream applied for hotter days. Everyday independence is practised through dressing, handwashing and using the toilet, with support where needed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Church Rooms, Back Lane, Goudhurst, Kent TN17 1AN, beside the village playground. Opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. The setting operates for 38 weeks each year and closes on bank holidays, making holiday childcare a separate consideration for working families.

There are four attendance patterns: a morning session from 9am to noon, an afternoon from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, a morning with lunch from 9am to 1pm, and a full day from 9am to 3.30pm. Lunch club is optional. These choices let families distinguish a shorter introduction to pre-school from attendance covering the whole opening day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01580 212777. The waiting list is ordered by when families apply, with siblings already attending also potentially taken into account. Attendance arrangements can be flexible where they preserve continuity for the children.

Funding and Paid Extras

Three funding routes are offered: Free for 2 Funding, Universal Funding for three- and four-year-olds, and the Working Families Entitlement for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds. Delivery is term-time. Eligible two-year-olds can receive 15 funded hours, universal funding provides 15 hours from the term after a child's third birthday, and eligible working families can claim the 30-hour entitlement, but the pre-school reserves the right to offer up to ten places using the full entitlement.

Additional private hours are charged separately. For families claiming the full 30 hours and booking five full days, the terms specify an additional 2.5 paid hours each week. Working-family eligibility codes need reconfirming every three months; missing that step affects the additional funding for the term.

Drinks and snacks are included in fees, while lunch is supplied from home; these arrangements also apply to funded attendance. Art materials are supplied at no extra cost, but parents provide the nappy-changing supplies their child needs. Contributions towards snacks, French lessons and craft materials are voluntary, so families can separate a donation from the price of attendance.

A refundable registration charge applies, with children receiving funded free early education exempt. Leaving requires a month's written notice. Fees are reviewed each term and invoices are payable within 14 days; families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen pattern.

School preparation includes gradual transition work. The pre-school describes strong links with Goudhurst and Kilndown Primary, including a Reception play visit on the last Friday of each month. Attendance does not guarantee a place there: families must apply through Kent County Council's admissions process.

• Term-time coverage. Opening ends at 3.30pm and the year covers 38 weeks. Families needing later care or holiday provision should judge these hours against their working pattern.
• Settling and outdoor play. A key-person home visit and parents staying during settling are options. On a visit, discuss how these would work for your child and see how the hall, decking and woodland activities fit their needs.
• Funded attendance. Five full days extend beyond the 30 funded hours, and working-family codes require regular reconfirmation. Match the written quotation to the sessions you intend to book.
• School transition. Monthly Reception visits offer familiarity with Goudhurst and Kilndown Primary. They confer no admissions guarantee, so the school application remains a separate decision.

Goudhurst Village Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those wanting a morning with lunch or a full day. The outdoor offer has substance: the Forest Fun Area, vegetable growing and Glebe Field each contribute something different, while learning journals and an allocated key person give parents clear ways to follow development.

The March 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight to the appeal. Families must also weigh school transition work and shorter sessions against the term-time calendar and afternoon closing time.