Olivers Lodge, Newport

Woodland collections, walks to see alpacas and children taking responsibility for their own play give Olivers Lodge, Newport a recognisable character. Its base is The Youth Club at Newport Recreation Ground in Saffron Walden, with capacity for 30 children in total. The outdoor setting matters: surrounding fields and a wooded area were part of children's learning in February 2024.

At its 23 February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Outstanding, finding an ambitious curriculum and effective safeguarding arrangements. Preschool care and provision outside school hours operated together, with children aged 3 to 11 attending at that time. That age span describes the children present then, rather than today's intake.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences help children build skills and understanding. In February 2024, children chose much of their own activity, while staff planned challenges around what each child could already manage. Independence had a practical meaning here. Children helped one another complete tasks and took responsibility for their surroundings.

Literacy and mathematics extended beyond a table indoors. Children experimented with making marks both outside and inside, and gathered feathers and pine cones during woodland walks for counting and weighing in the mathematics corner. This connected an outdoor discovery with a different kind of investigation afterwards. Counting in other languages and tasting foods associated with other countries also featured in their experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2024, preschool children regularly took part in forest-school activities, learning about the natural world and considering risks while making some decisions for themselves. Before going into the woods, they stopped in the field, gathered together and counted the group. Outdoor freedom came with familiar routines.

Walks also brought children into contact with the surrounding community. They bought buns at shops, visited the church and went into nearby fields to see alpacas. These were concrete reasons to explore beyond the premises, rather than outdoor time confined to one play space.

For children attending outside school hours or during holidays, activities included a cake-making competition and football on the surrounding field. They contributed suggestions for activities and themes. The important distinction is between the preschool learning day and the older children's leisure provision: both used children's interests, but served different parts of family life.

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff knew children well, supported their emotional wellbeing and helped them understand, express and regulate their feelings. Children could explain when something was troubling them. For parents, that is a useful example of how emotional support translated into children's own behaviour, rather than remaining an adult-led exercise.

During that February 2024 visit, a number rhyme acted as a familiar signal for children to pause and listen. Alongside the gathering routine before woodland activities, it gave children a clear way to respond when staff needed their attention. The daily experience combined opportunities to choose with recognisable expectations.

Sessions and Attendance

In February 2024, the preschool session ran from 7.30am to 3pm in term time. Provision outside school hours ran from 7.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm during term time; the school-holiday session ran from 8am to 6pm. These are the attendance arrangements at that visit, useful for understanding the different services operating on the site.

The setting opened Monday to Friday throughout the year at that time. Preschool attendance and holiday provision therefore need to be considered separately: the preschool timetable was tied to term time, while holiday care had its own daily window.

Getting There

The address is The Youth Club, Newport Recreation Ground, Frambury Lane, Saffron Walden, CB11 3PU. The recreation-ground base connects the practical location with the field and woodland experiences described above.

• Preschool and older children. Preschool and out-of-school provision shared the site in February 2024. On a visit, ask how the spaces and routines work for your child's age.
• The attendance pattern. The February 2024 arrangements distinguished term-time preschool, care before and after school, and holiday sessions. Ask which current booking pattern matches your family's week, including its written quotation and funding terms.
• Outdoor routines. Woodland activities included counting the group before entering the wooded area in February 2024. Ask how outdoor sessions and clothing requirements work for children joining now.

The strongest reason to consider Olivers Lodge, Newport is the combination of child-led activity and purposeful use of its surroundings. Woodland finds became counting resources; local walks included shops, a church and alpacas. The February 2024 picture was practical and specific.

It suits families seeking term-time preschool as well as those needing care before and after school or during holidays. Those are different needs, and this setting's inspected provision addressed each. The dated attendance arrangements are the starting point for assessing its fit with your family.