The Chesterfords Community Preschool

A living willow structure, a fairy house and an allotment give this village preschool a character that reaches beyond its community-centre base. The Chesterfords Community Preschool combines mixed-age play with outdoor exploration in Great Chesterford, serving children from two to four-plus. It has 30 places in total. For families who want village life to feature in their child’s early years, there is plenty of substance here.

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good, found safeguarding effective and identified relationships with parents as a strength. The improvement priorities concerned sharper individual learning targets and more precise staff supervision. Those points matter alongside the appealing outdoor spaces: understanding a child well needs to lead to teaching that tackles their particular needs.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns. A volunteer management committee runs the preschool; parents contribute practical help and fundraising.

Learning and Activities

Mixed-age sessions give older children opportunities to practise consideration and responsibility, while younger children learn language and social habits from their companions. For a newly two-year-old, learning alongside older children is a central consideration.

The EYFS framework guides learning through play, creativity and exploration. Within that framework, children can choose between activities in free-flow sessions, following their curiosity rather than moving through every task together. Paint and glue are used daily, and easy-to-manage clothing supports children in doing more for themselves. Practical independence belongs alongside the learning activities.

In October 2024, books were accessible for independent use as well as daily shared stories. Adults helped children use illustrations to tell stories and return to familiar ideas. Sand timers supported turn-taking, giving children a practical way to manage sharing rather than depending entirely on an adult’s intervention.

Rising Fives sessions take place on Wednesdays and prepare older children for the move to school. This gives school preparation a named place in the week while the wider day remains mixed-age. Enrichment charges also cover Spanish, Superstar Sports and yoga; these are activities within sessions, with payment handled through the optional supplement.

Outdoor and Community Life

Nature Space combines allotment planting and a fairy garden with a living willow structure and mud kitchen. Growing, imaginative play and messy exploration share this outdoor setting.

The secure garden combines paving and astroturf, with ride-on toys, a wendy house, flower beds, a sandpit and a large activity board for movement and investigation. Children need wellingtons and waterproof jackets for outdoor play.

Supervised Nature Walks explore seasons, weather and wildlife, connecting discoveries to literacy and numeracy. They also build listening, following instructions and early road-safety skills.

In October 2024, children turned allotment produce into soup and jam, linking growing with food preparation. A local sports coach led a weekly class to develop physical skills.

Family-supported events include June’s Great Get Together, July’s Sports Day and Leavers Ceremony, and December’s Nativity. Parents and carers help by baking or taking turns on stalls, making participation practical as well as celebratory.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker for discussions about development and concerns. Parents can attend pre-start settling sessions and stay to help their child settle; a familiar comfort object can also ease the transition.

Online Learning Journals share observations and photographs with update notifications. Fortnightly emails, half-termly newsletters and a daily activity notice board connect parents with their child’s experiences and planned activities.

A WOW board invites families to share achievements from home, which the key worker can use in planning. Parent helpers can also join a session or part of one. For families who enjoy taking an active role, there are opportunities both to contribute information and to take part in preschool life.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support begins with information from families, previous settings and relevant professionals. The key worker and SENCO plan support through one-page profiles, review targets with parents and seek additional professional help where needed, with parental permission for referrals. Visual timetables and now-and-then cards are among the practical tools used to support understanding and routines.

Wheelchair-accessible buildings and toilets, with indoor and outdoor areas on one level, support physical access. Staff training covers safeguarding, paediatric first aid, behaviour, food hygiene and health and safety.

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified learning targets that were too broad to consistently prioritise gaps such as language development, and asked for staff supervision targets to address teaching practice more precisely. This is the most useful qualification to the Good judgement: the next step was greater precision in individual support and staff development.

School transition includes visits to the child’s new school and invitations for teachers to meet children and their key workers at preschool. That work can help the receiving teacher understand the child before the move, alongside the preparation offered through Rising Fives.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool is based at The Chesterfords Community Centre, Newmarket Road, Great Chesterford, Saffron Walden, CB10 1NS. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm; a full day combines both sessions.

Full-day attendance lasts six hours and half-day attendance three hours, with a minimum daily booking of three hours. Funded hours can be combined with privately paid sessions. Funded sessions can only be increased termly, while additional paid sessions may be arranged mid-term where staffing and session space permit. That distinction matters when planning a gradual increase in attendance.

Places are allocated first come, first served. Reducing or cancelling bookings requires written notice at least half a term ahead, and fees remain payable throughout that notice period. Admissions enquiries go to admissions@chesterfordspreschool.org.uk, and applications use the application form.

Getting There

Parking is available at the Community Centre, including four disabled spaces outside the setting. This is useful alongside the single-level building for families whose access needs affect both the journey and time at preschool.

Funding and Paid Extras

Term-time funding includes the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds and extended funding up to 30 hours for eligible working parents of that age group, over 38 weeks. Funding is also offered for eligible two-year-olds, including the stated working-parent entitlement of 15 hours and funding under other eligibility criteria. Eligibility conditions apply, and current prices come in the preschool’s written quotation.

Children attending afternoons or full days bring a packed lunch. Snacks are charged separately through an optional supplement, so food arrangements combine lunch from home with an optional snack charge.

Craft materials and other non-food consumables are also charged separately through that optional supplement, alongside enrichment and celebrations. The supplement is added to invoices by default, but families can request that it be reduced or removed; the fees and funding page explains its components.

Invoices are issued before each half term and payment is due within two weeks. The registration charge becomes non-refundable once a written place offer has been given, but families applying only for a funded place do not pay it. Bursary support towards childcare fees is available to eligible parents at the management committee’s discretion.

• A mixed-age start. Children from two to four-plus share sessions. During a visit, discuss how activities and the key-worker relationship support a younger child alongside those preparing for school.
• Precision in learning support. October 2024 improvement priorities concerned individual next steps and staff supervision. Ask how language needs and other development priorities now shape targets and everyday teaching.
• Term-time attendance and changes. Morning, afternoon and combined full-day bookings fit different routines, but funded increases happen termly and reductions require half a term’s written notice. Plan changes around those terms.
• Optional additions to the invoice. Snacks, consumables, enrichment and celebrations sit within a supplement added by default. Families can request a reduction or removal, so agree the intended arrangement when joining.

This preschool suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoons or combined full days within a term-time routine, with mixed-age play and meaningful opportunities to take part. Nature Space, the garden and village walks give outdoor learning concrete settings; Rising Fives provides a separate strand of school preparation.

The October 2024 Good judgement comes with priorities for sharper learning and staff-development targets. Families should weigh the mixed-age day, term-time timetable and opportunities for involvement.