Kennington Pre-School

Two large outdoor spaces and a weekly Forest School programme give Kennington Pre-School an outdoor emphasis, with nature exploration sitting alongside play indoors. Its setting is equally recognisable: an independent pre-school within the grounds of St Swithuns School in Kennington. Sharing the grounds does not mean sharing admissions.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good at its 5 May 2023 inspection. It welcomes children aged 2-5 and has 36 places in total. The current offer combines outdoor activity with creative play, music and an emphasis on children gaining confidence to try things for themselves.

Morning and afternoon bookings sit within opening hours of 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. That makes this a choice for families seeking shorter sessions as well as attendance across the pre-school day, rather than care through the school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through play, with activities shaped around children's interests and individual development. Here, that means space for children to explore materials and ideas, alongside experiences organised by adults. The framework is the foundation; the outdoor programme, yoga and sports activities add to the day.

Self reassurance is the pre-school's name for its emphasis on confidence, kindness and resilience. Staff use encouragement, praise and relationships to help children attempt unfamiliar tasks. The practical value is clear: learning includes having a go and coping with difficulty, rather than simply completing an activity.

Indoors, an art and craft area supports making and experimenting, while a reading corner gives books their own space. A home corner provides opportunities for pretend play, and the music area sits alongside movement sessions. These are different ways for children to join in: making something, acting out an idea or moving to music.

In May 2023, children used story spoons and cushions to invent stories, talked about what might happen next and matched actions to characters. Mathematics also entered practical play: children added dough circles to ladybird pictures, with paper alternatives for those who preferred them. Those examples show how language and number activities could accommodate different interests rather than requiring everyone to use the same material.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School runs weekly, adding outdoor exploration in a natural setting to the EYFS day. Two large outdoor spaces also give children room for physical play, while regular nature walks extend their experience beyond the pre-school. Yoga sessions are delivered by an external company, as are the weekly sports activities.

Community participation includes events involving families and a small children's fundraising committee supporting local charities. In May 2023, neighbourhood walks and visits to shops helped connect learning with everyday life; writing letters and posting them gave children a concrete purpose for mark-making. The distinction matters: the current outdoor offer is broader than staying in the garden, while those particular community experiences belong to that dated account.

Confidence and independence feature in both the current approach and the detail from May 2023. At that time, children practised putting on their own coats, with help when needed, and used nose-wiping stations for self-care. These are modest tasks with a useful purpose: children gain practice in managing everyday needs before moving on to school.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities good, with parents and other agencies involved, but asked staff to strengthen emotional support and make expectations clearer during changes between activities. That qualification matters alongside the overall Good judgement.

In May 2023, breathing exercises formed part of emotional support, but some younger children struggled when activities changed, including settling for group carpet time. The concern was specific to how support worked in those moments. It should not disappear beneath the pre-school's current emphasis on confidence and emotional wellbeing.

The same dated account describes close relationships between children and staff and time spent supporting parents. In May 2023, staff also helped families settling into the community find local groups. This gives useful context to the community emphasis: relationships extended beyond children's activities to practical connections for their families.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Old School Buildings, The Avenue, Kennington, Oxford OX1 5PP. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm on weekdays, term time only. Morning sessions run from 9am to 11.45am; afternoon sessions run from 12.15pm to 3pm. Lunch sits between them, allowing attendance to extend across the day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01865 326606 or by email, and an application form is part of the joining process. The attendance pattern is a practical strength for families who want a morning or afternoon rather than the whole opening day. Term-time operation also makes holiday arrangements a separate part of family planning.

Funding and Paid Extras

The pre-school accepts the 15hours and 30 hours funding schemes for children who qualify and have a valid, current funding code. Funding can cover morning, lunch and afternoon attendance, with the hot meal remaining an optional extra charged separately. Delivery is term time, and accommodating a child's entire funded allocation is not guaranteed; funded hours can also be shared with another provider.

Private fees apply to children without funded entitlement and to attendance beyond a child's funded allocation. Snacks and cooking carry a separate charge for paid attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and funding terms explain the structure.

For all parents, a voluntary basic contribution covers snacks, nappies and cooking; it is added to invoices and can be removed. These items therefore sit outside the session fee or funded entitlement through that contribution, rather than being described as included. An enhanced voluntary contribution also helps with trips, Forest School and external activities, alongside other running costs, and can likewise be removed.

Joining involves a deposit credited against the first invoice, or refunded if there is no balance to pay. It is retained if a family decides not to take up the place after paying it. That condition is worth understanding before committing.

Moving on to School

The pre-school operates independently on St Swithuns School's grounds. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. The shared site should be understood as a location benefit, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Changes between activities. The May 2023 improvement point concerned emotional support and expectations during transitions. On a visit, ask how younger children are now helped to move from play to group activities.
• Term-time attendance. Morning and afternoon sessions offer a choice of attendance times, but the pre-school operates during term time. Families needing holiday childcare will need arrangements alongside it.
• Funding and contributions. The full funded allocation cannot always be accommodated, and hot meals are separate optional extras. Discuss the proposed attendance pattern and request a written breakdown distinguishing private hours, paid snack charges and removable voluntary contributions.
• A shared school site. Being within St Swithuns School's grounds does not secure a Reception place. Keep the school application separate from the pre-school booking.

Kennington Pre-School suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or attendance spanning the pre-school day during term time. Its strongest current details are tangible: two outdoor spaces, weekly Forest School and opportunities for music, creative play and physical activity.

The May 2023 Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality, with a specific emotional-support improvement point that deserves attention. For families whose schedules fit the sessions, this is a community-minded option with clear opportunities for children to practise independence. Funding, voluntary contributions and school admissions each need to be understood on their own terms.