Telford Preschool

Two connected classrooms, a garden and access to Telford Infant School's hall and playground give Telford Preschool a footprint that extends beyond its own rooms. Forest School adds outdoor learning through nature, games and shared problem-solving. This is a preschool where the setting itself gives children several ways to play.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding, finding an ambitious curriculum, strong progress and sensitive support from adults. That judgement is dated, but its practical examples are revealing: children investigated insects, repaired resources together and used outdoor equipment to direct their own play.

The preschool accepts children from 2 years 9 months to school age and has 20 places in total. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions run during term time, with a lunch club connecting the shorter sessions. For parents, the combination is worth distinguishing: a small overall capacity, access to school facilities and a choice of attendance patterns.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and development through play, with activity planning, themes and individual learning plans shaping the day. Child-led activity is part of the approach: children have opportunities to pursue an idea rather than simply complete an adult's task. Individual plans also give learning a child-by-child dimension alongside shared activities.

Forest School brings nature into that approach through outdoor games, working together and solving problems. Sessions involve a Forest School teacher and the early years team. The practical attraction is the opportunity to use the outside world as material for learning, including getting muddy, rather than treating outdoor time only as a break between indoor activities.

In June 2022, a spider discovered during play prompted children to consult an identification chart, record their discovery on a tally sheet and move the creature to a bug hotel. The sequence connected observation, recording and action. It is a useful example of how a child's interest could become a sustained piece of learning, using resources already within reach.

Language was another clear part of the June 2022 day. Adults modelled conversation, while children used detailed language with one another and discussed why drinking water mattered during snack time. Learning was threaded into an everyday exchange, giving children a reason to explain their thinking rather than practise words in isolation.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden sits alongside the interconnected classrooms, while regular use of the school playground and hall broadens the spaces children can use. Indoor and outdoor activities include both adult-led and child-led play. The hall offers another setting for activity, and the playground adds to the preschool's own garden provision.

In June 2022, children could choose between inside and outside. Outdoor resources included guttering, crates, balls and large tubes for experimentation; brushes, a cabin wall and water provided opportunities for movement and making marks. These were materials children could manipulate, combine and test, rather than a single activity with a fixed result.

A torn map also became a shared task in June 2022: children worked together with tape so it could return to an outdoor wall. That small incident illustrates the role given to children in looking after their surroundings. Resources were things to use and repair, with cooperation arising from a practical problem.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2022, staff knew children well and had close relationships with their families. Children formed friendships and took an active part in their play. For parents weighing the transition into preschool, those observations describe both sides of the relationship: familiarity with adults and connections with other children.

Partnership with parents includes sharing children's learning and development. Alongside individual learning plans, this gives family knowledge a place in the educational approach. The preschool is also governed by a board of trustees responsible for its finances, operations and fundraising, with half-termly meetings providing a regular structure for that work.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

An emotions board gave children a starting point for talking with staff about their feelings in June 2022. Discussions and role play also addressed personal space, including whether a child wanted a high five. These examples make emotional support tangible: children had both a resource for starting a conversation and everyday opportunities to express a preference.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and highlighted frequent training, staff discussions and accessible recording and reporting arrangements. The current staff structure combines the manager, designated safeguarding lead and SENDCO roles. That identifies responsibility for safeguarding and additional needs within the management structure, without substituting a role title for the dated inspection judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Telford Infant School, Kelvin Road, Leamington Spa, CV32 7TE. The preschool operates on weekdays for 38 weeks each year and closes for school holidays. Its calendar therefore needs to fit the family's arrangements for the rest of the year.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. A full-day session runs from 9am to 3.30pm. Lunch club can extend either shorter session or connect attendance into a full day, so the booking choice involves both the session and whether lunch club is added.

Applications use a downloadable form, returned directly to the preschool or sent by post. Telephone and email provide direct contact routes for enquiries.

Funding and Paid Extras

The 15/30hrs provision cannot fund lunch club, including when it is attached to a shorter session or used to create a full day. Families using funded hours therefore need to distinguish their preschool session from the lunch-club element when considering the overall arrangement.

Sharing the grounds of Telford Infant School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process; preschool attendance and school admission are separate decisions.

• Term-time calendar. Attendance covers 38 weeks, with school holidays excluded. This suits a family whose childcare arrangements follow the school year; lunch club also sits outside the 15/30hrs provision.
• Seeing the spaces. Term-time visits need no appointment. Use a visit to explore how children use the connected classrooms, garden and shared school facilities, and how Forest School fits into attendance.
• Food and everyday costs. When discussing a session with lunch club, ask what children bring for lunch and which meals or consumables carry additional charges, alongside a current written quotation.

Telford Preschool suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those choosing a full day within a term-time calendar. Its connected classrooms, school facilities and Forest School give the offer a clear physical and educational shape. The June 2022 examples add substance to the Outstanding judgement: children investigating, talking, cooperating and taking responsibility for resources. The practical decision is whether the school-year calendar and lunch-club arrangement fit family life.