Greenways Pre-School

Child-led play and a garden threaded through the daily timetable give Greenways Pre-School its character. This Upper Hale setting combines children's own activity choices with key-person sessions and shared routines, rather than making the whole day adult-directed. Its Curiosity Approach centres on children choosing what interests them and working things out for themselves. For families, the practical attraction is room for independent exploration alongside organised group activity.

At its 25 April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Greenways Good, finding that children made progress towards school and that safeguarding was effective. There are 32 places in total. The current session offer is aimed at children aged 2.5 to 5, with morning, afternoon and school-day patterns during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage gives the day its educational structure: children learn through play, with activities supporting language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics. Greenways combines activities initiated by children with those led by adults. The Curiosity Approach sits alongside that framework, giving children a say in their activity choices; it does not replace the framework's expectations.

The daily rhythm makes that balance tangible. Children can choose indoor or outdoor play, join an adult-led small group, then come together for a welcome organised by school year. Key-person activities and garden time follow later in the morning. Afternoon children also have group activities, with yoga and football among the additional experiences. The timetable can shift with the weather and the day's activities, so it is a rhythm rather than a rigid sequence.

In April 2023, children could choose activities independently using low-level storage; they also practised independence by dressing themselves in coats and shoes and serving their own drinks. These are useful details for parents weighing how much children do for themselves. Independence was woven into ordinary tasks, rather than confined to a special activity.

Books and imaginative play also had a clear place in April 2023. Children shared stories and songs with adults in a cosy den, while dolls and cots in the home corner extended conversations about a new baby at home. Play dough offered another kind of concentration: children used tools to shape it and talked about what they were making. Together, these examples show how conversation, hand control and imaginative play could overlap in one activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor choices appear in both halves of the current timetable, with a specific morning garden period as well. That gives outdoor play a place within the ordinary session, rather than leaving it solely to an occasional outing.

In April 2023, children used tricycles, balance beams and hoops outside, practising movement in different ways. Outings also took them to a local park and adventure playground. These were opportunities to explore beyond the pre-school, but they are dated examples rather than a promise of a particular trip schedule today.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes their development, plans next steps and helps them become familiar with the setting. That role includes comfort as well as learning. For a parent, the value is a relationship connecting the child's day at Greenways with support at home, rather than progress being treated as a separate administrative task.

EYLog is the recording and communication system: it brings together children's interests, progress and agreed development targets, with ideas for families to use at home. The key person can also help families engage with external services, including speech therapy when needed. These are concrete support mechanisms, rather than a general promise that every child will receive the same intervention.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as a strength, with staff gathering family information and learning Makaton and additional languages to support communication. That finding belongs to the inspection date. The current key-person arrangement provides the continuing mechanism for sharing a child's interests and needs with staff.

Staff working directly with children have childcare training, DBS checks, first-aid training and safeguarding qualifications; a designated safeguarding lead role is also in place.

The day includes nappy checks and changes, and children needing an afternoon sleep settle after lunch. Families provide a healthy snack for each session and a packed lunch for lunchtime attendance; milk or water is offered at snack time, and the snack guidance asks families to leave out nuts because of allergies.

Sessions and Attendance

Three booking patterns give families a choice: the morning session runs from 9am to noon, the afternoon from noon to 3pm, and the school-day session from 9am to 3pm. Attendance is Monday to Friday during term time, following Surrey schools' term dates. A morning can therefore fit a shorter preschool day, while the school-day pattern includes lunch and afternoon activity.

Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. The contact route includes a telephone enquiry option, an online form and a registration form. Visits can be booked to look around.

Getting There

The current contact address is Hale Methodist Church, Upper Hale Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 0PA. Greenways is based in Upper Hale, so this is a local church-based setting rather than a school nursery class.

Funding and Paid Extras

Greenways accepts 15 hours universal and 30 hours extended FEE funding, alongside 2 year old FEET funding. Its attendance pattern is term-time; funding eligibility remains a condition of taking up a funded entitlement, rather than something attendance alone establishes.

Snacks and packed lunches come from home.

• Adult interaction. In April 2023, staff needed to give children more scope to explore their ideas and work through problems, and to improve the accuracy of spoken language modelling. On a visit, ask how these two priorities now shape everyday conversations and activities.
• The early start. Opening hours begin at 8.30am, while the named morning and school-day sessions begin at 9am. Families relying on the earlier start should clarify how that period fits their booking.
• Starting age. The main session offer begins at 2.5 years, while the organisation description covers children from 2 to 5. Families seeking an earlier start should establish which entry age applies to their child.
• Personal-care supplies. Nappy changing is part of the daily routine. Ask what families need to send for changes and other personal care, and confirm current allergy arrangements if relevant to your child.

Greenways suits families seeking term-time preschool with a choice between a morning, an afternoon and a school-day session. Child-led choices, regular access to the garden and the key-person link give that offer substance. EYLog adds a practical way to connect learning at the setting with home.

The April 2023 Good judgement provides a positive assessment, with specific teaching improvements to weigh alongside it. The strongest fit is for parents who value independence through play and an attendance pattern that follows school terms, and who can accommodate food coming from home.