Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery

Weekly exploration in the Eco Garden, targeted help with speech and language, and a purpose-built setting on the grounds of Willingdon Primary School give Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery a clear identity. This is a community charity with parents involved in its running, outdoor learning woven into the week and practical support for children who need help communicating.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that its personalised teaching supported excellent progress, including for children with SEND. The detail behind that judgement matters: adults knew what children understood, planned their next steps and adjusted activities to individual interests. Learning was responsive rather than organised around a fixed theme for everyone.

The nursery caters for children aged two to five and has 28 places in total. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance sit alongside Breakfast Club and After School Club. Its calendar follows school terms, making the holiday pattern an important part of the family decision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play, conversation, movement and opportunities to explore language, numbers, creativity and the world. It is the shared framework for early years provision; Lower Willingdon's own choices include interest-led planning, listening games and hands-on outdoor experiences.

Practitioners adapt resources to children's interests. Subject leads use a language flower in the main room to prompt colleagues, while Development Matters guidance informs curriculum planning. Children's questions can change the day's direction.

Phase 1 of Letters and Sounds develops speaking, listening and sound awareness through games, preparing children to combine and separate spoken sounds before later phonics work.

In June 2024, adults explained unfamiliar vocabulary through conversation; shared activities included stories, poems and early letter sounds. Language learning extended across chosen play and group time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School brings practical projects into a natural setting. Each week, a group visits the Eco Garden to use tools, dip into the pond and investigate insects. The wider programme includes dens, natural crafts and fire cooking; weekly participation is a group opportunity.

Children have continuous access to secure outdoor play, with covered areas supporting use across the year. The primary school's fields and playgrounds add space for movement.

Outings include a summer visit to Blackberry Farm and shorter trips to the local post box. Parents share skills and knowledge; children participate in the annual Nativity Play and end-of-summer-term Sports Day.

The building includes a spacious playroom and a quieter room with IT facilities. Its single-level layout has wheelchair-friendly access; double doors connect the main room with a surfaced outdoor route and level grass. An accessible toilet and changing facilities sit within the main room. For families weighing access needs, these physical arrangements are useful detail.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides daily family contact and tracks development through Tapestry, an online journal combining observations and individual planning. Parents can access their child's file throughout nursery attendance.

A pop in and play week, home visit and free repeat taster sessions help children become familiar with staff and routines. The SEND offer provides a second key person to cover absence.

Separate meetings and a communication book are available when needed, giving families more room to discuss needs and changes at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Weekly quiet-area language sessions provide individual or small-group work on listening, concepts, social interaction and expression. Toddler Talk involves families in staff-demonstrated games following an assessment of children's needs.

The SENCO reviews support plans with parents every six weeks. Visuals, sand timers and traffic light cards explain routine changes; accessible sensory toys support anxious or upset children. Sensory circuits use movement activities to help children regulate themselves and prepare for the day.

Cherry Gardens, an assessment framework within Tapestry, tracks development for children with learning differences or disabilities. The SEND Early Years service and East Sussex Children's Integrated Therapy and Equipment Service provide specialist advice when needed.

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described coordinated support involving staff, families and professionals for children with SEND, including early help for speech and language delay. In June 2024, activities and the environment were adapted for children with allergies, and visual prompts helped children keep track of their drinking. Families with allergies should discuss current arrangements during their visit.

Healthy Active Little Ones (HALO) supports the nursery's review of health and wellbeing practice, including food, movement, self-care and communication. The nursery has achieved the HALO Excellence Award and has used programme training, resources and coordinator advice. This adds a structured way to examine everyday habits alongside teaching and care.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Rapsons Road, Lower Willingdon, BN20 9RJ. The nursery operates during term time, with holidays aligned to Willingdon Primary School. Younger children mainly attend afternoons; older children use mornings or full days. Afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3pm, with lunch supervision between 11.45am and 12.30pm.

Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 8.45am, and After School Club from 3pm to 5.15pm. The clubs serve children aged three to eleven, although the admissions terms restrict preschool club attendance to the year before starting school. Club activities include crafts and imaginative play, with outdoor play when weather permits. Enquiries can be made by email to office@lowerwillingdonpreschool.co.uk.

Waiting-list order follows the date a child's name is entered, with priority for children with SEND when a space becomes available. Booked sessions are charged regardless of attendance. Leaving requires four weeks' notice or fees in lieu, so the commitment extends beyond the days a child actually attends.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, funding for two-year-olds from April 2024, and 30 hours across preschool sessions. Delivery follows the term-time calendar. Breakfast Club and After School Club are charged separately for eligible preschool children in their year before school; additional hours outside funding are also paid privately.

Non-funded attendance carries an initial non-refundable charge and a recurring contribution. All parents are also asked for a contribution towards fruit and vegetable snacks, cookery ingredients, small outings, visitors and everyday treats, including families using funded hours. Breakfast foods and an after-school snack are provided in the clubs. Current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation; the admissions and charge terms explain the structure.

Getting There

The nursery can use the local school's private car park to assist with access. Its purpose-built premises are on Willingdon Primary School's grounds, although the nursery operates independently of the school.

The nursery describes Willingdon Primary School as the usual onward destination for its children. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process. School preparation includes informal school visits, visits from school staff, role-play and sharing assessments and practical strategies with the receiving school.

• Morning collection time. The hours information gives a morning window of 8.45am to 11.45pm alongside lunch supervision beginning at 11.45am. Confirm the morning finishing time and how lunch fits the chosen attendance pattern before booking.
• Term-time care and club eligibility. Holidays follow Willingdon Primary School, and preschool club attendance is restricted to the year before school. Families needing care outside school terms or extended hours for a younger child should weigh those conditions carefully.
• A child's support and allergy arrangements. Support plans, sensory resources and quiet-area language sessions offer concrete starting points for a visit discussion. Ask how these would fit your child's routines and confirm current allergy practice where relevant.
• School proximity and admission. Sharing Willingdon Primary School's grounds brings opportunities for familiarisation, but it does not secure admission. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions.

Lower Willingdon suits families seeking afternoon preschool attendance, morning sessions or full days during school terms, with club extensions for eligible older preschool children. The combination of weekly Eco Garden opportunities, interest-led planning and practical language support gives parents clear reasons to consider it. Settling arrangements and accessible premises add further decision value.

The Outstanding judgement dates to June 2024. Its strongest practical fit is for families whose calendar matches term-time provision and who value outdoor learning alongside close communication about their child's development. The same-site school connection can help familiarisation, while the admissions decision remains separate.