Rotherfield Village Pre School

A hidden woodland, a growing garden and village outings give Rotherfield Village Pre School a day that stretches well beyond its purpose-built building. Beside the recreation ground in Rotherfield, this pre-school combines hands-on outdoor experiences with books, imaginative play and practical preparation for school. It has capacity for 30 children and welcomes children from age two.

At its 21 May 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard for inclusion and behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, Expected standard for achievement, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance, and confirmed that safeguarding standards were met. These are separate area judgements, rather than an overall grade.

Term-time attendance includes morning, afternoon and core-day patterns, with additional care before and after the main day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework shapes learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and early understanding of numbers and the world. Alongside that shared framework, the curriculum refreshed in September 2026 puts more emphasis on materials children can use in different ways and exploration guided by their interests. Books have several routes into the day. Staff read aloud daily, build activities around a selected book and run a borrowing library so stories can continue at home. Comparing objects, matching and sorting introduce mathematical thinking through things children can handle. Tools, materials and encounters with living things give them reasons to investigate and ask questions. The learning journey explains these elements of the curriculum.

Weekly sensory circuits and PE sessions use the Scout Hut, providing room for structured movement beyond the pre-school building. Storybook Studios is an external club on Wednesday afternoons, run by a professional company in the Scout Hut with pre-school staff accompanying children. Children who do not participate carry on with their usual activities. In May 2026, children explored bee-related ideas through large paintings and models made with clay, string and sticks. Nature hunts prompted talk about position, direction and size; threading and handling objects with tweezers exercised smaller movements. However, adults sometimes missed chances to take children's self-directed play further. Responsive teaching remains an important consideration.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free movement between the building and outside is part of most of the day. A mud kitchen, music wall and water wall provide different ways to experiment, while sand and trays support hands-on play. This makes outdoor time an extension of learning, rather than simply a break between indoor activities.

Hidden Woodland supplies a different environment for outdoor learning, with opportunities to explore nature and practise taking manageable risks. The Sensory Garden includes vegetables and other plants for children to tend. Nearby fields are also used for play and picnic lunches in warmer weather.

Millennium Green features in visits that connect seasonal changes with the village around them. Other outings include village walks, snacks in church grounds and seeing pigs near an apple orchard. These outings make the village part of children's learning.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with a key person allocated around the child's booked sessions and invitations to stay-and-play. Families supply information about their child, and the key person brings that together with observations to make an initial developmental assessment within the first six weeks. The settling period can be extended, with parents informed beforehand.

Famly carries observations, news and updates about children's learning. A buddy key person provides continuity when the usual adult is absent. Borrow Bags take support into family life: topics include bereavement, toilet training and starting school, with books, activities and information about professional help.

In May 2026, daily conversations with parents covered children's experiences, but some families were unclear about the next steps in learning. Strengthening that connection between home and pre-school was an improvement priority.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified additional needs promptly, used specialist partnerships and adapted support effectively, while children, including those with SEND, made progress from their individual starting points. Concrete examples included signing, objects used to explain a visual sequence, and a den in the nature garden where children could take a break when overwhelmed.

Current support starts with the key person and SENCO discussing concerns with families. Referrals to the SEND Early Years Service are discussed with parents first; a Setting-Based Support Plan then sets targets and strategies and is reviewed with the family each term. Speech and language therapists and other professionals can contribute where appropriate.

The building and outside area are accessible to wheelchair users, with accessible toilets and changing facilities. Visual prompts and Makaton signs support understanding. The team includes practitioners holding Level 3 and Level 6 early years qualifications; safeguarding arrangements include annual staff training, designated lead roles and safer recruitment procedures.

Preparation for school includes practising dressing, setting out snack tables and talking about feelings. Reception teachers are invited to meet children, assessments are shared, and transition visits and individually tailored arrangements can support the move. School Transition Bags are free to borrow, extending that preparation into the home.

Sessions and Attendance

Core hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during 38 term-time weeks, excluding holidays and inset days. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoons from noon to 3pm; half days are also offered. Lunch Club runs from noon to 1pm, with ad-hoc booking subject to space and staffing.

Early Bird Club offers care from 8.30am to 9am, with an extension from 8am on selected days. After School Club runs from 3pm to 5pm.

Enquiries and tour bookings use an online form, with telephone and email contact also offered. Admissions operate in application order after a visit and registration form; a booked place for a child eligible to start is held for one term.

Getting There

The address is Recreation Ground, North Street, Rotherfield, East Sussex, TN6 3LX. Free parking is beside Rotherfield Village Hall, with the pre-school behind the Scout Hall.

Funding and Paid Extras

Term-time funded childcare includes 15-hour support for eligible children aged two and above, universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and extended 30 hours for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds. Eligibility conditions apply; hours beyond the funded allocation and ad-hoc attendance are charged privately. Lunch Club can count towards universal funded hours when booked regularly and within the funding allocation.

A voluntary care package separately covers snacks and consumables, including nappies, wipes, nappy-rash cream and seasonal sun cream; families opting out supply the required items and a prepared healthy snack. After School Club includes a light tea for children staying for the full two hours.

External clubs have separate charges. Opting out of the care package preserves access to the EYFS curriculum, although additional enrichment and enhanced resources may differ. Families taking any private hours pay a non-refundable registration charge and a deposit: the deposit is returned on the child's second invoice after joining, but retained if the place is not taken.

The charge structure is accessible through its fees and registration page. Leaving requires six weeks' written notice counted in open, payable weeks, excluding holidays. Booked hours remain chargeable during ordinary sickness or holiday absences, and days cannot be swapped under the fee policy.

• Learning beyond the activity. In May 2026, adults did not consistently extend children's spontaneous play. During a visit, ask how staff now build on a child's idea within the refreshed curriculum.
• Understanding the next step. Some parents were unclear about learning goals in May 2026. Ask to see how Famly updates connect activities with the next steps you can support at home.
• Term-time and early starts. Attendance covers 38 weeks, and the 8am Early Bird Club extension operates on selected days. Match the term calendar and those days to your working pattern before booking.
• Care-package choices. Opting out means supplying required consumables and a healthy snack, while some enrichment may differ. The choice affects what families supply from home; private hours also bring deposit and notice terms.

Rotherfield suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as a core term-time day, with additional care at either end where its timetable fits. Its outdoor provision has substance: woodland, growing space and village visits offer different experiences rather than relying on one playground.

The balance is clear. Inclusion and children's routines received the stronger area judgements in May 2026, while extending spontaneous play and explaining learning goals to parents needed further work. Families drawn to outdoor learning and a defined SEND support process should weigh those two improvement points.