St John's Preschool

Growing seeds, participatory storytelling and outdoor balancing challenges gave St John's Preschool a recognisable character in May 2024. This parent-committee-run charity sits on the edge of the Ashdown Forest, in The Reading Room in Crowborough. It has 20 places in total for children aged two to five.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children had secure relationships with their key person, with visual schedules helping children with additional needs understand the day. The practical offer is term-time care, with morning and afternoon sessions as well as an all-day option.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the May 2024 activities connected play with language, stories, growing plants and physical exploration. Those examples give parents a clearer picture of the day than a curriculum label alone.

In May 2024, a pretend garden centre introduced children to plant and flower names, followed by planting seeds of their own. That gave the vocabulary a practical connection: children could move from talking about plants to growing them. Storytelling was similarly participatory. During Three Billy Goats Gruff, children used sticks to recreate the sound of the goats crossing the bridge while a practitioner combined narration with singing.

Creative work also brought in the wider world. In May 2024, children made faces on paper plates to explore people from different backgrounds and their own identities. These were specific activities, rather than a promise that every day follows the same pattern.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Ashdown Forest provides the geographical setting; the preschool's own outdoor space supplied the physical challenges described in May 2024. Children spent extended periods outside, using swings and a see-saw, and attempting a balancing route made with tyres and planks. The equipment gave them different ways to move, from pushing with their legs to keeping their balance along a route.

Additional activities may run at particular sessions for a term, with third-party providers leading options such as dancing, phonics or yoga. These carry separate charges and are announced beforehand. For families, the distinction matters: these additions sit alongside the ordinary preschool day and its session fees.

Relationships are an important part of the May 2024 picture. Children knew their key person, while familiarity with other practitioners meant that support did not depend on one adult being present. Staff also checked how children were feeling and used stories to discuss emotions, giving children words and examples for experiences that can otherwise be hard to explain.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified two improvements: parents needed more consistent updates about learning goals, and staff supervision needed to identify training needs more precisely. The first has a direct consequence at home: knowing the next learning step helps a parent build on what their child is doing at preschool. The second concerns how teaching is reviewed and developed, rather than simply whether staff feel supported.

Settling has a practical attendance recommendation. The preschool advises taking at least two sessions across two days to help a child become accustomed to attending; this is a recommendation rather than a compulsory minimum booking. Children must have reached their second birthday before starting.

For lunch club, families supply a packed lunch. Snacks attract a voluntary contribution, with the option to send suitable snacks from home under the preschool's guidelines.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Reading Room, School Lane, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1SB. Standard opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with closure during school holidays. Enquiries go to admin@stjohns-preschool.co.uk.

Morning sessions run from 9am until noon; afternoons run from noon until 3pm. Children can also attend all day, from 9am to 3pm, which counts as two sessions. Lunch club runs from noon until 1pm for children staying to eat who are not booked for the afternoon.

An early start, from 8.30am until 9am, operates on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and is privately charged rather than funded. Ad hoc hours can be booked within the standard opening day; these also fall outside funding, and a whole hour is charged even when less time is requested.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool offers 15 funded hours for eligible working parents of two-year-olds, accessible from the day after the child's second birthday, and the 15-hour early education entitlement for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday. Funding is delivered through term-time sessions, with a minimum funded attendance of three hours in a day. The preschool does not offer either the 30-hour working-parent entitlement or the extended 30-hour entitlement.

Private charges apply to attendance beyond funded hours and to children without funding eligibility. Funded hours cannot be increased within a term after the funding forms have been submitted. That makes the initial term's attendance plan consequential for families arranging a mixture of funded and paid care.

Food and resources have separate arrangements. Packed lunches come from home; snacks and non-food resources, including craft materials, attract voluntary contributions rather than being included in the session fee. Families may supply suitable snacks instead of contributing for them. A book bag is optional, and a suitable bag from home can serve the same purpose.

Invoices cover the coming term, with payment in monthly instalments. A deposit is credited to the first invoice when all requested sessions are taken; it is non-refundable if the full requested pattern is not taken up. Written notice of leaving is required at least six weeks ahead. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

• Home learning updates. More consistent sharing of children's next learning steps was an improvement point in May 2024. At a visit, ask how changes are now communicated and how parents can use them at home.
• Term-time coverage. Sessions finish at 3pm and the preschool closes during school holidays. The early-start option operates on four named weekdays, so its usefulness depends on your working pattern.
• Funding boundaries. The offer is 15 funded hours rather than a 30-hour entitlement, and funded hours cannot be added after the term's forms are submitted. Discuss the intended session pattern before committing it to the forms.
• Commitment to sessions. The deposit's treatment depends on taking all requested sessions, and leaving requires six weeks' written notice. Before accepting a pattern, ask how the notice terms would apply if your childcare needs changed.

St John's Preschool suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoon sessions or an all-day preschool place, with lunch club providing another useful attendance option. Its small total capacity and parent-committee structure give it a clear identity. The May 2024 examples of planting, participatory storytelling and outdoor movement make the experience tangible; the communication and staff-development improvement points deserve equal weight in a family's decision.