Mortimer Pre-School

In June 2025, fresh herbs for pretend cooking, dough for strengthening little hands and a garden for wheeled play gave everyday materials a clear purpose at Mortimer Pre-School. Its home is St John's Village Hall in Mortimer Common, with an outdoor play area alongside the indoor space. This is a play-based setting for children aged two to five, with capacity for 24 children in total.

At its 19 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with children making good learning progress and staff building productive relationships with families. That judgement comes with two practical improvement points: a more consistent approach to healthy snack routines and sharper supervision and training for staff.

The character is hands-on and participatory. Baking, gardening and messy play feature in the offer, while parents can contribute through practical help or the voluntary committee. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions operate during term time, with additional clubs around the main sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the shared framework for learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships, early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Here, children combine activities they choose themselves with experiences led by adults. That gives them practice both in following their own interests and in joining a group task.

The main hall and indoor playroom support dressing up, construction, puzzles, books and messy activities. Photograph-labelled boxes and drawers help children choose independently; they tidy resources after use and can request help starting an activity.

In June 2025, fresh herbs became ingredients for imaginative play, while foam blocks prompted tower building. Adults brought counting, shape comparisons and pattern matching into activities. Dough work also had a practical purpose: manipulating it exercised the hands in preparation for writing. The emphasis was on learning within play, rather than separating early mathematics or physical skills into isolated tasks.

Morning sessions combine freely chosen activity with group conversation, songs, rhymes and a story. Afternoons begin with lunch, followed by play, group time and storytelling. Children have time both to pursue ideas and to contribute together.

Staff use observations and photographs to plan activities around individual children. Baking and gardening add hands-on experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can move between the indoor space and outdoor play area during free play, with coats used in cold or wet conditions. Outdoor experiences include both adult-led activities and children's own choices. The garden is therefore part of the learning day, rather than simply somewhere to spend a break.

In June 2025, children steered wheeled toys around patio obstacles, while yoga and physical education activities gave them practice controlling their movements.

Parents, grandparents and childminders can read stories at session ends, and parents can help with gardening. Family participation extends into children's daily activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who supports settling, works with the family and shares information about activities and development. A consistent contact gives parents a clear person to approach about their child's needs. In June 2025, staff gathered information about children's interests, learning and needs before they began attending, giving the settling process an individual starting point.

Learning Journeys are folders containing observations, photographs and examples of children's work; parents can request them at any time. Families are also invited to participate in a session once a term, helping with snacks and discussing development with the key person. That offers both a written account and an opportunity to see how the child's day works.

For children aged between two and three, the key person provides a written progress check covering language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. It identifies strengths alongside areas needing additional support, and families can share it with other professionals, including health visitors. General feedback can go to the key person or a supervisor, or be sent by email.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. Safeguarding arrangements include a designated lead, deputy cover and procedures for sharing concerns with children's services.

In June 2025, children practised managing shoes and socks, pouring drinks and clearing their plates into a compost bin. Staff used encouragement to support behaviour and introduced vocabulary through conversation, singing and stories. Independence was exercised in ordinary routines as well as play.

In June 2025, snack organisation was an area for improvement. In June 2025, lunchtime worked more smoothly than snack time, and staff coaching and mentoring did not consistently target the aspects of practice needing improvement. Both concerns matter: the first affects the consistency of a daily health routine, while the second concerns how teaching develops. They deserve a place alongside the positive inspection judgement.

Staff have access to continuing training, and the pre-school works with West Berkshire Council’s Early Years Service team to develop expertise. Parents can also take part in the voluntary committee, whose responsibilities include staff appraisal, policies and upkeep of the building and grounds. This gives family involvement a practical organisational role.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St John's Village Hall, 22 West End Road, Mortimer Common, Reading, RG7 3TF. Attendance is term-time, with morning sessions from 9am to noon on Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm on Monday to Thursday, and full-day sessions from 9am to 3pm on those same days. Friday has the morning pattern only.

Lunch Club lets children attending a morning session stay from noon to 1pm and carries a separate charge. Out-of-hours clubs run from 8am to 9am on Monday to Friday and from 3pm to 4.30pm on Monday to Thursday. Enrolled children can also use ad-hoc sessions in addition to their scheduled attendance. These extras broaden the main session choices while retaining the term-time model.

Children are accepted from the term following their second birthday. September is the main intake, with further intakes in January and after Easter; routine mid-term entry is restricted to exceptional circumstances. Applications are reviewed in the term before the requested start, and the admissions list takes account of the preferred starting date. Joining enquiries go to administration@mortimerpreschool.org.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

The accepted funding categories include 3 and 4 Year Old funding, Working families funding and Government supported 2 year old funding. Funded hours can be applied against attendance hours, and the session pattern is term-time. Extended funding requires a verified eligibility code, with eligibility reconfirmed every three months; it is also subject to session space.

Private sessions sit alongside funded attendance, with current prices supplied in a written quotation. Fees are payable in advance each half-term; weekly payment can be arranged with the administration manager.

Parents supply a packed lunch for children attending all day or joining an afternoon session, including those using funded hours. Snack routines include children choosing food and sometimes helping prepare it, with drinking water accessible during the day.

Withdrawal or a reduction in sessions requires six weeks' written notice, with half-term fees payable instead of notice. Session charges are reviewed annually in the summer term, and parents receive six weeks' notice of changes. Clothing is another manageable practical detail: branded items are optional, and ordinary clothes need to withstand paint, dough and other messy activities.

• Healthy routines and staff development. The June 2025 improvement points concerned snack organisation and the precision of staff coaching. On a visit, ask how these routines and supervision arrangements have changed.
• Term-time planning. Friday offers morning attendance only, while afternoon and full-day patterns run Monday to Thursday. The main September intake and restrictions on routine mid-term starts also make the intended starting date important.
• Lunch and daily supplies. All-day and afternoon attendance require a packed lunch. Ask what non-food supplies families should bring and how individual dietary needs are managed.
• Changing attendance. Six weeks' written notice applies when reducing sessions or leaving, with fees payable in lieu. Consider that commitment before agreeing a pattern likely to change.

Mortimer Pre-School suits families seeking either short morning attendance or afternoon and full-day sessions within a term-time setting. Its strongest practical combination is play with accessible materials, indoor and outdoor choice, a key-person relationship and several ways for parents to contribute.

The June 2025 Good judgement supports that appeal, but snack consistency and more targeted staff development remain relevant decision points. For families comfortable with the intake timetable, packed lunches and notice terms, this is a setting with a clear everyday identity: children doing, choosing and gradually taking more responsibility for themselves.