St. John's Pre-School

Creative play, musical adventures and a daily fruit café give St. John's Pre-School a recognisable character. Based at St John’s church in Newbury, this community pre-school combines a curiosity-led approach with weekly visiting activities and an indoor space that opens into its dedicated outdoor area. Children have room to follow an interest, while music and movement bring them together.

At its 30 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) made good progress. The same visit identified two important weaknesses: support for quieter children’s speech was too slow to begin, and teaching did not consistently build from what each child could already do. Both matter when weighing the appealing activities against the individual attention a child needs.

There are 24 places in total, and childcare is offered for children aged two to five. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day options. Its charitable status and parent-run organisation also give families a role beyond booking childcare: fundraising helps pay for the environment and activities.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical exploration contribute to learning alongside growing independence. St. John’s adds the Curiosity Approach, using resources intended to encourage children to investigate and ask questions. Its child-led organisation allows children to pursue their interests rather than making every activity a whole-group exercise.

Real objects gave that philosophy substance in November 2022. Children handled china cups and saucers during pretend play in the home corner, learning to treat everyday belongings carefully. Another activity involved mixing glitter with water and discussing the ingredients of pretend potions. These are concrete ways to connect imaginative play with conversation and choices.

Problem-solving also featured in November 2022. When children wanted to move rice outside, staff prompted them to work out how; they selected bowls and cups to carry it. The task left children with a practical problem to solve themselves. However, activities were less successful when teaching began at a level that did not match a child’s existing understanding, and some children moved between activities rather than becoming absorbed.

Hartbeeps Adventures adds a weekly session of creative play, movement and dance, accompanied by songs and nursery rhymes. Puppets, lights, bubbles and sparkly parachutes supply concrete resources for participation. This is an addition to the existing curriculum, giving shared music sessions a different structure from children’s independent play.

Tots Create brings a partnership with the Corn Exchange, Newbury. The year-long arts programme for three- and four-year-olds has six stages, moving from an introduction to the arts through drama, music, art and dance, then bringing the learning together in a celebration.

Weekly yoga and Rugby Tots sessions add further scheduled activities. Yoga also featured in November 2022, when children joined group actions alongside their peers.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow access connects the indoor area with a dedicated outdoor space, supporting children’s independence in moving between them. In November 2022, outdoor equipment included ladders and climbing frames; children used them while decorating a tree, practising climbing and balance through a purposeful activity.

Fundraising supports the physical environment as well as activities. Charitable funds have paid for outdoor refurbishment, and parents can contribute through practical help as well as donations. This makes participation in the pre-school’s community useful in tangible ways: effort can translate into resources and improvements children use.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2022, children had affectionate relationships with their key person and used individual pegs to identify themselves during self-registration. Gentle reminders helped them practise taking turns, while sharing play dough provided an everyday opportunity to consider another child. These small routines connected belonging with learning how to be part of a group.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, gives families a way to follow children’s learning and progress. Regular Stay and Play sessions invite parents, carers and grandparents to participate in activities with their children. That combination offers both an ongoing account of learning and an opportunity to understand activities through taking part.

Daily spoken updates were part of parent communication in November 2022, alongside online updates and practical advice on topics such as potty training. For the 2022/2023 intake, the settling calendar included home visits, visits for new starters and staggered starts. Those were separate opportunities to build familiarity before children joined the routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a designated safeguarding lead role, a SENCO and staff with first-aid training. These are identifiable responsibilities within the setting, rather than a general promise of support. The staffing structure includes a manager and deputy, three further permanent staff and pre-school assistants; those roles describe the team’s organisation, rather than a daily staff-to-child ratio.

In November 2022, support for children with SEND included work on social participation so they could join group activities such as yoga. Yet quieter children sometimes spent stretches with little conversation, even after staff had recognised a need for help. The distinction is important: identifying a need and acting on it promptly are separate steps.

Healthy snack choices include a daily fruit café. This gives food a regular place in the day alongside play and group activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Richard's Room, St. Johns Road, Newbury, RG14 7PR. St. John’s operates during term-time, so its attendance pattern suits childcare organised around school terms rather than holiday cover.

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, Monday to Friday; afternoon sessions run from 11.30am to 2.30pm on the same days. Full-day sessions are also offered. The choice between a shorter session and a full day gives families different ways to arrange attendance, rather than requiring one uniform pattern.

Sessions are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Each session has a maximum of 24 children, including no more than eight children under three, and the minimum entry age is two. The under-three limit is relevant to a younger child’s booking; it is a session cap, not a separate room size or an indication of vacancies.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07814 155110, and joining uses an enrolment form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are both offered. The term-time funded offer includes 15 hours per week from the term following a child’s third birthday; a further 15 hours may apply, subject to funding criteria. Additional attendance beyond the funded entitlement is paid for privately. Current prices come in the pre-school’s written quotation.

Once eligible for funding, parents complete a declaration, and the grant goes directly to the pre-school. Using another childcare provider can reduce the funding claimed here, so the division of funded hours matters for families combining settings. A separate termly maintenance charge contributes to building repairs and upkeep.

• Speech support. In November 2022, staff did not begin identified support quickly enough for some quieter children. Families whose child needs help with communication should make the practical response to that concern a central part of their decision.
• Starting points. Teaching in November 2022 did not consistently match children’s existing skills, leaving some less engaged. The relevant question is how activities are adapted for an individual child, alongside the appeal of Hartbeeps Adventures and Tots Create.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions operate during school terms, with a separate cap on under-threes. Families need a pattern that fits both their working week and school holidays.
• The visit discussion. How would settling and any food or non-food consumables charges work for your child? Discuss these together with the session pattern you intend to book, so the daily arrangements and written quotation form one clear picture.

St. John’s suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those choosing full-day attendance. Its strongest practical attractions are the indoor-outdoor connection, regular shared activities and opportunities for families to participate through Stay and Play and fundraising.

Hartbeeps Adventures and Tots Create give music and the arts substance beyond a programme name. The November 2022 weaknesses deserve equal weight: an engaging activity schedule still needs prompt communication support and teaching shaped around each child’s starting point. For parents who value a community pre-school with several attendance patterns, those are the decisive details to weigh together.