St. Peters Pre-School

A tractor-tyre sandpit, pancake races in the field and a parent-led committee give St. Peters Pre-School its village character. Behind St Peter’s Church in Bradfield Southend, this setting welcomes children from age two and has 24 places in total. Outdoor play is a substantial part of the offer: children have a playground, an enclosed grassy area and a field for exploration and events.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while asking for more consistent challenge for the most able children and better staff coaching around healthy routines, especially at snack time. Both improvement points matter when weighing the positive judgement.

Morning sessions run throughout the working week, with afternoons and lunch club from Monday to Thursday. Funded childcare and privately paid attendance sit alongside each other.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the common framework for early-years provision. Children learn through play, conversation, movement and creativity, practising social skills, literacy and number work. Additional phonics and maths groups build on that foundation.

Letters and Sounds guides phonics groups through listening, rhythm and sound recognition. Comparing instruments, exploring rhyme and playing initial-sound games help children hear differences and practise spoken language.

Maths groups use Numbers & Patterns: laying foundations in mathematics for counting, number and patterns. Number rhymes turn learning intentions into activities, supplementing the maths resources available during the week.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff developed children’s language through conversation and questioning, and responded to their ideas, including turning a discussion about weight into exploration with measuring scales. The example matters because it shows learning moving with children’s interests. The counterpoint is the request for more demanding activities for the most able children: responsive play also needs a planned next step.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space gives children several different ways to be active. The playground has ride-on toys, a playhouse and a sandpit; the enclosed grassed area adds a climbing frame, slide and trampoline. A large tractor-tyre sandpit gives another place for digging and play. These are different physical experiences, from balancing and climbing to handling sand and steering toys.

The field behind the pre-school hosts activities including mini-beast hunts and pancake races on Pancake Day. World Book Day brings a free book for each child. The calendar connects stories, seasons and shared events with things children can actually do and take home.

Let’s Go Zero is the sustainability campaign the pre-school participates in, with recycling, environmental awareness and outdoor exploration, including Wellie Walks. A Nature Garden is being developed, so it should be understood as an evolving project. During summer 2026, children grew tomatoes and watched caterpillars become butterflies, connecting care for living things with changes they could observe over time.

Relationships and Communication

Termly updates, individual development targets and conversations with staff help parents follow progress. A final report brings achievements together before school, while printed photographs in learning journals give families a tangible account of everyday experiences.

In July 2025, sand timers helped children take turns, and staff encouraged tidying toys away: practical ways to practise patience and independence.

A voluntary parent committee oversees budgets, recruitment, fundraising and events, giving families opportunities to help run the setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The building has wide double doors and an accessible toilet, and spaces are kept clear to assist children with visual impairments and reduce excessive stimulation. These are concrete arrangements to consider against a child’s own access and sensory needs.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) works with the West Berkshire Early Years Support Team and other professionals. Parents help shape support plans and review how strategies are working; individual guidance can be arranged where needed. This gives families a mechanism for discussing a specific difficulty, trying support and changing the approach if it is ineffective.

Toilet training is not an entry requirement. Staff work with parents when children still use nappies or are beginning to use the toilet. Lunch club also includes a quieter period afterwards, when children can rest with books before afternoon activities.

Staff discuss moving to school with children, invite receiving teachers to meet them and share relevant information. SENCo-to-SENCo liaison and follow-up after the move help established support plans travel with the child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Peters Church, Southend Road, Bradfield, Reading, RG7 6EU. Morning sessions run from 9.15am to noon, Monday to Friday; afternoon sessions are from 12.30pm to 3pm, Monday to Thursday. Afternoon attendance is for three- and four-year-olds, while two-year-olds attend mornings until they turn three. The offer is term-time, over 38 weeks.

Lunch club bridges noon to 12.30pm, Monday to Thursday. Families sign up for the term, and funded entitlement can cover this attendance; privately paid lunch-club bookings are non-refundable. It can connect a morning with an afternoon, but its termly commitment deserves attention when planning attendance.

The Early Drop-off Club provides an earlier start between 8.45am and 9.15am, with activities addressing communication, physical development and social and emotional learning. Eligible families can use funded hours if booked ahead; privately funded children can attend through advance or ad-hoc booking. Privately paid early attendance is non-refundable.

The waiting list operates in application order, and preferred session days cannot be guaranteed. Children already attending who are in their final academic term before school receive priority when increasing their sessions. An application form is used to join the waiting list; enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding includes 15 hours free childcare for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, up to 30 hours for eligible working parents, and funded attendance for some eligible two-year-olds. Entitlement is delivered over 38 weeks, rather than spread across the whole year. Private hours are also offered. Current prices come in the pre-school’s written quotation; the funding and charges page explains the structure.

Families provide a packed lunch for lunch club, while morning snacks have an optional contribution or can be supplied from home as pre-cut fruit. Milk and water are free for every child, including those attending funded hours.

Non-food consumables and additional services have a voluntary termly arrangement: families can contribute, opt out or propose an alternative contribution. Those opting out supply their child’s non-food consumables, while paint, glue and everyday paper and craft materials are free; parents are also asked to bring nappies, wipes, spare clothing and sun cream as needed.

Additional services include experiences such as guest visits and farm trips. The opt-in decision is made each term. The pre-school aims to include children in special events, but where funding cannot cover participation it aims to offer a free alternative. That distinction helps families understand what opting out may mean in practice.

Withdrawal notice must reach the supervisor in writing by the end of the half term before the half term in which the child leaves. Insufficient notice brings a full half-term fee in lieu, so changes to attendance need planning ahead.

• Challenge for confident learners. The July 2025 improvement point concerned stretching the most able children consistently. During a visit, ask how staff choose the next challenge for a child who already handles an activity confidently.
• Snack-time routines. In July 2025, staff coaching needed greater precision around healthy routines, especially snacks. Ask what has changed in supervision and feedback since then; families managing allergies should also confirm current food arrangements.
• An age-dependent timetable. Two-year-olds attend mornings, with afternoons reserved for three- and four-year-olds. Match the pattern to your child’s age and your working hours before requesting days.
• Termly extras. Snack contributions, non-food consumables and additional services can be accepted or declined each term. Discuss how supplying your own items and choosing an alternative activity would work for your child.

St. Peters suits families seeking morning preschool sessions, afternoon attendance for older children, or a combination connected by lunch club. Early attendance gives another option for working parents, within a term-time timetable.

The strongest reasons to consider it are practical and recognisable: several outdoor spaces, additional listening and maths groups, parent participation and a structured handover to school. The July 2025 Good judgement adds a positive inspection position, with clear improvement points rather than an unqualified endorsement. Families with a confident older learner should give challenge particular attention; those needing individual support have concrete planning and professional liaison arrangements to discuss.