Westwood Farm Community Pre-School

A mud kitchen, books to borrow and a travelling Ted bear give Westwood Farm Community Pre-School a recognisable character: play carries on outdoors and follows children home. Run by a voluntary committee of parents and local community members, this Tilehurst pre-school has capacity for 28 children. Its usual age range is 2.5 to 5 years, with funded provision also offered for eligible two-year-olds.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The important qualification was consistency in adults’ responses to unwanted behaviour. That matters for children learning to share space, take turns and understand boundaries.

Morning and afternoon sessions can be joined through Lunch Club for a full day during term time. The appeal extends beyond the timetable: an individual key person, home visits and activities to take home give families several ways to connect with their child’s learning.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the statutory educational foundation: activities shaped around children’s interests develop communication, physical skills and relationships alongside literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding of the world.

A book corner and audio books give children opportunities to hear stories while following pictures. Sorting, matching and counting introduce mathematical ideas through practical activity. Paint, drawing materials and natural or recycled resources allow children to experiment with colour and texture, while role-play gives them room to develop their own ideas. These are experiences children can handle and explore.

Sessions combine free play, a group gathering, indoor and outdoor choices, then stories, songs and rhymes. A visual timetable helps children understand what happens next.

Learning also travels home. Children receive a book bag and can borrow library books as often as they wish during the week. Busy bags contain activities for children and parents to do together across the areas of learning. The travelling Ted bear goes home with a child each week, with photographs of his weekend providing something personal to share afterwards. These arrangements give parents practical starting points for conversation and play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow play allows children to choose between indoors and outdoors. The mud kitchen has water access, and children bring named wellies to keep at pre-school. Washable clothes and spare clothing are sensible parts of the kit: messy exploration is built into the day.

In July 2024, outdoor play included a ladder bridge in the climbing area and a pretend building site where children used foam with large toy bricks. The examples show physical challenge and imaginative play sharing the same outdoor space. Indoors, a pretend aeroplane with window seats and oxygen masks connected play with children’s approaching holidays.

During that same month, adults encouraged children to attempt everyday tasks before stepping in, including handling lunch packaging and putting on coats. The practical emphasis is useful preparation for managing belongings and routines. Independence was being practised in ordinary moments, alongside the more elaborate play activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person before starting: the family’s main contact plans care and learning with parents, maintains developmental records and reviews progress termly. Parents know whom to approach.

Settling is tailored to the family. A home visit is offered before the start, alongside stay-and-play arrangements; parents can remain when a child needs help feeling comfortable. The settling policy rejects leaving a distressed child to cry as a way of speeding separation. Families should allow time for the process rather than assume the first session will follow a fixed script.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to record observations of children’s development. Key people publish observations weekly, and parents can contribute their own photographs, information and comments. It is used for the learning journal rather than general messages, so it complements direct contact instead of replacing it. Parents are asked to respect restrictions on downloading or sharing the images.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support included effective collaboration between the special educational needs coordinator, parents and other agencies, with individual educational plans helping children progress. Current arrangements use the assess, plan, do and review cycle, involve parents in decisions and provide routes to further assessment. Where core funding cannot meet a child’s needs, the admissions policy requires an application for SEN inclusion funding.

For more complex needs, preparations can include staff training, a health care plan and adjustments to access. The manager must set a realistic timeframe and keep the family and relevant agencies informed. This is a concrete planning process; families can discuss the steps relevant to their child before a start date is agreed.

The manager and deputy hold designated safeguarding roles, and the staff deployment policy requires a paediatric first aider on site whenever children are present. The manager holds a degree in Early Childhood Studies.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Community Centre, Downsway, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 6SL. Opening hours are 8.45am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with closure during school and statutory holidays.

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.30am, and afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.15pm. Lunch Club occupies the interval from 11.30am to 12.30pm and is separately charged. Joining both sessions through the supervised club creates a full day from 8.45am to 3.15pm; it can also extend a single session by an hour. This gives families a choice between shorter sessions and a school-day-length arrangement.

Admissions enquiries go to admin@westwoodfarmpreschool.com, and enrolment starts with an online registration form. Parents also send a copy of their child’s birth certificate or passport. The administrator contacts families in the preceding term to discuss the requested sessions and allocation. The waiting list is ordered by birth date, with additional considerations including entitlement eligibility and siblings already attending.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid sessions are offered on a term-time basis. Funding options include 15 hours, 30 hour funding and 2 year old funding, subject to eligibility. Parents applying for the latter two must supply their code before the child starts and revalidate it when required; otherwise fees become payable. Additional private sessions can supplement funded attendance. Current prices should form part of the nursery’s written quotation.

Children receive a snack and milk or water, while families provide the packed lunch for Lunch Club; the lunch-box policy excludes peanut products, including products carrying a warning about traces, and further restrictions may be communicated for a child with severe allergies. For non-food consumables, parents supply pull-ups and spares when needed and apply sun cream before attendance, including when using funded hours.

A non-refundable registration charge is required before a child can join the waiting list. Fees are calculated from booked days, so sickness or a family holiday does not generate a refund. Termly payment arrangements and charges are set out in the fees policy.

• Booking and cancellation terms. Minimum attendance terms conflict between three and four sessions a week, while cancellation wording differs between half a term and six weeks’ written notice. Obtain the applicable terms in writing before accepting sessions, including the contract’s requirement to pay the full termly invoice when withdrawing mid-term.
• Behaviour guidance. In July 2024, adults did not consistently respond to unwanted behaviour, leaving some children with unclear messages. During a visit, ask how staff now agree and apply responses to sharing difficulties and other conflicts.
• Lunch and allergies. Lunch Club adds a separate charge and requires a packed lunch. Allergy-affected families should confirm the current lunch-box restrictions and how any additional restrictions will be communicated.
• Settling and individual needs. Visits can be arranged by appointment, and parents may need to stay while their child settles. Discuss how the home visit, key person and any SEND preparations will fit your child’s start.

Westwood Farm suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, or both with Lunch Club for a full day during term time. Free-flow play and take-home activities connect learning with family life; key people and the learning journal help parents contribute.

The July 2024 Good judgement gives a clear inspection position. Behaviour consistency and conflicting booking and cancellation terms deserve attention before committing.