Greatworth Pre-School

A purpose-built village pre-school with its own Forest School area gives Greatworth Pre-School a clear character: play indoors, outdoor exploration and close links between home and children's learning. Its building sits behind Greatworth Primary School, but the pre-school has its own outdoor play space. This is a charity setting, with parents and community volunteers involved in its management.

Children can start from their second birthday, and the setting accepts ages two to five. There are 24 places in total. At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The main improvement priorities concerned more precise planning for individual children and better engagement for the youngest children.

Term-time morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside early extensions and after-school clubs, giving families several attendance patterns rather than a single day-long booking.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the educational foundation: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early reading, number work and creative exploration. Greatworth builds activities around children's interests, using adults' example to help them try things and develop their learning. Cooking, messy play and dancing sit alongside games, reading and opportunities to write.

The practical value is variety in how children participate. A child can explore materials, join a game or make marks, rather than encounter learning only through an adult-led task. Group activities and individual sessions both form part of the approach, allowing different ways into the day.

In April 2024, older children experimented with cars and a channel made from guttering, comparing how far the cars travelled. A hailstorm prompted another sequence of discovery: children collected hail, felt its temperature and watched it melt, then explored the experience through paint and cotton wool. These examples show how play and an unexpected event became opportunities for conversation and investigation at that time.

There was also a clear limitation. In April 2024, activity planning did not consistently connect closely enough with each child's existing skills, and some younger children participated less fully than older children. Enjoyable activities and precisely targeted learning are different things; the youngest child's experience deserves careful attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds outdoor learning in a dedicated area of the pre-school's own grounds. The space gives children somewhere to explore beyond the building, and staff have Forest School leader training. Alongside it, the separate outdoor play area makes outdoor activity a physical part of the setting rather than something dependent on an off-site trip.

Community involvement extends to how the charity runs. Volunteer trustees take responsibility for finances, staffing and policies, while fundraising events throughout the year help pay for additional resources. Families can contribute through fundraising or trustee roles. That offers a practical way to participate in the setting's life, with responsibilities extending beyond attending children's activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who plans their learning and speaks with parents about development. Parents can also look through their child's observation folder, and regular parents' evenings provide time to discuss progress or concerns. The relationship gives families a familiar point of contact rather than leaving communication entirely to whichever practitioner is free.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, connects experiences at pre-school with those at home. Practitioners share records of children's activities, while parents can contribute photographs and videos themselves. Relatives can receive access with permission, and accounts use individual passwords. It is a two-way exchange, allowing home experiences to contribute to the picture of a child's learning.

The settling policy allows a relationship to develop before the key person is allocated. Parents and staff agree how separation will work, with a parent or close relative expected to remain for much of the first week's sessions and step away gradually as the child manages. Families therefore need to allow time for settling, rather than treating the start date as an immediate switch to independent attendance.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used information from parents to adjust teaching for children with SEND and others needing extra help. The support policy provides a SENCO role and a cycle of assessing needs, planning support, putting it into practice and reviewing it with parents. These are concrete mechanisms for discussing a child's needs and evaluating what helps.

Toilet training is supported rather than required before attendance. Changing facilities are provided, and staff work with parents on developing this self-care skill. Parents supply nappies or pull-ups, and provide sun cream if they want staff to reapply it, with the necessary consent.

Children bring packed lunches from home. The food policy discourages sharing food, and the allergy policy sets out individual risk assessments covering triggers, reactions, medication and prevention measures.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Helmdon Road, Greatworth, OX17 2DR. Opening hours run from 8am to 6pm on weekdays during term time. The pre-school follows Greatworth School's term dates, although it generally opens on the school's training days.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. Early drop-off is offered from 8.30am to 9am, with an extension from 3pm to 3.30pm. Afterschool Club - Early runs from 3.30pm to 4.30pm, while Afterschool Club - Late continues from 3.30pm to 6pm. Breakfast Club is another booking option.

Two sessions a week are recommended to help children settle; this is a recommendation rather than a compulsory minimum. Joining involves returning both registration and consent forms to staff, who then arrange the start and induction. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and families can arrange a visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both 15 Hours Funded Early Education and 30 Hours Funded Early Education are offered, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. Delivery is term-time, over 38 weeks. Eligible two-year-olds can claim 15-hour funding from the term after their second birthday; universal 15-hour funding begins from the term after the third birthday. Eligible children can claim 30-hour funding here from their second birthday with a valid code.

Funded attendance is restricted to the period between 9am and 3pm, including the shorter morning or afternoon sessions. Hours outside that period are charged privately and invoices for them require payment within seven days. The full 30-hour allocation is not guaranteed when the setting is at capacity. Monthly session invoices are issued in advance, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The sessions and fees page explains the attendance and funding structure.

Greatworth Primary School shares the site, but attending the pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Transition arrangements include sharing a summary of children's development with the receiving school or setting and involving parents in that process.

• Younger children's learning. In April 2024, planning needed to match individual next steps more closely, especially for younger children. On a visit, ask how activities are adapted for a newly attending two-year-old.
• Breakfast timing. Breakfast Club has two conflicting time windows: 8am to 8.45am and 8.30am to 9am. Confirm which applies before building a work schedule around it.
• Settling commitments. The settling policy expects a familiar adult to remain for much of the first week's sessions, potentially longer. Allow flexibility around the start date to support gradual separation.
• Lunch and allergies. Packed lunches come from home, and the allergy policy uses individual risk assessments. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice and their child's plan.

Greatworth suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those who need extensions or after-school care. Its own outdoor space, Forest School area and two-way learning journal give the offer substance. Community participation is another clear part of its character.

The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with a specific caution about activity planning for younger children. For families starting at age two, the best fit depends on how closely the day responds to that child's interests, stage of development and readiness to separate from home.