Combe Pre-School

Monday mornings outdoors, supervised woodwork and a garden equipped for muddy experiments give Combe Pre-School a practical, hands-on character. Children choose their play, borrow books to take home and learn to manage everyday tasks for themselves. Parent involvement has substance here: an elected volunteer committee takes responsibility for policy, finances and staff employment.

At its 6 June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes and personal development, and found safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside a specific improvement point about keeping children engaged between activities. It is a useful balance for parents: considerable strengths in children's social experience, with a clear question about how the day moves from one activity to another.

Combe has capacity for 24 children aged two to five, at the Combe Hub on Park Road in Combe, Witney. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon, extended and all-day options. The combination gives families several ways to use the setting, rather than requiring the same length of day for everyone.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning and care framework, covering children's communication, physical development, relationships and learning through play. Combe adds its own learning goals and makes children's interests central to activity choices. This is a day built around doing: selecting equipment, trying ideas and following an interest far enough to discover something new.

In the Moment Planning makes that approach visible to families. Each week, staff follow three selected children, recording photographs and observations on individual planning sheets; the following week, a photograph of the sheet goes to parents through Class Dojo. The sheets then become part of each child's Learning Journey. Parents receive examples of what their child has been doing, giving them something concrete to discuss rather than just a general account of the week.

In June 2023, children used pretend tools to repair a playhouse and adjust a kettle in the home corner. Adults also helped answer a question about a yo-yo by researching how it worked. These examples show how an ordinary play object could become a starting point for investigation, with adults joining the child's idea rather than replacing it with their own.

Woodwork brings real equipment into that practical approach. Children use a wood work bench and tools under staff supervision to make models they can take home. Regular Yoga Sessions add a different kind of physical activity, using body positions and balances, sometimes with music. Making and movement both have a place in the programme.

Outdoor and Community Life

Woodland Explorers takes children into natural spaces in the local community on Monday mornings. The emphasis is exploring outdoors and encountering nature. For a child who enjoys investigating beyond the playroom, this provides a recurring opportunity to use a different environment, with suitable clothing forming part of the preparation.

The outdoor area supports invention closer to home too. Fundraising has paid for water dispensers for the mud kitchen, plus crates and planks for children to build obstacle courses. A sand pit gives another place to dig and experiment. These are resources children can rearrange and use in their own ways, making the outdoor space an extension of the play-led approach indoors.

Garden purchases include seeds, flowering bulbs, a bug hotel and a bird bath. They give conversations about the natural world physical reference points: growing plants, insects and birds can become subjects to watch and talk about. Combe's sustainability work also introduces children to environmental responsibility through activities at the setting.

Books connect the nursery day with home. Our Lending Library lets children select stories to borrow, using a library card to record loans and returns. The value is straightforward: a child can choose a book at preschool and continue enjoying it with their family.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts, with a buddy providing support when that practitioner is absent. The key person also offers a home visit to learn about the child's interests and favourite toys. Familiarity begins with the child and family, giving staff useful information for the settling period.

Communication combines conversation with digital updates. Tapestry carries observations, photographs, individual or group messages and care information such as accidents and nappy changes; parents can also view termly invoices there. Alongside the Class Dojo planning updates, this gives families both learning information and practical records. Direct discussion with the key person remains part of the arrangement.

The behaviour leaflet explains concrete methods rather than relying on a general promise of kindness. Visual rules are displayed in the main room and quiet room, while staff use praise, choices and explanations about consequences. Its HighScope material gives adults a process for helping children settle disputes: acknowledge emotions, establish what happened and agree a way forward with the children. The emphasis is helping children understand what happened and take part in resolving it.

Some responses are more directive. The leaflet describes removing equipment when its use risks harm, and taking a child who is lashing out or having a tantrum to a quiet area, with a member of staff monitoring nearby. Families who have a preferred approach to emotional regulation will have specific practices to discuss.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO, a Language Lead and designated safeguarding lead roles. Support for children with additional needs includes working with other professionals and procedures for identifying, assessing and supporting SEND. Staff can also help families access Early Help Support, which brings services together to address difficulties early. These are mechanisms for discussing an individual child's needs, rather than a blanket assurance about the support every child will receive.

Healthy Smiles Accreditation links oral health with the daily routine. Children brush their teeth after lunch under staff supervision, and oral-health information reaches parents through displays and communication updates. Birthday celebrations use a wooden birthday cake, and a child may bring a book for the group to share. The policy discourages cakes and sweets; any brought in are sent home for parents to decide about, with known allergens checked against labels.

RISING 5's Activities prepares older children for the practical demands of primary school. Dressing, managing shoes and coats, opening lunch containers and using the toilet sit alongside name writing, rhymes, puzzles and movement. The emphasis includes independence as well as early literacy, so preparation extends beyond practising letters.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Methodist School Room, Park Road, Combe, Witney, OX29 8NA. Combe operates during school terms, with holidays and staff inset days shaping the calendar. Some term-ending days finish at 11.50am, which matters even for families usually booking a longer session.

Morning choices are AM, from 8.50am to 11.50am, and AM+ lunch, from 8.50am to 12.50pm. PM only runs from 12.50pm to 2.50pm. These allow a shorter preschool day or a morning that includes lunchtime.

For longer attendance, AM +PM runs from 8.50am to 2.50pm, AM + PM extended finishes at 3.20pm, and All-Day (AD) continues from 8.50am to 6pm. Early AM adds an 8.30am to 8.50am period, while ASC only runs from 2.50pm to 6pm. The early period can count towards either invoiced or funded hours.

Applications use the preschool application and registration forms. General enquiries can go to Info@combepreschool.co.uk or 01993 898813. Families have a direct contact route alongside the paperwork, while funding enquiries are handled through the financial administrator.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered within the term-time provision. The funding information covers 15 hours per week for three- and four-year-olds, with up to 30 hours in qualifying circumstances, and 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds. Private childcare hours are also offered.

Families either supply a packed lunch or order a cooked meal through Combe Primary Schools dinner system, paying Dolce directly. Healthy snacks carry a voluntary contribution which parents may decline. Food therefore has separate arrangements, rather than one inclusive meal package.

Parents provide sun cream, nappies and nappy cream when needed. These non-food items belong on the family's packing list. Combe also accepts Tax Free Childcare and employer childcare vouchers where the required company details allow it to receive payment.

• Term-time working patterns. All-Day (AD) reaches 6pm, but attendance follows school terms and includes inset days and some early term-end finishes. Compare the calendar with your working commitments before choosing sessions.
• Between-activity routines. In June 2023, children waited for stories while adults tidied, reducing the learning value of that interval. During a visit, ask how staff now keep children involved while activities change.
• Behaviour responses. The leaflet includes a monitored quiet-area response to tantrums or lashing out, alongside praise and collaborative problem-solving. Discuss how those methods would be adapted for your child's communication and emotional needs.
• Settling and outdoor preparation. A free introductory morning forms part of settling, while Monday Woodland Explorers requires clothing suitable for the weather. Use that introductory visit to discuss your child's settling needs and how outdoor participation works for them.

Combe suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those needing an extended or all-day pattern. Its strongest practical appeal is the connection between children's choices and tangible activities: woodland exploration, supervised making, garden resources and books that travel home.

The parent committee and key person arrangements give families defined ways to participate and communicate. The June 2023 transition-time weakness deserves a direct conversation, and the term calendar needs to fit family working life. For parents who value practical independence and play shaped by children's interests, there is plenty here to consider.