Cavendish Pre-school

Storytelling, garden drawing boards and children helping friends with their coats give Cavendish Pre-school its character. The January 2025 picture is of practical independence alongside imaginative play, with everyday tasks becoming opportunities to practise language, persistence and kindness.

Cavendish has capacity for 17 children aged 24 to 60 months. At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good, found safeguarding effective and identified especially good progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

In January 2025, stories connected imaginative play with children's own experiences: The Gingerbread Man prompted recollections of baking cakes. Conversations with adults gave children space to develop their ideas rather than simply answer questions.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, the January 2025 examples included counting during play, exploring initial letter sounds and practising early writing. Large drawing boards in the garden, brushes in foam and notebooks offered different ways to make marks. Dough helped children exercise their hands.

Learning about Australia and Antarctica extended that experience beyond the immediate surroundings. Children added postcards to a display and discussed discoveries from countries they had visited. Puzzle play also encouraged persistence, with adults giving clues that helped children work out solutions themselves.

In January 2025, a key-person system supported children's sense of belonging. Staff knew individual children well, while conversations about tiredness, happiness and disagreements helped children put feelings into words. Independence included managing coats and changing into slippers.

Progress updates reached parents online. During that same month, families of children with SEND received detailed targets and next steps, but other families received less detail. Extending equally useful information to all parents was an improvement priority. Leaders also needed to bring parents' views into their evaluation of the setting, alongside feedback from existing community partnerships.

The address is Jubilee Room Memorial Hall, Melford Road, Cavendish, Sudbury, CO10 8AD. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with closure during school holidays.

In January 2025, sessions ran from 8.30am to 3.30pm and the pre-school provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

• Progress information. January 2025 feedback was more detailed for families of children with SEND. Ask how all parents now receive useful next steps for learning at home.
• Parents' influence. Gathering parents' views was another January 2025 improvement priority. A visit is an opportunity to ask how family feedback now shapes decisions.
• Term-time timetable. Closure during school holidays makes this a choice for families whose childcare plans accommodate those breaks.

Cavendish suits families seeking term-time preschool care, with a January 2025 account that gives substance to its Good judgement: imaginative storytelling, practical independence and varied early writing experiences. Parent communication deserves attention, especially how detailed progress information and family feedback have developed since that inspection.