Risby Preschool and Childcare Services

Two soft toy foxes, Felix and Frieda, help children choose nursery rhymes, while a mud kitchen and a table with real tools give play a practical edge. Risby Preschool and Childcare Services combines these everyday details with teaching that follows children's interests. Communication gets deliberate attention too, through weekly Makaton signs and a speech-and-language screening toolkit.

At its 15 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good overall. That judgement came with two clear improvements: keeping children involved when group activities become crowded, and making hygiene teaching more consistent.

The setting has 34 places in total and welcomes preschool children from the term in which they turn three. Before- and after-school care also serves children aged three to 11 who attend Risby CEVCP Primary School. Preschool attendance is term-time only, with morning, afternoon and all-day patterns alongside wraparound care.

Learning and Activities

EYFS frames learning through play across language, movement, relationships, literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Alongside it, In the moment planning means staff observe children's chosen play and extend learning immediately.

An interactive whiteboard, playdough, sensory materials, construction equipment and kitchen role play support making, talking and pretending. Activities are adapted to children's abilities and needs.

Weekly themes include recycling, vets and the life cycle of a butterfly. School leavers' weekly Phase 1 phonics develops listening through rhyme, environmental sounds, clapped syllables and instrumental or body sounds. Children need not write their name or know letter sounds before school.

Carpet time brings the group together around songs, the Golden Rules and a different Makaton sign each week. Felix and Frieda are the soft toy foxes used to help children select a rhyme. The signs include familiar family words, greetings and feelings, giving children another way to take part in everyday communication.

Outdoor and Community Life

Morning and afternoon outdoor play combines messy investigation at the mud kitchen, digging area and water play with movement on bikes, balancing equipment and a climbing frame. The DIY table supplies real hammers and screwdrivers.

In December 2022, staff helped children test sunshine, warm water and movement to free a spoon from ice. Children also found glue to seal an envelope. Both examples involved trying solutions for themselves.

Barty Bear extends conversation beyond the setting. Children can take the teddy home for a one-night sleepover, with a rucksack and log book; their family's account is then shared with the group. The Children's Library in the foyer also lends books for home reading. Both provide something tangible for children and parents to talk about together.

Relationships and Communication

Each preschool child has a key person who follows their development, builds a relationship with them and acts as the family's regular contact. The settling arrangements use that relationship to help children become familiar with the setting. An All About Me booklet forms part of the joining paperwork, giving families a way to introduce their child before attendance begins.

Individual learning booklets record development, while weekly emailed activity photographs and daily collection updates give families material to discuss at home. Private conversations can also be arranged.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective settling, close staff relationships, good progress, SEND coordinator support for learning at home and effective safeguarding.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Speech and language support has a defined starting point. The Wellcomm Toolkit screens children's use and understanding of language at the end of their first term, with concerns discussed with staff and parents before support is agreed. The Graduated Approach then organises SEND support through assessment, planning, action and review. Parents help agree targets and review their child's response.

Target Plans set work over a six-week period and are reviewed every six to eight weeks with parents. Visual timetables, adapted activities and communication aids support participation; written parental agreement is required before the first contact with an outside professional about a specific child. When a child moves to school, the SEND arrangements include an initial transition meeting involving the family. This gives parents a practical role in carrying support forward.

The main room, toilets and outdoor space are at ground level, with access to a disabled toilet. Staff have completed premature-development awareness training recognised through the Prem Aware Award. The ECAT (Every Child's a Talker) accredited standard concerns communication between children, families and staff.

Safeguarding roles include a lead and deputy, and staff undertake first-aid, safeguarding and food-hygiene training. In December 2022, the setting employed six childcare staff, including four with level 3 qualifications and one with level 6. Those numbers belong to that date.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Alymer Close, Risby, Bury St Edmunds, IP28 6RT. Attendance runs Monday to Friday during term time. Preschool choices include a morning session from 9am to noon, a morning with lunch club until 1pm, an afternoon from noon to 3pm, and an all-day session from 9am to 3pm. The preferred pattern is at least two sessions, although attendance can be discussed flexibly; this is a preference rather than a fixed minimum.

Early Birds runs from 8am to 8.45am for school children and from 8am to 9am for preschool children. Preschool children can also book the shorter 8.45am to 9am addition or stay from 3pm to 3.30pm. Afterschool care runs from 3.30pm to 5.30pm, with shorter bookings ending at 4.30pm or 5pm and later-starting options from 4.30pm.

Permanent wraparound bookings are secured for the term once confirmed. Block bookings cover a minimum of two weeks, while ad-hoc Early Birds and after-school bookings can be made only seven days ahead. Preschool block or ad-hoc attendance may be offered in some circumstances, by prior arrangement with the setting manager. Paid permanent sessions are invoiced in advance by term; cancellation requires four weeks' notice, compared with seven days for a block-booked session. Charges still apply to absences through illness or holidays.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded preschool attendance includes up to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks for three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, plus an additional 15 hours for eligible working parents of children aged two to four. Funded hours are used during term time between 9am and 3pm. The entry rule still applies: preschool welcomes children from the term in which they turn three. Care outside the funded window is charged separately and invoiced by term.

Children bring a packed lunch, while the rolling snack offers fruit with water or milk. Parents supply sun cream for an all-day child's individual reapplication after lunch and apply it before attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the session fees and times page also sets out the charging structure.

The nursery describes a positive working relationship with Risby Primary School. Attendance does not guarantee a school place, and families still use the local authority admissions process. Wraparound school children are escorted to school by staff; younger after-school children attend the preschool setting, while the provision for school years three to six takes place within the school.

• Group participation and hygiene. In December 2022, crowded adult-led activities left quieter children disengaged, and reminders about covering coughs were inconsistent. At a visit, ask how group numbers are managed and how staff reinforce these habits now.
• A term-time timetable. Preschool mornings, afternoons and all-day sessions serve different routines, but the setting operates during term time. Families needing holiday care will need to account for that in their plans.
• Booking commitments. Permanent paid sessions carry four weeks' cancellation notice, while block bookings require seven days. Ad-hoc wraparound bookings open only seven days ahead, so the booking type matters as much as the session time.
• Entry and school progression. Preschool entry starts in the term of a child's third birthday, and attendance gives no guaranteed place at Risby Primary School. A visit can be arranged by telephone or email to discuss the child's settling and support needs.

Risby suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon preschool, an all-day preschool pattern, or before- and after-school care linked to the primary school. Its recognisable strengths are practical play, immediate teaching around children's interests and communication support with specific tools and review arrangements. Felix and Frieda, Barty Bear and the lending library give that approach a personal character. The December 2022 group-engagement and hygiene concerns remain useful questions for a visit, alongside the notice periods attached to paid bookings.