All Saints Preschool

A church-hall preschool with garden play, wildlife walks and families taking part in its activities, All Saints Preschool has a clear community character. Based in Highcliffe, Winchester, it provides term-time childcare for children aged two to five and has 26 places in total. Its charity committee gives caregivers a route into helping run the setting, alongside their child's day-to-day involvement.

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated All Saints Preschool Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) was effective. The practical appeal is a combination of play-based learning, a key person for each child and opportunities for families to participate. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions serve different attendance needs.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the required framework for children's learning and care, covering communication, physical development, relationships and the foundations of literacy and maths. Here, children learn through play, with familiar equipment kept accessible and activities adjusted around their interests. That gives them opportunities to return to something they enjoy while trying an extension introduced by staff.

Adult-led activities sit alongside play chosen by children, with both small-group and whole-group learning. Cookery and themed weeks add variety. The approach makes room for practical experiences rather than treating school preparation as sitting down to complete reading and writing tasks.

In May 2025, children helped prepare play dough and followed instructions during the activity. Water play offered practice using small hand movements, while designing obstacle courses brought movement and problem-solving together. Opportunities to draw and make marks were spread across the setting, giving children different ways to practise controlling tools.

Mathematical language also appeared in play that May: children explored measuring, weight, shapes and space alongside counting. Staff introduced vocabulary and repeated children's words with clear pronunciation; children also used signs to communicate. These are concrete examples of how everyday activities can carry learning beyond the activity itself.

Outdoor and Community Life

The example daily routine includes garden access during both morning and afternoon play. Group gatherings, stories and singing provide shared points in the day, while children also have time to choose activities. Rolling snacks fit around play rather than making every child stop at once.

Walks to local wildlife spots extend activities beyond the hall. In May 2025, outings also included looking at statues around town, bringing the local community into children's learning. Caregivers join reading activities as guests, and stay-and-play sessions take place each term. Families can therefore participate in the preschool's activities as well as hear about them afterwards.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for their wellbeing and progress. Tapestry, the online app, gives families access to a Learning Journal containing photographs and accounts of activities, connected to areas of development. Parents can also choose other people to have access, making it possible to share those updates with the wider family.

Those observations inform planning around children's interests and help identify where further support may be needed. A printed version of the observations is a separately charged keepsake option. The digital journal's practical value is more immediate: it gives parents specific experiences to talk about with their child rather than only a general account of the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role provides a point of responsibility for special educational needs support, and the team includes a designated safeguarding lead. In May 2025, staff worked with parents and outside professionals when planning additional help, and used additional funding to target that support. These mechanisms matter to families whose child needs continuity between home, preschool and other services.

Quiet spaces allow children to nap when needed, and nappy changes take place throughout the day and as required. Rest is therefore part of the daily arrangements, even though this is a preschool for children aged two and above.

In May 2025, children practised independence through small tasks, including helping another child open their milk. Staff encouraged handwashing before food, wearing hats in sunshine and drinking after active play. These examples show how care routines became opportunities to practise looking after themselves and others.

Sessions and Attendance

All Saints Preschool operates from All Saints Church Hall, Petersfield Road, Winchester, SO23 0JD. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the preschool closes for school holidays. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions provide alternatives to attending for the whole opening window.

Drop-off choices are 8.30am or 9am, and noon or 12.30pm. Collection choices are noon or 12.30pm, and 3pm or 3.30pm. These choices are useful when matching attendance to a family's daily timetable. Enquiries can be made by email or telephone through the contact page, and families are welcome to meet the team and look around.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early years funding is accepted for eligible children, alongside tax-free childcare payments. The attendance offer is term-time, and additional charged hours are also offered; families should obtain current prices in a written quotation. The sessions, fees and funding page brings the attendance choices and charge structure together.

Children attending across lunchtime bring a packed lunch from home, while snacks carry no additional charge. Non-food consumables also carry no additional charge, including alongside funded attendance; the optional printed learning observations are a separate paid item.

• Term-time timetable. Opening ends at 3.30pm and the preschool closes during school holidays. Families needing later care or holiday coverage should weigh those limits against the choice of morning, afternoon and all-day attendance.
• Extending learning. The May 2025 inspection identified opportunities to develop staff interactions further and adapt group activities more closely to individual children's learning needs. During a visit, ask how staff now adjust an activity when a child needs greater challenge or a different starting point.
• Lunch from home. Children staying over lunchtime need a packed lunch. For a child with food allergies, ask how lunches and snacks are managed together during the day.
• Family involvement. Termly stay-and-play sessions, guest reading by caregivers and the charity committee offer different ways to participate. Consider which would fit your family's time and interests.

All Saints Preschool suits families seeking morning, afternoon or all-day attendance within a term-time timetable, with play, garden access and community activities shaping the experience. The key-person arrangement and Tapestry journal give parents concrete ways to follow their child's day, while guest reading and stay-and-play sessions invite them to take part.

The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with teaching interactions and the adaptation of group activities remaining useful points to explore. For families whose schedules fit its hours, the appeal lies in a community preschool where familiar play, practical activities and family participation come together.