Young Explorers Pre-School

At the December 2023 inspection, puppets and child-built ramps brought storytelling and physical play into children's learning. This independent preschool occupies St Francis Annexe in Woking, on the St. Dunstan's School site, and has capacity for 26 children. Its approach combines Planning in the moment with structured activities tailored to children's developmental needs.

At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. The practical appeal is a preschool day built around play, with indoor and outdoor learning rather than an offer centred on babies or year-round childcare. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance give families different ways to use it.

There is an important qualification to the positive judgement. In December 2023, managers were not checking consistently enough that staff extended children's learning across every part of the curriculum. That makes the breadth of each child's experience a useful point to explore, alongside the activities that most readily catch their interest.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, physical skills, early mathematical understanding and independence through play and adult support. Young Explorers combines Planning in the moment with structured activities tailored to children's developmental needs.

Music forms part of the daily routine. Creative materials include paint, fabrics and acrylics, while imaginative play gives children another way to express ideas. Print in the surroundings, activities for finger strength and work with shapes and measures connect play with the skills children will later use at school. These are concrete parts of the day, rather than a separate programme added on top of preschool learning.

In December 2023, a play theatre and puppets held children's attention during storytelling; children then wanted to use them to tell the stories themselves. The useful distinction is between simply listening and taking ownership of a story. Retelling creates an opportunity to practise language, sequence events and make choices about characters.

Seasonal mathematical activities also featured that December. Children searched for a Christmas elf associated with a changing number, counted baubles and paired numbered tree pictures using pegs. Elsewhere, twigs became tools for making patterns in artificial snow. These examples show how familiar objects could carry a learning purpose without turning the day into formal lessons.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor play areas support movement as well as imaginative play. In December 2023, staff took learning outdoors and children used wooden planks to construct ramps, then practised balancing along them. Building and using the same structure brought problem-solving and physical activity together.

In December 2023, parental involvement included invitations to play guitar, discuss Chinese New Year and make Christmas decorations, alongside volunteering to read books in two languages. For children, this made family knowledge part of preschool life; for parents, it offered a practical role beyond receiving updates.

Relationships and Communication

Parent involvement remains part of the preschool's approach, including volunteering and taking part in events. The team includes responsibilities for Tapestry coordination and mentoring, as well as physical activities and positive behaviour. Those defined responsibilities give families specific areas of care and communication to discuss with the staff responsible for them.

In December 2023, adults joined children's play and used conversation to develop vocabulary and sentence-building. Small-group language activities sat alongside these everyday exchanges. Children also practised sharing building blocks and dressing-up resources, with patient adult help when emotions or turn-taking needed attention.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children's progress, including confident communication for those learning English as an additional language, and worked with parents and the special educational needs coordinator to seek early help when needed. The practical strength in that finding is the connection between noticing a difficulty, involving families and obtaining support.

Current team responsibilities include SEND coordination, designated safeguarding roles and paediatric first aid. These describe the arrangements in place; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection.

Independence was visible in December 2023 through ordinary tasks: children washed their hands, organised their packed lunches and cut snack fruit with suitable knives. Such routines gave them opportunities to manage belongings and practise self-care, alongside the more obvious learning activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool is at St Francis Annexe, Onslow Cresent, Woking, GU22 7AX. Attendance runs during term time, with the calendar separating teaching periods from holiday closures. The October 2026 half-term closure runs from 26 to 30 October, a practical consideration for families arranging cover.

Preschool attendance is offered Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3.15pm, and full-day attendance from 8.45am to 3.15pm. These are different booking patterns within a preschool-length day, so an afternoon booking serves a different need from combining both parts of the day.

Explorers Breakfast & After School Club is separate provision primarily for St. Dunstan’s KS1 children, rather than an extension of the preschool offer for younger children. Breakfast Club runs from 7.45am to 8.30am; the after-school session runs from 3.15pm to 5.45pm. KS2 children cannot join. Club applications enter a waiting list ordered by receipt, with sibling priority subject to the club's conditions and discretion for vulnerable children; joining that list does not secure a club place.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2023, the preschool received funding for early education for three- and four-year-olds. Private attendance also has a charge structure, with separate morning, afternoon and all-day prices. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the attendance fees page sets out the session categories.

Being on the St. Dunstan's School site does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process for a school application. The preschool day and a school place are separate decisions.

• Breadth of learning. The December 2023 improvement point concerned extending learning consistently across the curriculum. During a showaround, ask how staff build on a child's favourite activities while introducing less familiar areas.
• Term-time cover. The preschool sells morning, afternoon and full-day attendance, with holiday closures including 26 to 30 October 2026. Match those patterns to your working week and ask how lunch and non-food consumables are arranged for the sessions you would book.
• School-age clubs. Explorers Breakfast & After School Club primarily serves St. Dunstan’s KS1 children and excludes KS2. Its waiting-list application is a separate step and does not guarantee a club place.

Young Explorers suits families seeking term-time preschool through morning sessions, afternoon sessions or a full preschool day. Child-led choices, daily music and creative materials give the offer substance, while the December 2023 examples show how puppets, construction and family participation were used for learning.

The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with a clear improvement point about curriculum breadth. Families choosing this setting should weigh that alongside the practical fit of its shorter day and school-term calendar. The school-age clubs serve a different group and should be considered separately.