Chestnuts Pre-school

A parent-run committee, a dividable indoor space and an enclosed outdoor play area give Chestnuts Pre-school its character. This charity in Woosehill, Wokingham, puts family participation into the running of the setting as well as children's play. Parents can contribute skills, support fundraising or take part in Stay and Play once their child has settled.

At its June 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion to be a Strong standard, the other assessed areas to be an Expected standard, and safeguarding standards to be met. That is a useful distinction: support for children facing barriers to learning was the strongest assessed area, while consistency in teaching and daily routines needed further work.

Chestnuts has 26 places in total for children aged two to five, with admissions starting from two and a half. Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, with a separately charged Lunch club.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning and care: play, conversation and practical activities help them develop language, physical skills and early understanding of number. At Chestnuts, sessions combine children's own choices with activities guided by practitioners. Children can explore indoors and outside, then join smaller groups for activities shaped around their interests or development, including movement, music, maths and phonics.

The large indoor space can be divided, while the enclosed outdoor area gives children another setting for play. This arrangement supports a session with several kinds of activity rather than a single whole-group format. A welcome song begins the shared part of the routine; water, milk or a healthy snack feature midway through the session.

In June 2026, role play included children making shopping lists and discussing food for pets. Outdoors, football World Cup-inspired games combined team play with recording scores in chalk on the fence. Water play also brought number and measurement into practical activity, as children estimated how smaller containers would fill a larger one. These examples connect early learning to things children can do and discuss.

The same June 2026 picture had limits. Questions during group activities sometimes failed to match individual children's understanding, and staff did not consistently adjust activities when interest faded. Older children with confident language skills needed more opportunities to develop vocabulary and thinking. Enjoyable activity and appropriate challenge were not yet equally consistent.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts before the first independent session. Each child has a Key Person, with the relationship beginning through a home visit, followed by a trial session with a parent present. That practitioner attends the child's first few sessions and most of their subsequent sessions, giving families a familiar point of contact as attendance becomes established.

Stay and Play allows parents, grandparents and other close relatives to join a settled child in the setting. It offers a practical way to understand the child's day and speak with the Key Person when they are available. Parent involvement also extends to the voluntary committee, which meets monthly and supports the building, resources and fundraising.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that targeted support, collaboration with external professionals and a quieter sensory space helped children with additional needs participate and progress, but identified inconsistent behaviour support, limited independence in some routines and insufficiently tailored staff coaching. The strengths and the development points both matter when assessing care here.

In June 2026, the sensory space accommodated small-group interventions, while dual-language books supported children who spoke Cantonese at home. Portage workers and family support workers collaborated with staff, families and receiving settings. These were concrete arrangements for adapting support to a child, rather than relying on everyone benefiting from the same activity.

Home visits in June 2026 covered sleep, feeding, toileting and nappy-changing routines. Staff arranged rest when children became tired, and used stories and puppets to explore emotions. Children brought packed lunches, which gave them opportunities to manage their lunch bags and drinks; however, waiting while adults prepared lunch reduced opportunities for involvement in other daily tasks.

The team includes SENDCo and designated safeguarding lead responsibilities, alongside practitioners with early years qualifications, including an Early Years Teacher Status qualification. These roles provide points of responsibility for support and safeguarding arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Chestnuts operates at 32 Chestnut Avenue, Wokingham, RG41 3RS, in self-contained premises beside Hawthorns Primary School. Morning sessions begin at 8.45am and end at 11.30am; afternoon sessions begin at 12.20pm and end at 3pm. Lunch club runs Monday to Friday and is charged separately from funded sessions.

Children start with a minimum of three sessions each week, subject to availability. Specific sessions are not guaranteed, although parental preferences are considered. Term dates follow Wokingham Borough Council's calendar and may differ from Hawthorns Primary School because of inset days, so matching a sibling's school calendar needs attention.

Registration can take place at any age, and there is no catchment restriction. Families request an application form by telephone; after the form and administration fee are received, children join a waiting list organised by academic-year age groups. Enquiries can also be made through the contact form, by email or by letter.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded attendance of 15 hours or 30 hours is offered across sessions, depending on eligibility and availability. Provision is term-time. Private session charges apply where a child is ineligible for funding or attends beyond their funded allocation across settings; Lunch club is an additional service outside funding.

The administration fee is refunded if Chestnuts cannot offer a place. A late-collection charge applies after more than ten minutes beyond a session's finish unless agreed beforehand. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page sets out the charge categories.

• Teaching for confident communicators. In June 2026, older children's vocabulary and thinking were not consistently extended. During a visit, ask how practitioners now adapt questions and activities for children ready for greater challenge.
• Participation in daily routines. June 2026 findings included waiting during activity changes and uneven behaviour support. Ask how children take part in tidying and how staff keep group activities engaging.
• The attendance pattern. Starting attendance involves at least three sessions weekly, subject to availability, and requested sessions cannot be guaranteed. Consider how morning or afternoon attendance, the separate Lunch club charge and term-time closures fit your household.
• Age at entry. Admissions begin at two and a half, within the setting's broader two-to-five age range. For a younger child, confirm the intended starting date and the care items families should supply.

Chestnuts suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions during term time, with an active role for parents and the option of Lunch club. The home visit, Key Person and parent-accompanied trial provide a clear settling sequence, while the indoor space and enclosed play area support different kinds of activity.

Its June 2026 assessment gives families a balanced starting point: inclusion was the strongest area, with teaching, routines and staff development still requiring greater consistency. For children needing tailored support, the sensory space and professional partnerships deserve attention. For confident older children, the quality of challenge is the central visit question.