Flying Start Nursery

Woodland gives Flying Start Nursery its character: weekly Forest School, walks to ponds and allotments, and outdoor discoveries woven into preschool life. Based at Pinewood Hall in Wokingham, it combines nature with an emphasis on communication, independence and preparing children for school. There is capacity for 32 children in total.

At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that teaching encouraged children to contribute ideas, while targeted language activities supported their communication. That judgement provides a useful quality benchmark, but the practical appeal is specific: children have opportunities to explore outdoors alongside football and dance.

Flying Start cares for children aged two to five and operates during term time. Its opening hours extend into the afternoon from Monday to Thursday, with an earlier finish on Friday.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences support their learning alongside their wellbeing. Flying Start's curriculum emphasises friendship, communication, physical development and independent thinking, with school preparation as its direction. Staff play alongside children, helping them develop ideas within a planned environment.

Mondays bring football coaching from Just Play Sports; Wednesdays include dance led by a professional ballet dancer. These give physical activity different forms across the week, alongside the nursery's emphasis on creativity and movement. A teacher works in every session.

In April 2023, children explored dough and made models from discarded materials. Real vegetables became a language resource, introducing unfamiliar food words through play. Children also considered how to measure woodland ferns, making a height chart to investigate their growth. The examples connect conversation, practical exploration and early mathematical thinking rather than treating them as separate tasks.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds a weekly session of learning in woodland, alongside regular walks to the woods, pond, parks and allotments. The nursery's own woodland site is just 5 minutes walk from nursery. Forest Walks include visits to a stream as well as these other outdoor places, giving children different settings to explore.

In April 2023, outdoor discussions included worms, vibrations and the way birds find food. Physical play involved balancing on a fallen trunk, ball skills and obstacle routes built with soft play blocks. Nature supplied questions as well as space to move. These dated examples help explain the outdoor emphasis that remains part of the current offer.

Every child has a key person who follows their learning and progress. That gives families an identified practitioner with responsibility for understanding their child, rather than leaving progress monitoring as a general team task. Playing alongside children is also part of the nursery's approach, placing adult support within their activities.

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified prompt, targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including resources purchased through additional funding that helped them participate and progress. These are dated findings about practice, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's experience.

In April 2023, children turned to their key person when they needed reassurance. A calmer entrance hall supported settling in small groups, while everyday routines encouraged children to manage coats, shoes and handwashing themselves. Comfort and independence worked together: children could seek help while practising tasks for themselves.

Two development points also matter to families. In April 2023, information sharing with other childcare settings needed strengthening so that learning was more consistent for children attending elsewhere. Healthy eating messages were communicated to parents, but opportunities to develop children's understanding of food choices during play were sometimes missed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Pinewood Hall, The Pinewood Centre, Old Wokingham Road, Wokingham, RG40 3AQ. Flying Start operates during term time, opening from 9am to 3pm Monday to Thursday and from 9am to 1pm on Friday. Those hours make the earlier Friday finish a practical consideration for the working week.

Families can contact the nursery by telephone on 01344 752922 or by email at flyingstartpreschool@weycp.org.uk. Visits can be arranged through direct contact.

Funding and Paid Extras

Flying Start accepts 15 and 30 hour funding and does not charge top-up fees. Private childcare and additional paid hours are also offered. Families should obtain a current written quotation for paid care, keeping the funded entitlement separate from any extra hours they choose.

• Term-time timetable. Friday closes at 1pm, earlier than the other weekdays. Consider how that pattern fits work and holiday childcare arrangements.
• Shared childcare. Information exchange with other settings was an improvement point in April 2023. If your child attends elsewhere, ask how practitioners now coordinate learning and support.
• Food and daily supplies. Healthy food choices were another April 2023 development point. At a visit, discuss how children learn about food and the arrangements for meals and everyday care supplies.

Flying Start suits families seeking term-time preschool with a clear outdoor emphasis. Weekly Forest School, regular walks and named sports coaching give its nature-led identity substance, while a key person and school-preparation priorities provide a recognisable structure for learning and care.

The April 2023 Good judgement supports that picture, with information sharing and food education the specific development points to explore. The weekday opening pattern, especially Friday's earlier finish, is central to deciding whether it fits family life.