St James Church Pre-School CIO

Garden discoveries and practical independence give this Woodley pre-school its character: children have explored insects, grown peas and learnt to manage small tasks for themselves. St James Church Pre-School CIO has 20 places in total and welcomes children from two years old until school age. It is a small setting with a sessional rhythm, rather than an all-year childcare timetable.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying two priorities: clearer learning aims for staff and more help for quieter, less confident children to participate. Those priorities matter alongside the garden play and friendly relationships. An appealing activity needs a clear purpose, and children who hang back need support to take part.

Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, with breakfast and lunch clubs adding options around them. Parents can also become involved through fundraising, sharing their skills or joining the voluntary management committee.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum guides learning through play. For children, that means developing language, social skills and practical understanding through play. The offer spans children from two years old to school age, so the important question is how activities engage children at different stages.

In June 2024, building with blocks gave children a concrete problem to solve. After unsuccessful attempts, they changed their approach and discovered that larger pieces worked better underneath. This was learning through experimentation: a failed attempt became a reason to change the plan. The value lay in the thinking, rather than simply completing a tower.

Language also ran through everyday interaction at that time. Staff introduced vocabulary, modelled pronunciation and sustained conversations with more confident children. Group participation was less consistent for younger or quieter children. For families, that distinction is useful: confident conversation and support for a reluctant speaker are different tasks, and both deserve attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2024, the garden supported both movement and close observation. Children investigated insects, found a frog and a centipede, balanced on logs and used climbing apparatus. These experiences gave them opportunities to investigate living things as well as practise coordination. Outdoor play had substance beyond a break from indoor activities.

Growing food added another practical thread. Children discussed the soil, water and sunshine seeds need, then shelled and ate peas they had grown. This connected an explanation about plants with something they could handle and taste. It made the relationship between growing and eating tangible.

Getting to know children before they began attending helped staff establish relationships in June 2024. Children settled comfortably, played cooperatively and shared resources. For a child beginning pre-school, familiarity with the adults can make participation easier; here, preparation before the first session was part of that relationship-building.

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities developed skills across the curriculum, with professional links, including speech and language therapists, helping children with language delays catch up. The current staff structure includes a SENCO role, a deputy SENCO role and a lead safeguarding practitioner. These are concrete points of responsibility for families discussing a child's support.

Independence was encouraged through manageable tasks in June 2024. Children put on shoes, hung up coats, prepared fruit and fed themselves, with handwashing linked to eating. Such tasks give children practice in looking after themselves during an ordinary day. Electronic updates and conversations also kept parents informed about activities and development at that time.

Committee oversight deserves attention alongside day-to-day care. In June 2024, changes in committee membership had not been notified to Ofsted, preventing completion of all committee suitability checks; leaders had taken action to correct this. The present management structure is a voluntary committee of parents and trustees, responsible for matters including finances, policies, employment and strategic decisions. Family involvement therefore includes a governance role with real responsibilities.

Sessions and Attendance

The pre-school operates at St James Church Centre, Kingfisher Drive, Woodley, Reading, RG5 3LH. Attendance is term-time only. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to noon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; Wednesday's morning finishes earlier, at 11.45am. Afternoon sessions run from 12.45pm to 3.45pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Breakfast club runs every morning from 8.15am to 8.45am. Lunch club runs from noon to 12.45pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. These clubs extend the session choices, but Wednesday retains a shorter timetable. Families comparing weekly routines should look at the actual session pattern rather than assume each weekday works alike.

Children can join the waiting list from birth, and offers follow waiting-list order. The registration form is emailed to jamespreschool@outlook.com; enquiries can also be made through the contact form or by calling 07305 399689. Invoices are issued at the start of each half term. Withdrawal from the pre-school or individual sessions requires written notice of one half term, except in the term before a child starts primary school.

Funding and Paid Extras

Paid sessions sit alongside funded childcare. The pre-school offers 15 hours per week of Early Years Government Funding from the term after a child's third birthday until school starts, and also offers 30 hours per week from that term, subject to eligibility confirmed through HMRC. Attendance is term-time, so families should match the entitlement to the session timetable.

Breakfast and lunch clubs carry separate charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The notice terms also matter when changing a booking: a shorter attendance pattern does not remove the requirement to give written notice for sessions being dropped.

• A shorter Wednesday and term-time calendar. Wednesday ends at 11.45am, while afternoons run on the other four weekdays. Families needing the same hours throughout the week or holiday care should weigh that pattern carefully.
• Support for quieter learners. The June 2024 improvement priorities concerned purposeful teaching and participation by less confident children. At a visit, ask how staff draw a reluctant child into an activity and decide what that child should learn from it.
• Committee responsibilities. In June 2024, membership changes had not been notified for suitability checks, although corrective action had begun. Parents considering committee membership should understand the notification responsibilities as well as the opportunities to help.
• Planning for lunch club. Lunch club bridges the morning and afternoon sessions on four weekdays. When discussing a booking, ask what families should supply for food and non-food consumables, and how those arrangements apply to funded sessions.

St James Church Pre-School CIO suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or afternoon sessions, with breakfast and lunch clubs available around that pattern. Its June 2024 garden activities and practical tasks give a clear picture of children learning by doing. The balance is the need for sharper teaching intentions, better participation support for quieter children and careful committee oversight. For a family comfortable with the shorter Wednesday, this is a small pre-school with meaningful opportunities for parental involvement.