Findon Valley Free Church Pre School

Soft blocks, balancing equipment and a book corner give Findon Valley Free Church Pre School’s November 2022 picture its character: children building together, helping one another and joining in stories. Social confidence mattered here. The setting has capacity for 26 children, with its address at 1-11 Lime Tree Avenue, Worthing, BN14 0DJ.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good at its 4 November 2022 inspection. Children attending then were aged two to four, and the setting used a large church hall; the location was Findon Valley.

In November 2022, the curriculum placed particular emphasis on emotional development and relationships. Children practised trying things for themselves, taking manageable risks and exploring their surroundings. The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care; here, its practical expression included stories, creative play and small-group games.

The book corner supported shared reading, with adults leaving gaps for children to complete familiar sentences. A memory game encouraged listening and recall, while discarded materials became children’s firework creations. These were concrete opportunities to participate, rather than simply watch.

During the same period, staff extended play with cars into conversations about road crossings and recognising the letter p associated with parking. Preparation for writing included building shoulder strength before working on wrist movements. Everyday interests gave learning a starting point.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding, good progress and helpful support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including cooperation with other agencies and appropriate use of additional funding.

In November 2022, staff knew individual children and planned challenging next steps around them. Children helped one another on balancing equipment and cleared away toys after playing. These examples connected independence with consideration for others.

Communication needed more consistency. That November, confident talkers benefited from frequent conversation, but some children did not receive equally consistent help to express feelings or join exchanges with peers. Parents also needed fuller updates about progress and more guidance for supporting learning at home. Plans for parents’ evenings were being developed then; they were not an established arrangement.

In November 2022, opening hours were 9am to 3pm on weekdays during term time. The preschool also received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years at that date. This was a term-time preschool picture, rather than evidence of a current booking pattern.

• Parent communication. November 2022 brought a recommendation for fuller progress updates and guidance for learning at home. A dependable exchange between staff and parents matters beyond occasional conversations.
• Consistency of communication support. The November 2022 findings highlighted uneven help with expressing ideas and engaging with peers. This is especially relevant for a child who needs encouragement to join in.
• Staff development. Supervision, coaching and training needed strengthening in November 2022 to improve teaching. The recommendation concerned support for practitioners, not just activity planning.
• Attendance fit. The November 2022 opening window was term-time weekdays. During a visit, what attendance pattern can your child book now?

The November 2022 picture suits families seeking preschool learning centred on social development, shared play and growing independence. Stories, construction and everyday conversations supplied useful learning opportunities. Balance that dated Good judgement against the specific recommendations on communication, support for some children’s participation and staff development when weighing the setting.