Hunnyhill Ormiston Academy Pre-School

Spanish songs, an early-years outdoor play area and a preschool classroom give Hunnyhill’s youngest children their own starting point within the academy. This is the school’s preschool provision, welcoming children from three, on Forest Road in Newport. The wider site has forest and farmland around it, with views towards Carisbrooke Castle.

The preschool aims to encourage curiosity and independence through a creative curriculum. Those are its ambitions, rather than an inspection verdict. The Ofsted early-years judgement is Requires Improvement; the school has no single overall grade. Families should keep that early-years judgement distinct from claims about the wider academy.

The preschool classroom opens its door at 8:50am, and the preschool day finishes at 3:10pm. Those times give families a concrete framework for planning the day’s handovers.

Learning in the early years includes Spanish introduced through games and songs. This gives young children a playful way to encounter another language. Science is taught weekly across the early years, with children encouraged to raise questions and explore answers. Curiosity has a practical place in the curriculum, alongside the preschool’s stated aim of helping children become more independent learners.

An outdoor play area is allocated to early years. Elsewhere on the academy site are a conservation and nature area, a library and a music room. These are features of the wider school grounds and buildings; the early-years play space is the feature specifically connected to its youngest learners.

Before a child starts, the preschool arranges a visit and a conversation with its lead after processing the application. A start date is organised too. That initial conversation gives parents a point of contact before the first preschool day, rather than leaving introductions until attendance begins.

Staffing includes a preschool team, alongside the academy’s early-years teachers. For additional needs, parents can contact the school’s SENCO by telephone. This provides a direct route for discussing SEND with the relevant school role.

Class Dojo is the academy’s main channel for parent communication, combining private messages to teachers with class and school updates. Milk at snack time is available to children under five. The academy also requires parents to tell staff when a different adult will collect their child, making changes to the usual handover explicit.

Preschool attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Isle of Wight Council, meeting the January closing date. Treat this as a fresh application, rather than an automatic continuation of preschool attendance.

Transition activities are separate from that admissions decision. Summer-term drop-in sessions let children meet the Reception team, hear a story and try activities in the classroom and outside. Parents also have a summer welcome meeting. These introductions help families become familiar with the next stage before it begins.

Use the preschool application form to begin the joining process. Once it has been processed, the team contacts families to arrange the visit, introductory conversation and start date. Places are limited, so the preschool advises booking ahead of a child’s third birthday.

For enquiries, call the school office on 01983 522506. One-to-one school tours can also be booked through the office, giving families an opportunity to discuss the setting before choosing it.