About us
Barnett Wood Pre-School was established in 1993 and has grown to a point where today it welcomes up to 44 children each session. The preschool provides term-time early education in a friendly, stimulating and nurturing environment where children can play, learn and make friends. It is situated on the same site as Barnett Wood Infant School, but is independently run. Children are invited to join the preschool from the September after their 2nd birthday.
As a limited company with charitable status, the preschool aims to put the needs of the families and children who attend at the forefront of everything it does. The setting is led by a group of directors who give their time voluntarily to help ensure it is run as a successful business, re-investing any surplus funds back into the setting. Day to day, the setting is managed by Louise Pruthi, who is supported by a team of dedicated and experienced staff. Click here for letter from the directors explaining their roles and how parents can get involved.
Sessions
The preschool offers sessional care during term-time only. Our session times are as follows:
Morning sessions 8.30am - 12.15pm available Monday to Friday
Afternoon sessions 12.15pm - 3.00pm available Monday to Thursday
Full day sessions 8.30am - 3.00pm - available Monday to Thursday
Children must attend a minimum of 2 sessions per week (a full day is counted as 2 sessions). Where a child is claiming Working Parent Entitlement funding, Universal Entitlement funding or Funded Early Education for Two Year Olds (FEET), they must attend for a minimum of 4 sessions per week.
In addition, if your child has an Autumn birthday (between 1st September and 31st December), they must also attend at least one afternoon session per week.
All children, regardless of their age, are welcome to attend full day sessions. However parents/carers must be aware that we do not have sleep facilities so they should be confident that their child can manage without an afternoon nap.
Ofsted
The preschool was last inspected in May 2023 and we are delighted to be rated as "Outstanding" in all areas. The summary of the key findings were as follows:
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Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the exceptionally welcoming and nurturing preschool.
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Chidlren receive reassurance from extremely warm and caring staff.
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Children are incredibly well behaved and show high levels of motivation. They fully immerse themselves in exciting and stimulating play.
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Staff know the children incredibly well and meticulously offer opportunities that help children experience awe and wonder.
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Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive support at the highest level
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Staff use their experience to skilfully assess children's levels of development. Staff use this evidence to plan and delivery exemplary, stimulating activities that build on children's existing knowledge and skills
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Teaching is excellent. Staff provide consistently high-quality interactions with children.
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Parent partnership is an extremely high priority at the preschool. Parents praise the staff team and the high standards of teaching.
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Safeguarding is of paramount importance. All staff go through a secure recruitment process to ensure their suitability to work with children.
Please click here to access our Ofsted reports on the Ofsted website