Opening hours
9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Bobtails Preschool in Horley (RH6 9AY)
Ofsted: Outstanding
(Jun 2023)
Number of places
35 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2023
Local authority
Surrey
About this early years setting
Bobtails Preschool, established over 35 years ago, is a cherished part of the Horley community, operating from two locations: Horley Infant School and St Francis Church Hall. As a charity and community organisation, it is guided by a dedicated board of trustees, many of whom are former Bobtails parents.
Both settings are committed to creating a safe and engaging environment where children can thrive and learn through play. The Horley Infant School branch, known as "The Warren," boasts a purpose-built facility with a large garden, referred to as an outdoor classroom, and benefits from access to the school's extensive grounds, including a field, playground, pond, and even a Forest School area.
This allows for a wide range of outdoor activities from active sports to imaginative play. Meanwhile, the St. Francis Church Hall location utilises a spacious hall transformed into a pre-school room, complemented by a generous car park and a wonderful enclosed garden.
This garden is equipped with an all-weather shade sail, a rubber safety surface for trike riding, and an astro-turf area for year-round use, encouraging digging, sand and water play, and creative "mud kitchen" experiences. Both preschools prioritise active, messy, and fun-filled learning, believing it to be crucial for a child's development.
Our ethos
Bobtails Preschool is committed to creating a safe and engaging environment where children can learn through active, messy, and fun-filled play, which they believe is crucial for development. They utilise their surrounding environment, including gardens and outdoor spaces, as extensions of the classroom to facilitate a wide range of activities.
What it's like
Children are excited to attend Bobtails Preschool, demonstrating their knowledge of routines and making healthy choices at the snack bar. Their ideas are highly valued, contributing to their self-esteem and sense of belonging. The curriculum offers rich experiences, allowing children to thrive through their imaginations and democratic decisions, fostered by staff who know them exceptionally well.
Charity and community organisationTwo locationsOutdoor learning focusExperienced staff
Pricing & funding
Funding accepted
15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds
Pricing on request
This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.
Request pricing →Key facts
Term time / All Year
Term Time
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Bobtails Preschool
Last inspected 13 June 2023 · Astrella Chapman
Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
What it's like to attend
Children are excited to attend Bobtails Preschool, demonstrating their knowledge of routines and making healthy choices at the snack bar. Their ideas are highly valued, contributing to their self-esteem and sense of belonging. The curriculum offers rich experiences, allowing children to thrive through their imaginations and democratic decisions, fostered by staff who know them exceptionally well.
Inspector highlights
- The inspirational pre-school manager has extremely high expectations for the children and provides a highly ambitious curriculum.
- The manager's vision to help children to have a real sense of belonging and to be confident and independent learners is entwined in everything they do.
- Staff have had training on how to support children's speech and language skills, resulting in an outstanding impact on their development.
- Children with special educational needs have exemplary support to meet all their needs and make excellent progress.
- Staff develop excellent relationships with parents, sharing ideas for home learning and providing resources like a book loaning library and rhyme booklets.
Inspection #10285445 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
What parents say
Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection
"Parents speak extremely highly about the pre-school team and the impact they have had on their children."
"Parents describe how their children's language, vocabulary, focus and attention has significantly improved."
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Children with special educational needs have exemplary support to meet all their needs and make excellent progress. The extremely knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator works very closely with parents, the local authority and other professionals to implement support plans. Furthermore, she organises the staff to attend appropriate training in the strategies that children need. These strategies are also shared with parents. This has an extremely positive effect on children's progress and swiftly reduces gaps in their learning.
Outdoor space
The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning.
Google Reviews of Bobtails Preschool
5.0
(1 Google review)
rebecca wynne
8 years ago
Fantastic nursery! Warm and friendly staff.purely dedicated manager!!
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Bobtails Preschool. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: October 2017
- June 2023Outstanding
- October 2017Outstanding
Frequently asked about Bobtails Preschool
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