Rackerhayes Pre School

About this day nursery

5 hours a week during term time. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, the preschool employs professionally trained staff dedicated to fostering creativity and exploration within a flexible setting that accommodates varying family needs, including flexible funding and hours.

The facility operates as an open hall environment with a designated classroom where educators focus on specific learning areas and school readiness, allowing children to mingle, choose activities, and interact with peers of different ages. The daily routine balances freedom with structured learning, incorporating free play for arts and crafts, building activities, and imaginative play, alongside adult-led group activities such as stories, songs, and games designed to promote speech and language development.

Children also have access to multiple outdoor play areas, including an undercover space, sensory garden, construction zone, mud kitchen, and a large sandpit, ensuring a well-rounded education that combines structured activities with the freedom of nature. Rackerhayes Preschool is a community-run charitable organisation, supported by parents, grandparents, carers, volunteers, and staff who work together to provide high-quality care and resources.

They actively fundraise for new equipment and benefit from their affiliation with the Early Years Alliance, which aids in developing their provision and learning environments, such as their sensory den and construction site. The preschool celebrates over 40 years of operation, having been established in 1985.

Our ethos

At Rackerhayes Preschool, our aim is to provide enjoyable education for children from two years to school age in a safe and stimulating learning environment, promoting a positive and inclusive atmosphere, where children learn through play with an abundance of resources inside and outside, during term time. Our approach operates as an open hall environment with a designated classroom where our education practitioners focus on specific areas of learning and school readiness. This unique structure allows children to mingle, choose their activities and interact with peers of different ages, balancing freedom with structure and learning through free play and small adult-led group activities including stories, songs, games, and collaborative projects to promote speech and language development. Providing both indoor and outdoor learning experiences combines structured activities with the freedom of nature, encouraging children to learn through a variety of sensory experiences.

What it's like

Children have a wonderful time at this pre-school, accessing many exciting activities both inside and outside. Staff have excellent relationships with parents, working together to support children's development, including providing 'homework' activities. The impact of teaching is highly effective, and children are deeply engaged and sustain high levels of concentration.