URN EY461031 · Inspected 2026-05-21 · Published 2026-07-06 · Inspector: Kelly Hawkins
Rotherfield Village Pre School Unique reference number (URN): EY461031 Address: Recreation Ground, North Street, Rotherfield, East Sussex, TN6 3LX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 12/03/2013 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Rotherfield Village Pre-School Inspection report: 21 May 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Safeguarding standards met The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Strong standard Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders and staff are highly positive role models. They support children to fully understand the expectations of their behaviour. Children behave impeccably and show high levels of maturity. For example, they are very confident and mature, and they recognise when their friend may feel overwhelmed. They remind each other, 'This might be too loud, let's be a little quieter.' They show high levels of care and understanding to others and how they may be feeling. All children develop heartwarming relationships with staff and each other. Children enjoy the warm interactions with staff and seek them out to share ideas. All staff consistently reinforce highly impactful teaching of behaviour and routines. Children are proud and remain positive, such as persisting at an activity until they complete what they set out to do. Children fully understand very well embedded routines and know what is expected of them next. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children know that when the sand timer runs out, they are moving on to the next part of the day. Leaders monitor children's attendance and ensure they follow up on any unexpected absences. Staff share with parents the importance of punctuality and attendance to prepare them for the expectations of school. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff swiftly identify the individual needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff rigorously assess children's progress and ensure they meet the children's individual needs and plan accordingly. Staff have highly effective partnerships with other early years professionals. For example, they routinely liaise with and share and implement effective strategies to support children. This includes using sign language and using real items to support children's understanding of visual timelines. Staff monitor children's progress thoroughly and are skilful at identifying, assessing and meeting needs, and reducing barriers for all children. This includes disadvantaged children, children who are known or previously known to children's social care and those that are facing barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Staff have recently reflected on the organisation of the setting to ensure that they can meet all children's needs and help them to reach their potential. For instance, they have adapted both indoor and outdoor environments to help engage children with SEND in highly engaging ways. This includes implementing spaces for them to access if they become overwhelmed, including a den they helped to build in the nature garden. Leaders use additional funding highly effectively. For example, they purchase resources to support children's individual progress and provide children with unique experiences, such as Expected standard more individual support in the woodland areas where they use more complicated equipment safely, such as a rope swing. Achievement Expected standard All children make progress in relation to their starting points. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding. Children develop skills to support them to be ready for their next stage of learning. For instance, children are independent and are confident to communicate their needs and regulate their emotions. Staff are dedicated to supporting all children to develop from their starting points and build on their knowledge and skills. This includes minimising any barriers to learning. To support this, staff attend specific training to ensure they help children develop, such as sign language training. Staff support all children to develop their communication and vocabulary skills. For example, children create their own imaginative stories with confidence. Staff support children with SEND through effective ways. This includes using visual prompts and sign language. Children learn about other people's similarities and differences from around the world. This includes learning about the German traditions of St Nicholas Day. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children of all ages are very happy, settled and confident. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to learning and wellbeing. Staff have successfully created a safe and welcoming space to support children to come into the setting and engage in their learning opportunities happily. The pre-school is inviting, and staff have thought out the organisation of the setting to ensure that all children enjoy their learning. The curriculum is well planned, effective and meets the needs of individual children, including those with SEND. There is an effective key- person system in place, which supports all children to feel safe and secure, and relationships between children and staff are positive. All children know the routines and are independent in managing their own needs. For example, they know when they need to rest and they know when they need to use the toilet. Children independently follow thorough health and hygiene routines. During mealtimes, staff teach children about the importance and benefits of healthy eating. Children learn about the importance of following good oral health routines and gain a clear understanding of how to support their health and wellbeing. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Staff have a clear knowledge and understanding of all children and what they know and what they would like them to learn next. They have high expectations of children and, as a result, children show a highly positive attitude towards their learning. The curriculum is effectively embedded and overall teaching is effective. However, on occasion, some teaching is not as strong to extend children's spontaneous play. For example, children enjoy their experiences and staff supervise children well. However, on occasion, there are inconsistent opportunities for children to develop their interests and skills even further. Staff support all children to develop their communication skills. For example, children recap learning and talk about the meaning of words, such as nectar and the life cycle of a bumble bee. Children enjoy stories and singing and are confident to share their ideas about what is happening and what might happen next. Children use mathematical language with confidence as they play. For instance, when they enjoy a nature and bug hunt, they use positional and directional language and talk about more and less and bigger and smaller. All children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. This is demonstrated on a small and large scale. Children develop hand–eye coordination as they engage in threading and moving items with tweezers. Children safely explore more challenging skills, such as climbing trees, using tree swings and balancing on tyres. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have made significant improvements since their last inspection. This includes working hard to ensure they have established a committed and passionate leadership team that supports all staff. The staff team works well together and is dedicated to providing the highest possible care and learning for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Overall, parents are happy and speak highly of the staff and pre-school. Staff liaise with parents daily, such as sharing updates about what their children have enjoyed doing. However, some parents do not fully understand what their children are learning next. Therefore, staff do not consistently provide the strongest and most consistent link to children's shared care and learning between home and the pre-school. Leaders are evaluative and reflect on practice effectively. They identify areas they wish to continue to enhance and recognise the effective practice they have successfully implemented. This includes the plan to implement more learning about how to stay safe online and celebrate how they ensure their pre-school is inclusive. Staff wellbeing is well supported, and leaders ensure that staff workload is manageable. Staff have time to complete training and have regular meetings and one-to-one discussions to ensure that they feel well supported, valued and listened to. Leaders monitor and support staff in helpful and constructive ways. This includes providing individual training to support their professional development. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting All children are very settled and happy in the safe and inviting pre-school. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, all children are confident and know the routines. They swiftly engage in activities that have been carefully thought out and planned for them. For example, children are excited to explore their creativity as they paint on a large scale, turning tyres into bumble bees and creating their own version of a bee using a wide range of materials, such as sticks, string and clay. All children are engaged in learning opportunities that staff provide for them. Staff have a comprehensive knowledge of children and this helps them to ensure they introduce activities and experiences that engage all children and motivate them to learn, including those with SEND. Therefore, all children remain motivated to learn through a well-implemented and challenging curriculum. All children, including those with SEND and those in receipt of additional funding, make progress in relation to their starting points. Children develop skills to support their future learning and help prepare them for their eventual move to school. This is evident when children are independent and follow instructions with high levels of maturity. Inspector: Kelly Hawkins About this setting All children achieve and get the most out of their learning, which is adapted and individualised to meet their individual needs and abilities. For example, when children participate in activities, staff skilfully adapt the level of challenge to ensure all children can achieve and feel pride in their achievements. Children develop highly positive social skills. They play alongside each other happily and share, take turns and wait with patience. Children work as a team and consider each other's ideas and suggestions. This is demonstrated when they use logs to slide down slopes and laugh and giggle as they explore how they can go faster and how they can slide further. Children and families are welcomed and feel supported and listened to. For example, staff share ideas to support them, such as healthy eating ideas, and they value their feedback, which they use to enhance their practice. Children's attendance is closely monitored by leaders and staff. Parents are supported to fully understand the importance of regular attendance to support children's development and enjoyment of learning and help prepare them for their mandatory attendance at school. Next steps Leaders should ensure they extend staff's confidence to swiftly build on children's learning as they play to enhance their opportunities further. Leaders should ensure that staff extend ways to communicate with parents to strengthen the consistency of children's shared care and learning experiences between home and the pre-school. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, parents and children during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Unique reference number (URN): EY461031 Address: Recreation Ground North Street Rotherfield East Sussex TN6 3LX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 12/03/2013 Registered person: Rotherfield Village Pre-School Register(s): EYR, CCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 17:00 Local authority: East Sussex Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 21 May 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 Total number of places 30 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2026 © Crown copyright