Chestnuts Pre-school

Chestnuts Pre-school
Unique reference number (URN): 148645
Address: 32 Chestnut Avenue, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG41 3RS
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 04/07/1984
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: 'Chestnuts' Pre- School Committee
Inspection report: 11 June 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
Expected standard
Inclusion Strong standard
Since the last inspection, leaders and staff have developed a much clearer understanding of
children's individual needs and identify any emerging or changing needs quickly and
accurately. They swiftly recognise barriers to learning and implement targeted support to
address these on an individual basis. Leaders and staff follow an embedded graduated
approach for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and readily seek
advice from external professionals when appropriate. Other children who also face barriers
to learning and wellbeing receive effective support that help to meet their individual needs
and minimise gaps in their development. These children learn alongside their peers and
take part fully in the curriculum.
Parents and carers speak highly about the setting. They value the regular communication,
parents' evenings and opportunities to discuss the targets in place for children receiving
additional support and funding. Leaders and staff place a firm emphasis on building positive,
trusting relationships with families. Through home visits and regular ongoing discussions,
staff take time to understand each family's circumstances and offer support when challenges
arise, including signposting them to relevant local services where appropriate.
Leaders monitor the progress of children, particularly those receiving extra support. Leaders
skilfully support staff to adapt their teaching during activities and through thoughtful
planning. Leaders consider carefully how additional funding is used to benefit children who
receive it, such as for those from disadvantageous backgrounds. They regularly review
children's needs and take account of parents' views when making decisions. For example,
leaders have created a dedicated sensory space where small groups of children participate
in tailored interventions. This quieter environment helps children to hear language more
clearly, develop their concentration and engage more effectively in learning, leading to more
rapid progress.
Achievement Expected standard
Children make steady progress across all areas of the curriculum from their starting points,
particularly in their personal, social and emotional development, mathematical knowledge
and physical skills. This includes disadvantaged children, those with special educational
needs and/or disabilities and those known to children's social care, who make rapid
progress in areas identified by staff at an early stage. In general, children are well prepared
for their eventual move to school.
Younger children and those who face barriers to learning build vocabulary and confidence
through singing, listening and responding simply to questions. However, more confident
communicators do not consistently benefit from opportunities to extend their language skills

further. These children already demonstrate secure language skills and use a broader range
of vocabulary successfully.
Children demonstrate increasing independence in managing their self-care routines. For
example, they put away their belongings on arrival and wash their hands before mealtimes.
However, at times, they wait for longer periods of time with minimal interaction while staff
tidy away resources and set up the tables for lunch. Consequently, children do not
consistently develop a secure sense of responsibility or independence.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders provide a welcoming environment where children typically develop a sense of
belonging and a keen attitude to learning. In general, children understand staff's
expectations for positive behaviour and follow instructions and most routines well, including
those with barriers to learning, who receive more tailored interventions.
Overall, staff use positive strategies to promote appropriate behaviour and support children
to manage their own safety. For example, staff remind children to use 'walking feet' indoors.
However, approaches to behaviour management are not yet consistently implemented
across the provision. While staff sometimes intervene to redirect unwanted behaviour, this is
not always applied effectively, particularly during group activities when some children
become disengaged and restless.
Staff build warm, nurturing relationships with children and provide reassurance and comfort
when needed. While children learn to follow some established routines throughout the day,
staff do not consistently support them to develop responsibility and independence. There are
times when staff tidy away resources while children wait on the carpet for the next activity. In
this way, there are periods during the day when children are not fully engaged in meaningful
learning experiences.
Leaders fully recognise the importance of children attending regularly and arriving on time.
They work closely with parents, who understand the procedures for reporting absences.
Leaders monitor attendance effectively and act promptly to follow up any concerns
regarding unauthorised absences.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children demonstrate a positive sense of wellbeing as they form close bonds with familiar
adults. They begin to build trusting relationships with staff from the outset, as leaders and
staff carry out home visits, before children start. During these valuable visits, staff gather
detailed information about children's individual care routines, including sleeping, feeding,
nappy changing and toileting needs. On the whole, staff know children well and respond
promptly to their individual requirements. For example, they quickly provide appropriate
sleeping arrangements when children become tired. As a result, children settle well and feel
secure.
Leaders use additional funding effectively to support children's wellbeing and development.
For example, some funding is used to extend children's sessions to include lunchtime
experiences. These children arrive enthusiastically with their packed lunches and proudly

tell others they are staying for lunch. Across the setting, children typically develop increasing
independence as they manage their packed lunches, use their water bottles and put away
their lunch bags when they finish eating. These opportunities promote children's health,
wellbeing and self-care skills. However, children are not always encouraged to take
responsibility for some daily routines or to develop a secure sense of ownership. For
instance, they are not routinely supported to tidy away resources before lunch.
Children learn to recognise and express their emotions through interactions and, at times,
demonstrate an emerging understanding of how others feel. Staff support this effectively
through sharing stories and using puppets that explore feelings and emotions. For those
children who face barriers to their development, leaders, staff, external professionals and
parents and carers work collaboratively to help them to separate comfortably from their
parents when they first arrive, such as supporting children to spend time in the garden
where they like to play.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders design an engaging curriculum that sparks children's curiosity, imagination and
creativity. Overall, leaders and staff use observations and assessments to identify what
children know and can do. This information generally informs the planning of activities that
build on children's next steps in learning. This tailored approach is more effective for
children who face barriers to learning, particularly those who speak English as an additional
language. For example, staff share dual language texts with children who speak Cantonese
at home.
Staff generally support children's communication and language development by narrating
their play and asking questions. However, due to weaknesses in monitoring, staff do not
always extend children's thinking effectively and children lose interest. For instance, during
group activities, staff sometimes ask questions that are too broad and do not effectively
target individual children's levels of understanding. Staff do not always recognise when
children are no longer fully engaged and do not consistently adapt their teaching to meet the
needs of all learners. Consequently the quality of teaching is not yet consistently of a high
standard.
Overall, staff weave mathematical language and concepts during children's play. They
encourage children to practice their counting skills and praise those who do this very well,
such as when some older children correctly answer simple addition calculations with relative
ease. This shows that staff are more confident when teaching skills in this area.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Since the last inspection, the setting has undergone recent changes in leadership, which
has strengthened its day-to-day operation. Leaders and a highly supportive committee make
informed decisions that prioritise children's best interests and have worked hard to address
the actions from the last inspection, especially by significantly raising the quality of provision
for children who face barriers to learning.
Leaders have worked effectively in partnership with local authority advisers, external
professionals, and parents and carers to introduce clear systems and procedures,

particularly to support children who face barriers to learning. For instance, portage workers
and family support workers collaborate closely with leaders, staff, parents and receiving
settings to ensure a shared approach to supporting children's development and smooth
transitions.
Leaders demonstrate a genuine commitment to continuous improvement. They understand
the setting's strengths and are taking effective steps to embed these into practice. For
instance, they support newer members of staff to fully understand and implement policies
and procedures.
Leaders also identify areas for further development, including raising the quality of teaching
and children's learning to a consistently high level. However, arrangements to provide
individual staff with personalised and consistent support are not yet fully effective. As a
result, some staff do not receive sufficient guidance to further develop their knowledge and
skills or to fulfil their roles and responsibilities to the fullest. This affects the consistency of
practice across the setting.
Passionate leaders promote a positive working culture and place a firm emphasis on staff
wellbeing. They support staff to manage their workload through regular check-ins, an open-
door approach and opportunities for staff team development, specifically in raising the
quality of practice for children who face barriers to learning. This contributes to a cohesive,
motivated and positive staff team.
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

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children experience an inviting and engaging environment where they feel safe, secure and
valued. They form warm, positive relationships with staff and enjoy their time at the setting.
Typically, children engage purposefully in their learning and demonstrate increasing levels of
confidence and motivation.
The well-considered curriculum sparks children's curiosity as they explore their environment
and develop a keen attitude to learning. For example, in the role-play area, children create
shopping lists, making vertical marks on long pieces of paper. They recall that they need to
buy suitable food for their pets and discuss which brands offer the best value for money.
This shows how effectively children draw on their own experiences to make sense of the
world around them. Outdoors, children enthusiastically participate in team games inspired
by global events, such as the football World Cup. These activities promote coordination,
physical control and stamina. Children celebrate loudly when their team scores and are
supported to record the score using numbers written in chalk on the fence.
Overall, children listen attentively and follow instructions, demonstrating their eagerness to
cooperate and take part in enjoyable shared experiences. They also develop early
mathematical skills, including counting and recognising quantity. For instance, older children
pour water confidently from smaller containers into larger ones and are encouraged to use
mathematical language, such as 'empty' and 'full'. They predict how many smaller cups of
water they need to fill a larger container.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make impressive progress and
the gaps in their development are narrowing, particularly in their personal, social and
emotional development. This supports their readiness for their eventual move to school.

Inspector:
Sonia Panchal
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 148645
Address:
32 Chestnut Avenue
Wokingham
Berkshire
RG41 3RS
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 04/07/1984
Children attend and arrive on time as their families and staff work together so that all
children benefit from the experiences on offer.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen arrangements for monitoring staff practice and provide
targeted coaching and professional development to ensure consistent, high-quality
teaching that precisely matches children's individual stages of development.
Leaders should establish consistent expectations and routines across the setting so that
staff support children to manage their behaviour effectively and develop greater
independence and responsibility during daily routines.
Leaders should support some staff to consistently recognise opportunities to expand older
children's thinking and extend their vocabulary.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the leaders, chair of the committee, children, staff and parents
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.

Registered person: 'Chestnuts' Pre- School Committee
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:45 - 15:00
Local authority: Wokingham
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 11 June 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
26
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.
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