Nurturing Young Minds at Preschool
Quality education and fun for children aged 2-4 years.
Meet the team
We provide a nurturing environment for your child's early education. Our experienced teachers are dedicated to helping your child thrive and develop a love for learning.
Our Vision and Values
Working together to support communication, confidence and independence in a nurturing environment
At Downhall Under Fives Preschool we believe that children learn best through play and exploration. We want all children to achieve their potential and we aim to provide children with the best start to their education.
Providing a safe and secure environment with a range of opportunities motivates children to learn and progress effectively.
We are a fully inclusive setting and encourage children to develop a positive sense of self and others. Through British values we help children to develop respect and social skills.
Communication and working together to create positive outcomes is at the heart of what we do.
About Downhall Under Fives preschool
Our Facilities
Downhall Under Fives is tucked away from the hustle and bustle, down a public footpath in a semi rural location. Our facilities are designed with children in mind and provide a safe, secure and comfortable environment for learning and exploration. We have one room equipped with age-appropriate materials and resources, as well as a large outdoor play area where children can engage in physical activity and explore nature. Our facilities are clean, safe, and well-maintained to ensure that children have the best possible learning experience.
Our Curriculum
‘Our Curriculum ensures children feel valued, can aspire to be unique and are able to achieve’
The curriculum is structured around intent, implementation and impact and encourages children to be independent, self-assured risk takers, confident and resilient. This helps children to develop into excited, motivated and socially strong children who form positive relationships.
Our curriculum is chosen to include themes and topics that our children enjoy and will inspire them to explore and learn. All staff know the children well and understands the way they learn and how to help them progress to their next stages of development. Staff regularly plan in the moment to extend learning and are flexible with their teaching treating every child as an individual. All children, including SEN children are able to access support and targeted interventions to ensure they meet their outcomes. Cultural Capital is at the centre of early years education. At Downhall Under Fives, we build on and celebrate children’s existing experiences and also offer new opportunities and experiences. Children’s interests and working in partnership with our families is key to helping them reach their full potential.
We provide a variety of opportunities for learning, with a vocabulary rich environment and wide range of resources, to support learning through play. We base our learning around the EYFS 7 Areas of Learning and Characteristics of Effective learning.
Supporting Development
At Downhall Under Fives preschool, we are dedicated to helping children develop the social-emotional skills they need to succeed in life. At times our children may need extra support and we offer a Talk boost program which can significantly improve children's talking, understanding and confidence. We also provide short speech and language interventions around pronunciation. We have a trained level 3 SENCO with many years experience and one member of staff trained in TPP (Trauma Perceptive Practice)
Testimonials
Henry's parents
We have had a truly wonderful experience with Down Hall under-five's so far. From the moment we first visited, we were impressed by the warm, friendly welcoming atmosphere and the genuine care shown by all the staff. We visited a few nursery's and out of them all from first impressions this was my favourite so we was very happy when Henry was given a placement.
My son Henry has been attending Down Hall since January and he has settled into Nursery amazing with the support of all the staff.
The warmth, kindness, and nurturing of the staff stood out immediately. It wasn’t just that our Henry was being looked after.. his being cared for.
The staff are always approachable and communicate with me. We always feel informed and updated through regular photos which we love to see! and chats at pick-up. It gives us peace of mind! Our son enjoys going to nursery which is such a joy to see! Thankyou we couldn't ask for a better start to Henry's learning journey.
Jace and Jax's Mum
'My twin boys attend the preschool two days a week and absolutely love it there. When they first started they had very minimal speech, a couple of little words and sounds, now, thanks to the team of amazing ladies, the boys talk in full sentences and you can understand them quite clearly. They come home talking about "Debby" and "Berenice" and their little friends that they have created bonds with. It's so lovely to see. All I wanted was for them to be happy and that is exactly what they are. Smiling from the second I say good bye to the minute I pick them up. I couldn't thank all of the girls more.'
Frankie and Sophie's Mum
'Downhall Under Fives Preschool has been a truly fantastic experience for our family. From the moment our eldest, Frankie, started, we knew we had found somewhere really special. The staff are so warm, caring, and attentive – they go above and beyond to make each child feel valued, safe, and supported.
Frankie has absolutely thrived at the setting, and we’ve seen such a huge development in their confidence, independence, and social skills. The team is doing an amazing job of preparing them for primary school – gently building the routines, focus, and learning behaviours they’ll need for the next stage. As a parent, it’s so reassuring to know they’re in such good hands as they make that big transition.
One of Frankie’s favourite things is the dressing-up area. She loves using their imagination to act out different roles and stories with their friends – it’s helped boost her creativity and communication skills so much. The outdoor play area is another highlight – a brilliant space that encourages exploration, movement, and teamwork. Whether she's digging, climbing, or playing games, it’s clear the children are learning while having a great time.
Communication with parents is excellent. The Blossom app is updated regularly, and we love receiving the weekly photos that give us a real sense of what the children have been doing. The end-of-term report is incredibly detailed and shows just how well the staff know our child. Frankie’s key worker, Bernice, has done an amazing job supporting and guiding her– and her insight in the report really helps us understand where Frankie is progressing and how we can continue to support them at home. It feels like a true partnership.
We can’t thank the team enough for creating such a nurturing, inspiring environment. Downhall Under Fives has given Frankie the very best start, and we’re so grateful to be part of this wonderful preschool community.'
India's parents
'We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the incredible work that Downhall Under Fives has had on our daughter India and the rest of the children that are lucky enough to attend the Pre-School. Downhall Under Fives is more than just a pre-school to the children due to the incredible staff that make the children feel like they are part of a family.
The attention to detail is exceptional and any support needed has been provided. The staff were able to identify that my daughter had some annunciation issues with certain sounds and quickly put together an intervention that has made a big difference to her. Her speech during her time in the pre-school has improved dramatically and we think that a huge part of this is down to the staff. They don't just teach and look after the children, they take their time to know each child individually and make them feel valued.
Jake's parents
'Our son has been at Downhall Under Fives for 2 years and we cannot speak highly enough of the staff at the play school and how they have looked after him and nurtured him. All staff are friendly, approachable, kind and caring - we couldn’t ask for better people to take care of our little boy. Jake has grown in confidence and his social skills have come on so much during his time at Downhall. All the staff have got to know him and really understand him as a person - his likes, dislikes and his personality. Jake is so happy at play school and will really miss it when he starts primary school in September.
Academically Jake has also developed so much too. He loves all of the different themes each week and doesn’t even realise he’s learning all the time! He’s also enjoyed the special visits and theme days e.g. when pets have come in or the ambulance visit for people who help us week. These are such lovely experiences for the children that Downhall have gone above and beyond to organise.
We are so grateful to all of the teachers for what they do on a daily basis but also for their time sharing photos regularly and giving us written feedback on his development via the app and at parent meetings.
Downhall is a fantastic playschool and we’re very appreciative for everything they do for all the children. Their hard work makes a huge difference and we’re so lucky that our son has had 2 happy and amazing years there.'
Chester's Mum
'The day we came too look around we ended up being here an hour as Chester just slotted in and wanted to play and speak to all the teachers which was so lovely to see. As soon as we left we knew this was the preschool for him!
Chester has come on leaps and bounds since starting and absolutely loves going to school. The staff are amazing and go above and beyond for the children and are so supportive for parents should there be any issues! Chester originally started with allergies and they were so cautious with this, he has since grown out of this allergy and they would only stop following the allegy diet when i sent in written consent.
In all i think this pre school is amazing and the best in the area and I'm so glad we found it for Chester ❤️ we are very sad to be leaving in July to start his next journey of primary school.'