Freshford Pre-school

Woodland letters to Mr Owl and a Forest School year that builds towards whole mornings outdoors give Freshford Pre-school a clear character. This community-run preschool combines child-led play with an outdoor programme that changes as children become more familiar with the surroundings. The progression matters: children begin close to the hall before exploring woodland further afield.

Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding at its 7 December 2022 inspection. The setting has 24 places in total, and its current offer is for children aged 2 years 8 months to 5 years. Its base is Freshford Memorial Hall, in Freshford near Bath.

Opening hours run from Monday to Thursday, with an earlier finish on Thursday. For families, the strongest point of difference is the connection between indoor play, village exploration and the gradually expanding Forest School programme.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children’s learning and development across seven areas. Here, that means play planned around children’s interests and individual needs, with opportunities to develop language, explore ideas and prepare for school. Explore, Create, Discover is the preschool’s ethos: children’s ideas help shape activities rather than simply supplying a theme for adult-led work.

Open-ended activities give children room to decide what to make and how to approach it. Listening to their ideas and celebrating their work are part of that approach. For a child who enjoys pursuing a fascination, this offers scope to stay with an idea and develop it through play.

In December 2022, practical exploration included sawing and drilling balsa wood, investigating orange pips and testing how warming play dough changed its movement. These were hands-on opportunities to examine materials and try out possibilities. Counting games used figures on a bus, with dice adding another challenge; mathematical ideas also appeared during group activities. Learning was woven into things children wanted to do.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School runs on most Thursdays, using the natural surroundings for exploration, cooperation and manageable challenges. Activities include bug searches, den construction, tools, natural-material artwork and cooking marshmallows over a fire. This adds a practical outdoor strand alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage, with opportunities to practise safety rules as children tackle unfamiliar tasks.

The programme develops through the year. Its opening stages use the playing field behind the hall and walks around the village. Private woodland then becomes part of the experience, including correspondence with Mr Owl, the woodland character who replies to children’s letters. That gives writing a purpose within their outdoor play.

Later, children spend the whole session in woodland on the village outskirts, reached across fields from a nearby collection and drop-off point. In severe weather, activities move into the hall. The changing locations are an important practical detail for families, as well as part of the programme’s progression.

In December 2022, children also experienced trainer-led outdoor sport each week, with hoops, balls and new movements to practise. Walks, a train outing and visiting yoga and music sessions extended their experiences beyond the preschool base. A police visit connected equipment such as torches and cameras with children’s own understanding of road safety. These examples show the breadth of activity at that time, rather than a fixed current timetable.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described close relationships in which staff responded sensitively when children needed practical help or emotional support. That is an important part of the dated judgement: ambitious activities were accompanied by attention to how children felt.

In December 2022, children practised everyday independence by pouring drinks, changing into outdoor clothes and learning to brush their teeth. Such tasks make self-care part of the day rather than leaving it entirely to adults. Parents could contribute to children’s learning, and communication between home and preschool was a strength of the provision at that time.

Current support arrangements include a SENCo role, a safeguarding lead and a deputy safeguarding lead. A familiar supply team covers staff absences, helping preserve continuity when regular practitioners are away. These are concrete arrangements for support and staffing, rather than a general promise about every child’s experience.

Family involvement is also part of the community-run model. Parents and carers are encouraged to take an active part in preschool life. For families who want a setting with opportunities to contribute, this is a meaningful element of its character.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool opens from 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 9am to 1pm on Thursday. Those hours make it a daytime option with a shorter Thursday, so the weekly pattern needs to fit comfortably around family arrangements.

In December 2022, the preschool operated during term time and received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That funding position belongs to the inspection date. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

Getting There

The address is Freshford Memorial Hall, Freshford Lane, Freshford, Bath, BA2 7UR. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07928 013998.

Forest School changes the practical geography later in the year: woodland mornings use a nearby drop-off and collection point, followed by a walk across fields. Heavy rain or other extreme weather brings the activities back to the hall, giving the outdoor programme an indoor fallback.

• The Thursday woodland routine. Later Forest School sessions take place away from the hall and involve crossing fields. At a visit, discuss the collection arrangements and clothing your child will need for these mornings.
• A four-day opening pattern. Friday falls outside the preschool’s Monday-to-Thursday opening week, and Thursday finishes at 1pm. Families need an arrangement that fits those particular hours.
• Settling and support. The preschool combines child-led activities with a progressively more adventurous outdoor programme and has a SENCo role. Ask how settling and individual support would work for your child within that pattern.

Freshford Pre-school suits families seeking a community-run preschool where children’s interests and outdoor exploration shape the experience. Mr Owl’s letters, the playing field and the progression into woodland give the approach substance. The December 2022 Outstanding judgement adds a strong, dated assessment of quality.

The practical fit is equally clear: daytime opening across Monday to Thursday, with a shorter final day. For families whose arrangements match that week, the combination of creative play, active parent involvement and an evolving Forest School programme offers a recognisable preschool experience.