Teddy's Pre-School

Child-led play gives Teddy's Pre-School its character: children's interests shape activities indoors and outside, with conversation woven into their exploration. Based at Freemantle Hall in Boscombe, it accepts children aged two to four. Its appeal lies in the everyday detail, from using a garden game to explore numbers to helping children manage their own belongings.

Ofsted rated Teddy's Good on 26 September 2025. The practical offer is term-time care, with opening hours of 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. That timetable matters as much as the educational approach for families fitting preschool around work and other commitments.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play giving them opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and independence. Teddy's adds an emphasis on following children's interests, using its indoor and outdoor play areas to develop those interests rather than treating every activity as a fixed task.

In September 2025, staff introduced activities and allowed children time to investigate for themselves. Mathematics emerged through play: What's the Time, Mr Wolf? involved children calling out numbers and showing them on their fingers in the garden. It is a useful example of learning attached to an activity children want to join, rather than numbers being confined to a separate exercise.

Songs, signing and stories also featured in September 2025, while adults introduced vocabulary within children's experiences. These give children different ways to communicate and encounter unfamiliar words. The emphasis was on interaction, with adults responding to what interested the children and extending it as they played.

Structured activities sat alongside this freedom, although their delivery needed attention. In September 2025, some group tasks did not match children's different understanding or sustain their involvement; the questions, pace and challenge sometimes left too little room for reasoning and problem-solving. That is a specific limitation to weigh against the strengths of the play-led approach.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play includes opportunities to test physical skills. In September 2025, older children jumped from blocks with mats arranged for landing, supported by adults who assessed the hazards. The important detail is the combination of challenge and practical precautions: children could attempt something demanding with support close by.

Holiday Clubs provide a separate preschool offer, combining themed outdoor and indoor activities with gardening, cooking and short local trips. A December 2026 club runs from 14 to 18 December. This is a dated holiday option alongside the usual term-time provision, rather than evidence of preschool opening throughout every school holiday.

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with staff adjusting activities and routines to help children participate and progress. For parents considering additional support, those practical adjustments carry more weight than a general statement about inclusion.

Everyday independence was visible in September 2025. Older children practised handling their lunch boxes and fastening zips, while routines gave them opportunities to develop hygiene and self-care habits. These small tasks matter: children get chances to do things themselves, with adults supporting the process.

Mealtimes had also been reorganised by September 2025. A rolling lunch arrangement let children decide when to eat, so play did not have to stop for everyone simultaneously. The arrangement gave children a choice within the daily routine and allowed them to remain involved in an activity before breaking for lunch.

Relationships and communication supported this daily life. In September 2025, children shared enjoyment with familiar adults, and families valued regular updates and staff who were easy to approach. For parents, that combination connects what happens during the preschool day with conversations at home, rather than leaving learning as something separate from family life.

Sessions and Attendance

Teddy's operates from Freemantle Hall, 34 Somerset Road, Boscombe, BH7 6JJ. It opens Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4pm during term time. Families can contact the preschool on 01202 391 500 or use the contact form for an enquiry.

The term-time timetable is the starting point for planning attendance. The December Holiday Clubs dates offer a separate option for part of that holiday, with activities aimed at preschool-aged children.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2025, Teddy's provided government-funded early education for eligible children. Eligibility remains a condition of that provision. Families budgeting for attendance should obtain a current written quotation from the nursery.

• Group activities. In September 2025, the pace, questioning and challenge in some group activities needed adjustment. On a visit, ask how staff now adapt a shared activity for children with different levels of understanding.
• Term-time timetable. The usual opening window ends at 4pm and follows term time. Consider how that fits your working day; the 14 to 18 December 2026 Holiday Clubs dates are a separate option for that particular break.
• Funded-place budgeting. Government-funded education was offered to eligible children in September 2025. Ask for a written breakdown covering funded attendance, additional hours, food and consumables before agreeing a booking.

Teddy's suits families seeking term-time preschool for children aged two to four, with play shaped by children's interests and opportunities to practise everyday independence. The garden mathematics and rolling lunch arrangement observed in September 2025 gave substance to that approach. The Good judgement provides a clear inspection position, while the work needed on group activities is a useful point to explore. The separately dated Holiday Clubs offer another attendance option for families whose needs extend into the December break.