Blackmore Preschool & Wrap Around Care

In April 2026, brook and woodland exploration and tracking an adopted turtle gave Blackmore Preschool & Wrap Around Care a recognisable character: nature supplied concrete material for children's learning. Its home is the Village Hall on Nine Ashes Road, Blackmore, CM4 0QW, with capacity for 55 children.

At its April 2026 inspection, Ofsted assessed all six evaluated areas at Strong standard and judged safeguarding standards met, including positive findings on teaching, children's progress, wellbeing and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The practical examples give that assessment substance.

In April 2026, children explored a brook and nearby fields, examined insects with magnifiers and investigated woodland habitats. Forest learning sessions included den building, tree climbing and paddling in shallow water. These experiences gave children concrete subjects to investigate and discuss.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, April 2026 activities connected learning through play with everyday experiences. Babies investigated soil and chia seeds while learning about frogspawn. Older children exercised their fingers with tongs and dough, then practised language through storytelling and pretend domestic tasks in the home corner.

Environmental learning had a memorable connection. In April 2026, children followed an adopted turtle's location and linked collecting litter with ocean pollution. Community bug hotels extended opportunities for families to explore nature together. Children also chose stories by voting and took photographs for their scrapbooks, giving them ways to influence and document their day.

The April 2026 development priority was for leaders to share their expertise in outdoor learning, nature and inclusion with other local early years settings.

At the April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found responsive care, sensitive settling for babies and effective inclusion supported by early identification, targeted interventions and cooperation with families and external services. Speech and confidence intervention groups provided specific routes into that support.

In April 2026, staff used stories to help children recognise feelings and supported them through frustrations before returning to play. Wellbeing walks brought quieter moments in fields and woodland. Babies shared snack time with staff; food preparation included cutting items to reduce choking risks.

School transition work also featured in April 2026: staff exchanged information with schools to help children move on. This was practical preparation for a change of setting.

The address is Village Hall, Nine Ashes Road, Blackmore, CM4 0QW. The setting operates during term time and closes for school holidays and bank holidays.

In April 2026, opening hours were 7.15am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 7.15am to 12.45pm on Friday. These are opening hours rather than a description of individual booking patterns.

• Term-time calendar. School holidays and bank holidays are closure periods. Families needing holiday childcare will need an arrangement covering those breaks.
• Friday's shorter opening window. In April 2026, Friday opening ended at 12.45pm. That earlier finish matters when weighing the setting against a working week.
• Age groups and booking. At a visit, which ages does the preschool and wraparound provision currently accept, and which attendance patterns can families book?

Blackmore suits families who value learning connected to nature and can work with a term-time calendar. The April 2026 examples are unusually concrete: turtle tracking, exploration of a brook and children's own photographic records. Its inspection assessment supports that appeal, while holiday closures and the dated Friday finish deserve practical attention before choosing it.