Magic Dragon Pre-School

Two gardens, two bright halls and a smaller activity room give Magic Dragon Pre-School room to combine energetic play with quieter activities. Based at Church of Good Shepherd Hall in Bishopston, Bristol, it welcomes children from two years until school age and has capacity for 24 children. The appeal is the combination of space, play-led learning and practical experiences, from cooking to woodwork.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good on 27 April 2023. That dated judgement provides a useful quality marker; the detail beneath it matters just as much, including strengths in children's independence and communication, alongside improvements needed in home-language support and consistent staff responses.

The current opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday, during term time. This is a preschool rhythm built around the school year, with weekly activities and termly experiences adding variety to ordinary play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework shapes children's learning through play, covering communication, movement, relationships and later learning in areas such as literacy and mathematics. At Magic Dragon, activities are planned around children's development and interests. The practical implication is that play has a learning purpose, while children's own ideas help shape what happens next.

Weekly provision includes a forest school activity, an outdoor learning approach, alongside time for mindfulness and yoga, songs with actions, crafts and music. These additions give children different ways to participate: movement, listening, making and exploring. Cooking, woodwork, tennis coaching, local trips and visitors sharing their skills take place each term, extending the experiences beyond the everyday activity choices.

Makaton signs are used daily with the children to support communication and introduce another skill. This is a concrete part of the preschool's approach to language, rather than simply a programme name. Families can also raise developmental concerns with their child's key person or another member of staff.

In April 2023, younger children joined small-group singing with soft toys, answering questions and practising listening. Older children worked on recognising letters on food packaging. The examples show how familiar objects could become learning materials, with different challenges for children at different stages.

Outdoor and Community Life

The physical layout supports different kinds of activity: the halls provide space for movement, while the smaller room allows more concentrated work. Outside, the two gardens offer opportunities to explore the natural world. Outdoor spaces are used daily, whatever the weather, so families should expect outdoor play to be part of the routine rather than an occasional addition.

Community exploration includes trips and visiting guests across the year, with local festivals also part of that exploration. A Community Garden visit takes place annually and carries a separate charge. These experiences connect children's play with places and people beyond the preschool.

In April 2023, children used an outdoor-kitchen area for shared imaginative play, alongside an easel and a home corner indoors. Physical activities included obstacle courses and walks; younger children handled dough while older children practised writing on whiteboards. These are dated examples of how creative, physical and early writing experiences fitted into the day.

Relationships and Communication

Starting preschool comes with a welcome pack containing a settling strategy, advice for families, healthy-eating information and a booklet for the child. This gives parents something concrete to use when preparing for the change, rather than leaving the first weeks entirely to conversation.

Communication continues through daily updates from a key person or another team member, newsletters, learning journals shared each term and progress meetings during the year. The different formats serve different purposes: a daily update covers the immediate day, while journals and meetings provide space to discuss development over time.

In April 2023, children practised independence through ordinary responsibilities. Younger children poured cereal and dealt with spills; older children helped distribute cups and pour milk. Staff also shared the following week's learning plans with parents. These small routines made participation and communication part of everyday preschool life.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and an inclusive curriculum that supported good progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, but required stronger home-language support and more consistent approaches to explaining expectations, especially for children with additional needs.

The current team structure includes a SENCo role and designated safeguarding lead roles. Makaton offers one practical communication tool; the April 2023 improvement points make consistent use of communication support an important discussion for families whose children need it. In April 2023, staff used visual prompts, signing and spoken instructions, although these approaches were not applied consistently when reinforcing expectations.

Sessions and Attendance

Magic Dragon operates from Church of Good Shepherd Hall, Bishop Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8NA. It opens during term time from Monday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm. The term-time calendar is central to the practical fit: families need an arrangement that works alongside preschool holidays and the days outside its opening week.

There is also a recurring early finish for staff training. On the penultimate Thursday of each term, all children finish at 1pm. That exception matters even for families whose usual arrangements fit the regular opening hours, so it belongs in the household calendar from the outset.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, telephone or email, and visits and taster sessions can be booked. These provide a way to explore the setting before joining.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including Early Education Entitlement funding of up to 15 hours per week from the January, April or September after a child's third birthday, 30 hours funding for working families and 15 hours FEEE funding for eligible two-year-olds. Eligibility depends on the relevant entitlement; the preschool operates during term time. Private paid childcare is also offered.

Snacks and cooking are charged separately, as are non-food consumables. Tennis and woodwork each have a separate per-session charge each term, and the annual Community Garden visit is also charged separately. Families should distinguish the funded entitlement or paid childcare hours from these additional categories when considering the total arrangement.

A non-refundable registration charge is due when the registration form is submitted. Fees are billed termly, payable in advance, with three invoices across the year; absence remains chargeable. Cancelling sessions requires half a term's notice, stated as six weeks, or payment instead. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

• Term-time routine. Opening is Monday to Thursday, with an early finish for staff training on the penultimate Thursday each term. Consider whether both the regular week and the training-day exception fit your family arrangements.
• Communication support. In April 2023, the improvement points concerned children's home languages and consistent explanations of expectations. During a visit, ask how staff now apply communication strategies across the day, especially if your child has additional needs.
• Charges alongside childcare. Snacks, cooking, consumables, tennis, woodwork and the annual Community Garden visit carry separate charges. Read the written quotation alongside the registration and cancellation terms before committing.

Magic Dragon suits families seeking term-time preschool for a child aged two or above, whose arrangements fit a Monday-to-Thursday opening week. Its strongest practical attractions are the indoor and outdoor space, daily outdoor use and the combination of weekly activities with termly cooking, woodwork, coaching and trips.

The April 2023 Good judgement supports that appeal, while the communication-related improvement points deserve attention for families whose children need additional language or developmental support. This is a setting to weigh through the detail of its day: purposeful play, opportunities to practise independence and several ways for parents to stay involved in their child's development.