Stratton Pre-School, Cirencester

An all-weather garden, a playhouse and topics shaped by children's interests give Stratton Pre-School, Cirencester its character. Based in the Stratton Scout Hut, this is a preschool centred on play, growing confidence and preparation for the next stage of learning. It has capacity for 24 children, with its current offer aimed primarily at three- and four-year-olds.

Ofsted rated the setting Good at its 11 May 2023 inspection. That is a dated judgement, while the current offer combines daily changing activities with termly topics and themed weeks prompted by children's own interests. Parents can contribute their knowledge to those topics, giving family experience a place in the learning.

Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during a term-time year of 38 weeks. That calendar is a substantial part of the decision for families needing childcare across school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics and creative activity. It is the baseline for early-years provision. Stratton adds changing daily activities that combine experiences organised by adults with play initiated by children themselves.

Termly topics include Traditional Tales, New Life and Weather. Parents are encouraged to contribute knowledge and experience, so a topic can draw on what families bring as well as what staff plan. The flexible themed weeks follow interests that emerge during play. Examples include Building Week, Cooking Week and French Week; these are examples of the approach, rather than a fixed weekly timetable.

In May 2023, stories and puzzles provided concrete routes into language and number. Children selected books, recognised story characters and joined in familiar phrases. Puzzle play involved counting pieces and thinking about how they fitted together. The useful point is the connection between an enjoyable activity and a learning task: number and language were part of play rather than isolated exercises.

Outdoor and Community Life

The all-weather garden and playhouse give outdoor play a physical base of its own. The building also has disabled access, an important practical feature for families using the premises.

In May 2023, outdoor play took place daily, with balance beams and ladders providing opportunities to practise movement. Staff offered a supporting hand as children tried equipment, then encouraged them to attempt it independently. Older children also practised jumping from a bench and landing with both feet. These observations describe the outdoor experience at that date, rather than a current equipment inventory.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2023, children new to the setting received physical comfort and reassurance, while shared stories helped them engage with staff. Once children had settled, assessments established what they could already do and informed their next learning steps. This linked the settling period with planning for the individual child.

Communication at that time included photographs and observations in online learning records. These gave parents a way to follow learning beyond a conversation at collection. Staff also encouraged older children to tackle everyday tasks before stepping in: managing personal care and putting on coats formed part of preparation for school.

A volunteer committee includes local parents and meets with staff and parents about the preschool's running, fundraising and activities. That gives families a role in the organisation as well as in termly learning topics.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support effective, with the special educational needs coordinator working alongside parents and other professionals to target children's learning. Those findings belong to that inspection; the current team structure assigns responsibility for SEN and safeguarding to the preschool leader.

In May 2023, children brought lunch boxes, and families received ideas for nutritious contents. Staff encouraged handwashing before eating and choosing fruit for a morning snack. The improvement priority was to make the reasons behind healthy choices clearer to children, rather than simply establishing the routines.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Stratton Scout HQ, Thessaly Road, Stratton, Cirencester, GL7 2NG. The preschool opens between 9am and 3pm on weekdays and operates for 38 weeks, during term time only. These are opening hours.

Enquiries can be made through the contact email or by telephone. Families can arrange a visit and a conversation with the team. Staff training can also bring closures during the year, with parents notified once dates have been arranged; that matters when planning cover around the term-time calendar.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government funding is accepted for two- and three-year-olds, including the 15-hour and 30-hour funded childcare options. Funding participation and the preschool's age offer are separate considerations. A funding form must be completed at the start of each term so that the preschool can claim on a family's behalf.

Where a child uses more than one provider and total attendance exceeds their 15 or 30 funded hours, additional unfunded hours at Stratton are charged. Government-funded hours carry no additional fees or top-up charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page explains how funded and additional hours are separated.

• Term-time cover. The preschool operates for 38 weeks and may close for staff training. Families needing year-round care should weigh the holiday calendar alongside the weekday opening window.
• Younger starters. The main offer is for three- and four-year-olds, with provision also contemplated for children aged two and a half. A visit is the opportunity to discuss whether that starting age suits your child.
• Turning feedback into change. In May 2023, improvement priorities included bringing parents' views more consistently into self-evaluation and explaining the benefits of healthy choices. Ask how those two priorities now shape practice.
• Food and everyday supplies. Children brought lunch boxes in May 2023. What should families now supply for meals and non-food consumables, and how does this apply to funded attendance?

Stratton suits families seeking a term-time preschool experience within a 9am-to-3pm weekday window, especially those who value play-led topics and opportunities to contribute to learning. The garden and playhouse give the offer a tangible outdoor dimension, while child-prompted themed weeks leave room for interests to influence activities.

The May 2023 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, with parent feedback and children's understanding of healthy choices identified as areas for development. The decisive practical consideration is the calendar: this offer fits families whose childcare needs align with term time and the stated opening hours.