Scamps Preschool

Natural play materials, school grounds and a programme for the move to primary school give Scamps Preschool a clear character. Based at Spetisbury Primary School in Dorset, it combines preschool provision for children aged two to four with Treehouse Club, its breakfast and after-school care. There are 20 places in total, a whole-setting capacity rather than a daily group size.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Scamps Good overall and Outstanding for behaviour and attitudes. That dated assessment offers a useful starting point, alongside the practical appeal of indoor-outdoor play and activities that mix children's choices with shared routines. Morning and afternoon preschool sessions are offered during term time.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation and shared activities give children opportunities to practise language, movement and early number skills. Scamps combines time for children to choose their activities with stories, group singing and other adult-guided experiences. The balance matters for a child who enjoys independent exploration but also benefits from predictable points in the day.

The preschool room uses muted colours and natural resources, alongside books, creative materials and sensory activities. Children can build, draw or explore pretend play, rather than following one activity throughout a session. Sharing, conversation and understanding feelings sit alongside work with shapes, letters and numbers. These are ordinary early-years foundations made concrete through play.

In July 2022, children investigated melting coloured ice and linked a caterpillar story with live butterflies that had emerged. Staff also brought comparisons of quantity into play in the mud kitchen, turning a question about whether a bowl could hold the soil into a learning opportunity. These examples show how an everyday resource can open up discussion, rather than require a separate formal lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

During free-flow periods, children can choose indoor or outdoor play, with outdoor activities dependent on the weather. Tricycles, hoops and ball games give movement a place beside the creative and tabletop activities indoors. An open snack period also allows children some choice over when to pause for food and a drink, while play continues.

Forest School adds nature-based activity through the Scamps and After School Forest Club. Den-making, art using natural materials, bug-hotel construction and supervised use of real tools are among its activities. This gives outdoor learning a practical dimension: children can work on something together and handle materials with a purpose.

Scampies serves a different stage of family life. This adult-and-toddler group meets on Fridays during the school term, from 10am to 11.30am in Spetisbury Primary School Hall. Songs, stories, toys and sensory activities provide shared play for toddlers while accompanying adults have time to connect with other families.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2022, staff established children's interests and starting points when they joined, then used that knowledge to plan subsequent activities. Exchanges with parents helped staff understand children's needs, with information shared in several ways. For families, the useful principle is continuity between what a child can already do, what happens at preschool and what parents understand about their learning.

The same month's observations included children comforting a friend unsettled by a blender's noise and taking turns during smoothie-making. Children had contributed to their shared behaviour rules. Those small examples put social development into everyday terms: noticing someone else's discomfort, waiting and understanding expectations.

Current staff qualifications include an early-years degree and a Level 3 Early Years Educator diploma. Qualifications describe the team's training; they do not establish the number of adults working with a particular group on a particular day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children needing additional help made good progress, with support informed by what staff knew about each child. In July 2022, speech support included referrals for therapy alongside mouth-movement games and exercises. Hygiene learning also had practical cues, including a handwashing display and a nose-blowing station.

Fruit and vegetables feature in preschool snacks, with children encouraged to serve themselves and pour milk or water. Treehouse Club provides breakfast choices such as toast, cereal and yoghurt, as well as an after-school snack. These arrangements give food a place in the routine and offer opportunities to practise independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Scamps is based at Spetisbury Primary School, West End, Spetisbury, Dorset DT11 9DF. Preschool attendance is term-time only. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, lunch occupies noon to 12.30pm, and afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3pm. The separate lunch period matters when planning how sessions fit together.

Treehouse Club extends the offer beyond preschool sessions, with term-time wraparound care for children from preschool age through Year 6. Breakfast Club runs from 7.45am to 8.45am. After-school bookings cover 3.15pm to 4pm and 4pm to 6pm; children can also be collected from their classes after school activities. A booking is required even when a child attends a school club.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. The fees page sets out the separate preschool and club booking periods; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Scamps offers universal 15-hour funding for three-year-olds, funding for eligible two-year-olds and a 30-hour entitlement subject to eligibility criteria. The universal entitlement starts in the term after a child's third birthday and covers up to 15 hours weekly over 38 weeks. The universal 15 funded hours must be taken in blocks of at least three hours, and a claim form is completed at the start of each term.

Time beyond the universal 15 hours is charged separately. Paper invoices are issued on the 15th of each month, with ad hoc payments added to the following month's invoice. This structure makes the attendance pattern important to the final bill, especially where preschool sessions and club bookings are combined.

Moving on to School

Scamps to School runs in the final term to help children prepare for primary school. The nursery describes a close partnership with Spetisbury Primary School and also welcomes families choosing other primary schools. Attending Scamps does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Challenge for confident learners. In July 2022, planning did not consistently stretch the most-able children beyond learning they had already covered. During a visit, ask how staff now select their next steps and provide greater challenge.
• Funding across different bookings. Preschool, lunch and Treehouse Club have separate booking periods, while the universal 15 funded hours have a three-hour minimum block. Ask for a written quotation showing how your chosen pattern uses funding and how meals, snacks and non-food consumables are treated within funded and private hours.
• School preparation and admissions. Scamps to School provides transition support in the final term, but the school place requires a separate application. Consider whether the preschool's school-based setting and preparation programme suit your intended primary-school route.

Scamps suits families seeking either morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those combining term-time preschool with breakfast or after-school care. Indoor-outdoor choice, Forest School activities and Scamps to School give the offer substance beyond its convenient school setting. The July 2022 assessment provides a positive, dated judgement, with greater challenge for the most-able children the clear point to explore. The fit rests on the child's learning needs and the family's exact mix of sessions.