Duchy Preschool And Playgroup

A mud kitchen, large construction materials and a garden for climbing give Duchy Preschool And Playgroup a practical, active character. This Bradninch setting combines play that children can shape themselves with links to village life. Its appeal lies in the everyday detail: building something substantial, choosing an activity and learning to take a turn.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 24 April 2025. There are 30 places in total, and the current preschool offer accepts children from nine months to five years. Baby provision began in September 2025, so the inspection predates that addition: its observations describe the provision operating before babies joined.

Duchy is a non-profit, term-time preschool with full-day care and separate morning and afternoon sessions, plus care before and after the main preschool day. A summer holiday club runs during three weeks of the summer holidays for preschool and school children. That gives families some holiday provision alongside a predominantly term-time arrangement.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar Room, Butterfly Room and Cocoon Room each have a room leader. The overall age offer now spans babies through to children approaching school age. For parents choosing care for a younger child, the September 2025 introduction of baby provision is an important distinction from the older preschool experience described in April that year.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care: in everyday terms, children develop language, movement, relationships and early skills through play and interaction. Here, the day includes painting, making models, storytelling, early writing and number activities. Children can build at different scales and create their own pretend-play spaces, giving them ways to explore an idea through both conversation and practical work.

In April 2025, children's interest in insects led to seed planting and tending young plants. Watering became an opportunity to notice creatures in the soil and talk about their features. This was learning connected to an interest children already had, rather than an isolated gardening task.

During the same month, children created roads for ride-on vehicles, took different roles and used signs to direct one another. The activity brought together planning, negotiation and imaginative play. Regular singing and stories also gave children opportunities to join in with familiar language and share ideas.

British sign language was used alongside interaction in April 2025, following staff training to support communication. Half-term curriculum newsletters explain learning intentions, while home-learning sheets give families activities to complete together. Printed copies are kept in the lending library House, making the connection between preschool learning and home practical rather than solely digital.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large garden contains a water tray, climbing equipment and a construction area as well as the mud kitchen. Large loose parts allow children to decide what to build. These resources support different sorts of outdoor play, from exploring materials to balancing and constructing, rather than treating the garden only as a place to run around.

In April 2025, community experiences included visits to a local church and care home, village seasonal events and activities with children at a local school. These encounters gave children contact with people and places beyond their immediate preschool group. They also put village life into experiences children could discuss and remember.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with at least two free introductory visits shortly before a child's start date. A parent or guardian takes part in settling sessions, and a keyworker is allocated during that period. Sessions are agreed with the family, with health or additional requirements considered before the child starts. This gives the first days a planned structure and a named adult connection.

Famly carries updates about the child's day, photographs, videos and announcements, alongside direct messages. Parents can also change permissions and report holidays or sickness through the app. The practical benefit is a single route for both everyday information and the administrative details that affect care.

Parents' evenings and stay-and-play opportunities provide other ways to participate. Families can give feedback through Famly, email or conversation, so communication need not depend entirely on a scheduled meeting. Curriculum newsletters and home-learning sheets add a separate view of what children are working towards.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and suitable SEND plans supported by regular assessment, targeted teaching and work with outside agencies. Those findings sit alongside current mechanisms families can understand: a safeguarding lead role, a SENCO and first-aid training for all staff.

The SEND policy sets out Individual Education Plans with targets, resources and activities, reviewed with parents every six weeks. Where further help is needed, the process includes referrals to outside agencies and possible additional funding for individual support. These are routes for responding to a child's needs, rather than a promise that every child will require or receive the same intervention.

Transition arrangements include discussion with the next setting or school to exchange information about a child's needs. Families remain involved in planning and review, which matters when support needs to continue across a move. Wheelchair access and an accessible toilet are also part of the premises.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Millway, Bradninch, Devon, EX5 4NL. Preschool opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01392 881975 or by email at admin@duchypreschool.org.uk, and preschool registration forms are completed online.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. Breakfast is a separate 8am to 9am session, teatime runs from 3pm to 5pm, and a late session continues from 5pm to 6pm. Early drop-off runs from 7.45am to 8am. These building blocks matter for families who want a shorter preschool session as well as those combining sessions across the day.

Attendance is flexible within the applicable funding rules, with a minimum of two sessions each week. Once a place is confirmed, families receive a welcome pack covering the first day, what to bring and snack advice. The main preschool operates during term time; its three-week summer holiday club is a separate offer.

Before and after school care serves children attending The Duchy Primary School in Bowley Meadow, with a walking bus between school and preschool. During the first two weeks of September, lunchtime collection also supports children new to that school while its settling sessions cover half days. These are childcare arrangements, rather than an admissions entitlement.

Funding and Paid Extras

Duchy offers universal funding of 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, 30 funded hours for eligible working families with children from nine months, and 15-hour two-year-old funding for eligible Families Requiring Additional Support (FRAS). The preschool's attendance model is term-time. Private hours can be purchased beyond the funded entitlement, and there is no registration charge for either funded or parent-paid sessions; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For funded preschool sessions, snacks, breakfast and tea carry voluntary additional charges, with families choosing to opt out supplying healthy snacks and meals; school-age breakfast and teatime bookings include their respective food. The café-style snack table lets children choose when to pause their play to eat.

Families supply nappies and wipes for both funded and private sessions. Sun cream is supplied for children who do not bring their own, and emergency nappies and wipes are kept on hand; regular use of those emergency supplies may attract a charge. The activities contribution during funded preschool sessions is voluntary, and children whose families opt out continue to take part in additional activities. Families wishing to opt out should notify the setting at the start of each term; the fees and funding terms explain the arrangements.

• Baby care followed the inspection. Children from nine months began joining in September 2025, after the April 2025 judgement. During a visit, explore how the youngest children's routines and room arrangements work.
• Time to answer. In April 2025, staff sometimes moved on before children had enough time to think and respond, restricting opportunities to explain their ideas. Ask how practitioners now allow space for a child's answer.
• Term-time planning. The main preschool runs during term time, with a separate summer club covering three weeks. Families needing care across school holidays should weigh that calendar against their working pattern.
• A regular attendance commitment. The minimum is two sessions a week, although patterns are flexible within funding rules. Discuss the combination of morning, afternoon and additional sessions that fits your child during settling.

Duchy suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those combining sessions into a full day during term time. The garden, substantial building materials and opportunities to choose activities give its play-based day concrete substance. Famly and planned settling visits provide useful connections between home and preschool.

The April 2025 judgement gives a positive assessment of the preschool provision of that period, with thinking time the clear improvement point. For families considering baby care, the later introduction of younger children deserves attention in its own right. The overall proposition is strongest for families whose childcare calendar fits term-time provision and who value active play alongside participation in local life.