Bratton Fleming Pre-School CIC

A mini woodland for older children, outdoor play for babies and a purpose-built home beside the village primary school give Bratton Fleming Pre-School CIC a clear character. Play is the common thread, from musical instruments in Bunnies to counting, drawing and practical independence in Deer. This is a setting where the physical spaces matter as much as the activities.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that staff worked with families and other agencies to provide individual support, with children making good progress. Two improvements deserve parents’ attention: giving children more opportunities to explain their thinking, and exchanging information with every other setting they attend.

There are 26 places in total. Care extends from birth to rising five, with younger and older children using separate areas. Opening hours run from 9am to 3pm, with an earlier start and later finish possible on request.

Rooms and Ages

Bunnies, the under-two area, combines sensory activities, musical instruments and weekly messy play with a reading corner, a place for naps and use of three outdoor spaces. That combination gives younger children both active play and somewhere to rest; sleep has its own area rather than being left out of the room’s description.

Deer, for children over two, brings together daily counting and early writing, an Art Area and a Loose Parts area, alongside outdoor access throughout the day, including the mini woodlands. Activities follow themed weeks and children’s interests. Practical learning matters too: putting on shoes and coats, washing hands and using the toilet are part of the day, rather than tasks adults simply do for children.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and development: children build skills through play across its seven areas of learning. Here, that takes concrete form in sensory exploration for younger children and counting, mark making and increasing independence for older ones. The room descriptions give parents a useful picture of what children actually do.

In May 2024, children repeatedly sought out books, while preschool children used pictures to invent or retell stories. Staff also encouraged children to persist when construction pieces proved difficult to connect. These examples show the place of books and practical problem-solving in the inspection-era day, rather than a timetable built solely around adult instructions.

Language teaching had specific content. In May 2024, younger children heard their words repeated with clearer pronunciation, and older children encountered vocabulary about bees. However, adults sometimes missed opportunities to invite children to explain their own ideas and experiences. Learning new words and having room to use them are different things; the latter was an improvement priority.

Outdoor and Community Life

The mini woodlands give Deer an outdoor setting beyond the indoor activity areas, with access continuing whatever the weather. Bunnies also use the outdoor spaces in wet as well as dry conditions. Families choosing this pre-school should expect outdoor play to be part of ordinary attendance.

The pre-school describes strong connections with the neighbouring village primary school and its wider community. Its purpose-built building also has a practical backstory: community fundraising and council grants helped secure it. These are concrete local ties, rather than a claim about the benefits of proximity alone.

Relationships and Communication

A key person helps each child become familiar with the setting, adapts care to individual needs and develops a relationship with the family. Other staff remain available for conversations. This gives parents a clear point of contact while allowing everyday communication to continue beyond one practitioner.

Tapestry, the online system used to send observations and daily care diaries to parents’ devices, provides another connection between home and pre-school. A termly Parent’s Evening makes space for a longer conversation, and open days throughout the year let families share children’s achievements. Digital updates and scheduled discussions serve different purposes: one keeps daily information moving, while the other allows time to talk.

The Settling In Policy centres on discussing the child’s individual needs. For a baby or a child new to group care, that makes the settling conversation relevant to their own routines rather than simply to the setting’s timetable.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role and designated safeguarding lead role form part of the staff structure. These identify responsibilities; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection, rather than to the existence of those roles alone.

In May 2024, staff helped children practise managing small disagreements and encouraged everyday self-care. Younger children were prompted to find their shoes and attempt simple personal tasks, while preschool children used cutlery and managed toileting. Such practice gives independence a daily place alongside play.

Freshly cooked food is available each day. The Bunnies sleep area also gives rest an explicit place in the provision for younger children.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, extending from 8am to 5.30pm if requested. The additional opening hours depend on a request.

In May 2024, the pre-school operated Monday to Friday during term time. The funded-hours calendars for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 each covered 38 weeks; those dates describe past attendance cycles.

Getting There

The address is Fawn Lodge, Station Road, Bratton Fleming, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX31 4SB. Families can contact the pre-school by telephone on 01598 710019, by email at preschoolbf@gmail.com or through its contact form.

The setting occupies a purpose-built building within the primary school grounds. Attendance here does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2024, the pre-school received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be kept separate from the terms of an individual booking. Current prices come in the pre-school’s written quotation.

• Children’s own conversation. In May 2024, adults sometimes missed chances to draw out children’s thoughts and experiences. During a visit, explore how staff now encourage children to explain an idea, rather than only answer a question.
• Care across settings. Information was not exchanged with every other setting children attended in May 2024. For families dividing attendance between providers, discuss how care routines and learning information will be shared.
• Requested additional hours. The ordinary opening window is 9am to 3pm; an 8am start and 5.30pm finish depend on a request. Make that requirement part of the booking conversation if work commitments extend beyond the shorter window.
• Funding and the whole booking. For a funded booking, which entitlement and attendance pattern would apply, and how would meals, nappies and other consumables be handled? A visit can be booked by telephone, with the Registration Pack and Parents Handbook provided afterwards.

Bratton Fleming Pre-School CIC suits families who value play, regular outdoor access and practical independence, with separate provision for babies and older children. Bunnies’ rest space, Deer’s mini woodlands and communication through Tapestry give the offer substance. The May 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific priorities around children’s conversation and coordination with other providers. For families needing hours beyond 9am to 3pm, the request-based extension is a practical consideration.