Dundry Pre-school

A village hall, a field behind it and an enclosed garden give Dundry Pre-school a clear rural character. Children can play outside, while links with the village church bring seasonal celebrations into community spaces. This is a committee-run setting where parents can contribute ideas, practical skills and help with fundraising.

Dundry takes children from age 2 until they begin school and has 24 places in total. At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The strengths came with practical improvement points: helping less-confident children understand routines and getting staff established in new responsibilities promptly.

Attendance is term-time, with full-day, morning and afternoon patterns, although children under 3 normally begin with mornings. That age condition matters more than the headline choice of sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning framework: children develop language, relationships, physical skills and early mathematical understanding through play and supported activities. At Dundry, this includes matching and sorting, sharing books, making marks and exploring music or imaginative play. These are everyday learning experiences rather than formal lessons.

The curriculum page connects those areas to practical experiences. Handling scissors develops control; pedalling a trike exercises larger movements. Counting and comparing shapes bring mathematics into something children can handle and discuss. Children’s interests help shape the planning, giving their questions a role in what happens next.

In May 2023, children chose between den-making in the hall, dough work and outdoor exploration. Magnet play offered a useful example of how adults extended an activity: children tried things for themselves, then staff introduced vocabulary and encouraged predictions.

That month, songs with accompanying movements and rhyming books also prompted language use. Children talked about their dough shapes and described dividing the material. A water pump gave them a practical problem to solve as they worked out how to clean paint from their hands.

Group activities were less consistently successful in May 2023. Waiting for a turn on an obstacle course left some children disengaged, despite the balancing, climbing and throwing involved.

Outdoor and Community Life

The hall backs onto a field with a children’s playground, and the enclosed garden gives children another outdoor space during sessions, subject to the weather. Outdoor play takes place daily in most weather conditions. Wellies and suitable clothing therefore belong in the everyday kit, rather than being reserved for an occasional outing.

Church links add a community dimension. Easter events, Harvest and Christmas use the local church, giving seasonal occasions a setting beyond the hall.

Relationships and Communication

Ladybird group, Bumblebee group and Butterfly group organise the key-person arrangements; they are the preschool’s three key groups. Each child has an adult with particular responsibility for their needs, interests and development. The aim is a close relationship alongside growing familiarity with other staff and children.

Settling begins in small steps. The initial session lasts an hour with a parent present, followed by an hour apart at the next session; subsequent attendance builds according to the child’s response. The terms specify the initial session as 10am to 11am and the next as 9am to 10am. This gives separation time to develop before a longer morning or afternoon is attempted.

Tapestry, the online learning diary, records observations and gives parents a way to contribute experiences from home. Three parent meetings each year provide a separate opportunity to discuss development or concerns. Staff are also available at session starts, with confidential conversations accommodated when needed.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefited from individual support plans, with additional funding used for extra adult support and smaller-group listening activities.

In May 2023, familiar routines worked better for established, confident children than for some newcomers. Staff gave spoken instructions, but visual sequencing aids and signing were not used consistently to help children understand what would happen next. Staff induction existed, yet some procedural training arrived too slowly for people taking on new responsibilities. Both issues formed part of the required improvements.

Current staffing roles include a safeguarding lead and a deputy safeguarding lead. Children’s care also involves practical preparation from home: parents supply labelled sun cream and a sunhat in summer, as well as clothing that children can manage when using the toilet. Easy fastenings make developing independence part of the daily routine.

For food, families supply packed lunches, while preschool snacks carry a separate optional charge and parents may instead supply fruit or vegetables. Milk and water are provided, and the preschool publishes a nut-free policy with arrangements for food allergies and intolerances.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Village Hall, Crabtree Lane, Dundry, BS41 8LW. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm on weekdays, during term time; school holidays are closures. The contact form, telephone and email provide enquiry routes.

Full-day sessions run from 9am to 3pm, mornings from 9am to noon and afternoons from noon to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Children under 3 normally attend mornings only, subject to the preschool’s discretion. Parents can reserve later afternoon or full-day attendance in preparation for a child turning 3, but extending the day depends on readiness and staff agreement.

Lunch club follows the morning session and lasts an hour. Participation depends on the child being sufficiently settled and agreement from key staff; it is separately charged unless funding covers it. Children can start between September and April, rather than only at the beginning of the autumn term.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are both offered. Funding includes the universal 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child’s third birthday, support for eligible disadvantaged or low-income 2-year-olds, and up to 30 hours for eligible working families. The latter begins from the term after the second birthday; a working-parent code issued for younger children can also be used here once a child reaches 2, subject to eligibility. Attendance follows the term-time calendar, and longer sessions remain subject to the settling arrangements.

The session and fees page sets out the charge structure. Snacks are charged separately, including during funded attendance, and additional charges are optional. Parents can substitute their own fruit or vegetables for the preschool snack, with four weeks’ notice to opt out. Packed lunches and sun cream come from home, so funding does not mean that every daily item is supplied.

Trips and activities can involve optional additional charges, communicated when they arise. A refundable deposit is payable after a place is confirmed; it is returned when the child leaves, subject to compliance with the terms. Invoices are monthly, and ordinary absence does not stop fees being payable. Current prices come in the preschool’s written quotation.

• Extending a younger child’s day. Under-3s normally begin with mornings, and lunch club or afternoons depend on settling and staff agreement. A longer stay therefore depends on the individual child, rather than age alone.
• Routines and staff preparation. The May 2023 improvement points concerned support for newer or less-confident children and timely guidance for staff in new roles. Ask how visual prompts, signing and induction now work in practice.
• Notice for session changes. The session page requires one term’s notice, while the April 2026 terms specify four weeks, with possible discretion for shorter notice. Establish the applicable written agreement before planning a change in attendance.
• Food arrangements. Lunch comes from home and the preschool has a nut-free policy; opting out of its snack requires four weeks’ notice. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements and suitable packed-lunch choices before starting.

Dundry suits families seeking term-time mornings or afternoons, as well as those ready for a full preschool day. Its village-hall setting, outdoor spaces and church celebrations give the experience a recognisable community character. Key groups, gradual settling and Tapestry provide practical ways to connect home and preschool.

The Good judgement from May 2023 offers a positive inspection position, with clear qualifications around routines, group waiting time and staff preparation. For younger children, the decisive fit is the gradual attendance model: the longer day follows readiness, rather than being the automatic starting point.