Shilbottle Friendly Frog Pre-School

A bus ride to a bookshop, flowers left around the village and children voting for their next story give Shilbottle Friendly Frog Pre-School a recognisable character. Village life and small, practical decisions shape the experiences described in July 2025. Children have opportunities to contribute, rather than simply follow an adult's plan.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The current preschool age range is nine months to four years, with capacity for 24 children in total. That capacity describes the whole setting, rather than the size of a particular group.

Based at Shilbottle County First School in Shilbottle, near Alnwick, the preschool combines care for younger children with preparation for the next stage. Its strongest features are the concrete ways children practise communication, independence and participation: choosing a story, preparing food and sharing activities with older village residents.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the learning and care framework here: children's play develops language, physical skills, relationships, early mathematics and an understanding of the world. It is the statutory foundation for the day. The practical interest lies in how those areas become activities children can understand and join in.

In July 2025, children explored texture through foam and cereal, threaded coloured hoops into sequences and used different-sized spoons to discuss size. Counting the votes for a story linked numbers to a decision that mattered to them. These examples connect early mathematics with handling objects and making choices, rather than treating it as a separate exercise.

Communication also had a practical structure. In July 2025, staff introduced circle-time topics ahead of the discussion, giving children time to prepare their thoughts. Pictures and signing offered further ways to communicate. For a child who needs longer to formulate an answer, that preparation creates another route into a group conversation.

The planning board records activities, adjustments and group needs, and parents can contribute suggestions. Tapestry is used to record observations and assessments, follow development and identify possible gaps. Together, these arrangements give families a way to understand the planning behind an activity and share information that may influence what happens next.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2025, nature activities included woodland walks, planting sunflowers and making shelters for insects. Children also contributed ideas for the garden. This gave the outdoor space a role in their decisions, as well as their play.

The village supplied further experiences. In July 2025, children travelled by bus to a bookshop, visited a library van regularly and met local firefighters. Trips brought books, transport and community roles into the same account of learning. The library van visits were regular; the other outings had no stated timetable.

Community participation went beyond visits. In July 2025, children shared puzzles and pictures with older residents through the local family hub, sang carols and helped decorate the village Christmas tree. For world kindness day, they left flowers around the village for residents to discover. That event gave kindness a concrete action and an audience beyond the preschool.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children were settled, that relationships with staff supported confidence, and that cooperation with school staff and health professionals helped provide consistent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Those findings matter for families whose children need coordinated help across different adults and services.

In July 2025, staff discussed feelings with children and organised changes between activities calmly. Children practised independence by peeling fruit, pouring drinks, selecting a seat and carrying their plates. Adults also supported children in making choices and respecting someone else's decision. These were small responsibilities with a clear purpose: children could do more for themselves within the daily routine.

Parent participation had concrete examples too. In July 2025, sessions helped parents learn signing, while children helped prepare sandwiches and organise a Mother's Day morning tea. The event connected family involvement with something children could help make happen, rather than leaving them solely as spectators.

Dinners are cooked on the premises and charged separately, with weekly menus displayed in the foyer. This gives families a menu to consider alongside the cost of attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, and accepts children aged nine months to four years. These are opening hours. In July 2025, it operated throughout the year.

Holiday Club runs outside term time, with themed activities for children aged nine months to 11 years. This extends the age range beyond the preschool itself and may be useful where a family needs holiday care for children at different stages.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01665 581377. Visits are arranged by telephone appointment.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2025, the setting offered government-funded childcare. Dinners carry a separate charge. The fees page provides access to its fee information.

Getting There

The address is Shilbottle County First School, Shilbottle, Alnwick, NE66 2XQ. Although the preschool is on a school site, attending does not guarantee a Reception place: families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place.

• The cost of your attendance pattern. Dinners are charged separately, and funded childcare was offered in July 2025. Ask for a written quotation covering your intended hours, funded provision and any consumables charges.
• Seeing the planning in practice. Parents can contribute to the planning board, and Tapestry records observations and assessments. At a visit, ask to see how these arrangements connect a child's interests with their next activities.
• School-site expectations. The preschool's school-site address and cooperation with school staff can be useful for continuity of support. They do not confer a Reception place, so school applications remain a separate family task.

Shilbottle Friendly Frog Pre-School suits families seeking a village-based setting for children from nine months to four years, with holiday provision extending to older children. In July 2025, story votes, library van visits and children's contributions to village celebrations connected everyday learning with decisions and experiences beyond the preschool.

The appeal is practical participation. Children take responsibility for manageable tasks, parents can contribute to planning, and learning reaches beyond the preschool through community experiences. Separately charged dinners and the distinction between preschool attendance and school admission are the main decisions to factor into a family's plans.