Beaumont Pre-School

A listed building, an enclosed courtyard and a garden give Beaumont Pre-School a recognisable setting for early childhood in Aldershot. Inside, Bumbles Room and Beehives Room serve different stages, from babies beginning to explore to older children practising independence before school. The setting is run by a parent committee, giving it a community structure as well as a shared address.

Beaumont has capacity for 44 children, with an age range of 3 months to 5 years. At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, with effective safeguarding arrangements. The practical character is hands-on: accessible play materials, opportunities to prepare snacks, and outdoor equipment for climbing and movement.

Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions operate during term time, with different start and finish times for the two rooms. That room distinction matters when planning the family day.

Rooms and Ages

Bumbles Room serves children from 3 months to 3 years, combining construction and pretend play with sensory activities and a quiet area containing cots for daytime naps. Beehives Room takes children aged 3 to 5, with an Imagination area for building and small-world play, musical instruments, books, art materials and access to a large outdoor space with a climbing frame.

The wider setting occupies two buildings. Its enclosed courtyard and fenced garden provide separate outdoor spaces, while the youngest children's resources include baskets placed at floor level so they can choose what to explore. That gives independence a physical starting point: children can reach the materials themselves rather than relying on an adult to select each activity.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) guides learning through play across its areas of learning, including communication, physical development and understanding the world. At Beaumont, that translates into building, stories, music, imaginative play and exploration. The framework is the foundation; the room arrangements show how it becomes practical.

In Bumbles, In The Moment Planing means extending activities from children's interests, with adults contributing ideas as play develops. Observations are added to Tapestry, an online learning journey where families can view updates and contribute experiences from home.

Construction resources include puzzles, fixing toys and, sometimes, real materials and tools used with adult guidance. Pretend-play themes respond to children's interests, with examples including a veterinary setting and a fire station. Sensory play uses materials such as flour, water and shaving foam, giving children different textures to investigate.

For older children, Beehives combines loose parts and small-world resources in its Imagination area. Stories and songs take place in the book area, alongside opportunities for children to talk about their interests. An adult guides learning games on the computer or tablet, while the home corner provides another route into conversation and pretend play.

In June 2024, children explored sea creatures, extending that interest through books and technology. Older children also experimented with bricks, sand and water in collaborative building, and practised early writing with chalk, rollers and brushes. These examples show learning crossing between conversation, movement and making things, rather than staying within one activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bumbles has a garden with a play house, ride-on toys, a mud kitchen and a music station made from pots and pans. Bug hunts and an outdoor paint easel take exploration and creative work beyond the indoor room.

Beehives children use scooters, cars, sand and water alongside the climbing frame. Outdoor play continues in different weather, so suitable clothing is part of the routine rather than an occasional extra. In June 2024, children practised balance and jumping, used balls, and climbed equipment to develop their physical skills.

Relationships and Communication

For children under 2 in Bumbles, a daily sheet covers activities, food, bottles and nappy changing or toileting. Tapestry adds observations of learning, supported by photographs or videos where possible, and parents can contribute their own updates.

Parents' evenings take place twice a year, offering a conversation with the child's key person. A newsletter at the beginning of each half term carries dates and information about activities or events.

In June 2024, staff used information from families and their own initial assessments to identify developmental gaps. Daily achievements and welfare information were shared through conversations and digital communication, but detailed learning goals did not reach all parents consistently. That is an important distinction for families who want practical ideas for supporting learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found good support for children with SEND, including collaboration with other professionals and use of additional funding for individual needs, while identifying a need for more precise speech and pronunciation planning and more detailed progress information for all parents.

The current staff structure includes designated safeguarding lead roles, an inclusion officer and a behaviour co-ordinator. In June 2024, quiet spaces and family photographs helped children settle their emotions and feel connected to the setting. Staff addressed disagreements in language children could understand, while routines such as tidying and managing chairs gave older children opportunities to practise consideration for others.

Bumbles includes cots within its quiet area and works with families on toilet training when a child is ready. Children also practise manageable care tasks, such as pouring drinks from small jugs and washing their cups and bowls after snacks. Independence is built through familiar routines.

For Bumbles children staying for lunch, parents provide a healthy packed meal; snacks, milk and water are supplied by the setting. Its lunch policy excludes nuts, chocolate and sugary drinks, and families are asked to share dietary needs so these can be considered when preparing snacks.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Old Guard Rooms, Beaumont Grove, Aldershot, GU11 1YH. Beaumont operates Monday to Friday during school terms, closing for school holidays. Room-specific session times give the clearest guide to the day.

Bumbles offers a morning session from 9am to noon, an afternoon from noon to 3pm, and an all-day session from 9am to 3pm. Beehives starts later: mornings run from 9.15am to 12.15pm, afternoons from 12.15pm to 3.15pm, and all-day attendance from 9.15am to 3.15pm. Families using both rooms therefore have different session boundaries to accommodate.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01252 328375 or by email at beaumontgroups1@aol.co.uk. Requested session changes are considered at management's discretion, taking staffing and numbers into account, with families encouraged to keep the same pattern until the next term. Withdrawal requires two weeks' notice; without it, a further two weeks are charged.

Funding and Paid Extras

Beaumont offers Universal free funding of 15 hours per week from the term after a child's third birthday, Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds funding and Working Families Entitlement for eligible families. Its term-time operation determines the attendance calendar. Private childcare is also offered for children outside funded provision and for additional sessions, with payment due in advance.

Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation. For Bumbles, parents supply lunch and bring nappies, wipes and cream when used, as well as sun cream and spare clothing. Snacks, milk and water are supplied during sessions; the packed-lunch arrangement remains separate from these refreshments.

• Room-specific timings. Bumbles finishes at 3pm and Beehives at 3.15pm, with similarly staggered mornings. On a visit, discuss how collection works if siblings attend different rooms.
• Speech and progress updates. June 2024 brought two improvement priorities: more precise support for speech and pronunciation, and clearer learning information for every parent. Ask how current planning and parent updates address both.
• Term-time attendance. Beaumont closes during school holidays. Families whose working year continues through those breaks will need a separate holiday-care arrangement.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Bumbles families provide lunch under a policy excluding nuts, chocolate and sugary drinks. Families affected by allergies should confirm current food-handling practice before joining.

Beaumont suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoons or all-day attendance within a term-time calendar. Its appeal lies in tangible details: a listed building with enclosed outdoor spaces, play materials children can reach themselves, and routines that let them practise small acts of independence.

The June 2024 Good judgement sits alongside specific priorities for speech planning and communication about progress. For parents, the strongest decision will turn on whether the room timings fit family life and whether current learning updates give the detail they want.