Chard NNI & School's Out

Growing vegetables, practising yoga and learning to manage big feelings give the preschool day at Clare House a clear character. Chard NNI & School's Out combines child-led play with deliberate attention to movement, emotions and independence. Its Little & Big Bee Rooms serve children aged 3 to 4, with outdoor access that lets exploration continue beyond the room.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good, found that children progressed well and were prepared for school, and judged safeguarding effective. The improvement priority was specific: adults needed to give children more chances to work out solutions themselves. That distinction matters here, where independent choices and problem-solving are central to the preschool offer.

The setting has 66 places in total and caters for babies as well as older children. Preschool provision is only part of the picture, rather than a description of the whole setting.

Rooms and Ages

Little & Big Bee Rooms give children aged 3 to 4 access to resources they can choose independently, small-group learning and an outdoor environment they can move into freely. Children grow flowers and vegetables outside, investigate the natural world and test their physical abilities through adventurous play. These are practical opportunities to make decisions, rather than simply follow an adult's activity.

School preparation also runs through ordinary routines. Dressing, looking after possessions and managing personal care are part of the preschool emphasis on independence. Small groups and time with key family groups provide opportunities to practise sharing, communication and cooperation alongside larger stretches of child-led play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and development through play, with experiences shaped around children's interests. Here, the preschool additions include emotion coaching, which helps children recognise feelings, express them and respond calmly to difficulties. It gives emotional language a practical purpose during play and relationships.

Movement has a daily place. Yoga brings attention to breathing and awareness of the body, while meditation and mindfulness provide quieter periods for relaxation and emotional regulation. Alongside these calmer activities, physical play gives children opportunities to practise balance and coordination. The combination makes room for energetic exploration and deliberate pauses within the same day.

In July 2024, books were used actively: younger children explored pictures with adults, while older children matched toy insects to illustrations. Story props helped children carry familiar tales into their own play. Language learning also emerged from everyday encounters, including conversations about feeding guinea pigs and an adult supplying the word for an ambulance that younger children had heard.

Outside that July, younger children bounced and swung, while older children rode bikes along pathways. Handling animals also prompted conversations about handwashing. These examples show how physical activity, vocabulary and everyday care could connect within one experience.

Relationships and Communication

Transitions into Little & Big Bee Rooms are planned around familiarity with the room and a relationship with the child's key person. The emphasis is on helping the child feel secure before expecting them to manage the change independently. That makes the move between stages part of care, rather than just an administrative change.

In July 2024, children turned to adults for comfort and reassurance, and staff helped them express disagreement in words. Parents received daily handover information, alongside guidance sessions covering behaviour, weaning, toilet training and healthy eating. Support therefore extended beyond the activities children did during their nursery hours.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo role sits within the preschool provision. At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that cooperation with other agencies supported inclusion, including for children with complex medical needs, and that communication strategies benefited children learning English as an additional language. This is concrete evidence of support mechanisms and practice at that date.

Preschool families provide nappies and spare clothing when their child needs them, and the key person supports potty training when the family feels the child is ready. Familiar routines and cooperation with parents matter as children develop self-care skills at different speeds.

Links with children's schools support the move onwards. Preschool preparation concentrates on practical independence as well as learning: managing clothes, making choices and taking responsibility for belongings all have a place.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The setting operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Those closures are worth building into a family's childcare calendar.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone. The address is Clare House, Millfield, Chard, TA20 2DA.

Getting There

The setting sits off the A358, south of its junction with the A30. Parking beside the premises is reached from Millfield, giving drivers a specific access route to use.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2024, the nursery received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. For preschool children who need them, nappies and changes of clothes come from home.

• Independent problem-solving. The July 2024 improvement priority concerned adults supplying answers too quickly during thinking tasks. On a visit, ask how practitioners now give children time to test their own ideas before helping.
• Preschool transitions. Little & Big Bee Rooms use planned transition sessions and key-person relationships to support the move. Discuss how that process would work for your child, especially if changes of room take time to feel comfortable.
• Your attendance and funding plan. The weekday opening window ends at 5.30pm, and preschool nappies come from home. Which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your family, and how would meals and other consumables be charged?

Chard NNI & School's Out suits families drawn to preschool learning that combines outdoor exploration, emotional language and daily movement. Little & Big Bee Rooms give that approach substance through growing, independent access to resources and practical self-care. The Good judgement from July 2024 provides a positive inspection position, with a clear qualification around giving children greater ownership of problem-solving. Families needing care across the year should also weigh the 5.30pm closing time and planned holiday closures against their routines.