Tatworth Pre School

A water wall, a bug hotel and space for digging give Tatworth Pre School a practical, outdoorsy character. Inside, a reading den and home corner make room for quieter play and make-believe. This parent-led charity combines a purpose-built setting with a clear role for families in how it runs.

The February 2023 judgement was Good overall, with Outstanding personal development. That judgement is dated: the strongest examples from that visit concern children taking responsibility, developing independence and participating in physical activity, rather than simply completing adult-led tasks.

There are 30 places in total. Full-day, morning and afternoon attendance is offered during term time. Tatworth's charitable structure also matters: parents and carers form the committee, while employed staff manage everyday care.

Rooms and Ages

Children are accepted from nine months to four years and eleven months. That age range makes this a broader early-years offer than the name alone might imply.

The building contains an interactive whiteboard, craft tables and small-world toys, alongside the home corner and reading den. These give children different ways to engage: making something, acting out familiar situations or spending time with a book. Outdoors, a covered area adds another usable space when the weather changes.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, communication, physical activity and increasing independence belong together in the nursery day. Tatworth's equipment gives those broad areas a concrete setting, from creative work at the craft tables to movement outside.

In February 2023, staff brought counting and shape recognition into play with dough and tools. Small-group book discussions encouraged children to remember stories and think about characters. These were examples of learning through an activity children were already enjoying, rather than separate exercises added afterwards.

Writing also had a practical purpose at that visit. Children who showed little interest in table-based mark making used clipboards during construction and role play; another activity involved drawing at a larger scale on the ground. The useful detail is the change of context. Staff offered another route into the same skill instead of relying on one task to engage everyone.

Physical activity has its own place in the current offer, with ideas for families to continue movement at home. In February 2023, a daily exercise programme addressed core strength, and children voted on the group's activity. That combined movement with a small, understandable opportunity to make a collective decision.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supports more than running about. A mud kitchen, gardening area and digging space allow hands-on exploration; the water wall and sand play provide materials to investigate and manipulate. Slides, a climbing frame and a ride-on play space add opportunities for larger movements. Families should expect clothes suited to messy play.

Parent participation extends beyond conversations with practitioners. Committee fundraising pays for equipment, tools and activities, so families can contribute to the resources children use. Tatworth is also affiliated to the Early Years Alliance and has adopted its constitution; the day-to-day offer remains this setting's own.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2023, children readily communicated their needs to staff and took part in small-group activities. Communication with parents included emails, reports each term, meetings and information about the day's activities. Staff also worked with families on toilet training, language and shared reading. These examples show how home and pre-school routines were connected at that time.

The current Home Learning resources continue that practical emphasis. Suggestions include retelling stories, making bread, sorting toys and measuring ingredients. They give parents manageable activities to use in ordinary family life, rather than treating learning as something confined to the setting.

Independence was a strong thread in February 2023. Children helped prepare fruit, clean tables and replenish milk, while younger children managed handwashing and older ones put on their coats. Responsibility was built into useful tasks. For parents weighing school preparation, these everyday habits are as relevant as the learning equipment.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified positive participation for children with special educational needs, with early support coordinated for families. Those are inspection-time findings, rather than a blanket assurance about every child's experience today.

Current staffing includes a special educational needs coordinator and a deputy in that role, giving families identified responsibilities through which to discuss support. Safeguarding responsibilities include a designated lead and deputy, and staff have safeguarding and child-protection training. These arrangements establish who handles concerns; they do not replace the dated inspection judgement.

The safeguarding policy allows information to be shared with other agencies without parental consent where there is reasonable concern about abuse or neglect. That is a useful policy detail for parents to understand before joining. The team also includes practitioners with paediatric first-aid training.

Sessions and Attendance

Tatworth Pre School operates at Memorial Hall, Kents Lane, Tatworth, TA20 2QW. It opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 4pm, for 39 weeks of the year during term time. Families needing care throughout school holidays should weigh that calendar alongside their working arrangements.

Full Day sessions run from 8am to 4pm, and the Pre-School session runs from 9am to 3pm. Early Play covers 8am to 9am; the After School session covers 3pm to 4pm. These shorter additions let families extend the central pre-school session at either end.

Morning sessions can start at 8am, 8.30am, 8.45am, 9am or 9.15am, ending at noon before lunch or 12.30pm after lunch. Afternoon sessions start at noon before lunch or 12.30pm after lunch and finish at 3pm, 3.15pm or 4pm. The distinction around lunch matters when choosing both attendance and what to pack.

Applications can be emailed to the pre-school or delivered during opening hours. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. These are direct routes into the setting's application process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Tatworth offers the Early Years Entitlement, with a child registration form for Somerset Council funding. Attendance is term-time only. Private childcare is also charged by the hour; families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, using the session and fees information to understand the attendance options.

For preschool children aged two to four, snacks and consumables carry a separate termly charge. Lunch works differently: families booking attendance over lunch provide a lunchbox and drink from home.

Parents supply nappies, wet wipes and nappy sacks for children who need them, as well as sun cream in summer. For preschool children, those items sit alongside the consumables charge, so the practical arrangement combines items brought from home with a separately charged category.

• Listening and sharing. In February 2023, staff did not consistently help children listen to one another or recognise when a turn had finished. Ask how practitioners now support turn-taking and help children resolve disagreements themselves.
• Care for the youngest children. Children are accepted from nine months. At a visit, ask how settling, sleep and the key-person relationship are organised for the youngest children.
• Term-time care. Attendance runs for 39 weeks, with full-day and shorter sessions. Families whose work continues through school holidays need an arrangement that fits this calendar.
• A parent-led setting. The committee depends on continuing family and community support and organises fundraising for children's resources. Consider whether helping with that work is something your family would enjoy.

Tatworth suits families looking for term-time full days or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with early and late additions around the central pre-school day. Its outdoor equipment, practical indoor resources and parent-led structure give it a recognisable character.

The February 2023 examples of independence and purposeful play are persuasive, while the concern about listening and resolving disagreements deserves attention. For families comfortable with the term-time calendar and bringing lunch and care supplies from home, this is a concrete, useful offer to weigh.