The Young Ones

A large garden and a classroom that can be divided as children’s activities change give The Young Ones its character. Based in the grounds of Preston Academy in Yeovil, this preschool combines an adaptable indoor space with a garden fenced separately from the school grounds. Its appeal is practical: the classroom layout can change to suit children’s play and learning.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated The Young Ones Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying clearer learning intentions and more opportunities for quieter children to speak as priorities for improvement. Those qualifications matter alongside the grade. They point parents towards the detail of teaching and participation rather than the headline alone.

The nursery age range is 29 to 60 months, with separate provision for older children through Afterschool and the Holiday Club. Flexible attendance hours are part of the offer.

Rooms and Ages

One adaptable room shapes the indoor experience. Measuring 16.5m x 7.3m, it can be partitioned into smaller spaces to accommodate different activities and children’s needs. This is a shared-room model, with the layout changed to suit play and learning rather than a sequence of named, age-specific rooms.

Outside, the garden and play area are fenced separately from the surrounding school grounds. The indoor flexibility and substantial outdoor space are useful features for families weighing how much room their child will have to explore. They describe the physical setting, rather than the number of children present on any particular day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the September 2025 examples show what that can mean in practice: creative play, conversation, movement and everyday tasks become opportunities to develop skills.

In September 2025, children made dough portraits using mirrors to study their faces. Handling the dough and tools exercised their hands while linking creative work with observation. Music and dance offered another kind of choice: staff invited children to select a song, giving them a say in a shared activity.

Independence also had a concrete place in the day that September. Children spread butter on their toast, helped clean tables and counted chairs for snack. These small jobs connect coordination and counting with a purpose children can understand. They also give children responsibilities beyond choosing a toy.

The teaching limitation was equally specific. In September 2025, staff sometimes lacked a precise idea of the next skill or knowledge an activity should develop. An enjoyable activity therefore did not always receive the extra question or direction needed to take learning further.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden was used for investigation in September 2025. Children constructed ramps from drainpipes, then explored how cars moved along them and why some stopped. Staff’s questions brought reasoning into the play: children had something concrete to test and a result to discuss.

This is a useful example of the outdoor space doing more than providing exercise. A ramp can be rebuilt and a car tried again, making persistence and problem-solving part of the same activity. The garden is one of the strongest reasons to consider the setting.

In September 2025, settling arrangements were adapted around individual children, with staff gathering information about their interests, preferences and needs from parents. Newsletters continued that connection, including practical suggestions for children’s lunch boxes. The emphasis was on sharing useful information between home and the setting.

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used assessment to recognise learning gaps and worked with other professionals to arrange additional support. This gives families a concrete mechanism to consider: observations could lead to further help, rather than remaining a record of activities.

Communication has a physical place here too. Children’s drawers hold their work and sometimes letters or invitations; noticeboards carry activity information and closure updates. The Photos wanted request asks families to contribute pictures of pets or family outings for a book children can use to talk about home. Familiar subjects give children something personal to share.

Language support needs careful attention. In September 2025, staff read stories, demonstrated pronunciation and revisited new vocabulary, but younger and less confident children sometimes had fewer opportunities to contribute during group activities. For a child who needs time to find their voice, participation matters as much as hearing language modelled well.

By the September 2025 inspection, staff had received training on children’s personal, social and emotional development, with behaviour strategies used consistently. This connects professional development with an identifiable part of daily practice: helping children manage their behaviour in ways appropriate to their development.

Sessions and Attendance

Playgroup opens from 9am to 4pm during term time. Attendance is flexible within the opening window, rather than organised into fixed morning or afternoon sessions. That offers a different booking approach from choosing between set half-days and full days.

Afterschool runs from 3pm to 6pm for children aged 4 to 14. The Holiday Club serves the same age band, opening from 8am to 6pm during school holidays. These are separate services for school-age children, alongside the preschool provision.

Getting There

The address is Preston Academy, Monks Dale, Yeovil, BA21 3JD. Directions use the academy’s first or lower car park, followed by a walk to the cabin; parking depends on finding a space.

A security gate controls the main entrance to the academy grounds. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form, and an enrolment pack brings the joining paperwork together.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2025, the setting offered government-funded places. Paid attendance is organised around an hourly rate, with flexible hours allowing families to match their booking to their schedule. Current prices should form part of the nursery’s written quotation.

Joining involves an Enrolment Form, Child Collection Form and Emergency Treatment Form, alongside agreement to the Fees Policy. These separate documents make collection arrangements and treatment consent part of the enrolment process.

Being based on school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place. Families seeking a state-school place still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Learning beyond the activity. September 2025 identified imprecise next steps in some teaching. During a visit, ask how staff decide what a child should learn next and adapt an activity accordingly.
• Space for quieter voices. Group activities did not consistently draw out younger or less confident children in September 2025. A useful visit question is how staff make room for a child who needs more time to contribute.
• Flexible hours and the total bill. Attendance can be tailored within the service’s opening hours. When discussing the booking, ask how funded hours, meals and non-food consumables fit into the written quotation.
• A shared room on school grounds. The classroom can be divided and the academy entrance has a security gate. Arrange the visit beforehand and consider how the room layout and access arrangements would work for your family.

The Young Ones suits families seeking flexible preschool hours during term time, as well as those needing Afterschool care or a Holiday Club for older children. The adaptable classroom and fenced garden give it a clear physical identity, while the September 2025 examples show independence being practised through useful tasks and outdoor investigation.

The judgement is positive but qualified. Precision in teaching and participation for quieter children deserve attention. Families who value outdoor exploration and flexible attendance have concrete reasons to consider it, with those two teaching questions shaping the visit.