Bassingbourn pre-school

Messy play each day, photographs shared through Tapestry and a committee elected from parents and carers give Bassingbourn pre-school a practical, family-facing character. Tapestry is an online learning journal through which staff share observations and families can contribute their own. Parents have a role beyond receiving updates: they can help shape how the charity is run.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good at its November 2022 inspection. It has capacity for 55 children; children attending in November 2022 were aged two to four. The age figure describes that visit, rather than a current admissions rule.

The strongest decision points are the everyday emphasis on hands-on play, two-way communication and the term-time calendar. Breakfast Club adds an earlier start to the main opening window.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop skills through play, conversation and exploration. Tapestry connects that learning with home, recording achievements in photographs and written observations rather than leaving parents with only a brief verbal update.

Messy play happens daily. A complete spare outfit can stay on a child's peg, so a change is ready when an activity or toileting accident calls for it. Optional embroidered clothing includes sweatshirts and fleeces, with second-hand items also sold directly by the pre-school. Uniform is a choice, rather than a requirement.

In November 2022, younger children explored coloured sand, tracing shapes and pouring it over dried pasta while adults supplied words for what was happening. Children had time to pursue an activity at their own pace. That example brings together sensory exploration and language, with conversation attached to something children could see and handle.

Imaginary play also featured in November 2022. Children negotiated roles while acting out familiar experiences, including looking after dolls. A listening game using headphones introduced another social demand: sharing equipment and accepting that a sound would not necessarily match the picture on their card.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2022, the garden brought children from different group rooms together. Older children used a frame for climbing, with adults helping them think about landing and judging a manageable physical challenge. Outdoor play therefore supported both movement and contact with children beyond their own group.

The Christmas Hamper Raffle in November 2025 asked families to contribute items for colour-themed baskets. A Christmas Party was also organised for December 2025, inviting all children, including those who did not normally attend that day. These were dated occasions for families to participate, rather than promises about a future events calendar.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry allows parents to view learning updates through an app or browser and add photographs and observations from home. This gives staff information about experiences beyond the pre-school, while parents can see the activities behind a child's account of the day. Help with accessing the journal is offered to families who need it.

In November 2022, key persons exchanged information with parents in both directions. Children also took books home for shared reading, extending conversations about stories beyond the session. Within the pre-school, adults listened carefully, introduced vocabulary and encouraged children to put feelings and requests into words.

Moves between group rooms were supported in November 2022 by familiarity: children had already met other staff and children through shared garden time. That is a concrete transition mechanism, helping a room change feel less like a completely new setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and very good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including staff involvement with outside professionals and meetings to adapt support as needs changed. These are dated judgements, with the practical detail lying in coordination between the people supporting each child.

All staff have paediatric first aid training. Ongoing staff development covers child protection, special educational needs, equalities and the EYFS. These arrangements describe training and preparation; they do not replace the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Brook Road, Bassingbourn, SG8 5NP is the pre-school's address. Main opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 2.45pm; Breakfast Club provides an earlier start and is charged separately.

Attendance follows a term-time calendar. Some dates differ from those of the primary school, an important practical detail for families coordinating siblings' childcare. Telephone and email enquiries are supported, alongside an online message form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Early Years Universal Funding, described as 15 hours a week from the term after a child's third birthday. Eligible children may receive Extended Entitlement, or 30 hours funding, and some children qualify for two-year old funding; funding is delivered term time only.

Private childcare is charged by the hour. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the entitlement structure.

Parents supply sunscreen and apply it before the session. Children also bring a named bottle containing water, while weather-appropriate clothing and a spare outfit support outdoor and messy play.

• Challenge in learning. In November 2022, staff did not consistently extend children's thinking through prediction and independent problem-solving, and activities needed more challenge beyond existing knowledge. On a visit, ask how staff now develop these skills for children ready for a harder task.
• Coordinating the day. The main opening window ends at 2.45pm, with Breakfast Club providing the earlier start. Some term dates differ from the primary school's, so compare both calendars against work and sibling arrangements.
• Planning the full cost. Hourly private care and a separately charged Breakfast Club sit alongside term-time funding. Request a written quotation covering your intended attendance, food and consumables so the whole arrangement is clear before booking.

Bassingbourn pre-school suits families whose routines fit term-time daytime care, including those who need Breakfast Club before the main opening window. Daily messy play and a two-way Tapestry journal give parents concrete ways to understand and contribute to their child's experiences.

The November 2022 Good judgement provides a positive dated assessment, balanced by a clear need for greater learning challenge. Parent participation through the committee adds another reason to consider it: families can contribute to decisions as well as follow their child's learning.