Charfield Pre-School

A planting garden, a drawing wall and a school-preparation day give Charfield Pre-School a clear identity: play comes first, with practical independence woven into the experience. This parent-committee-managed, non-profit pre-school operates within the grounds of Charfield Primary School and welcomes children from two to school age. It has 25 places in total. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of a teaching group.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 2 December 2022. The strengths beneath that judgement included relationships with families and support for children’s development; the improvement points concerned closer monitoring of staff practice and more consistent help for children who struggled with routines. Those findings provide a useful starting point for assessing the care here, while keeping the dated judgement separate from the current offer.

Morning and lunchtime sessions run within a term-time pattern, with Mondays reserved for children preparing to start school the following September. This is a pre-school with a deliberate school-readiness strand, alongside child-chosen play.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care, covering language, movement, relationships and early learning through play. Charfield’s approach combines children choosing their own activities with adult-led experiences such as cookery and craft. Children therefore have room to follow an interest while also taking part in something planned by a practitioner.

Name cards support children’s self-registration, after which they can choose a toy or activity. Smaller-group work is organised around development, friendships and special educational needs. The emphasis is on responding to children’s strengths and next steps, rather than giving every child an identical task.

In December 2022, pretend hairdressing brought conversation and number work together: children acted out familiar experiences and used play money. Children also helped feed guinea pigs. These examples show how ordinary play can carry several kinds of learning, from explaining an idea to taking responsibility for another living creature.

Rising 5’s is the school-preparation strand for children due to enter primary school the next September. It includes practising changing into PE kit, joining a structured PE lesson and working with others in groups. Trips to Westonbirt and farms add opportunities to practise independence and follow instructions away from the usual setting. The preparation is concrete. It concerns things children will actually need to do.

Outdoor and Community Life

Play extends across two buildings and an outdoor area. Outside, children have space for ride-on toys, alongside a play shed, quiet area, drawing wall and planting garden. Those different spaces allow energetic movement, making marks and quieter play to sit alongside each other, rather than treating outdoor time as a single activity.

Children can choose between indoor and outdoor play when the outdoor area is open, with access offered as often as possible across different weather conditions. Regular themes may explore religious festivals, international traditions and the local community. In December 2022, visitors included police officers and vets, giving children real examples of different jobs rather than relying solely on pretend play.

An optional enhanced settling package combines a home visit with two settling sessions, each lasting one hour, which children attend without their parents. The home visit introduces the key worker in familiar surroundings and gives families time to discuss interests, allergies and routines. The shorter sessions then provide a gradual introduction to the pre-school itself. Families eligible for the specified two-year-old support grants are exempt from the package charge.

In December 2022, staff also used family-photo books to keep important people in children’s lives part of their pre-school experience. Parents shared information about children’s personalities and preferences, and books went home for shared reading. This connected the setting’s activities with family life, giving parents a practical way to continue learning together.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND good, including individual plans, work with parents and referrals to other professionals, but identified inconsistent use of resources to help some children understand routines. The distinction matters: individual support was a strength, while helping children understand what happened next needed greater consistency.

Staff qualifications include NVQ Level 2 or Level 3. More useful for families than qualification labels alone is how practitioners turn their knowledge into support: in December 2022, staff had undertaken speech and language training, and measures were put in place while children waited for referrals. Neither that training nor those arrangements should be read as a promise about an individual child’s support today.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Foundation Rooms, Charfield Primary School, Wotton Road, Wotton-Under-Edge, GL12 8TG. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; the session labelled Lunchtime runs from noon to 3pm. Tuesday to Friday sessions admit children from two years old, while both Monday sessions are reserved for Rising 5’s children starting school the following September.

The attendance pattern runs from September to July. In December 2022, opening was term-time only, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm. For parents planning care around work, the important distinction is between the two session windows and the Monday age-stage restriction: a younger child’s timetable differs from that of a child approaching school.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. The pre-school’s place within primary-school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place. In December 2022, staff arranged school visits across the year, supporting familiarity with the next stage rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and paid sessions are offered. Funding information covers the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, working-parent funding of up to 30 hours a week, and support for eligible two-year-olds. Entitlements depend on the relevant conditions; the pre-school’s own intake begins at two, even though working-parent entitlement can start younger. Funding is organised around term-time attendance.

An optional per-session extras charge is invoiced at the start of each term, with snacks and Tapestry, the online learning journal, identified in its breakdown. The distinction between funded learning and additional items deserves attention when comparing a quotation.

Parents supply a packed lunch in a named box when attendance spans lunchtime; the lunch policy excludes nuts and chocolate items. Snacks include fruit, vegetables and cereals, with milk at snack time and water accessible during sessions.

The enhanced settling package is separately charged and optional, with the exemption for eligible two-year-old support-grant families described above. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Monday has a different purpose. Both Monday sessions are restricted to children starting school the following September. Discuss how the Tuesday-to-Friday pattern and later Rising 5’s attendance would fit your child’s week.
• Support with routines. In December 2022, resources were not always used consistently for children who needed help understanding the next activity, and monitoring of staff practice needed greater precision. At a visit, ask how these two improvement points have been addressed, especially if transitions are difficult for your child.
• Lunch and optional extras. Families provide lunchtime food, while an optional charge covers additional items including snacks and the online journal. Allergy-affected families should confirm current lunch and snack arrangements, including how the no-nuts policy operates.
• A gradual start. The optional enhanced package includes a home visit and two parent-free settling sessions. Consider whether that format suits your child, and discuss how the key worker would support separation.

Charfield suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, play with regular outdoor choices, and practical preparation for school. Rising 5’s gives the oldest children a clearly defined next step, while the planting garden, drawing wall and child-chosen activities keep the wider experience rooted in play.

The December 2022 Good judgement is encouraging, with specific strengths in relationships and individual support. Its improvement points deserve equally specific attention. For a family comfortable with term-time care, packed lunches and the Monday restriction, this is a pre-school whose everyday arrangements offer clear reasons to consider it.