Olveston Pre-school

Twice-weekly Forest School, play in all weathers and a day shaped around children's choices give Olveston Pre-school its outdoor character. Forest School brings learning into the natural environment; alongside it, the purpose-built setting has indoor space and outdoor areas for everyday play. This is a preschool where waterproof clothing earns its keep.

Based at The Parish Hall in Tockington, it welcomes children aged 2 to 5 and has 40 places in total. At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with children making good progress from their starting points.

Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside full-time attendance, with a lunch club and paid early drop-off extending the options. The term-time calendar makes this a different practical proposition from year-round childcare.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) sets the learning and care requirements: here, children learn through play, conversation, shared routines and opportunities to explore. Free-choice play runs alongside adult-organised activities, so children can pursue an interest while staff help them take it further. Choosing an activity is part of the learning, rather than simply a gap between planned tasks.

A typical morning brings songs, conversation and Show and Tell, when children can share something from home. Visual prompts help explain the day's plan. Later, children can choose painting, construction or imaginative play in the home corner; the Mud kitchen adds another hands-on outdoor option. Stories and singing bring the morning together before lunch.

In April 2023, younger and older children played together, giving younger children opportunities to hear more language and older children a role in demonstrating familiar routines. Conversations about vegetables drew on earlier learning, while questions from staff encouraged children to extend their vocabulary. These examples show how everyday discussion became a learning activity.

Mathematics also had practical forms in April 2023. Younger children explored quantities by pouring water between containers, while older children counted other children and practised recognising numbers. Making something to feed woodland birds involved deciding which materials would work. Learning was connected to something children were doing, rather than confined to a separate exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School runs twice weekly with qualified practitioners, alongside outdoor play whatever the weather. The garden and natural surroundings give children different places to explore; families send wellies, a coat and clothing suitable for getting wet or messy. Outdoor activity is part of the ordinary week.

During April 2023, children listened for sounds on their woodland walk and discussed possible explanations. In the woods, they invented games and adjusted how they pushed friends on a swing. The activities brought observation, movement and consideration for others into the same experience.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who acts as the family's main contact about development and helps with settling. First sessions are planned around the child's interests and preferences. That gives the start of preschool a personal basis, rather than expecting every child to settle in the same way.

Famly is the digital communication system, carrying observations, assessments and updates about the day, including photographs, medication and toileting. Families can view it on a phone or tablet, while periodic parents' evenings provide another opportunity for discussion. A Learning Journey records the child's experiences too. The combination gives parents everyday information and occasions for a fuller conversation.

In April 2023, staff used parents' knowledge of their child's interests and needs when planning activities. Families received learning updates that helped them continue activities at home. Children also had affectionate relationships with staff, who took time to talk with them individually.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENDCo role sits within the team, alongside safeguarding lead and deputy lead roles. Staff work with families on toilet training, so being in nappies does not prevent a child starting. First-aid-trained staff are on duty, and arrangements for medication and allergies are discussed with parents.

Children needing sleep can use mats and blankets, but there are no formal sleeping facilities such as beds. For sickness, children must stay home for 48 hours following vomiting or diarrhoea, and families notify the preschool about contagious illness. These are practical arrangements to weigh alongside a child's usual rest and health needs.

Work with local primary schools supports the move onwards.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3pm. Lunch club bridges noon to 12.30pm, and early drop-off begins at 8.30am for an additional charge. Full-time and part-time attendance are both offered.

Bookings are made for a term, with flexibility for increased attendance and occasional arrangements. South Gloucestershire term and holiday dates determine the calendar. There are also five chargeable staff INSET days each year, so the annual childcare plan needs to account for closures as well as ordinary holidays.

Admission enquiries are managed through a waiting-list form. Offers follow the order in which forms are received, and joining the list does not guarantee a place. The setting's address is The Parish Hall, Upper Tockington Road, Tockington, Bristol, BS32 4LQ.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours per week over 38 weeks, 30-hour funding for eligible families and the working entitlement for 2-year-olds. Delivery follows the term-time calendar. Where council terms extend beyond the funded weeks, the additional time is charged privately.

The Enhanced Provision Charge covers extras beyond funded provision, including consumables, and is voluntary: it is not a requirement for a funded place. Families can opt in or out each long term, with an email to the manager used to decline the charge. This separates access to funded hours from contributing towards extras.

Parents supply snacks and, for lunch club, a packed lunch; the lunch policy asks families to exclude nuts, sweets and chocolate. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation, and the fees policy explains payment and notice terms.

Fees must be paid ahead of each long term, within two weeks of receiving the bill, and are non-refundable; monthly payment plans are available by arrangement. Withdrawal or fewer sessions requires written notice: the usual period is a half-term, with four weeks of paid notice applying when notice is given during a half-term.

• Independence and group participation. In April 2023, staff did not consistently encourage children to handle self-care themselves, and younger children were less involved in some shared activities; explanations of behavioural boundaries also varied. During a Show Around tour, ask how staff now support these three areas.
• Term-time coverage. Morning and afternoon bookings offer different attendance lengths, but holidays and five chargeable INSET days interrupt the calendar. Families needing continuous care will need to plan around those closures.
• Food and individual needs. Snacks and lunch come from home, with restrictions on packed-lunch contents. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice and how their child's requirements will be handled.

Olveston Pre-school suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or full-time attendance within a term-time setting, with regular woodland learning and plenty of child-led play. Key-person settling and Famly communication add useful continuity between home and preschool. The Good judgement provides a dated quality reference; the April 2023 weaknesses in independence, group engagement and explanations of boundaries deserve attention alongside the outdoor offer.