Our Lady Of Lourdes Pre-School

A parent-elected committee, Big Bears preparing for school and a garden with a top terrace give Our Lady Of Lourdes Pre-School its character. This Kingswood setting has 32 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months. Parents have a route into its management as well as its everyday life: the committee helps oversee finances, personnel, policies and fundraising.

At its 20 November 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to meet the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. Those are separate judgements, rather than a single overall grade. The practical picture is of children learning through shared play, movement and conversation, with further work needed on quieter children's participation and the organisation of transitions.

Attendance is term-time, with morning sessions throughout the working week and afternoon or all-day sessions from Monday to Thursday. That makes the preschool relevant to families seeking a shorter introduction to group care as well as those wanting a school-length day.

Rooms and Ages

Big Bears are the children due to start school the following September; Little Bears will start in subsequent years. These are groups defined by the next stage of education, rather than fixed age bands. The distinction matters most in the summer term, when Big Bears eat in the school hall as preparation for moving on.

Children use a main classroom and a large play room containing equipment and toys accessible to everyone. The garden, top terrace and sand pit extend the space for play, with weather determining access to the terrace and sand pit at the start of a session. Outdoor time is encouraged as activities continue. This gives children choices between indoor resources and outdoor movement within the session.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its everyday expression includes play, conversation, physical activity and opportunities to practise independence; it is the shared early-years framework, rather than a separate branded programme.

In November 2025, children worked together on a marble run, listening to directions, exchanging ideas and negotiating turns. Another activity involved freeing insects trapped in ice: children tried tools and water spray, considered whether warm water would help, and used new vocabulary about melting. These examples connect language with something children can test and discuss, rather than treating conversation as a separate exercise.

Movement and early mathematics also had concrete forms that month. Children chose a warm-up song for a movement session and followed instructions about moving and resting. At the weighing scales, they experimented with what made the pans rise or fall, predicted results and practised counting. The activities gave children something tangible to investigate and a reason to explain their thinking.

Group discussion was adjusted to children's stage of development in November 2025, with shorter sessions for younger children and greater listening demands for older ones. The limitation was participation: quieter children did not consistently receive equivalent opportunities to contribute. Families whose child tends to watch before speaking should give that finding weight.

Outdoor and Community Life

Kingswood Town Council supported improvements to the garden fence and sandpit area in February 2025. That is a concrete example of local support reaching the children's play space, rather than simply contributing to an event.

Parent involvement also extends to events held through the year. The Christmas show, easter bonnet parade and sports day bring families into preschool life; a world book day event included parents reading with their children. These offer different ways to participate, from sharing a story to joining a larger gathering. They sit alongside parents evening, which provides a more direct opportunity to discuss a child's experience.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins before the first regular session. Families have a face-to-face meeting with their child's new keyworker, followed by a couple of hour-long stay-and-play sessions. The sequence gives the child and parent opportunities to become familiar with a particular adult and the setting before ordinary attendance begins.

In November 2025, children sought out familiar staff and showed interest in adults who had been absent. During care routines, practitioners talked with children about what was happening, including nappy changes. Children also practised putting on coats and boots, wiping their noses and disposing of tissues. These are small, useful steps towards managing their own needs.

Communication has both individual and collective routes. Parents evening sits alongside a closed Facebook group restricted to the parents and carers of children currently attending, where daily activities, projects and reminders are shared. The parent committee offers a different kind of involvement: a chance to influence how the preschool is managed. It is elected each October and generally meets once a term.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes SENDCO roles, a safeguarding lead, a deputy safeguarding lead and a Language Champion. The Language Champion role supports communication and language, including for children with additional needs and those learning English as an additional language. This gives families specific responsibilities to discuss, rather than a general promise of support.

At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that initial information and discussions with families helped staff identify learning needs and plan targeted support, but communication strategies were used unevenly, some transitions lacked sufficient support, and partnerships with harder-to-reach parents needed further work. Visual prompts and sign language were among the strategies requiring more consistent use. The important question is how those methods work throughout a child's session, including changes of activity.

In November 2025, a sand timer helped children negotiate turns, while a raised hand and countdown helped bring conversations back together. Children received advance warning before play ended. However, changes from outdoor play and waits for collection were less consistently organised. A calm activity and a calm change of activity are different tasks; both matter to a child who finds routines difficult.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Court Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9QB. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm, Monday to Thursday; all-day attendance runs from 9am to 3pm on those same four days. Friday finishes at noon.

The preschool operates for 38 weeks each year, during term time, with five additional staff-training closure days notified to parents in advance. It therefore fits around school terms rather than providing holiday care. Interest can be registered by email at ololpreschool@hotmail.co.uk, and show-arounds are offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour Nursery Education Grant for three- and four-year-olds across 38 weeks, beginning the term after a child turns three. Eligible working families can also access 30-hour funding; for two-year-olds, the arrangements include up to 30 hours for eligible working parents and 15 hours for families receiving additional support, with places funded from the term after the child turns two. Funding codes require application and regular reconfirmation, so entitlement involves continuing administration as well as the initial application.

Private attendance is charged separately from funded hours. Fees also apply to attendance beyond the funded entitlement, unfunded weeks and additional services outside the funded place; current prices come in the preschool's written quotation. Invoices are issued at the beginning of each half term and payment is due within 14 days unless a different arrangement has been agreed.

Families can supply a packed lunch or pay separately for a hot lunch prepared by the Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School kitchen. Snacks are covered by a voluntary contribution that also supports wet wipes, protective aprons and gloves, and enrichment activities, so these are separate from the session fee, including during funded attendance.

A refundable deposit is required for a preschool booking and can be put towards the first invoice or uniform, or refunded within 28 days after the child starts. Uniform is a personal choice, and clothes suitable for messy play are recommended. Two weeks' notice is required when leaving; fees remain payable during sickness or holidays. These terms matter when comparing the ongoing commitment, rather than only the session pattern.

Big Bears' summer-term meals in the school hall provide practical preparation for school routines. Preschool attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

• Quieter children's participation. November 2025 findings highlighted uneven opportunities to speak during group activities. During a visit, ask how staff draw a hesitant child into discussion and recognise their contributions.
• Changes of activity. Transitions from outdoor play and waits for collection needed more consistent support in November 2025. Ask how visual prompts and sign language are used through those parts of the session, especially if your child needs predictable routines.
• The term-time commitment. Friday ends at noon, and attendance runs across 38 weeks with staff-training closures. Match the actual sessions and closures to your working arrangements before committing.
• Parent involvement. An elected volunteer committee is essential to the preschool's operation. Consider whether you would enjoy contributing to management, fundraising or family events, as well as attending parents evening.

Our Lady Of Lourdes Pre-School suits families seeking morning preschool sessions or a 9am-to-3pm day during school terms, with opportunities to participate in a parent-run organisation. The garden, shared play spaces, staged settling arrangements and Big Bears' school preparation give the offer a recognisable shape.

The November 2025 position was Expected standard across the assessed areas, alongside clear priorities around quieter children's involvement and support during transitions. Those priorities deserve attention when judging the fit for an individual child. For parents who value term-time attendance and an active role in preschool life, the combination has practical appeal.