Wick Pre-School CIO

Woodwork, vegetable growing and movement to music give Wick Pre-School CIO a practical, hands-on character. Children can cook, handle tools and explore instruments, while specialist sports and dance sessions add different ways to move and participate. This is a setting where the activity choices have substance: gardening includes planting beans and tending tomatoes, rather than simply talking about plants.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. There were also two clear teaching priorities: more consistent conversations that develop children's ideas, and better use of play to teach early mathematics. Those points matter alongside the appealing activities.

The pre-school has 56 places in total and occupies The Cottage in Wick. Its current room descriptions include two-year-olds, three-year-olds and preschool children; children attending in February 2025 were aged two to four. Term-time and all-year attendance are both catered for.

Rooms and Ages

Little Monkeys is the group for two-year-olds, with examples including puddle exploration, painting using cars and instrument play. These are tangible starting points for children who learn by handling, moving and experimenting, rather than sitting through explanations.

For three-year-olds, Big Monkeys activities include balancing bricks, watching bugs and making pizza wraps. The examples combine physical experimentation with close observation and practical tasks. Busy Bees is the preschool group, where activities include obstacle-course balancing, listening for garden sounds and comparing height through Jack's Beanstalk.

The room descriptions give families a useful sense of the experiences associated with each stage. They also show that creative work extends beyond paper: natural materials become self-portraits, water is explored through play, and outdoor spaces supply things to notice and discuss.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play across children's development, including communication, physical skills and early mathematical understanding. Wick adds specific activities alongside that framework. Forest school sessions for the oldest class run a few times each week and involve nature walks, woodwork and exploration of the surrounding area.

First Sports Coaching leads a weekly multi-sports session for the oldest class, working on different sports and skills. Mini Athletics provides athletics sessions, while Diddi Dance runs dance activities. These bring different specialists into the children's experiences; the weekly frequency applies to the oldest class's multi-sports sessions, rather than to every visiting activity.

Cooking examples include stir-fry and pizza wraps. Gardening involves a vegetable patch, with children planting beans, watering tomatoes and picking beetroots. The connection between an activity and its real materials is clear: ingredients are handled, plants need attention, and tools have a practical purpose.

Yoga and movement to music also feature, with the latter using the Sensory Room. Instrument exploration and music from different cultures give this part of the programme more detail than a generic music session. Together, the activities offer several ways for children to join in, from active movement to making, listening and observing.

In February 2025, children drew outdoors with chalk, discussed their creations and encountered words describing colour and texture. Books were read regularly, and children attempted everyday tasks such as putting on their coats and shoes. These examples connect preparation for later learning with ordinary play and self-care.

The teaching concerns deserve equal attention. In February 2025, some planned activities stopped short of extending children's questions and ideas. Staff also knew which early mathematical skills they wanted children to develop, but did not consistently teach those skills through play. A busy activity programme therefore needs to be considered alongside the quality of the adult conversation within it.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large garden supported exercise and fresh air in February 2025, with an obstacle course and woodwork giving children opportunities to practise manageable risks. The outdoor environment was also used for drawing and independent exploration. It supplied learning opportunities as well as space to move.

Community involvement has a practical expression at Wick Village Hall. A fundraising event takes place on the first Saturday of each month, redistributing donated belongings so that other people can use them. The 2026 schedule excludes April and August. The purpose combines reducing waste with bringing local people together. Families can participate in a community activity connected to the pre-school, rather than only receiving requests for donations.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2025, children formed close relationships with their key person and with one another. Small acts of help included offering a teddy to an unsettled child and helping friends locate shoes and socks. These everyday examples show what relationships looked like during the inspection, rather than relying on a broad description of the atmosphere.

Famly carries updates about food eaten, nappy changes, photographs and activity observations, as well as messages and invoices. That gives parents both practical information about the day and material to discuss with their child. Home photographs also contribute to a Learning Journey book, helping children talk about familiar people and experiences with others at the setting.

Regular parent consultations and an electronic journal were part of communication in February 2025. Books were also shared with families, allowing stories to continue at home. For parents, the combination links conversations about development with concrete examples of what their child has been doing.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked effectively with families and external professionals to address individual needs, monitored development and used additional funding to support children's progress. Funding supported resources and staff training, giving a practical explanation of how extra help was used.

A SENCO role forms part of the team structure. In February 2025, staff used visual prompts and signing to help children communicate needs before they could express them fully in spoken language. These are specific mechanisms for participation, rather than a general promise that every need will be met.

Healthy snacks and lunch were provided in February 2025, and a cook role forms part of the team. Children also practised hygiene and took part in daily movement activities during that inspection period.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Cottage, Manor Road, Wick, Bristol, BS30 5RG. Opening hours run from 7.45am to 6pm. Term-time attendance and all-year attendance are both part of the offer, allowing families to consider different annual routines.

Applications begin by calling or emailing for a form. Families are asked to supply labelled spare clothes and wellingtons to keep at the setting, and a water bottle for each session. A book bag containing a communication diary also travels between home and pre-school.

Outdoor clothing has a practical role here. Cold-weather items include a coat, hat and gloves, while warmer weather calls for a sunhat and sun cream. Families supply nappies and wet wipes when needed and replenish them; sun cream also comes from home. These supplies are worth building into the family's regular preparation.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2025, the pre-school received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation.

• Teaching within the activities. February 2025 priorities concerned extending children's ideas and teaching mathematics through play. On a visit, ask how a practical activity such as cooking or gardening now develops conversation and mathematical understanding.
• The oldest class's programme. Forest school takes place several times a week, and First Sports Coaching leads weekly multi-sports for this class. Ask how these experiences fit the room your child would join and their intended attendance pattern.
• Annual routine and costs. Both term-time and all-year attendance are catered for, and families provide several everyday supplies. Ask for the proposed session arrangement and a written quotation separating funded hours, additional hours, food and other charges.

Wick suits families seeking either term-time attendance or an all-year routine, with a preference for practical learning: cooking, gardening, tools, movement and outdoor exploration all have concrete examples behind them. Famly adds useful detail to communication, while the parent committee gives families a role in the organisation of the pre-school.

The February 2025 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the teaching priorities remain meaningful decision points. The strongest visit conversation will connect the appealing activities with how staff extend a child's ideas and build early mathematical understanding.