Dragonfly Preschool

A Scout Hut setting, regular cooking and a practical emphasis on growing independence give Dragonfly Preschool its character. Based at Parkside Place in Staines, it takes children aged two to five. This is preschool provision rather than baby care, with creative play, conversation and physical activity forming the daily offer.

At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Dragonfly Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that the key-person arrangements and support for children’s emotional needs worked well. The balance matters: there were positive findings about care, alongside clear improvements required in curriculum planning and the oversight of staff practice.

Families can choose morning, afternoon or whole-day attendance. That flexibility sits within a term-time calendar, making the holiday pattern an important part of the decision.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides observations and planning: children develop language, social understanding and physical skills through play and shared activities. It is the framework for early-years learning and care, rather than an extra programme. Dragonfly’s care and learning approach gives it practical expression through group conversations, indoor and outdoor equipment, and regular opportunities to cook.

Painting, construction with blocks, dressing up and books sit alongside activities led by adults. Children can make their own choices as well as join something planned. This gives families a useful picture of the balance between free play and shared learning, rather than a timetable dominated by adult instruction.

Small-group activities include talking together about what children are doing. Staff extend shared play with additional equipment or a new direction. The emphasis is on using language within an activity, so conversation has a purpose beyond answering an adult’s questions.

In December 2023, children practised hand control through cutting and searching for animals hidden in foam. Preparations for the Christmas Nativity involved songs, movements and listening for a turn to join in. These examples connect creative activity with coordination and participation; they are snapshots of that period, rather than promises about the current activity calendar.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children use equipment both outdoors and indoors each day, and cooking takes place regularly. Climbing is used to explore manageable risks and learn about keeping safe. Physical learning therefore includes judgement as well as movement.

In December 2023, outdoor play included bicycles and scooters, with staff positioned to help children. Books, toys and activities also introduced differences between people and celebrations. The inclusion policy extends that intention to resources that avoid stereotypes and support children’s home languages, giving families a concrete account of how identity and language enter the curriculum.

Relationships and Communication

In December 2023, staff adjusted routines so children could participate in their own ways. At mealtimes, children carried their lunch boxes and collected their drinks. These were small, practical steps towards managing more for themselves before moving on to school.

A mood board was used that December to help children find words for feelings. Pictorial cues supported children who did not use spoken language, including when moving between activities. Both examples show how communication can be built into the routine, rather than confined to a group discussion.

The enrolment process gathers information about sleep, toileting, language, interests and the child’s usual routine. It also offers contact preferences for a parent app and emailed diary or news updates. Sharing these details gives staff a starting point for understanding the child beyond their time at preschool.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role coordinates special educational needs provision. The support policy uses a cycle of assessment, planning, action and review, with parents involved in decisions throughout. It also provides routes to further assessment and liaison with external agencies. For families managing additional needs, those mechanisms are more useful than a broad promise of inclusion.

Behaviour support follows a staged process involving the key person, behaviour coordinator and SENCO when concerns persist. The ABC method records what happened before a behaviour, the behaviour itself and what followed, helping staff examine possible triggers before agreeing support. Parents take part in planning next steps, and external advice can be incorporated into the child’s plan.

In December 2023, staff accompanied parents on primary-school visits, including families of children with SEND. That was practical transition support, helping parents consider the next setting alongside someone who knew their child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 1St Staines Scout Hut, Parkside Place, Staines, Middlesex TW18 2QZ. Whole-day sessions run from 9am to 3pm; mornings and afternoons can also be booked, with flexible attendance patterns considered where they preserve continuity for children. Attendance is Monday to Friday during term time, with closure during school holidays.

Admission enquiries can be made through an online form, including a preferred start date and attendance preferences. Visits can be booked. For contact during sessions, the nursery requests a text unless the call is urgent, a practical distinction for parents contacting staff while children are attending.

Funding and Paid Extras

Dragonfly accepts government funding for 15 hours and 30 hours, and offers privately paid childcare. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. The funded entitlement and any privately paid attendance should be treated as separate parts of a family’s booking.

Children attending for the whole day bring lunch from home; snacks are provided during sessions. Dietary requirements are discussed with parents, including needs arising from medical conditions, religion or culture.

• Curriculum planning. In December 2023, staff did not consistently understand the learning intended for individual children within planned activities. Ask how the key person now contributes to planning and explains your child’s next steps.
• Staff development. The December 2023 improvement priorities included more targeted mentoring and closer monitoring of practice. At a visit, ask how staff receive feedback on their work with children.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and whole-day patterns offer different ways to use the preschool, but school-holiday closure affects year-round childcare arrangements. Consider that calendar alongside your working pattern.
• Food and individual needs. Whole-day children bring packed lunches, while dietary information is gathered at enrolment. Families managing allergies should confirm how lunch, snacks and their child’s care plan work together.

Dragonfly suits families seeking morning, afternoon or whole-day preschool attendance during term time. Creative choices, regular cooking and daily physical activity give the offer substance, while the SENCO and behaviour-support processes provide clear routes for discussing individual needs.

The December 2023 judgement was Good, with curriculum planning and staff development identified as the areas requiring attention. Those priorities deserve a place in the joining conversation alongside the practical appeal of flexible sessions and the preschool’s emphasis on independence.