Daisychain Preschool

A Scout Headquarters setting, an online learning diary and play that reaches beyond Chudleigh give Daisychain Preschool its character. This is provision for children aged two to five, with capacity for 26 children in total. That figure describes the whole setting, rather than the number attending a particular session.

At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged Daisychain Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The practical strengths sit beneath that judgement: conversation woven into play, stories that prompt discussion and outings that introduce children to places beyond their usual surroundings. There were also clear improvements to make around information gathered from parents, learning outdoors and children's understanding of safety.

Families can choose morning or afternoon sessions, a lunchtime-length session or a full day, with term-time attendance alongside provision across 50 weeks of the year.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. In everyday terms, this means learning through conversation, movement, stories and play.

Language gets concrete attention here. Staff have speech and language training, while the guidance for families encourages conversations, shared books and discussion of children's discoveries. These are useful connections between preschool and home: an adult can return to a story or an idea that already interests their child.

In December 2023, practitioners introduced unfamiliar vocabulary during play and allowed children time to express themselves. Story sessions included discussion of sea creatures in the illustrations. Train-track building brought counting into construction, while paint mixing gave children something tangible to describe. The examples matter because words and numbers were connected to activities children had chosen to join.

Pretend cooking in the home corner also featured in December 2023, alongside creative work with paint and glitter. Children practised movement through a ring game and a yoga session. These were different routes into imagination, coordination and communication, rather than one activity expected to engage everyone.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2023, children had visited a farm to see animals, travelled by bus to a cathedral and explored a museum display of model woolly mammoths. These were preschool experiences at that time, distinct from the separate holiday-club programme.

The indoor playroom had been rearranged towards a calmer setting, with natural materials introduced for play. Outdoors needed more attention: activities and resources did not consistently cover the breadth of children's learning. For a child who engages most readily outside, that improvement point carries real weight.

Holiday Clubs run at the Scout Hut during school holidays and combine creative activities, baking, sport and outdoor play. Their weekly outings can include Crealy Adventure Park or Paignton Zoo. The club programme also includes use of a climbing wall, giving families a separate holiday option with more than indoor craft activities on its agenda.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, providing a familiar adult with whom to build a relationship and share concerns in an age-appropriate way. Tapestry is the online journal used to track development and share a daily diary with families. It creates a continuing connection between a child's preschool experiences and the adults caring for them at home.

In December 2023, staff shared ideas for activities families could try at home, and children helped one another and took part in tidying. The weaker point was the information collected when children first joined: staff needed a fuller picture of existing abilities so that early activities could start from what each child already knew. The ongoing diary and the initial conversation serve different purposes. Both matter.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role provides a point of contact for special educational needs, and the staffing structure includes safeguarding and deputy safeguarding roles. These are specific arrangements, rather than a blanket claim about how every child's needs will be met.

In December 2023, Ofsted found that staff understood how to respond to welfare concerns and that their deployment across play spaces supported supervision. Children nevertheless needed more chances to learn how their own actions affected safety, including when using larger play equipment. Adult supervision and children's developing understanding are separate parts of care.

Families supply nappies and wipes; staff carry out changes and record them through Tapestry. A morning snack, milk and water are provided, and families with dietary requirements are asked to discuss them with staff. During Holiday Clubs, children bring a packed lunch and morning snack, while an afternoon snack is provided from the day's food-making activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Daisychain operates at 1st Chudleigh Scout Group Headquarters, Fore Street, Chudleigh, TQ13 0HX, beside the church. Preschool runs Monday to Friday across 50 weeks, with a term-time option following Chudleigh Primary School's term dates. Choosing between those calendars matters as much as choosing the length of a day.

Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm, afternoons from 12.15pm to 3.15pm, and the Lunchtime session from 9.15am to 1.15pm. Full Day runs from 7.30am to 5.45pm. There is also an All day session option.

Breakfast Clubs start at 7.30am, Monday to Friday. After School Clubs run from 3.30pm until 5.45pm in Chudleigh, with children attending Chudleigh Primary School collected from their classrooms and accompanied to the Scout Hut. These are school-age arrangements and should be kept separate from the preschool session choices.

School-aged holiday-club booking options include a Short Day from 9am to 3pm, Morning from 7.30am to 1pm and Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. A typical holiday-club full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Clubs must be booked before attendance through the online booking system. Preschool enquiries use the contact form or telephone, with a prospectus and booking form supporting the joining process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Daisychain accepts government funding up to 30 hours and also accepts two-year funding, with funding usable throughout the year. That participation should be distinguished from an individual family's entitlement and chosen attendance pattern. Current prices should come in a written quotation from the nursery.

Parents provide nappies and wipes. Morning snacks, milk and water are provided for preschool children; holiday attendance brings a separate requirement to supply lunch and a morning snack. Those differences matter when organising food and supplies for different parts of the year.

• Starting information. December 2023 highlighted the need to collect more detail about children's existing skills when they joined. At a visit, discuss how your child's interests, communication and current abilities will shape their first activities.
• Outdoor learning and safety. The December 2023 improvement points covered both learning outdoors and helping children understand safe use of larger equipment. Ask how those two aspects now feature in the day, especially if your child prefers outdoor play.
• All day session timing. The All day session is a separate option from Full Day, but its printed start and finish times run in reverse order. Confirm the intended hours before choosing that pattern.

Daisychain suits families choosing between shorter morning or afternoon attendance and a Full Day, with either a term-time calendar or provision across 50 weeks. The Scout Headquarters base, Tapestry diary and separate club arrangements give it a recognisable practical shape.

The December 2023 judgement provides a positive inspection position, supported by concrete examples of language, imaginative play and community experiences. The decision deserves equal attention to the improvement points: understanding a child before they start, making outdoor learning count and teaching children to manage safety themselves. Those are useful priorities for a family visit.