Highampton Area Pre-School

A village-hall preschool with views towards Dartmoor, Highampton Area Pre-School has a clear community identity. It is a committee-run charity serving children aged two to four, with capacity for 26 children in total. The setting occupies Highampton Village Hall in Highampton, near Beaworthy, giving its early-years provision a home within a shared community building.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good overall and found its safeguarding arrangements effective. The strongest examples from that visit were practical: children investigated insect tracks, explored frogspawn and used games to develop their thinking. Morning and afternoon sessions run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, including language, physical development, relationships and early mathematical understanding. Highampton also follows Birth to 5 Matters guidance alongside that framework. Its approach allows children to pursue their interests while adults plan activities that extend what they can do; the value lies in how those opportunities connect with the individual child.

In March 2023, a tray of sand and toy insects prompted children to compare tracks, discuss different creatures and explore size and colour. A tank containing frogspawn gave another subject a physical presence: books, puzzles and songs connected with learning about how frogs develop. These were linked experiences rather than isolated activities, giving children different ways to revisit an idea.

Games provided another route into learning during March 2023. Children worked through problems together using board games, while keyboards, toy computers and a tablet introduced technology. Counting also entered the daily routine, with children estimating how many children were in a line before counting to check. The examples show how conversation and practical play could carry early number work.

Outdoor and Community Life

The rural setting has views of Dartmoor, but the children's activities supply the more useful detail. During March 2023, a basketball hoop supported throwing, sharing and turn-taking. In summer 2023, the day included a climbing frame, ride-on toys and experiments with objects that floated or sank. Physical activity and investigation sat alongside one another.

Paignton Zoo was the destination for the summer 2023 end-of-term trip, preceded by learning about zoo animals. Sports Day that summer used the field at Highampton CP School, while the Leavers Assembly marked the move to school. These are dated examples of the preschool's community life, rather than promises about the next year's programme.

Relationships and Communication

Communication and Development books, shortened to CaD Books, were a central link with families in autumn 2023. A child's key person updated them with work, photographs and observations, with an end-of-term summary and space for parents to contribute. Families could request the books more frequently, making them a shared account of learning rather than something reserved for a formal meeting.

The autumn 2023 arrangements also included conversations with the key person about learning and next steps, alongside telephone and email contact. Detailed activity planning was displayed on a notice board in the foyer. These different routes served different purposes: the books captured development over time, while direct contact allowed a particular concern or achievement to be discussed.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that resources were bought to address children's particular learning needs and that staff understood safeguarding procedures, supported by recruitment checks and assessments of risks around the premises and equipment. Examples included toys to help with numbers and resources for outdoor learning. This is evidence of support at that visit, with practical adjustments attached to children's needs.

The March 2023 improvement point concerned staff development: managers needed to identify ongoing training needs more consistently so that teaching could develop further. The current team structure includes a preschool leader, a deputy with administrative responsibilities and a play worker. Those roles describe the organisation of the team; they do not establish the number of adults working with children on any particular day.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 11.45am, and afternoon sessions from 12.45pm to 3.15pm, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in term time. An Early Start begins at 8.45am, and lunch occupies the interval from 11.45am to 12.45pm. Children may attend two or more sessions a week, so the booking pattern matters as much as the end-of-day time.

The hall is also used by the wider community. Occasionally a preschool session may be cancelled or replaced by an outing, with advance notice attempted wherever possible. Families whose working arrangements depend on a fixed session need to weigh that shared-building arrangement alongside the term-time calendar.

A separate Parent & Toddler Group meets on Mondays, from 9.15am to 11.15am during term time, for children aged zero to four with their parents or carers. It includes crafts, signing, stories and a snack. This is a stay-and-play activity, distinct from the preschool's childcare sessions, and interest must be registered to reserve a place.

Getting There

The address is Highampton Village Hall, Church Road, Highampton, Beaworthy, EX21 5LE. The hall is just off the A3072 between Hatherleigh and Holsworthy and has a free car park, a useful practical feature for families travelling from the surrounding area.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2023, the preschool received early-years funding for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Its funding information describes 570 funded hours annually for all three- and four-year-olds and some two-year-olds, plus an extended entitlement of 1140 hours annually for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Eligibility conditions apply; those annual entitlements should not be read as a promise of an individual attendance arrangement here.

Under the autumn 2023 guidance, parents supplied drinks for all children and a packed lunch for those staying for lunch. Parents also supplied nappies and wipes when needed; the preschool held sun cream for reapplication, with families able to supply their preferred product. Current prices belong in the preschool's written quotation.

• A three-day, term-time timetable. Morning and afternoon sessions are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with children attending two or more sessions weekly. Compare those patterns with your working week before choosing an attendance arrangement.
• A shared village hall. Community use can occasionally lead to a cancelled session or an outing instead. Discuss how advance notice works and what that would mean for your childcare arrangements.
• Staff development. The March 2023 improvement point concerned identifying training needs more consistently. On a visit, ask how staff development now shapes the activities and support children receive.
• Lunch and personal care. Autumn 2023 guidance put packed lunches, nappies and wipes with parents. Before joining, ask how current funded and paid sessions handle these items, sun cream and any allergy requirements.

Highampton suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions within a rural, community-run setting. Its appeal rests on concrete examples: practical investigations, games, outdoor activity and connections between learning and outings. The March 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality marker, while the training improvement point deserves attention. The decisive practical considerations are the three-day term-time timetable and the occasional changes that come with sharing the hall.