Alderbury Pre-School

Ducklings, a Literacy Den and a charity committee give Alderbury Pre-School a recognisable village character. This is childcare with a strong community thread: families can contribute to fundraising, join the annual outing and share children’s learning through Famly, an app combining learning journals with practical administration. The setting occupies purpose-built premises on the Alderbury & West Grimstead School site, on Firs Road near Salisbury.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying inconsistent support for group behaviour and for children who were less confident about joining activities. Those qualifications matter alongside the appealing outdoor resources and family involvement. The current age range is two to five, with capacity for 50 children in total.

Regular care follows school terms, with morning and afternoon sessions, breakfast care and later collections. The committee-led charity reinvests income above its running costs into the setting and children. Parents have a practical role here, rather than simply receiving invitations to occasional celebrations.

Rooms and Ages

A new building opened in 2024, supporting an arrangement of three rooms: Kits, Bunnies and Rabbits. Bunnies serves children aged two to three; Rabbits takes children from three until they leave for school. Kits is the baby room. The free-flow approach lets children explore different areas according to their interests, with both activities organised by adults and play directed by children themselves.

Rabbits has a Literacy Den, giving books and stories a recognisable place within the preschool environment. Across the setting, the room arrangement separates developmental stages while the movement between areas allows children to follow an interest beyond one activity. It is a useful combination for families wanting an age-based home room and opportunities to explore.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for everyday learning: conversation, books, movement, relationships, number play and exploration develop through children’s activities. Famly connects that work with home, using photographs, observations and assessments to track development and next steps. Parents can add their own family experiences and achievements, giving practitioners more starting points for conversations with children.

Weekly additions include KidsLoveFit, a dance and exercise session, and District Sports, which develops ball skills. Both are provided without an additional charge. Baking is also planned across the setting and adapted to the children’s ages, bringing practical making into the curriculum rather than leaving it solely to special occasions.

In January 2025, younger children practised physical skills using furniture at a suitable height and simple puzzles; toddlers explored sand and taking turns. Older children worked on listening through movement activities and on conversation by sharing their experiences. These examples show how the learning changes with children’s development, from handling objects to contributing to a group.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden gives children several ways to move and experiment: bikes, scooters and trikes sit alongside mud kitchens, while the upper garden includes a pirate ship, tractor, climbing frame and larger slides. That provides both energetic play and opportunities for imaginative games. The Bike & Scooter Shed also gives families somewhere to store those items when travelling on foot.

Animal care has a concrete place in the programme. An annual delivery of duck eggs lets children follow hatching and early care, and a summer outing took families to Cholderton Farm. The annual offsite trip encourages parents to participate; occasional village walks include the nearby woods and the post box when children are learning about posting.

The Fire Service, Police and Postman visit during the spring term, linking children’s experiences to people working locally. Christmas, Easter and End of Term Leavers Party celebrations recur each year. The Christmas party uses the village hall, extending the setting’s social life beyond its own premises.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker is allocated to each child and remains their main family link during their time in that room. Staff may take a few weeks to make the match, allowing a relationship to emerge before assigning that responsibility. Where possible, the key worker gives the end-of-session update, connecting the day’s experiences with the child’s next steps.

Settling is planned with families around the child’s needs and routine, with the intention of keeping familiar home patterns. Famly brings together learning information, medication and accident records, messages and administration. Families can acknowledge records through the app, while conversations with the key worker provide a more immediate exchange. This gives parents more than one route for keeping staff informed.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The Prem Aware Award involves work with The Smallest Things Charity to train staff about the possible effects of premature birth on children and families. A dedicated contact supports the move into preschool and later transitions, with sensitive discussion of the family’s experience and liaison with the SENCO where concerns arise. The practical value is continuity: families have a specific route for explaining their circumstances and discussing support.

A resident Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator supports discussions about developmental concerns, and staff can help arrange input for physical development, speech and language, referrals or assessments. At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with families and professionals, used individual plans while awaiting outside input and supported children’s progress well. That is a dated assessment of practice, alongside the current support mechanisms.

Food offers a choice: families can pack lunch or order a separately charged hot or cold meal; breakfast and snacks are included in the hourly rate, including for children using funding. The preschool has a nut-free policy, and dairy alternatives can be supplied for children with an allergy.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Alderbury And West Grimstead School, Firs Road, Salisbury, SP5 3BD. Opening starts at 7.30am, with a 5.30pm close Monday to Thursday and an earlier 4.30pm finish on Fridays. Regular attendance is term-time, and bank holidays are closures.

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.30am, with lunch extending collection to 12.30pm. Afternoon sessions are 12.30pm to 3pm, or can start with lunch at 11.30am. Breakfast care starts at 7.30am. Preschool afterschool care runs from 3pm, with collection at 4pm or 5.30pm Monday to Thursday; Friday collections are at 4pm or 4.30pm.

For children attending Alderbury & West Grimstead School, teachers bring children over at 3.15pm for wraparound care, with short collection at 4.15pm or the longer session ending at closing time. Hare Club also includes an option to join after a school club at 4.30pm. These school-age arrangements are separate from the preschool sessions.

Families book a regular pattern. Extra sessions may be arranged with suitable notice, and Famly handles requests, planned absences and sickness notifications. Visits are booked by telephone or email; application forms precede acceptance, which confirms the chosen sessions. The preschool shares the school grounds, but attendance does not guarantee a Reception place: families still use the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes eligible two-year-old funding from the term after a child turns two, universal funding from the term after a child turns three, and working-parent funding subject to eligibility. The entitlements are 15 hours for the first two categories and 30 hours for working-parent funding. Funding can cover regular scheduled sessions alongside privately invoiced hours, within the term-time model; holiday clubs and additional extra sessions cannot use it.

There is no consumables charge. Parents supply nappies and wipes, plus formula or breast milk where needed; sun cream is supplied free during warmer months unless an allergy or preferred product means the family provides it. This is a mixed arrangement, so the items brought from home still matter when planning the daily bag.

Invoices arrive monthly through Famly and payment is due within 14 days. Play clothes are encouraged, uniform is optional, and children need a spare set of clothes for the practical realities of messy play.

• Confidence and group activities. In January 2025, adults did not consistently help quieter children participate, and group behaviour sometimes distracted others. On a visit, ask how staff now support hesitant children and keep shared activities productive.
• Age range and Kits. The current age range is two to five, while Kits is described for babies from six months to two years. Families seeking baby care should clarify which ages are currently accepted before applying.
• Friday collections. The 4.30pm Friday close differs from the Monday-to-Thursday finish. That earlier collection needs to fit the family’s weekly schedule.
• Allergy arrangements. The nut-free policy and dairy alternatives are relevant starting points. Families managing an allergy should confirm current food handling and their child’s individual arrangements during a visit.

Alderbury suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with breakfast and later care extending the day where needed. Its strongest character comes from tangible details: the Literacy Den, animal experiences, weekly movement sessions and parent involvement in a committee-led charity. Famly and the Prem Aware Award add practical routes for communication and individual support.

The January 2025 concerns about participation and group behaviour deserve a direct conversation. For families whose schedules fit term-time attendance and the earlier Friday finish, there is plenty here to make preschool part of village life.