Bybrook Pre-school

A village-hall pre-school with a rear garden, regular football coaching and school preparation that includes learning to manage shoes and socks: Bybrook has a recognisable, practical character. Based at Yatton Keynell Village Hall, it welcomes children aged two to five and has 25 places in total.

Ofsted rated Bybrook Outstanding on 9 June 2023.

Attendance centres on term-time mornings, afternoons and an all-day pattern, with Breakfast Club and After School Club extending the options. Easter and summer holiday provision is separately organised.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics alongside creative work and understanding the world. At Bybrook, children explore these areas through play. The home corner supports imaginative play; puzzles, play dough and painting give children different ways to experiment, solve problems and express ideas.

Circle Time brings children together to discuss topics and practise contributing to a group. Free play gives them room to pursue interests independently or alongside friends. Stories and action songs close sessions, adding repetition, rhyme and movement to the day.

In June 2023, staff adapted activities to children's ideas: interest in a book illustration showing someone carrying objects on her head became an opportunity to practise carrying and balancing. Children also explored colours through rainbow artwork and cars travelling down tubes.

Little Kickers visits regularly to teach football skills. Community visitors also talk about their work, with examples including farming, dentistry and nursing.

School Readiness activities begin after Easter for children moving to school in September. They run twice weekly, with changing days and times so that children attending different patterns can participate. Sound games introduce blending and segmenting, while threading, tweezers and twisting activities exercise hands and fingers. Short movement sessions also practise removing and replacing shoes and socks. School preparation here includes managing belongings, as well as early reading and writing skills.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play has two settings: a paved space at the front and a garden behind the hall. Children can move freely into the front outdoor area, while the rear garden supports den construction, digging and growing vegetables and flowers. Wood and other natural materials are available for building.

Walks and nature trails use the surrounding fields and village pond where possible. Several outings take place across the year, including visits to a local farm and the shop. The local-trip consent arrangements also cover places such as the post office and recreation area; journeys beyond the local area require separate consent and advance notification.

In June 2023, community experiences included examining farm machinery and crops, as well as village litter picking. Outdoor equipment at that time included tricycles, slides, small climbing frames and stepping stones.

Relationships and Communication

Starting is gradual. Two settling-in sessions are free, with parents encouraged to spend an hour playing alongside their child during the first. The second is intended to give the child experience of attending independently, but parents may stay briefly when needed. Further settling time can be adapted to the individual child. That flexibility matters more than expecting every child to separate at the same pace.

A key person provides a point of contact for families. At collection, staff share information about the child's session; longer conversations can be arranged by telephone with the key person. Tapestry, the online learning journal used for photographs and observations, provides another way to follow development. Consent is sought for sharing progress reports with another setting and forwarding the Tapestry journal when a child moves to primary school.

In June 2023, key persons used information from families to create individual learning packs targeting children's needs. Children also practised independence through their own drawers and coat pegs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified inclusive support for children with SEND and children learning English as an additional language, with professionals involved promptly and additional funding used for training, resources and trips. Current support arrangements include SENDCo roles, and registration gathers details of additional needs, existing support plans and professionals already involved with the child.

Nappy-changing facilities are available, and families supply nappies, wipes and cream, with spare clothing for children learning to use the toilet. Parents also provide sun cream; staff can reapply it with consent. Simple clothes and footwear that children can manage themselves are encouraged, supporting independence during toileting and outdoor play.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Yatton Keynell Village Hall, Jubilee Field, Biddestone Lane, Yatton Keynell, Chippenham, SN14 7EJ. Term-time opening runs from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8.55am to noon, and afternoons from noon to 3pm. An All Day option runs from 9am to 3pm, with a Morning with lunch pattern from 9am to 1pm.

Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 8.55am; After School Club runs from 3pm to 4pm. Both clubs are for children attending Bybrook. The suggested attendance pattern is two or more sessions weekly, rather than a stated compulsory minimum. When requested sessions are full, a waiting list operates under the admissions policy. Enquiries can be made by email or telephone.

Holiday Club operates during Easter and summer, with themed activities such as Bybrook Bake Off and Rugby and Rounders. It welcomes children aged two to seven, including children who do not attend the pre-school. Opening and closing times are confirmed for each holiday period according to demand. Funded hours cannot be used for this provision, and bookings must be made in advance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged two, three and four can use funded childcare, including the applicable 15-hour and extended 30-hour entitlements. Delivery is term-time, across 38 weeks. Funded hours must be agreed beforehand through a Parent Declaration Form; hours beyond the entitlement are paid privately. Fees are invoiced in advance each term, and Tax-Free Childcare is accepted. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Food has a mixed arrangement: families bring packed lunches, while morning snacks and food eaten at Breakfast Club attract voluntary, separate contributions that are not conditions of taking funded childcare. Lunchboxes need an ice block for high-risk foods because refrigeration at the hall is limited; the lunchbox policy excludes nut products but permits foods labelled may contain nuts, and asks families to flag lunches containing egg.

There is no consumables fee, but parents provide nappies, wipes, cream and sun protection. Resource donations are optional. After School Club carries a weekly contribution applying regardless of how many sessions are attended; its compulsory or voluntary status needs clarification before booking. A full term of written notice is required to cancel a session or leave, with non-funded fees payable if that notice is not given. Occasional absences do not attract refunds.

Parking is available in the village hall car park. School transition includes preparation activities and transfer of children's records, with consent requested for forwarding the Tapestry journal.

• Session boundaries and directions. The morning and Breakfast Club changeover is given as 8.55am in the session timetable and 9am in the registration form, while the hall's postcode is given as both SN14 7EJ and SN14 7BD. Use a visit to confirm the booked handover time and directions.
• After School Club contribution. The session information applies a weekly contribution to children using the club, while the registration form places it among voluntary contributions. Clarify whether it can be declined, including when funded hours cover attendance.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Families manage lunchbox cooling, and the nut policy permits may contain nuts labels. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements and how their child's needs will be managed.
• Term-time care and notice. Easter and summer Holiday Club is separately booked and excludes funded hours, while cancelling regular sessions requires a full term's written notice. Consider both arrangements against changing work patterns and holiday cover.

Bybrook suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting the All Day pattern with breakfast or later care attached. The garden, Little Kickers football and practical School Readiness activities give the offer clear substance. Its June 2023 Outstanding judgement is a strong inspection position, while the current settling arrangements allow an individual start. The main decisions are practical: matching the session boundaries to family routines, preparing packed lunches and understanding the club contribution and notice terms before committing.