Dragonflies Pre-School

In March 2025, Dragonflies Pre-School combined village-hall activities with garden play involving climbing and experimenting. It has capacity for 24 children at Ducis Village Hall in Collingbourne Ducis. At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found that teaching built on children's existing knowledge to prepare them for their next stage.

The children attending in March 2025 were aged 2 to 11. That is a dated picture of attendance, rather than a current age offer.

In March 2025, activities combined practical skills with imaginative possibilities: children used potato peelers to make pretend wands and painted daffodils outdoors. The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, play, stories and practical activities gave those requirements everyday expression.

The garden then included a club house and a risky-play area with tyres and wooden planks. Children could practise climbing and judging what they could manage, while outdoor space also allowed energetic running. This was more than a setting for quieter table activities.

Books, action songs, signing and visual prompts were part of the March 2025 day. Shared stories brought children together, while painting took place in smaller groups. However, adult involvement sometimes left too little room for children to invent their own play with friends. More space for independent imagination was the improvement required.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised the work between staff, parents and other professionals supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

In March 2025, staff used information from families to help children settle, and the key-person system supported attention to individual needs. Parents received updates about development that helped them continue activities at home; staff also gathered parents' views through discussion and reviewed their practice together.

Everyday routines offered practical learning at that time. Younger children received help threading fruit kebabs, while older children attempted the task independently. Games encouraged sharing, turn-taking and inviting others to participate, making social skills part of ordinary play.

The address is Ducis Village Hall, Chicks Lane, Collingbourne Ducis, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 3UH.

In March 2025, opening hours ran from 7.30am until 5.30pm on weekdays, during term time. The setting also received funding for free early education at that date. These arrangements describe its operation then.

• Space for independent play. In March 2025, children needed more opportunities to develop their own imaginative ideas with less adult involvement. On a visit, look at how practitioners balance organised activities with time for children to take the lead.
• Term-time planning. The March 2025 opening pattern excluded school holidays. Does the current attendance and funding arrangement fit your family's weekly routine and holiday needs?

Dragonflies merits consideration for families looking for practical play, outdoor activity and close communication with staff. Its March 2025 strengths included a garden used for physical challenge and routines that encouraged independence. The reservation is clear: children needed more freedom to shape their own imaginative play. Families considering it should weigh that balance alongside the term-time pattern recorded then.