Moonbeams Pre-School

A pirate ship/castle, a mud kitchen and a large hall give Moonbeams Pre-School a recognisable character: room for imaginative play indoors, with a garden that extends the possibilities outside. Based at Kingsley Road Community Hall in Chippenham, it welcomes children from their second birthday until they leave for primary school at four. This is preschool provision, rather than baby care.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Moonbeams Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. That dated judgement sits alongside a current offer built around play, a key person for each child and communication through Learning Journals. There is capacity for 26 children in total; that figure is the whole setting's capacity, rather than the size of an individual activity group.

Term-time morning and afternoon sessions can be combined with Moonbeams Lunch Club, which bridges the sessions with time for a packed lunch.

Rooms and Ages

The main hall provides space for floor play and table activities, while the Quiet Room is used for registration, sharing news, songs and smaller group work. These are different spaces within the preschool's day, rather than separate age stages. Children can move between busy play and activities that bring a group together.

Outdoor provision has substance. Play houses, slides, the mud kitchen and the pirate ship/castle give children different ways to climb, pretend and explore. Outdoor play continues through the seasons, so suitable shoes, weather-appropriate clothes and a spare change belong in the daily preparation. Paint is part of the experience too: this is a setting for clothes children can get messy in.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, that means learning through play while practising communication, movement, early number work and the skills needed to manage ordinary routines. Moonbeams combines activities led by adults with opportunities for children to choose what to play.

Puzzles, books, craft and the home corner sit alongside trains and dolls. Early writing develops through mark making, while imaginative play gives children reasons to talk, negotiate and invent stories. A session has a recognisable sequence: group registration, play, tidying, a story, handwashing and snack, followed by outdoor or indoor physical activity. Resources change between sessions, but the sequence remains familiar.

Movement does not depend entirely on garden weather. Indoors, tunnels, stepping stones and a parachute provide opportunities for physical play. That matters for a child whose morning needs both concentrated table activities and a chance to move.

In September 2022, children investigated insects beneath wood using magnifiers, while staff introduced vocabulary and counting. Riding bicycles and scooters included learning about protective equipment. Garden play brought together movement, language and number.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has an allocated key person who maintains their records and serves as the family's first contact for discussion about their child. Parents are told if that allocation changes. This gives conversations about development a clear starting point and links everyday care with the child's learning record.

Learning Journals contain examples of children's achievements, and staff share regular assessments with parents. The registration paperwork also gathers information about interests, previous childcare, home languages, sleep habits and any concerns about communication or development. Those details give staff something personal to work from when a child starts, rather than relying solely on age.

Settling can be arranged around an individual child's needs. Staff telephone parents once their child has settled, and children do not need to be toilet trained before starting. Parent Stay and Play offers a further way to join in after the child has become comfortable. A termly newsletter keeps families informed beyond individual conversations.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCo works with keyworkers to arrange additional help, including support with speech and language; there is no additional-support fee. Registration paperwork asks about existing support plans, professional involvement and bilingual support, allowing families to bring established arrangements into the discussion from the outset.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that additional needs were identified promptly and referrals made to outside agencies, but required more consistent SEND strategies, better adaptation of group activities for younger children and those with SEND, and stronger support for staff to translate training into suitably challenging learning. These were meaningful reservations about how support worked in practice, despite the overall Good judgement.

All staff have paediatric first aid training. The registration process includes a risk assessment for known allergies or food intolerances and collects information about medical conditions and dietary requirements. These are concrete arrangements, rather than a general promise about suitability for every child.

Sessions and Attendance

Moonbeams operates for 38 weeks during term time. Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 11.45am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; afternoon sessions run from 12.15pm to 2.45pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is a closed day.

Moonbeams Lunch Club bridges the sessions from 11.45am to 12.15pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. A child can attend a morning and stay for lunch, join at lunchtime before an afternoon, or combine morning, lunch and afternoon on the days that offer both sessions. Monday provides the morning and lunch combination.

For funded attendance, chosen sessions can be changed after each funding block. That makes the arrangement more structured than changing a booking from week to week. Registration applications can be returned by email or brought to the setting, and help with completing the paperwork is offered.

Getting There

The address is Kingsley Road Community Hall, Kingsley Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 0AS. An enclosed car park sits in front of the setting, providing an on-site option for families travelling by car.

Enquiries go to enquiries@moonbeamspreschool.co.uk. The registration process asks families to nominate authorised collectors and provide a collection password; staff check before releasing a child when the collector differs from the person indicated for that day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted on a term-time basis. Options include Two Year Funding, with up to 15 hours following a successful application, and Working Parents Two Year Funding, with up to 30 hours following a successful application; both start in the term after the second birthday. The three- and four-year-old entitlement provides up to 15 hours from the term after the third birthday, while eligible working parents can apply for the 30-hour entitlement for those ages.

A 30-hour entitlement is not a 30-hour week at Moonbeams: the preschool opens for 19.5 hours weekly. Funding may be divided between settings and can cover both sessions and lunch club here. Private hours are invoiced when attendance exceeds the entitlement or a child is not eligible for funding; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Snacks carry no separate charge, while lunch club requires a healthy packed lunch from home; its food policy asks families to avoid nut products where possible. Non-food consumables and craft materials carry no separate charge, but parents supply nappies, wipes, nappy sacks, nappy cream and sun cream where needed, including for funded attendance.

Trips attract an additional charge alongside either funded or invoiced hours. There is no deposit. The funding and fees page explains the charge structure.

• Group activities and SEND. September 2022 improvement points concerned engagement, consistent support strategies and putting staff training into practice. During a visit, ask how activities are now adapted for a younger child or a child needing help with routines.
• A four-day term-time timetable. Wednesday closure and the 19.5-hour opening week shape what this preschool can cover. Families seeking the full use of a 30-hour entitlement need to account for that difference.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Lunch comes from home, and avoiding nuts is a request qualified by where possible. Families affected by allergies should confirm current food-handling arrangements before agreeing attendance.

Moonbeams suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoon sessions or combinations joined by lunch club. The hall, Quiet Room and substantial garden give those shorter sessions a clear setting and varied uses, while a key person and Learning Journals keep individual development connected to parents.

The September 2022 concerns about group teaching and consistent SEND support deserve attention alongside the Good judgement. The timetable is equally important to the fit for families.