Pewsham Preschool

Language, movement and independent play give Pewsham Preschool its character. BLAST builds the listening and communication skills behind early language, while Fundamental Movement Skills gives running, jumping and balancing an explicit place in learning. This is preschool preparation through practical experiences, with children choosing resources, spending time outdoors and learning to manage everyday tasks themselves.

On the Kings Lodge Primary School site in Chippenham, Pewsham accepts children from two and a half years old and has capacity for 26 children. At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. Its parent committee gives families a role beyond receiving updates: parents can join the committee and help make decisions about the preschool.

Attendance spans morning, afternoon and all-day sessions during school terms. That makes the setting relevant both to families introducing shorter periods away from home and to those wanting a day of preschool learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework sets out the seven areas of learning covered here, with play used to develop communication, physical abilities, social understanding and early learning. Children can select resources for construction, pretend play, reading, creative work and making marks. Practitioners add materials around children's interests, so a current fascination can become a starting point for further exploration rather than an interruption to a fixed activity.

Three named programmes make the learning priorities concrete. BLAST, short for Boosting Language Auditory Skills and Talking, develops listening, attention, turn-taking and communication. Letters and Sounds Phase 1 encourages children to notice and distinguish sounds before later phonics work. Fundamental Movement Skills centres on actions such as balancing, jumping and running, giving physical development its own practical teaching content. These programmes sit alongside the framework rather than replacing it.

Wake and Shake is a brief music-and-movement activity before circle time. Circle activities address early sounds, number, colour and social development, while other adult-led activities draw on the interests or needs of the children taking part. Children can also choose to join topic activities during the day. There is a balance between opportunities to follow an interest independently and occasions to listen, discuss and take part together.

Rainbow Rules translates expectations into actions children can understand: helping others, taking turns, caring for resources and persevering. Parents are encouraged to use the rules at home too. The practical value is a shared vocabulary for everyday behaviour, rather than a separate set of expectations that applies only at preschool.

In April 2024, children experimented with scented water and fresh herbs, planted seeds and decorated their craft designs with gold tape. Adults brought number into the planting activity by encouraging older children to count seeds and attempt addition. These examples show how ordinary materials can connect creative exploration with early mathematical ideas.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free Flow allows children to move between outdoor and indoor play for much of the day, including wet weather. Boots and outdoor clothing are supplied, and children are encouraged to get these themselves. Outdoor resources support balance, coordination and larger movements; child-friendly bathrooms also make toileting and handwashing part of learning to act independently.

The day has recognisable shared moments too. Children help put away resources inside and outside, and each session finishes with a story or song. A travel bear gives children something to talk about after time away, while birthday celebrations provide another opportunity to share news. These routines connect individual experiences with the group and give children practice in listening to one another.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes their development, adapts learning to their needs and gives parents a regular point of contact. Families can communicate by telephone, email, informal conversation and Tapestry, the online journal containing updates, photographs and videos of their child's activities. Parents can comment on entries and add their own, making communication a two-way exchange rather than a stream of announcements.

Regular parent evenings offer another opportunity to discuss progress. Families can contribute to a learning journey diary, stay for a session, share a skill with the children or take part in trips and fundraising. These are different levels of involvement: a parent can contribute an observation about their child without taking on a committee role.

In April 2024, staff used new children's interests to help them settle, and supported children who found boundaries or sharing difficult. Everyday routines included serving snacks, pouring drinks and using the toilet independently, with adults providing prompts where needed. For a child beginning preschool, this combination of familiar interests and manageable responsibilities is a useful part of the settling experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Individual education plans are developed by the key person with contributions from parents and the SENCO, so staff have a common plan when a child needs additional help. Progress is monitored, and families can receive support to access services including speech and language provision, portage and a Health Visitor. The SENCO provides a specific contact for developmental concerns.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that communication support helped children progress, including those with SEND and children using more than one language, but asked staff to explain some adult-led activities more clearly and improve information-sharing with other settings. Both improvement points matter: understanding the task affects participation, while a complete picture across settings helps staff plan support.

A safeguarding lead, deputy lead and committee safeguarding role provide routes for raising concerns.

Sessions and Attendance

Pewsham operates for 38 weeks during school terms, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am, afternoon sessions from 11.45am to 2.45pm, and all-day attendance from 8.45am to 2.45pm. An optional additional half-hour session runs from 2.45pm to 3.15pm, is charged separately and is subject to availability.

Children can start half-day core blocks at the beginning of a term, with January, February, April, September and November named as starting points. This gives joining a term-based rhythm. An application form and online application route are provided, and enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone or by email.

Getting There

The address is Kings Lodge Primary School Site, Lodge Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3SY. Being on the primary school site does not guarantee a Reception place; families still need to use the local authority's school admissions process. Preschool attendance and the application for a school place are separate decisions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Two- and three-year-old funding is accepted. The offer includes the 15-hour entitlement from the funded term after a child's third birthday, and 30-hour funding for eligible parents, subject to availability. Attendance follows the term-time calendar. Privately paid sessions are also offered, with payment due at the beginning of each term and fee reviews taking place annually; current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

Snacks are free, while children attending afternoons or all day bring a packed lunch. A rolling morning snack routine lets children choose when to eat within the snack period and practise preparing food and pouring drinks.

• School-term coverage. The calendar covers 38 weeks, and the latest finishing option is 3.15pm. Families needing care across school holidays or later afternoons should weigh that against their working arrangements.
• Understanding group activities. In April 2024, some children needed clearer explanations during adult-led learning. During a visit, ask how staff adapt circle activities when a child is unsure or reluctant to participate.
• Care shared with another setting. The April 2024 improvement point concerned incomplete contact with some other providers children attended. Families splitting attendance should discuss how learning information and support plans will be exchanged.
• Packed lunches and personal supplies. Afternoon and all-day attendance require food from home. When discussing a place, ask which personal care supplies your child should bring alongside their lunch.

Pewsham suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions as well as those choosing all-day attendance within a school-term calendar. Its strongest practical attractions are the combination of child-directed indoor and outdoor play, clearly explained language and movement programmes, and a key-person relationship supported by an online journal and parent involvement.

The Good judgement from April 2024 provides the quality context, while the improvement points give families useful questions about group teaching and coordination when children attend another setting. This is a preschool with an emphasis on independence and communication, and a timetable that families need to match carefully to the rest of their week.