St Michael's Pre School

An allotment gives St Michael's Pre School a practical thread running through its learning: children grow fruit and vegetables, then harvest what they have tended. This Hilperton pre-school combines a purpose-built setting with opportunities to learn outdoors. Gardening has a clear purpose here.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 18 April 2024 and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. Its capacity is 42 children in total, and its current education offer is for children aged two, three and four. The youngest children have a designated room capped at 12, a useful distinction from the capacity of the whole setting.

Attendance follows a 38-week academic year, with morning provision for two-year-olds and morning or afternoon sessions for older children. That makes the school-term calendar an essential part of the decision for working families.

Rooms and Ages

The 2 year old room has a maximum of 12 children and provides a separate setting for the youngest age group. That cap describes the room, rather than the number of children across the pre-school. For parents choosing an early group-care experience, it is a concrete measure of the scale their child will encounter.

In April 2024, younger children chose activities and developed their own play ideas, while older children tackled models made with recycled materials. When a model failed to take shape as intended, children tried again or sought help. These were practical opportunities to practise persistence, rather than simply complete an adult's design.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the educational framework: children learn through play across its areas of learning, with activities adjusted to their interests and needs. Themes give that play a shared subject to explore, while the day combines planned learning with opportunities for children to investigate independently.

In April 2024, early writing took several forms: children made maps, used chalk and wrote lists. These activities gave marks a purpose before formal writing became the expectation. Staff had undertaken training in this area and brought it into everyday activities, connecting professional development with what children actually did.

The same month, staff drew on advice from local schools when children needed greater challenge in early reading and writing. This was preparation for the next stage of learning, rather than an admissions relationship or a promise of a school place.

Outdoor and Community Life

The allotment extends learning beyond indoor activities. Growing and harvesting produce gives children a tangible sequence to take part in, with gardening connected to the EYFS rather than treated as an occasional extra.

In April 2024, the garden's mud kitchen prompted cooperative play, with younger children fetching water from a water butt for their mixture. Older children invented chasing games in the park area and brought friends and staff into them. Outdoor play therefore provided opportunities for both shared imaginative activity and games with agreed rules.

Visits to a local farm and church also formed part of children's experiences in April 2024. These widened the places children encountered beyond the pre-school itself. The provisional calendar includes a Nativity on 11 December 2026 and Sports Day on 25 June 2027, with no afternoon session planned on Sports Day.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support, with staff working alongside parents and professionals, adapting teaching and incorporating individual learning targets into play. The practical mechanism matters: support was connected to children's everyday activities, rather than separated from them.

In April 2024, parents could discuss learning at termly meetings. Staff knew children's learning needs and used encouragement when activities became difficult. For families, the combination of individual adjustments and scheduled conversations provided ways to connect home concerns with what happened during sessions.

The same visit identified a clear weakness in routines for the youngest children. Staff did not consistently explain what was happening next or make expectations clear during stories and tidying. Some children became distracted or upset. This matters for two-year-olds who need predictable signals when an enjoyable activity ends or a group activity begins.

Children can bring a packed lunch, and snacks are supplied by the pre-school, with a separate snack contribution for children using funded entitlement. Dietary needs inform the snack arrangements, and families can discuss alternative arrangements with the manager.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Village Hall, Whaddon Lane, Hilperton, Trowbridge, BA14 7RN. Contact is through the enquiry form, office@st-michaels-preschool.uk or 07849722670; email is also the route for joining the waiting list.

Two-year-old morning sessions run from 9am to noon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. For three- and four-year-olds, morning sessions are 9am to noon and afternoons run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. The overall opening window for that older age group is 9am to 3.30pm.

The lunch period runs from noon to 12.30pm and can be added to either a morning or an afternoon booking. Children bring their own packed lunch, and attendance during this period carries a separate charge because funding cannot be used for it. This distinction matters when comparing the length of a session with the length of the complete day a family needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible two-year-olds can use government funding for their sessions. For three- and four-year-olds, the offer includes 15 hours/week from the funding period following their third birthday, plus an additional 15 hours/week for eligible families. Provision follows the term-time academic year.

Private, non-funded sessions are also offered. Funded attendance carries a separate snack contribution, with alternative arrangements open for discussion, and a registration administration charge applies when a child's place is registered. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen sessions and any lunch attendance; the funding and fee information explains the charge structure.

• Youngest children's routines. In April 2024, explanations of transitions and group expectations were inconsistent for the youngest children. During a visit, ask how staff now prepare two-year-olds for stories, tidying and changes of activity.
• The term-time timetable. Attendance follows a 38-week academic year, and two-year-old sessions run on four named weekdays. Match those mornings and the holiday calendar to the care your household needs.
• Lunch and dietary arrangements. Lunch attendance is separately charged and cannot use funding; children bring a packed lunch, while funded snacks carry a contribution. Families managing allergies should discuss current snack practice and alternative arrangements before joining.

St Michael's suits families seeking term-time morning care for a two-year-old or morning and afternoon sessions for a three- or four-year-old. Its room cap for the youngest children and hands-on allotment learning provide concrete reasons to consider it. The April 2024 findings add useful detail about individual support and learning through practical activity, alongside a specific concern about routines. For parents of the youngest children, the response to that concern deserves close attention.