St. Osmund's Preschool

Forest School in all weathers, music with puppets and daily toothbrushing give St. Osmund's Preschool a recognisable character. This charity-run setting occupies the grounds of St Osmund's Primary School in Salisbury, combining preschool provision with care before and after school. Its elected volunteer committee, largely drawn from parents and carers, gives families a practical role in keeping the setting running.

At its 17 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and judged safeguarding effective. The current offer has useful substance of its own: outdoor sessions involving tools and risk awareness, story-based yoga, a key-person approach and a route to specialist support when a child's development raises concerns.

There are 104 places in total. That figure describes the whole setting, rather than the number of children sharing a particular activity. Breakfast Club and After School Club extend the care options for both preschool children and children attending the primary school.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play sits alongside opportunities to practise language, movement, relationships and independence. St. Osmund's adds named activities with clear descriptions, making it easier to understand what children actually do rather than relying on a curriculum label.

Creativity gives children access to materials such as fabric, paint and natural objects, with messy play introducing different sensory experiences. Moving to Music combines instruments, singing and dancing; puppets and other props help children join in and practise taking turns. These are different ways into an activity, useful for children who prefer making something, moving their bodies or participating through a character.

Yoga uses games and stories. Activities can involve working with a partner or a group. This puts movement and cooperation into the same part of the day, alongside the more energetic music and outdoor opportunities.

In March 2022, children chose some activities themselves and joined others led by adults. A pretend garden centre supported imaginative play, while children practised everyday independence by preparing snacks and managing their coats during outdoor play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School centres on outdoor experiences, including using tools, being physically active and learning to judge risks. Sessions take place whatever the weather, so clothing matters. The practical attraction is that outdoor learning has its own activities and expectations, rather than being described only as a break from indoor play.

The current activity account also includes a mud kitchen. Staff describe taking children on walks to explore the surrounding community, while educational visits from Wiltshire Police bring an outside organisation into preschool life.

Relationships and Communication

Key persons are involved in practical care as well as learning. At lunch, adults eat alongside their key children, and support for toilet training begins with a discussion between the family and the child's key person. A pack and advice help parents use an approach at home that matches preschool practice.

The team includes practitioners with Level 3 early years training and bilingual support for children learning English as an additional language. That bilingual role also connects parents with other professionals. For a family using another language at home, communication with adults is part of the support mechanism, alongside children's language development.

In March 2022, staff gathered useful words from children's home languages, and Polish-speaking children received support in Polish and English. Children also practised breathing exercises and reflected on positive experiences.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENDco role covers preschool and wraparound care. When developmental concerns arise, families are informed, and staff discuss support at home and at preschool. Referrals to professionals such as speech and language therapists require parental permission; meetings then bring together the views of those involved. The mechanism matters: parents have a stated place in decisions about outside support.

The March 2022 inspection identified a need to strengthen support for delayed speech and English as an additional language, including using the sign-language training some staff had received, and to give children more opportunities to explore their own and others' cultural backgrounds. Those recommendations deserve attention alongside the positive judgement. Current bilingual provision and family-culture activities should not be treated as proof that every recommendation has been completed.

Big Brush Club, an NHS England initiative, adds a concrete health routine: staff help children brush their teeth once a day. Safeguarding arrangements include a designated lead and deputy lead roles.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.15pm from Monday to Thursday and 7.30am to 5.15pm on Friday. These are the setting's opening hours, rather than a statement that every preschool booking runs across that entire window. Preschool follows a term calendar, with holiday breaks and some shorter final days.

Breakfast Club opens at 7.30am. Children eat breakfast and can then choose indoor or outdoor activities before moving to school or starting preschool. After School Club runs from 3.15pm to 6.15pm, finishing at 5.15pm on Fridays; children attending St Osmund's Primary School are collected and taken across to the club. Its activities include ball games, crafts and quiet reading, giving children choices after the school day.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at admin@stosmundspreschool.co.uk or by telephone on 01722 329238. The form separates preschool, breakfast and after-school enquiries, which helps families identify the service they need from the outset.

Getting There

The address is Exeter Street, Salisbury, SP1 2SG, with access to the school grounds off Carmelite Way. A gate buzzer controls entry.

Being on the primary school's site makes the collection arrangement relevant to families with children there. Preschool attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still need to use the local authority admissions process. Preparation for school includes a Starting Reception Guide for parents.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted through Universal Funding for 3& 4 year olds, Working Parent Funding for 2,, 3& 4 year olds and Better2gether Funding for 2 year olds. Funded hours have no restrictions on when they can be used.

Private childcare is also offered, with separate fee bands for two-year-olds and children aged three or four. Booked hours are invoiced by email at the start of each term, across six terms a year; when a child turns three during a term, the fee band changes at the following invoice period. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and funding information setting out the charging structure.

Preschool snacks carry a separate termly contribution, with the alternative of bringing a snack that follows the healthy-eating policy; there is no charge for consumables. Children help prepare snacks, can choose milk or water, and retain access to their water bottles throughout the day.

• Language support. The March 2022 recommendations covered delayed speech, English as an additional language and cultural learning. During a visit, discuss how the current bilingual provision and communication activities would work for your child, including how progress is shared with you.
• Outdoor clothing. Forest School continues in all weathers and includes tools and risk awareness. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss the clothing expected and how activities are adapted for children with different confidence levels outdoors.
• The preschool calendar. The 2026/27 calendar includes holiday breaks, and some terms finish at 1.30pm on the final day. Compare those shorter days with your working arrangements, alongside the different Friday closing time.
• Parent involvement. An elected volunteer committee is essential to the charity's operation, and families can contribute through committee work or fundraising. This suits parents who value a practical role in preschool life; consider how much involvement fits your household.

St. Osmund's suits families seeking preschool learning with concrete outdoor, music and movement activities, as well as those combining preschool or primary-school attendance with breakfast or after-school care. Forest School and daily toothbrushing give the offer useful detail, while the key-person and SENDco arrangements explain how families participate in care and support.

The Good judgement dates to March 2022, and its communication and cultural-learning recommendations remain relevant questions for a visit. The strongest practical fit is for families who can work with the preschool term calendar and want the option of care before or after the education day. Sharing a school site brings convenience, but Reception admission remains a separate decision.