Winterslow Pre-School

Welly Walks in the woods and a fortnightly library van give Winterslow Pre-School a recognisable village rhythm. An independent charity based in Winterslow Village Hall, it combines a dedicated indoor room with outdoor space and opportunities for parents to take part in its running.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good on 12 February 2025, finding safeguarding effective and describing learning that developed through children's experiments and imaginative play. Capacity is 20 children in total. The current offer is for children aged two to four, with the admissions policy allowing attendance up to the term before a child's fifth birthday.

Morning, afternoon and all-day bookings sit alongside breakfast and after-school provision, with a minimum booking of six hours each week. The main pre-school year follows school terms; holiday care operates during some holiday weeks.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: here, that means developing language, movement, social skills and early literacy and numeracy through play and planned activities. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision. Winterslow adds a child-led approach in which practitioners use children's interests to shape activities and their next steps.

Phonics introduces letter sounds and then blending, while numeracy develops early mathematical understanding. Free play gives children time to pursue their own ideas. Children can choose resources and learn at their own pace. The curriculum page explains this approach.

A loose daily sequence combines circle time, a story and song of the week, indoor or outdoor play, and a planned activity. Later group experiences include junk modelling, sound lotto and board games. Weekly activities rotate each half term to help children attending different days take part, rather than tying every experience permanently to one attendance pattern.

In February 2025, children experimented with coloured lenses and mixed colours in dough. Practitioners extended those discoveries by introducing shades. Imaginative play also included treating adults as patients or animals, with bandages helping children explore the work of doctors and vets.

Outdoor and Community Life

The village hall provides a dedicated room, while outdoor space supports daily play. Welly Walks involve woodland exploration, and sports sessions take place weekly. The activity timetable also includes art, group activities and topic-based experiences such as gardening, cooking and science.

A library van visits once a fortnight, with children encouraged to borrow books for home or pre-school. This gives families a practical connection between shared reading in the setting and reading together elsewhere. Community experiences also include visits to local clubs, visiting speakers and activities at the local primary school.

In February 2025, outdoor play included climbing a bank and trying different ways of moving. Children also used a local map to identify meaningful places, including their homes and a park.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, plus a Key Buddy who provides cover when that practitioner is away. Parents can follow development through Tapestry, an online learning journal containing observations and recordings, and contribute achievements from home. Annual parent evenings and individually arranged discussions add opportunities to talk through progress in more detail.

Settling can take several forms. Stay and Play Sessions allow a familiar adult to participate alongside the child; Home Visits offer a meeting in familiar surroundings; Staggered Entry starts with shorter attendance before building towards the booked pattern. These are alternatives to a single fixed induction schedule, allowing the first weeks to respond to the child and family.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted identified two weaknesses: some children became less confident in joining play when their key person was absent, and lunchtime staffing left fewer opportunities for sustained conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The manager holds both the SENCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead roles, and the team includes paediatric first-aid training. SEND support uses a cycle of assessment, planning, implementation and review, with parents involved in setting and reviewing goals. Individual Support Plans and Individual Education Plans provide ways to organise targets and assistance; referrals to outside professionals require parental permission.

Preparation for school includes sharing relevant SEND information with the receiving teacher and parents. This is continuity of support, helping the next setting understand what has been tried and what the child needs.

Children do not have to be toilet trained to attend, although parents and staff work together on a toileting plan where needed. Allergy arrangements include an Individual Healthcare Plan, also called an Allergy Action Plan, covering triggers, symptoms and responses; children needing specific medical assistance start only after staff have received the necessary training.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Winterslow Village Hall, Middleton Road, Salisbury, SP5 1PQ. Opening hours are 8am to 3pm on Monday and Friday, and 8am to 6pm from Tuesday to Thursday.

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am, and afternoon sessions from 11.45am to 2.45pm. An all-day booking runs from 8am to 6pm within the longer opening days. Half-day sessions are offered; non-standard hours are considered individually. Breakfast club runs from 8am to 8.45am; after-school care is sold from 2.45pm to 4pm and from 4pm to 6pm.

The minimum weekly booking is six hours. Main provision runs for 38 weeks during school terms, while holiday club operates from 8.30am to 4.30pm during some school-holiday weeks. Families needing care across the year should distinguish that partial holiday offer from the regular term-time pattern.

Applications use a form requested from the pre-school, and enquiries can be made by telephone or email. When demand exceeds capacity, children from Winterslow, Firsdown and Lopcombe receive priority over those from outlying villages; the waiting list gives older children priority. These are allocation rules rather than a promise of a place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are both offered. The funding offer includes the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds and up to 30 hours for eligible working families. Delivery is term-time, and funded hours normally sit between 8.45am and 2.45pm; requests for another arrangement are considered individually.

Breakfast is included in the breakfast-club charge and consists of cereal or toast. Parents supply their child's nappies, while a separate voluntary termly contribution supports consumables and other resources, including wipes and emergency nappies; the fees policy also requests a voluntary contribution alongside funded hours.

A registration charge includes a pre-school T-shirt. Fees are invoiced in advance for the term, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees policy requires a term's written notice for leaving or reducing sessions, with six weeks' notice for changes to funded hours; sickness and absence do not attract refunds. Those terms make the initial booking pattern a financial decision as well as a childcare choice.

• Cover and lunchtime conversation. The February 2025 findings concerned confidence when a key person was absent and reduced interaction over lunch. During a visit, ask how Key Buddy cover works and how adults now organise the lunch period.
• The weekly timetable. Monday and Friday finishes differ across the activity timetable, curriculum information and contact hours. Agree the precise days and collection times in writing before committing to an all-day or after-school pattern.
• Term-time commitments. A six-hour weekly minimum, advance invoicing and notice requirements affect changes to attendance. Match the booking to the school-term year and the holiday weeks your family actually needs.
• Allergy preparation. An Allergy Action Plan and any necessary staff training form part of preparation for children needing medical support. Discuss current food arrangements and the child's individual plan before the start date.

Winterslow suits families seeking morning or afternoon pre-school sessions as well as all-day care on its longer opening days. Woodland activity, fortnightly book borrowing and a child-led approach give the week substance, while Tapestry and flexible settling options connect home and pre-school.

Parent participation is another reason to consider it. Volunteers can help with stories, creative activities and snacks, or join the charity's committee to contribute to decisions. The practical limits deserve equal attention: term-time provision, different closing times across the week and the two February 2025 care concerns should shape a family's decision alongside the learning offer.