About Swimbridge Pre-school
We’re a small and friendly pre-school for 2 to 5 year olds. You’ll find us next to the Church in Swimbridge, in the old school rooms.
The pre-school was set up over 35 years ago and we’ve kept it small because we believe it is a better environment for children. It’s homely and they get the attention they need.
- Sessions are open during school term time. Tuesday 9-12, 12-3; Wednesday 9-12; Thursday 9-12, 12-3,Friday 9-12, 12-3
Sessions are carefully planned by fully qualified staff, and there’s plenty of opportunity for the children to play together or independently.
We encourage the children to explore boundaries in a safe and secure way.
Our aim is to develop each child’s potential, so they are ready for their next big step to primary school.
Learning through play
At the start of every term, we plan our sessions based on the Early Years Foundation Stage document. This gives government guidelines for teaching children up to 5 years old and it is set by OFSTED (the Office for Standards in Education).
The main aims are to help children stay safe, be healthy, enjoy life, achieve and make a positive contribution. It also recognises that children learn in different ways and at different rates.
How we run our pre-school
Swimbridge Pre-school is a registered charity, managed by a voluntary committee made up of parents and past parents. This changes about every two years as children pass through pre-school.
We are self funding, so throughout the year we organise a calendar of fundraising events. (Any new ideas are welcome!)
The members of staff: Candida, Emma and Georgina. They are all qualified to lead the session and have certificates in First Aid. They attend teaching courses regularly to update their expertise. Our SENCO is Emma (Special Needs co-ordinator).
To arrange a visit to pre-school, call 07858509695.
Taking care of your child
Keeping children safe while they are in our care is a priority.
The teachers are trained in First Aid and every day they carry out safety checks. Fire drills are also held regularly.
At snack time, we make sure high standards of food hygiene are maintained and that the children wash their hands before eating.
- Under our healthy-eating scheme, every child brings in fruit to share at snack time.
Working with parents
We want to make sure your child spends happy days at pre-school, so please share any concerns you may have with the staff.
Each child is allocated a Key Person (Georgina, Candida or Emma) who takes a particular interest in the child’s development.
We have opportunities to meet and discuss your child's progress. We use Tapestry and Facebook as a way of sharing what your child has been doing during our sessions. You can also make an appointment anytime to have a discussion with us.
Close links with other groups
Pre-covid we have had a close relationship with Swimbridge Primary School and arrange visits to the reception class every term. This has proved an invaluable experience for the children, especially those who will be attending Swimbridge Primary School. We are trying to work with the school to do this again.
The committee keeps in touch with the Early Years Team who help us on us on policies and government regulations etc
We have an operational plan, which is a collection of all our policies and procedures that meet the national standards required of all pre-schools. This is available to all parents, so please feel free to look at it anytime.
Who can apply?
Children can start Swimbridge Pre-school after their second birthday. This is dependent on how many places are available as we need to ensure that adult child ratios are correct. This might mean that places are not available until they are 3.
You can register anytime before your child’s 2nd birthday and we are happy to take applications from children who live outside the parish of Swimbridge.
To keep the groups small, there is a maximum of 12 places per session and the waiting list is arranged in order of date of birth. We only have a limited number of places for children under three years.
During the half-term before they start, children can visit twice with their parent/carer.
What is the cost?
Your child may be eligible for free sessions. There is Early Years Funding that entitles every child from the age of 3 to 5 to 15 hours of childcare. We can apply directly for your child’s funding, so there’s nothing for you to do. Some children are eligible for 15 hours funding at 2 years as well - please ask us about this.
If your child goes to another childcare/education provider where the cost is covered by the funding, we will charge a fee for each session at pre-school. These fees do need to be paid at the start of each term.
If you have any concerns, complaints or compliments there is a form on our policies page. They can be sent to our chair of committee Sarah Norman [email protected]
Our registered person with Ofsted is Candida Salmon
Term Dates
Autumn Term
Last Day - Friday 20th December 2024
Spring Term 2025
First Day - Tuesday 7th January
Last Day - Friday 14th February
Half term
First Day - Monday 24th February
Last Day - Friday 4th April
Summer Term
First Day - Tuesday 22nd April
Last Day - Friday 24th May
Half Term
First Day - Tuesday 3rd June
Last Day - Tuesday 22nd July
Useful things to know
- Free sessions are available.
- We are OFSTED approved.
- All the teachers are fully qualified, trained in First Aid and have been cleared to work with children.
- We have close links with Swimbridge Primary School.
