Welcome to Whitchurch Pre-School !

We are GOOD – for our latest Ofsted report following inspection October 2015, please follow the link…. Ofsted Report 2015

Whitchurch Pre-School gives everyone a warm welcome.  We strongly believe that children learn through play and being outside in their natural environment.

We achieve this by spending the vast majority of our time outdoors; walking, in our garden or park, and exploring our environment.  We get messy; staff and children alike! It can be cold, and it may be wet so please don’t forget… There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!

Using the techniques of Forest School, we strongly believe children are happier, develop greater independence and confidence, become better risk takers and ultimately grow into well rounded little people. We aim to teach them about their environment; bugs and insects, flowers, trees, rivers and fields etc. and to respect the world around them. Within this learning environment comes numbers, letters, sounds, shapes and everything the Early Years Foundation Stages asks of us.

We hope your pre-school experience is a family orientated experience, and our doors are always open to have a chat or share time with your child.

We have events throughout the year including a Christmas Party, Easter Egg Hunt, Summer Outings and Sports Day. Parents and carer’s are encouraged to take part in fundraising activities and there is a rota should you have the opportunity to join in a Pre-School session.

Our Pre-School opened in 1974 and since then many local families have passed through our doors and still enjoy being involved in the pre-school. We are an Ofsted Registered pre-school, and run as charitable, non profit organisation. We have a volunteer committee of parents and friends who kindly oversee and manage the Pre-School, alongside the Pre-School Manager and team.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS).

We welcome children from the age of 1-5 years old, and accept 2 year and 3 and 4 year old Early Years funding vouchers. We are also able to accept the extended 3 and 4 year old funding on a limited basis.

We are open Tuesday to Friday (term time only), and offer a combination of morning and full day sessions. We would recommended all children attend two sessions a week minimum, however we are happy to be flexible, and of course, places are dependent upon availability. Please see opening times for our full hours.

Whitchurch Canonicorum Village Hall has ample parking to make drop off and pick up times relaxed and easy.

We have our own dedicated Pre-School room within the hall, in addition to having use of the whole hall during sessions, and our very own garden in the village. We provide an indoor and outdoor free-flow environment.

Whitchurch Pre-School has an excellent team of fully Early Years qualified and experienced staff, as well as unqualified staff who are currently training and working towards Early Years Qualifications. We provide continuous professional development for all staff.

We offer a safe environment for your children to explore, learn and have fun in. We plan and provide a wide range of activities both indoors and in our two outside learning areas. We have a wide range of good quality equipment to support children in all areas of their play and learning whilst at Pre-School.

We are located only a short drive from Charmouth, and near to Lyme Regis and the surrounding Marshwood Vale.

We have strong links with Symondsbury School, Marshwood CE Primary Academy and Charmouth School as well as others.  We provide good transition support for you and your child when they make that step between finishing Pre-School and starting Primary School.

The safeguarding and welfare of the children in our care are obviously a top priority at our Pre-School and all staff are highly trained in these areas.

We hope you enjoy your visit to our website, and for all enquiries please contact us to arrange a visit.