About Us
Welcome to Beaminster
Pre-School!
Every member of our team is well qualified and brings many years of experience to the setting. Personal development is always ongoing and training regularly updated. Every member of staff is qualified in ‘Paediatric First Aid’ and ‘Inclusion within the Setting’.
We Know How to Deal with Kids
A Little About Us
Beaminster Pre-School is an independent pre-school which is located in the market town of Beaminster, West Dorset. We are situated within the grounds of Beaminster St Mary’s Academy, enjoying beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. The pre-school began its journey in 1969 when we opened our doors to the local community. Over the years that followed we have adapted and grown whilst continuing to provide a safe and happy environment in which children can learn and thrive under the expert guidance of our team of longstanding and
dedicated staff. We were rated ‘OUTSTANDING’ by Ofsted during our last inspection in 2024.
Our setting offers a bright inside space and substantial secure outside play areas. We have access to a large nature area within the school grounds which we use to extend the children’s learning. We also like to get out and about, exploring the local area and town; we are regular visitors to our wonderful shops, library, church and town play area.
“Children quickly become deeply immersed in their learning. Staff use their comprehensive knowledge of child development to implement a highly ambitious and innovative curriculum. They create an environment that empowers children to be independent.”
Ofsted 2024
The pre-school offers term time sessional care for children aged 2 to 4 years. Our wonderful team works hard to build strong relationships with children and families to ensure that every child receives the best care and education. Children are encouraged and supported throughout their time with us to allow them to become confident and independent learners, who can reach their full potential. As well as working closely with parents we also work alongside many other professionals to ensure that every child is given the support they need to thrive. We are an inclusive setting and welcome all children and families.
“Parents appreciate managers creating resources, such as phonics videos and parent packs, that explain developmental milestones and related activity ideas. This is significant in helping parents to be involved in their children’s learning at home.”
Ofsted 2024
Highly Trained Professionals
Our Staff
Mandy
Our manager, Mandy, started working in early years in 1997 before joining our team in September 2018. She is qualified to Level 3 in Childcare and Education, food safety Level 2, lead SENCO, lead safeguarding Level 3 and Forest School Leader. Mandy is mum to two grown boys, Matthew and Sam.
Gemma
The pre-school’s deputy manager is Gemma, who has worked at the setting since 2021. She has her level 3 certificate and diploma in Child Care and Education and is the pre-school’s deputy safeguarding lead. Gemma is mum to two children who keep her busy in her spare time.
Gem England
Gem is qualified to Level 4 in Childcare and has always worked with children in a range of different settings. Our newest member of staff she joined the pre-school in 2023. Gem has two children.
Mel
Mel has her level 2 qualification in childcare and has been a valued member of staff since 2010. She is mum to three children, Hannah, Cameron and Olivia.
Alice
Alice is bank staff and joined the pre-school in 2023. She has a level 3 diploma in Child Care and Education. Alice has two children.
Kath
Our longest standing member of staff is Kath who although previously full time is now bank staff. She is qualified to Level 3 in childcare and has two grown up children called Sam and Ellie.
Education
The pre-school works to the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework which sets out key principles across seven areas of learning. Our activities are varied and always inspire learning across these areas. By providing the right materials and resources, children are supported to be independent in their learning and encouraged to be curious and effective problem solvers who can extend and explore their own development.
“All children access the curriculum effectively. Staff are adept at introducing and embedding new ideas and vocabulary, personalised to individual children’s needs. This leads to excellent progression of listening, understanding and communication skills in all children.”
Ofsted 2024
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Children are supported to become confident learners who can freely explore and participate, children who can take account of others ideas and be proud of their own achievements. We support children to develop skills that allow them to understand and manage their feelings, emotions and behaviours while being mindful of the needs of their peers.
“Developing children’s communication and language skills is integral to the preschool’s practice.”
Ofsted 2024
Physical Development
Our large outside space allows us to provide varied resources and activities that allow the children to effectively develop their gross motor skills. We support the children to assess risk by themselves by offering opportunities for them to safely explore and test their own abilities. We encourage little fingers to be busy by having activities and zones, such as our ‘Tinker Table’, that the children can explore independently at all times in order to develop vital fine motor skills. The children love our story themed exercise sessions (Storycise) that get us stretching and moving all parts of our bodies in different ways.
‘Children delight in the freedom of the on-site forest school and enjoy the opportunity to run, swing, climb and balance. Staff explicitly understand the links between supporting the physical development of children’s large muscles to support the development of smaller muscles in preparation for early writing.‘
Ofsted 2024
We promote healthy eating, independent management of personal hygiene and we work closely with parents to provide support with toilet training.
Communication and Language
Activities are planned to continuously develop and extend listening, attention and understanding skills and we use games, books and resources that promote turn taking and sharing . We nurture the childrens self esteem to allow their confidence to grow which enables them to effectively talk, play and interact with their peers. For those children that need a little help with their communication skills we use WellComm, a speech and language programme, to aid this area of development and all staff use singalong sign language as part of our daily routines.
‘Children confidently communicate with new adults at the setting. They use advanced language in their imaginative play‘
Ofsted, 2024
Literacy
The children love to use our reading area to listen to stories or look at the wide range of books independently. We enjoy story sessions every day as a wonderful way of introducing new ideas, developing vocabulary, exploring different topics and building on listening skills. Our children love to get involved with telling us stories through the use of story sacks or our book themed small world play. As children’s ability progresses we begin to introduce early stage phonics in preparation for them starting primary school. This is done in a fun and engaging way, through the use of singing, games and hands on activities.
Children are encouraged to mark make wherever possible which is why we have a permanent writing table that is fully stocked with art resources. The children love to draw pictures, write labels, draw maps, write their names. Quite often the mark making is inspired by our topics, stories or our trips out and about.
‘Staff deliver small interactive story clubs rotated for all children. This provides quieter children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities with more opportunities to interact in discussions and understand story content.‘
Ofsted 2024
Mathematics
We incorporate maths into all areas of our learning to ensure the children become familiar with and naturally use the language of number, shape and size throughout their play and learning. We use hands on activities and experiments to support this development that allows the children to become excited and fully absorbed in their learning. The developmental stage of every child is continuously assessed to ensure that all activities are challenging for continuous progression whilst being appropriate for each child’s stage of learning.
‘the deputy manager attended training about using wooden blocks to enhance the delivery of early years mathematics. The effectiveness of this is evident as children incorporate mathematical language into their play across the pre-school. Managers’ rigorous evaluation ensures high-quality teaching is consistently maintained.‘
Ofsted, 2024
Understanding the World
We love to nurture a child’s natural inquisitiveness by exploring all aspects of our wider world and community. We love to grow vegetables and flowers, encouraging the children to care for them whilst talking about how they are changing, along with using the nature area and outside space to learn about wildlife and the changing seasons. We develop an understanding of different cultures and countries through regular cooking activities and celebrating different festivals. We encourage the children to use our digital tablets and Smart Board to enhance this learning and explore further.
We celebrate the individuality and unique qualities of every child, supporting the children to embrace these differences along with the needs of others.
‘Staff coordinate enriching outings for children. These experiences help children understand their community and foster a sense of belonging.‘
Ofsted, 2024
Expressive Arts and Design
We love to watch the children’s imaginations flourish, giving them the space, resources and support to engage in meaningful roleplay with their peers. Our roleplay area is always changing to ensure ideas are fresh and play and engagement continues to grow. Children are encouraged to share ideas and make choices about how their play develops.
We help children to express themselves in many different ways; through art, music, dancing, singing and acting.
“Children relish experimenting in their play. They creatively mix paint into puddles and incorporate real vegetables into their make-believe soup. Staff know when to participate in the children’s play. Their quality relationships and extensive understanding of each child allow them to tailor teaching to every child. They stimulate curiosity through well-crafted questions, enhancing children’s creativity and critical thinking.”
Ofsted 2024