Tadpoles
Age 21 to 4One adult to four children, 12 children in the room
- Water, sand, playdough and picture books
- Learning to pour, wash hands and find a coat
- One key person for nappies and naps
Imelda Farrowby and two key people
Play-based preschool for ages 2 to 5
Wellies by the door, paint on the sleeves.
Puddlewick Preschool is a small school where most of the day happens on the floor, in the garden, or up to the elbows in something.
- 54 children
- Open 8:00 to 5:30
- Outside every day
- Cooked lunches
Come and seeTue and Thuat 10:00
The shape of the day
A day at Puddlewick
The times are a guide, not a timetable. If everyone is deep in a mud kitchen, the story can wait ten minutes.
- 8:00Doors open
Coats on pegs, names on the board, and a goodbye that takes as long as it needs.
- 9:00Morning circle
Who is here, what the sky is doing, and one song everyone knows.
- 9:20Play indoors
Paint, blocks, water tray and home corner. Children choose, adults join in.
- 10:15Snack table
Fruit and toast. Children pour their own water and clear their own cups.
- 10:45Garden in all weathers
Mud kitchen, digging patch, and puddles when there are puddles.
- 11:45Wash and story
Everyone back in, hands washed, one story on the rug.
- 12:00Lunch
Cooked here and eaten at small tables with an adult at each.
Mornings go home at 12:30 - 12:45Rest
Twos nap on low beds. Older children rest with books and quiet music.
- 1:45Small groups
Cooking, planting, mark-making and counting games in fours and fives.
- 2:45Music and moving
Drums, scarves and a lot of stamping before the afternoon snack.
School day ends at 3:00 - 3:15Snack and garden
A second snack, then outside until the light or the rain says otherwise.
- 4:15Slow hour and pick-up
Puzzles and being read to. You get a real handover until 5:30.
Rooms by age
Three rooms, one garden
Children move up when they are ready, not on a birthday. Each child has a key person who knows them best.
Froglets
Age 31 to 6One adult to six children, 18 children in the room
- Dressing up, block building and big paintings
- Taking turns and making first friendships
- Help with toilet training, at your child’s pace
Hamid Quillen and two key people
Wagtails
Age 4 to 51 to 8One adult to eight children, 24 children in the room
- Longer projects the children choose themselves
- Letters, sounds and counting through games
- Practice for school: lunch trays, coats, listening
Noor Penhallow and two key people
These ratios are our own policy, and at lunch and rest we add another adult to each room. Rules differ from place to place, so check what applies near you.
Settling in
One stepping stone at a time
Most children take about two weeks and some take longer. Settling visits are free, and nobody is rushed across.
- 1Hello at home
Your child’s key person calls or visits and learns the names of their favourite things.
- 2Stay and play
You and your child spend an hour in the room together.
- 3A short goodbye
You leave for half an hour and stay close by.
- 4A whole morning
Your child stays through snack and garden time.
- 5First full session
We ring you at ten to say how it is going.
Sessions, fees and term dates
What it costs, plainly
| Session | 2 days | 3 days | 5 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mornings8:30 to 12:30, with lunch | $96 | $138 | $215 |
| School day8:30 to 3:00 | $148 | $215 | $340 |
| Full day8:00 to 5:30 | $192 | $280 | $445 |
Weekly fees, billed monthly, with meals, snacks, nappies and outdoor suits included. Term-time places run 38 weeks and all-year places run 48. There is a one-off $60 registration fee, and any funded hours you are entitled to come off your bill.
Term dates 2026 to 2027
Autumn1 Sep to 18 DecHalf term 26 to 30 Oct
Spring5 Jan to 26 MarHalf term 15 to 19 Feb
Summer12 Apr to 16 JulHalf term 31 May to 4 Jun
All-year places carry on through the holidays, closing for two weeks at midwinter and two training days.
Meals and allergies
Cooked here, eaten together
- Written allergy plansWe write one with you before your child starts, and it goes up in the kitchen and their room.
- A nut-free kitchenWe don’t cook with nuts and ask families not to send them. We can’t promise a food is free of traces.
- Other dietsVegetarian, halal and dairy-free lunches are cooked each day at no extra charge.
- If something happensStaff follow your child’s plan, then phone you straight away.
The grown-ups
Who looks after your child
All our staff hold paediatric first aid training and spend at least one day a term on further training.
DirectorBronwen Thackaby
Degree in early childhood studies. Runs the school and still does Friday story time.
Tadpoles leadImelda Farrowby
Early years diploma, with extra training in caring for under-threes.
Froglets leadHamid Quillen
Early years diploma, with training in speech and language support.
Wagtails leadNoor Penhallow
Early years teaching qualification and outdoor learning training.
CookLuis Marrable
Food hygiene and allergy awareness training. Knows every child’s plate.
Add your registration and inspection details hereYour licence number and latest inspection report.
Safeguarding and pick-up
Keeping children safe, every day
- Everyone who works here has background checks and references before they start, and safeguarding training every year.
- A named safeguarding lead takes any worry about a child the same day and follows the local reporting process.
- Personal phones stay in the office. Photos are taken on school tablets only, with your permission.
- Doors stay locked. Visitors sign in and are never alone with children.
Our full policies are on the noticeboard, and we will send them to you whenever you ask.
Pick-up card Theo, Froglets
- Hana TesmerMum
- Jonas TesmerDad
- Ruth TesmerGrandmother, photo on file
We only hand children to the adults on their card. If someone new is coming, call us by noon with your family password, and ask them to bring photo ID.
From the parents’ board
Notes left by the coat pegs
Theo cried at the door for a week. Imelda rang me at ten every morning to say he had stopped. By week three he ran in without looking back.
The handover is the best part. I actually know what she ate, how long she slept and who she played with.
He comes home soaked and happy most days. Keep the spare clothes bag full, they mean it.
Book a visit
Come when the rooms are busy
Visits are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 and take about 40 minutes. Bring your child, and wellies if it has rained. Places for twos go first, so tell us early.
- 12 Brambling Lane
- (555) 014-7736
- hello@puddlewick.example
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:30