Pre-schools

All of Swindon's pre-schools offer free funded early education places for three and four year-olds, some also offer sessions for two year-olds.

They are generally open term time only, and during school hours.

Pre-schools offer children, including disabled children, the opportunity to learn, play with other children and get ready for school. All are registered and inspected by Ofsted and have qualified staff.

Services within schools

Some Swindon primary schools offer free funded early education either in the morning or afternoon within maintained nursery classes. These benefit from having a qualified teacher to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Three and four year-olds at these schools learn through play. Maintained nursery classes are registered and inspected by Ofsted as part of the school as a whole.

School admissions

Most primary schools have well established links with the pre-schools in their community. However, where a child attends pre-school, even if it is a maintained nursery class, it is not part of the admissions criteria for any Swindon school. 

A child does not automatically go to a particular school based on where they went to pre-school. See the School Admissions webpagesfor further information.

Availability

Parents are advised to contact individual pre-schools to find out the times early education is available. Some pre-schools and schools offer early education sessions only, some have developed their services to be more flexible to accommodate the needs of working parents, and some offer a combination of both.