If you are a parent of young children currently researching pre-schools in Bishopston and surrounding areas, a review from another local parent can be really helpful.  Please find a review from a local mum whose child attends Magic Dragon Pre-school in Bishopston.   

Why did you choose this pre-school for your child?
I had heard lovely things about Magic Dragon preschool and it is amazing to have a preschool so close to Bishop road school where my older two children go. I can drop them to school and continue up the road to drop off my youngest. I love that they are open four mornings a week and I feel that this is such a great preparation for school. When I was looking at Magic Dragon as a preschool for my middle child having moved from Exeter I was amazed to see so many enriching activities set up for the children.  I found this particularly impressive given that the preschool is run in a church hall and the staff transform it into such an amazing setting. For me though one of the main reasons for choosing Magic Dragon when I looked around was the staff. They are all so welcoming and being mums themselves I felt that the preschool would be the nurturing environment I was looking for and it is just that!

How did staff manage your child’s settling-in process?
The settling process was great. The preschool dropped a lovely pack to our home with details of the staff including my child’s key worker. We were then invited to a stay and play session and the staff appreciate that each child is different and the settling in process will vary accordingly. My daughter went for a few sessions a week initially and gradually increased. Dropping my littlest off to preschool was an emotion morning for me (my nest was empty) but the staff were amazing and even text me to let me know she’d settled well.

What do you like best about this pre-school?
I love the nurturing staff!

What kind of activities are on offer for children there?
I love that each week there is a different topic for the children so all activities are linked to the topic. I remember walking into preschool one morning amazed to find a pirate ship that the staff had created for the children!

What do you think of the staff?
It’s lovely leaving preschool after drop off in the mornings and feeling confident that your children are in the best hands. As experienced mums themselves they fully understand children’s needs. They provide learning journals for the children where parents can not only see what the children have been up to at preschool but it also details next steps in their learning. Although preschool has had to close during lockdown until September the manager Niki has been an amazing support for children and parents and provided learning packs as well as ideas daily on the Magic Dragon Facebook page for children to have fun doing.

Anything else you would like to add?
I’m very grateful to have found such a lovely preschool for my children. Now the preschool is shut until September due to Covid my little girl keeps asking me if she’s going to Magic Dragons. A lovely confirmation to me about how much she loves her preschool and the friends she has made there!

To find out more about Magic Dragon, plus other pre-schools in the Bishopston area, visit https://bishopstonmum.com/directory/education/pre-schools/