Menston Pre School

Covered decking, an open-plan play space and children’s own interests give Menston Pre School its character. This committee-led, non-profit preschool operates at Kirklands Community Centre and accepts children from 2.5 years until they leave for school. It has 30 places in total. The emphasis is on exploration, conversation and learning through play, with outdoor space used as an extension of the indoor provision.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding overall and judged its education Outstanding, highlighting an adaptable curriculum shaped by children’s interests. The examples had substance: children discussed pyramids and flamingos, while adults used their curiosity to develop learning. This is a setting whose educational character rests on what children investigate, rather than a succession of adult-selected tasks.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns alongside a short early-start session. That makes it a practical option for families arranging preschool around the school calendar, as well as those wanting shorter sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children learn through play, develop relationships and practise thinking, communicating and managing their behaviour. Activities follow their interests, with staff observing what engages each child and using those observations to plan the next steps. The learning and key person information explains how this connects with feedback to families.

Choice is built into the day. Children can reach play resources independently, move between indoor and outdoor activities, and take part in individual teaching or small groups. Shared stories and singing bring the group together. These different arrangements give children time to pursue an idea themselves and time to explore it with an adult.

In June 2024, conversations about Egypt, pyramids and the colour of flamingos illustrated how far children’s questions could take them. Adults extended vocabulary through discussion and introduced problems for children to think through. Reading also featured in the day, with staff bringing stories to life. The practical value is a day where talking, wondering and explaining are part of play.

Families can continue sound play at home through Playing at home with phase 1 phonics, a collection of listening, rhyme and sound games. Suggestions include pausing before a rhyme in a book, adding instrumental sounds to a story and listening during a nature walk. These are approachable shared activities, rather than worksheets requiring specialist equipment.

Outdoor and Community Life

The purpose-built, open-plan setting has covered decking and a larger outdoor area. A canopy provides shade, while coats and wellies are supplied for poorer weather. Free movement between the indoor and outdoor spaces means outdoor play belongs within the ordinary day, rather than depending on a separate outing.

In June 2024, a designated outdoor classroom gave children opportunities to explore nature. Tree climbing involved challenge and encouragement between children. The same visit captured another practical connection with the neighbourhood: children collected snack food from the community fridge and discussed waste and sustainability. Everyday decisions about food became opportunities to understand resources and their use.

Visitors also broadened children’s experience in June 2024, including a local dentist who introduced aspects of their work. Community involvement extends to fundraising: past events include Menstonbury Festival and The Christmas Mooch. Funds have helped purchase the climbing frame and outdoor canopy. For families, that is a tangible connection between volunteering and the equipment children use.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who discusses interests, dislikes, routines and particular requirements with the family before attendance begins. This gives the relationship a starting point beyond the first session. The same practitioner observes development and helps plan the child’s next steps, connecting knowledge of home life with what happens during preschool.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used alongside spoken feedback. Parents can view their child’s learning, add comments and contribute photographs. Sharing an interest from home can therefore influence activity planning, rather than remaining separate from preschool life. The registration form also seeks permission to share the learning journey with primary-school teachers during transition.

In June 2024, parents and grandparents joined stay-and-play sessions, and staff explained how families could support learning at home. That offers a useful picture of partnership in practice: adults could participate in the setting’s activities and understand the learning behind them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported rapid progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Current support arrangements include a SENCO who works with parents and colleagues to identify individual needs, coordinates with outside professionals and reviews provision. This gives families a defined route for discussing development and arranging support.

The staff structure includes safeguarding and health-and-safety lead roles. Key persons and senior staff have paediatric first-aid training, and designated safeguarding leads undertake regular safeguarding training. The team also undertakes continuing professional development, with early-years and teaching qualifications represented among staff.

A morning snack comes with milk or water; families supply a packed lunch for full-day attendance and the longer afternoon session. In June 2024, children helped prepare their snacks, making food preparation another opportunity to practise independence.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Kirklands Community Centre, Main Street, Menston, LS29 6HT. Telephone and email enquiries go through the preschool office on 01943 876252 or office@menstonpreschool.org, and an online contact form provides another enquiry route.

Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon. Families can choose a longer afternoon from noon to 3pm or a shorter afternoon from 12.30pm to 3pm. Full days run from 9am to 3pm, and the early-start session runs from 8.40am to 9am. Children can attend up to 30 hours each week.

Term dates follow Menston Primary School. Admissions give priority to families living in and around Menston, while children from outside the area can also attend under the admissions conditions. The waiting list is ordered by date of birth, with further criteria covering preschool siblings and children who will attend, or have siblings attending, Menston Primary School. Individual circumstances are also considered. This is a structured allocation process, rather than a simple queue based on application date.

Parents may request a session change or increase each term, with allocations subject to the admissions criteria and space. For families whose working pattern changes, that termly review point matters when planning attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded early education runs during the 9am to 3pm window for a maximum of 38 weeks each year. The offer is term-time, rather than stretched across the year. For three- and four-year-olds, Universal Entitlement provides 15 hours weekly from the term after the third birthday; eligible working families can claim an additional 15 hours through Working Families Entitlement.

Eligible two-year-olds can use Working Families Entitlement for 30 hours weekly, or Terrific Two Year Old Entitlement for 15 hours when they meet the criteria for additional support. Attendance itself starts at 2.5 years. Working-family codes must be verified and kept current, and a place cannot be offered when the code is in its grace period.

Funding can be shared between providers, but cannot be moved between them mid-term. Starting after the local authority’s census date means funding cannot be claimed until the following term. Private additional hours can be paid for, and current prices come in the preschool’s written quotation. The funding and fees information provides access to the policies.

Packed lunches remain the family’s responsibility for full-day and longer-afternoon attendance, including when those hours are funded. Preschool sweatshirts and T-shirts are optional purchases.

• A school-calendar arrangement. Attendance is term-time and the main day ends at 3pm. Morning and afternoon choices suit shorter attendance, but families need a separate plan for school holidays.
• Admissions priorities. Date of birth, local residence and sibling or primary-school connections shape allocation. Discuss how these criteria apply to your child when arranging a visit.
• Lunch and funded hours. Full-day and longer-afternoon children bring lunch, while funding has code and census-date conditions. Ask for a written quotation covering your chosen sessions and any food or consumables charges.
• Settling through a key person. A pre-start conversation covers routines and individual requirements. At a visit, explore how that information will shape your child’s first sessions and communication with home.

Menston Pre School suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon attendance or full days within a term-time calendar. Its strongest combination is child-led learning, usable outdoor space and a key-person relationship linked to regular feedback. The June 2024 Outstanding judgement gives weight to that educational picture.

The practical boundaries are clear: school holidays sit outside the attendance calendar, lunch comes from home for longer sessions, and admissions follow stated priorities. For families whose arrangements fit those boundaries, the preschool offers an appealing connection between play, individual interests and community life.