Little Village Learners and Fun Track

A water wall for the youngest children and a mud kitchen for preschool play give Little Village Learners and Fun Track a practical, hands-on character. Based at Mytholmroyd Community Centre in Hebden Bridge, it combines early-years care with Fun Track out-of-school provision and has 34 places in total.

At its 11 October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical details include outdoor access directly from the early-years rooms, a key person for each child and learning records that parents can contribute to. For families, that brings together space to explore and several ways to stay involved in their child's day.

Rooms and Ages

The Under 2’s room combines play with singing, stories and adult interaction, with an enclosed outdoor area reached directly from the room. Children can explore Treasure Baskets, try musical instruments and use Books & Puppets; these give adults several starting points for shared play rather than relying on a single activity. The water wall adds another physical resource for younger children to investigate.

Playroom serves the two-to-three age group through age-appropriate activities, with some play shared with the older children. Pre-school serves three- and four-year-olds, combining small-group activities with direct outdoor access. The distinction matters: activities are organised for different developmental stages, while children also have opportunities to play together.

Indoors, preschool resources include construction materials, a Home Corner and a Playdough Table. Outside, a mud kitchen sits alongside bikes and a climbing frame with a slide. That combination gives children opportunities to switch between pretend play, making things and physical activity, rather than keeping all learning at a table.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and development, spanning communication, physical development, relationships, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive activity. Here, free play sits alongside activities led by adults: children explore materials themselves, then join singing, stories and games. The framework is the foundation of the day, rather than a separate lesson.

In October 2023, an autumn activity brought together leaves, conkers and pumpkins, with adults introducing vocabulary connected to the season and harvest. It was a concrete way to connect objects children could examine with words they could use. Books and songs also featured across the day, including children pretending to read to their friends. Language learning extended beyond a single story session.

Forest School and Active Sport are seasonal activities, while Jo Jingles sessions take place regularly. The preschool calendar also includes a Nativity Concert and a Summer Leavers Presentation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor access is part of the Under 2’s offer, with occasional local walks to watch trains or feed ducks. Preschool children also take local walks and visit the library. These experiences bring the surrounding community into the nursery day, while direct access to outdoor areas gives children opportunities to play outside at the setting itself.

In October 2023, younger children practised climbing on large tyres and using a slide, while older children kicked a football and rode tricycles in the outdoor area. Community experiences included journeys by bus and train, as well as walks and library visits.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for getting to know them and helping them settle. Parents can discuss development or difficulties with that familiar adult. For younger children, an All About Me sheet shares home routines, and a Communication Book records care and activities, including meals and nappy changes. Parents can add information from home, making the exchange work in both directions.

In October 2023, staff visited families at home before children started, learning about their preferences, routines and sources of comfort. That detail explains how settling was approached: staff gathered information they could use when a child became tired or distressed, rather than treating every child in the same way. Toddlers were also given time to attempt dressing before adults offered help.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to record observations and progress; parents can comment on entries and add their own. Preschool observations are made weekly, with an annual parents' evening in April offering a separate opportunity for discussion. Daily care information begins on a written sheet and moves to a spoken handover once children are secure with toileting and able to describe their day themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children with SEND very well, recognised additional needs promptly and put support plans in place without delay. The staffing structure includes a SENCO role and dedicated SEND support, alongside safeguarding leadership. Staff have first-aid training, and the team includes practitioners with early-years qualifications at different levels.

Sleep arrangements recognise different stages. Babies' naps follow their needs, with a quiet period from noon to 2pm; preschool rest is offered from noon to 1.30pm. Families supply bedding and comfort items, and younger children have baskets for their nappy-changing supplies. Familiar belongings can therefore remain part of daily care.

Lunch and tea are cooked daily by the setting's cook, using a four-week rotating menu; families can choose a packed lunch instead of a separately charged hot lunch. Vegetarian meals and special diets can be accommodated, and parents are asked to record allergies or sensitivities on their child's contract.

There were two clear practice concerns in October 2023. Routine tasks sometimes interrupted learning: some children could not see a lunchtime storybook, while others were taken for nappy changes during the story. Adults also sometimes handled personal care, such as wiping a child's nose, without explaining it or giving the child a chance to try. These matter because children's involvement and independence depend on how everyday routines are organised, as well as on planned activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Mytholmroyd Community Centre, Caldene Avenue, Hebden Bridge, HX7 5AF. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. In October 2023, nursery opening hours were 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, throughout the year; that window describes opening hours at that date.

Fun Track has separate booking patterns: breakfast club runs from 7.30am to 9am, with after-school choices of 3pm to 4pm or 3pm to 6pm. Holiday Club runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with morning, afternoon and school-hours arrangements also offered. Its activities include den making, crafts, baking and outdoor play. This is useful for families considering care for older children alongside the early-years provision.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children over three and for eligible two-year-olds, alongside paid childcare. Hot lunches carry a separate charge, with packed lunches an alternative; snacks are provided and contributions towards them are welcomed. Parents supply nappies and wipes. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Holiday Club trips may carry an additional charge.

When younger children approach two, supported visits introduce them to Playgroup and their next key person. At the move to school, information is passed to the child's new teacher. These are practical handovers intended to maintain continuity between stages.

• Everyday routines. In October 2023, story participation and chances to manage personal care needed attention. Ask how staff now organise nappy changes around group activities and help children attempt simple care tasks themselves.
• Attendance across ages. Fun Track offers breakfast, two after-school patterns and holiday care. For a family combining this with nursery care, ask which early-years booking pattern fits the same weekly routine.
• Named activities. Forest School and Active Sport are seasonal additions, and Jo Jingles sessions are regular. Ask what each involves for your child's age group and how participation is organised.
• Food and supplies. Hot lunch is separately charged, packed lunches are an alternative, and nappies and wipes come from home. Families managing allergies should confirm current meal preparation and dietary arrangements before joining.

Little Village Learners and Fun Track suits families who value hands-on play, direct outdoor access and an ongoing exchange with their child's key person. For older children, it offers Breakfast club, two after-school sessions and Holiday Club full days, mornings or afternoons. Tapestry and written daily care records provide different ways to follow children's experiences. The October 2023 concerns about routine interruptions and personal-care independence remain useful questions for a visit, alongside the practical fit of its different age-group arrangements.