Acorn Under Fives, Birstall

A community preschool with a mobile building on Highcliffe Primary School’s grounds, Acorn combines close parental involvement with practical preparation for school. Its independence matters: sharing the site does not confer a school place. The setting has capacity for 26 children, keeping the whole provision on a small scale without telling families how many children attend any particular session.

At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Acorn Good overall, with strengths in family partnerships and support for children’s next steps, alongside improvements needed in teaching responsibility for belongings and safer play. That is a dated assessment. The current offer includes an individual key person, online learning records and summer-term school transition activities.

Term-time morning and afternoon sessions can be joined through a paid lunch hour to make a full day. Children aged two may be offered a preschool place when staffing permits; the separate Acorn Toddler Group welcomes younger children with an accompanying adult.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, covering children’s communication, physical development and relationships alongside early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding of the world. This is the common early-years framework. At Acorn, children’s own choices sit alongside activities organised by practitioners, giving the day both scope for independent exploration and adult direction.

Staff draw photographs, videos and observations into periodic assessments. Parents contribute children’s interests and achievements at home, helping shape the next steps in learning.

In May 2022, musical instruments and sound-based hide-and-seek games helped children practise listening. Staff encouraged them to distinguish sounds and listen for clues to their friends’ whereabouts. Hand painting offered another route into expression, followed by children washing their hands independently. These examples show how play connected communication, creativity and practical self-care at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Acorn aims for daily outdoor activity, supplying waterproof trousers, coats and wellington boots for children and staff. Families provide labelled spare clothes, shoes and a coat.

In May 2022, the garden included a see-saw that required children to cooperate and take turns. Recycling bins and a compost bin made environmental ideas tangible: children sorted lunch packaging and put snack leftovers aside to support plant growth. Water play with dolls also prompted conversations about conserving water. These were ordinary activities with a clear learning purpose.

Acorn Toddler Group runs on Monday mornings, from 9am to 11am in term time, for children from birth until age three accompanied by parents, grandparents or other carers. Painting, play dough, music and outdoor activities give families a way to take part together. It is a separate adult-accompanied group, rather than preschool childcare for babies.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with parents on their learning record. Tapestry, the online Learning Journey, brings together observations, photographs and progress reports, while allowing families to add their own comments and pictures. A small physical folder of annotated photographs and children’s creations runs alongside it, so the child can also revisit their work.

Communication has a defined rhythm. A report follows the first few weeks, another follows six months later, and a transition report is prepared when the child leaves in the summer term. Families receive these reports, with the transition information also going to the next school. Welcome evenings take place each term, alongside parents’ evenings during the child’s time at Acorn.

Parents can join the committee, which meets termly, helps with events and fundraising, and elects officers annually. Helping at sessions, sharing interests and caring for play equipment give families other ways to contribute.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a special needs co-ordinator, and Acorn works with outside agencies to support children with SEND. Its progress check at age two brings together the key person’s observations with parental contributions and information from other professionals. Ramp access and an accessible toilet are practical features for families whose needs include physical access.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described additional staffing that supported children with SEND through individual care and learning, as well as timely referrals to services for families. Those findings belong to that assessment. Current safeguarding procedures include handling allegations about staff and referring families to appropriate agencies when support is needed.

Children may be refused entry with a temperature, sickness and diarrhoea, or a contagious illness. After diarrhoea or starting prescribed antibiotics, Acorn asks families to keep children home for 48 hours, requiring alternative care arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Acorn is at Highcliffe Primary School, Greengate Lane, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 3DL. Preschool sessions run Monday to Friday during term time: mornings from 8.30am to 11.30am and afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. A separately charged lunch hour, from 11.30am to 12.30pm, allows children to combine the sessions into a full day.

Applications need to be made at least a term ahead of the intended start. Children are placed on a waiting list and offered places by age, with priority for families west of the A6; other children may be offered places if spaces remain. Entry at age two also depends on suitable staffing. These are booking rules, rather than an indication of present vacancies.

Contact is through the enquiry form, email at acornunderfives@gmail.com or telephone on 07842006199. Uniform can be bought but is optional. Bad weather may lead to Acorn closing when Highcliffe Primary School closes, so the school-site arrangement has a practical consequence beyond the address.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the three- and four-year-old entitlement of 15 hours a week over 38 weeks, funding for eligible two-year-olds and 30 hours funding for qualifying families. Delivery is term-time. Families using the latter provide confirmation of eligibility and renew that confirmation each term; these arrangements do not guarantee an entitlement or a place for an individual child.

Snacks are charged separately, with the contribution also covering cooking ingredients; children staying through lunch bring a packed lunch, supervised by Acorn staff in the setting or school dining hall. The snack charge applies to the session arrangements that include funded hours, while lunch remains parent-provided. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Getting There and Moving On

There is no dedicated Acorn parking; parking is at the top of Greengate Lane, and the school car park is reserved for school staff. Ramp access must be kept clear when families collect or bring children.

For children due to start Highcliffe Primary School, transition visits begin in the summer term, with weekly hour-long visits in groups of six to eight accompanied by Acorn staff. Reception teachers from other destination schools are invited to Acorn, and transition reports are shared. Attendance does not guarantee admission to Highcliffe: families apply through the local authority’s school admissions process.

• Two opening windows. The preschool information gives 8.30am to 3.30pm, while the home-page contact section gives 8am to 4pm. Ask which hours apply to childcare, as the morning, afternoon and lunch bookings have their own stated times.
• Responsibility and safe play. In May 2022, staff did not consistently help children look after their belongings or understand when boisterous play became unsafe. Ask how these messages are reinforced now, especially during outdoor activities.
• Planning the start. Applications are expected at least a term ahead, with age-order offers, priority west of the A6 and a staffing condition for two-year-olds. Discuss how these rules apply to your intended start and attendance pattern.
• Costs beyond funded sessions. Snacks and the connecting lunch hour attract charges, and lunch comes from home. Ask for a written breakdown covering your chosen pattern, including any non-food consumables.

Acorn suits families seeking term-time mornings, afternoons or a combined full day, with an active role in their child’s preschool life. Tapestry, scheduled reports and committee participation give that involvement concrete forms. Adult-accompanied toddler sessions offer a separate option for younger children and their carers.

The school-site transition arrangements are useful preparation, without guaranteeing a place at Highcliffe Primary School. The May 2022 assessment provides a Good inspection baseline, but its two teaching improvements remain sensible discussion points. Choose Acorn for its sessional community model and practical parent partnership, while weighing the booking rules, paid extras and school-holiday calendar against family routines.