Queniborough Pre-School Partnership

A village-hall pre-school with resources packed away each day, Queniborough Pre-School Partnership makes child choice central to its approach. Children select materials for drawing, making and modelling, while adults respond to their interests. The shared hall shapes the provision. So does its community organisation: an elected voluntary committee of parents and local residents runs the partnership.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good overall, while identifying improvements needed in teaching consistency, support for reading at home and explanations of how behaviour affects other people. That judgement provides a useful balance to the practical appeal of the setting, rather than a reason to overlook those points.

Daily provision is aimed at children aged two, three and four, with capacity for 30 children in total. Attendance is term-time, with morning sessions, lunch-club extensions and longer days on selected weekdays. Its character is closer to a community pre-school than an all-year childcare arrangement: family involvement, play-led learning and preparation for school give it a clear identity.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the statutory framework for learning, development and care; here, children learn through play, with adults tracking progress and supporting next steps. Alongside that framework, Planning in the moment means practitioners respond to what children are doing and choosing, rather than letting recording take over their interactions. The approach is adapted to a shared space that must be cleared daily.

Choice has concrete form. Children can help themselves to drawing materials, scissors and adhesives in the mark-making area, while a trolley holds tools for shaping malleable materials. Outdoor resources are also available for children to select. For a parent, the useful distinction is between being offered a prepared activity and having some control over how an activity develops.

In September 2022, pretend medical play gave children opportunities to use new vocabulary as they cared for toy patients. Other activities involved comparing train lengths and speeds, and exploring weight and capacity with rice. These examples show how conversation and early mathematics could emerge from practical play rather than needing a separate formal lesson.

The same September 2022 account included children adjusting drainpipes to help balls travel through them. Adults supported the problem-solving rather than simply fixing the track. It is a useful example of the curriculum intention: activities could build on what children already understood, with observation informing their next steps. Teaching delivery, however, was uneven at that date, and staff coaching remained an improvement priority.

Termly enrichment brings named organisations into the offer. All inclusive Tennis, Syston provides tennis, Busy Lingoes provides Spanish, and Frenzy Youth Theatre provides drama. These activities carry an extra charge, with participation free for children benefiting from pupil premium funding. Details and sign-up arrangements are issued each term, so families can choose the additions relevant to their child.

Gardening club and Baking club run throughout the year within the Additional Services Package. Their practical supply arrangements matter: families opting out are given notice of the ingredients or gardening materials they need to bring. These are additions to the everyday play offer, with costs and participation conditions to weigh alongside their appeal.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is used daily across different weather conditions, and children keep a labelled pair of wellington boots at pre-school. That makes outdoor clothing part of the ordinary routine. In September 2022, a wooden balancing beam, tyres and logs offered physical challenges, with children practising balance and judging manageable risks.

Village outings and Zoolab visits form part of the Additional Services Package during the year. The package also covers celebration costs, including World Book Day and the Graduation ceremony. Participation depends on the consumables arrangements, so these experiences need to be considered together with the charging policy rather than as automatic inclusions.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a key worker to support learning and development. The pre-school aims to provide an EYFS progress report every six months, giving families a point at which to discuss areas needing support at home or in the setting. This is an aim, rather than a guarantee of a fixed reporting timetable.

A named book bag travels home daily with artwork and staff communications. Labelled comforters may be brought when necessary to help a child settle, while spare clothing is part of the everyday kit. These small arrangements give families a practical role in supporting the child's day.

Tapestry Learning Journal, an online record of learning, belongs to the paid Additional Services Package. Families who opt out receive statutory documents and verbal progress updates, but lose access to the online journal and weekly photographs. That distinction matters when choosing how to receive and discuss information about a child's experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding arrangements effective and staff working with families and other professionals to support children with SEND. Those are dated findings; current staff roles include a SENDCo and designated safeguarding lead responsibilities, providing identifiable routes for discussing support and welfare.

In September 2022, adults reminded children of behavioural expectations, but did not consistently explain why particular actions were unacceptable or how they affected others. The improvement needed was therefore about helping children understand consequences, rather than simply adding more rules. Encouraging families to share books and stories at home was another specific priority.

Preparation for school has a named structure. Star Bear is a summer-term programme for departing three- and four-year-olds, using weekly life-skills tasks to develop independence. Children practise during their attendance days and collect stickers on a personal reward chart; the six-week programme ends with a Graduation ceremony for families. Its emphasis is practical readiness for the next setting.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Queniborough Village Hall, Rearsby Road, Leicester, LE7 3DH. The pre-school operates for 38 weeks each year during term time. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm; Wednesday and Friday opening hours are 8.30am to 1pm.

Morning sessions begin at either 8.30am or 9am and finish at noon, Monday to Friday. Lunch-club extensions use the same starting options and finish at 1pm. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, children can instead attend from either starting time until 3pm. The difference is useful: families can choose a morning, include lunch, or build a longer preschool day on the days offering it.

Pay-as-you-go extra sessions and additional lunch-club attendance are also offered. Enquiries go to the pre-school manager or business manager. When a requested session reaches its maximum numbers, a waiting list operates; admissions priorities include siblings already attending and children living in Queniborough parish.

The voluntary committee manages finances, employment and policies, and an annual general meeting is open to attending families and the local community. For parents who want involvement beyond routine updates, this offers a route into decisions about how the setting is run.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside paid hours, with term-time funding described as up to 30 hours a week. The offer includes two-year-old disadvantaged funding and the two-year-old working-parent entitlement to 15 hours, subject to eligibility. Funding administration requires a parent undertaking and a copy of the child's birth certificate. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Lunch-club children bring a packed lunch from home, while morning and, where required, afternoon snacks are charged separately through the voluntary Meal Package. Lunches need ice packs in lunch boxes labelled with the child's name because refrigeration space is unavailable, and the food policy excludes nuts, including products marked as potentially containing them; allergy-affected families should confirm current practice.

Non-food supplies also have different arrangements: families bring spare clothes and any required nappies and wipes, while sun cream and emergency clothing are among the separately charged Care Package items. Opting out requires families to supply specified items themselves, including the relevant baking and gardening materials; missing supplies can trigger invoice charges.

The Additional Services Package is sold as a bundle, with individual components unable to be removed. Opting out also excludes children from additional activities such as village outings and Zoolab, certain celebrations and gifts. Families seeking a waiver or reduction must email the committee with their request and reasons, so the policy has practical consequences beyond the daily charge.

A registration charge is credited against the first invoice, or returned when a child taking only funded hours starts. Charges still apply when children are absent. These terms deserve attention alongside the chosen attendance pattern.

• A shared, pack-away hall. Resources are cleared daily, and child-led planning is adapted to that arrangement. On a visit, look at how readily your child could choose materials and how the indoor space works alongside the garden.
• Package choices affect participation. Opting out changes access to photographs, Tapestry Learning Journal, outings and certain events, as well as requiring supplies from home. Discuss the waiver or reduction route before deciding which arrangements work for your family.
• Specific teaching priorities. September 2022 improvement points covered staff coaching, reading at home and explaining behaviour's effect on others. Ask how these are addressed in everyday practice now.
• Term-time attendance. Mornings and lunch-club extensions run across the working week, but days ending at 3pm are confined to Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Families needing care through school holidays or later afternoons must account for that pattern.

Queniborough Pre-School Partnership suits families seeking morning preschool sessions, lunch-club attendance or longer term-time days on selected weekdays. Child-selected resources, named enrichment providers and Star Bear give the offer substance, while committee involvement creates a practical role for parents in its organisation.

The balance lies in the shared-hall model and the package conditions. Both shape the child's experience, and both deserve as much attention as the dated Good judgement. For a family comfortable with those arrangements, this is a clearly defined community pre-school with a play-led approach and a practical emphasis on independence.