School's Out

A preschool beside the sports fields, with older siblings able to use clubs on the same school site: School's Out has a practical identity rooted in Rothley Primary School. Its preschool accepts children from age two, and the setting has 16 places in total. For families with children at different stages, the shared location can simplify childcare arrangements.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with children forming close relationships with staff and one another. That is a dated judgement. The strongest detail behind it was the everyday attention to independence, conversation and helping friends, alongside two specific weaknesses in how adults extended learning.

Preschool runs from 9am to 3pm, with breakfast and after-school sessions that parents can add around it.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and interaction help children build language, independence and practical skills. The September 2022 examples give that framework substance. Children chose resources for themselves, prepared for snack time and talked through imaginative ideas with adults.

In September 2022, a conversation about breadsticks became an exchange about rockets and astronauts. Staff explained new words during conversations with children, including what an astronaut does. Songs and stories also prompted movement and participation, including a song involving a troll. These examples show the kinds of opportunities children had to speak, listen and join in.

The learning intentions were less consistent: at the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted identified adult-led activities whose intended knowledge and skills were unclear, and occasions when children needed more thinking time to answer or solve problems independently. Both points matter because an appealing activity needs a purpose, and a quick adult answer can cut short a child's own attempt.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2022, children walked to local woods, negotiated logs and helped clear twigs from their friends' path. They also used what they had learned about avoiding nettles and brambles. Outdoor activity brought physical challenge together with cooperation and practical safety.

Construction had physical room to expand. In September 2022, leaders had rearranged the environment to give children more floor space for building resources. A story involving a stick character also led to children collecting sticks of different sizes and joining them into creations, connecting a story with handling and making.

For breakfast and after-school club children, current activities include sewing, construction with lego and Hama beads, alongside sport and imaginative play. These belong to the club offer; they should not be read as a preschool timetable.

Relationships and Communication

In September 2022, staff learned about children by observing them and playing alongside them, then discussed what to offer next. Familiarity with families informed that planning. Children also practised caring for each other through small tasks, such as helping a friend put toy cars away or offering support while balancing outdoors.

For school-age children, staff collect those in foundation classes directly from their teachers and use the handover to pass messages between school and home. That gives the club a concrete communication link with the school day, rather than leaving parents to join up separate conversations.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO role and a curriculum lead. Staff undertake ongoing child-protection and food-hygiene training, while lead practitioners hold paediatric first-aid qualifications. These are arrangements for supporting care; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection above.

Before attendance, families complete an application covering emergency contacts, allergies and medication. This makes the initial exchange about practical care needs as well as booking. In September 2022, daily routines also gave children responsibilities: finding their lunchboxes and water bottles, washing their hands and looking after belongings.

Sessions and Attendance

School's Out operates at Rothley C Of E Primary School, Burrow Drive, Rothley, Leicester, LE7 7RZ, at the rear of the school beside its sports fields. Preschool runs from 9am to 3pm; breakfast club begins at 7.30am, and after-school club finishes at 6pm. Parents can combine preschool with either club to extend attendance.

All children must be booked in advance, with an application completed by a parent or guardian. In September 2022, operation was Monday to Thursday during term time, excluding bank holidays. Telephone enquiries can currently be made Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 6pm; those contact hours are separate from the dated attendance pattern.

The preschool telephone number is 07908 916308, and general enquiries use 07879 676025. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, tailored to individual requirements and collection time.

Funding and Paid Extras

For qualifying two- and three-year-olds, School's Out offers 15-30 hours of funded childcare. Funding can be used across preschool and club sessions where the child qualifies; additional private attendance is also offered. Childcare vouchers and Tax free childcare are accepted.

Private breakfast-club fees include breakfast, and private after-school fees include a teatime snack. For funded children, breakfast and teatime snacks sit within a separately charged package, alongside preschool snacks, drinks and fruit.

The funded-child package also covers non-food items including PPE and access to Tapestry. Families can choose whether to take this package, which is billed monthly; its food and non-food elements therefore need to be considered separately from funded attendance. The fees and funding information explains the charging structure.

Attendance on the Rothley Primary School site does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority's admissions process.

• Learning beyond the activity. September 2022 brought recommendations for clearer learning intentions and more time for children to think. During a visit, ask how adults now plan an activity's purpose and support children to work out answers themselves.
• Funded attendance and extras. The monthly package for funded children combines snacks, club food, PPE and Tapestry access. Decide which elements your child would use when weighing the quotation.
• Trying the preschool pattern. A trial session and visits can be arranged. Use that opportunity to discuss how the 9am-3pm preschool day would fit with breakfast or after-school attendance for your child.
• School-site convenience. The shared location helps families whose older children attend Rothley Primary School, but preschool attendance carries no guarantee of a Reception place. Keep childcare booking and the school application separate.

School's Out suits families seeking Pre School sessions, breakfast club or After school club, with the option to combine preschool and club attendance, especially those already using Rothley Primary School for an older sibling. The September 2022 account adds concrete examples of independent routines, outdoor cooperation and conversation, while its recommendations give parents a useful test of teaching practice on a visit. The choice rests on that combination: a convenient attendance structure, a dated Good judgement and clear questions about how learning is extended.