Bramble Brook Pre School

Play, communication and independence give Bramble Brook its character. This charity pre-school at St Johns Church Hall in Mickleover follows children's development through Tapestry online learning journals and speech and movement assessments. Parents can view progress and contribute observations from home.

At its June 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion, children's welfare and wellbeing, and leadership and governance to be Strong standard, with achievement, curriculum and teaching, and behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. The distinction matters: support and care earned stronger judgements than teaching, and the next steps concerned how consistently staff extend learning and explain behaviour expectations.

Children can start from age 2, and the setting has 35 places in total. Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, with breakfast and afternoon extensions for families needing a longer attendance window. Its community trustees oversee employment, policies and fees, giving this church-hall pre-school a locally managed structure.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and the other areas of early learning. Bramble Brook combines activities planned by adults with children's own choices. Stories and singing give children opportunities to hear and try vocabulary; sorting and matching introduce mathematical ideas through objects they can handle.

Climbing and balancing equipment supports physical learning; dough disco strengthens fingers for later writing. Children make marks with pens, pencils and scissors, and express their ideas through model-making and role play.

Birth to Five Matters is used as guidance for understanding children's developing skills, while the OPAL assessment tool tracks likely stages towards the early learning goals. The distinction is useful for parents: the play is the child's experience, and assessment helps staff decide what to introduce next. Every Child a Talker (ECaT) assesses speech and language development; Every Child a Mover (ECaM) does the same for physical development.

In June 2026, children explored cornflour and worked dough with tools. Younger children named a friend before rolling a ball towards them, combining movement with communication; older children discussed stories.

The same June 2026 findings identified an inconsistency: staff sometimes missed opportunities to deepen children's thinking through questions and conversation. Activities could hold children's attention, but adult involvement did not consistently take the learning further. For a parent, that is a more useful distinction than treating an engaging activity as proof of effective teaching.

Outdoor and Community Life

Visitors have included the Police and school crossing patrol, introducing community roles. Play, stories and visits explore cultures and beliefs, alongside conversations about family and local surroundings.

In June 2026, outdoor play and indoor equipment supported energetic movement. Children chose materials from a craft trolley and took them to a table to make pictures, putting their own ideas into practice.

In April 2024, children helped pack resources away for the next hall user. Three red dots warned of tidying time; picture labels guided toy storage. Sorting, conversation and teamwork became part of a predictable routine.

Relationships and Communication

After registration, parents can stay for as many settling-in sessions as their child needs. Staff learn about the family and child's interests, establishing a developmental starting point and using home information to shape activities.

Through Tapestry, parents view observations and progress and contribute information from home. Termly assessments recommend next steps and home-learning activities, giving families specific ways to support development.

A key worker also offers parents information and support. As children prepare to move on, teachers visit during the Summer Term to meet them and discuss their needs, and children take part in school taster visits. Their learning journal can be printed or emailed as a keepsake. The useful element is the exchange of information about the child, rather than an implied advantage in obtaining a school place.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The graduated response structures SEND support as a cycle of assessment, planning, action and review, involving parents and other professionals. A SENCo role sits alongside the safeguarding leadership structure. This gives families identifiable responsibilities and a process for revisiting support as their child's needs develop.

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support included individually planned activities, communication pictures and adaptations for children using walkers, while predictable routines and close relationships helped children express their needs and develop independence. Those are tangible examples of support: changes to activities, communication and the physical environment, rather than a general promise that every child will be treated alike.

Safeguarding arrangements include a designated lead, a deputy and a trained senior fallback when both are unavailable. Staff receive induction training and updates at least annually; concerns are recorded and passed to the safeguarding leads. Policies are shared with parents through Tapestry. Pantosaurus resources from the NSPCC introduce body autonomy, privacy and boundaries in language intended for young children.

In June 2026, pictures showing the present activity and the next one helped children understand changes to their routine. However, some staff did not consistently explain the reasons behind behaviour expectations, including listening during singing. The next step was clearer, more consistent explanation. Knowing what comes next and understanding why a rule matters are different skills, and both deserve attention.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Johns Church Hall, Devonshire Drive, Mickleover, Derby, DE3 9HD. Attendance is term-time, with closure during school holidays. Monday to Friday, morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm. These shorter patterns are central to the offer.

Breakfast club runs from 8am to 9am, while extended hours run from 3pm to 4.30pm. A lunch club can extend a session until 1pm for an additional charge. This separates the core sessions from the paid additions, allowing families to consider the attendance pattern and its extras together.

Admissions operate on a first-come, first-served basis, and children may start from age 2 during the year. Enquiries and registration use the telephone number 07759 704170 and a registration form. The term-time calendar is a significant practical consideration for families whose working year continues through school holidays.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use 15 or 30 hours of funding for 3- and 4-year-olds within 9am to 3pm; Flying Start for 2-year-olds funding is also accepted for eligible families. Funded attendance follows the term-time pattern. Tax-Free Childcare payments are accepted, and families using a funding code are responsible for renewing it every three months.

Breakfast is included in the breakfast-club charge, and the afternoon extension includes a snack. Funded children have a separate consumables charge. Lunch club is an additional paid option, so the distinction between funded sessions and attendance extras matters when comparing the total arrangement.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The opening times and prices page sets out the session and funding structure.

• Teaching consistency. In June 2026, staff did not always extend thinking through their interactions or explain behaviour expectations clearly. At a visit, ask how staff now develop children's ideas during play and help them understand the reasons for rules.
• Term-time attendance. Morning and afternoon sessions can be extended at either end of the day, but the setting closes for school holidays. Families needing care across the working year must account for that calendar.
• Settling and individual support. Parents can stay through the settling sessions their child needs, and SEND support follows an assessment-and-review cycle. Use a visit to discuss how your child's communication, routines and support needs would shape that process.
• Funded sessions and extras. Funding for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds is used between 9am and 3pm, while breakfast club, afternoon extensions and lunch club have their own charges. Funded children also have a consumables charge, so consider the whole attendance arrangement when reviewing the quotation.

Bramble Brook suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, including those who need breakfast club or an afternoon extension. Its appeal lies in practical communication with parents, play-based learning and an organised process for individual support. The June 2026 findings also give a clear reason to examine the quality of everyday adult interaction: interesting resources need conversations that move learning forward. For parents comfortable with the term-time calendar, this is a pre-school with concrete ways to connect home, play and preparation for school.