Springfield Pre-School

Story topics, measurement activities and a regular learning journal give Springfield Pre-School its character. Based at Sandiacre Scout & Guide Headquarters on Stanton Road, it welcomes children aged two to five and has 30 places in total. Its 2026 topic plans connect stories with movement and language, and Construction with measurement.

Ofsted rated the setting Good at its 14 June 2022 inspection. That judgement provides a dated assessment rather than a description of today's daily practice. The current offer includes topic plans linking activities to specific areas of learning, alongside Tapestry, an online journal sharing observations, photographs and children's next steps with families.

Attendance is term-time, with shorter sessions and full-day attendance supported by a lunch club. That gives families more than one way to organise the preschool week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care, with activities developing language, movement, early mathematical understanding and social skills. It is the common foundation for early-years provision. Springfield's topic plans make the practical content easier to picture: a story can lead into movement and language, while a construction topic can introduce measurement.

During spring 2026, The Bear Hunt linked favourite stories with physical skills, then communication and literacy. In Summer Term 1, Mini Beasts emphasised movement, while Construction concentrated on measurement. These are useful distinctions for parents: the topic supplies the interest, but the learning intention changes according to what children are practising. A familiar story is more than something to listen to; it can become the starting point for another kind of activity.

Summer 2026 plans connected Under the sea with pencil and scissor control before turning to numbers and shapes. Around the world emphasised language and literacy. Such plans give families concrete subjects to talk about at home, rather than leaving them with a general description of play.

In June 2022, children's curiosity also shaped activities. An interest in lava prompted discussion and a volcano experiment; afterwards, children remembered the ingredients that had made the mixture react. The sequence matters: curiosity led to making something, watching what happened and recalling how it worked.

Outdoor and Community Life

Physical play had a clear place in the June 2022 day. Children used tyres and textured balancing equipment for a self-organised exercise activity, practising balance and coordination together. Outdoors, chasing and popping bubbles added running and jumping. These examples show different demands on movement, from careful balance to energetic play.

Books provided another shared experience in June 2022. Children joined repeated story phrases, remembered events and discussed what authors and illustrators do. Morning registration included a chance to share news, giving children practice in speaking to a group and listening to one another. Both routines brought language into ordinary parts of the day.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry gives parents a regular account of learning: a general observation arrives weekly, with a more focused observation normally every two weeks, sometimes more often. Photographs and next steps accompany the journal, and parents can use it to raise questions. The practical benefit is a specific starting point for conversation with a child or practitioner.

In June 2022, staff gathered information about children's previous experiences before they started and used it when planning activities. This connected the curriculum with individual interests rather than treating every new child as having the same starting point. However, communication about future learning was uneven: some parents did not receive enough guidance about their child's next steps or how to help at home. That was one of the improvement priorities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support very good, with funding used for resources suited to individual needs and the SEND coordinator working with families and external professionals. Those findings belong to that inspection date. The SEND mechanism was concrete: resources were selected for the child, and support involved people beyond the preschool itself.

Behaviour was the other improvement priority in June 2022. Staff used encouragement and praise, but responses to unwanted behaviour were sometimes inconsistent and did not always help children understand its effect on others. For parents, the important distinction is between praising helpful behaviour and teaching a child what to do when an interaction goes wrong.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Sandiacre Scout & Guide Headquarters, Stanton Road, Sandiacre, NG10 5DD. Opening hours run Monday to Friday, from 9.15am to 3.15pm during term time. Attendance is charged by three-hour session, and full-day attendance is also supported. Lunch Club is restricted to children attending a full day.

Early Drop-Off runs from 8.45am to 9.15am on weekdays and carries a separate charge. It extends the morning slightly; the core preschool day still ends in mid-afternoon. Families can contact the preschool by telephone on 07960 983423 or email springfieldpreschool@hotmail.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for two-year-olds subject to qualifying criteria. For three- and four-year-olds, the Universal Entitlement provides 15 hours each week, with a further 15 hours of Extended Entitlement dependent on personal circumstances. Attendance follows the term-time calendar. Private sessions are charged separately, with invoices issued monthly. For current prices, request a written quotation from the preschool.

Families provide a packed lunch when children attend a full day, while snacks carry a separate charge invoiced monthly. Lunch provision and snack charging therefore need separate places in the family budget.

• Term-time fit. The preschool day ends at 3.15pm, with Early Drop-Off beginning at 8.45am. This pattern suits a shorter childcare day; holiday cover needs separate planning.
• Behaviour guidance. Consistency was an improvement priority in June 2022. On a visit, ask how practitioners now respond when children struggle to manage their behaviour and how families receive the same messages.
• Learning conversations. Tapestry includes regular observations and next steps, while parent guidance was an improvement priority in June 2022. Ask to see how an observation translates into a practical activity to try at home.

Springfield suits families seeking term-time preschool education through shorter sessions or full-day attendance, with an early start option. Story topics, practical learning and Tapestry make its offer easy to picture. The Good judgement dates from June 2022, and its two improvement priorities give parents useful questions about behaviour guidance and communication. The strongest fit is with families who value a preschool timetable and want regular detail about what their child is learning.