The Village Pre-School

A wormery, a mud kitchen and children solving a train-track problem together give The Village Pre-School its character: practical play with opportunities to talk, cooperate and try things independently. These were features of daily life in February 2022, rather than a description of today's activities.

At its 17 February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and judged safeguarding effective. The setting has 24 places in total at Little Eaton Village Hall; children attending in February 2022 were aged two to four.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing learning and everyday wellbeing into the same day. In February 2022, children explored shapes with play dough and compared the lengths of track pieces. Such play gave mathematical language a practical purpose.

Outdoor experiences that month included a mud kitchen, where handling sticks in mud supported small hand movements and opportunities to write. Making a wormery introduced children to caring for living creatures, while parachute play exercised their arms and shoulders. These were concrete ways to connect movement, curiosity and learning.

Animated storytelling also held children's attention in February 2022. Children repeated parts of a story and explored unfamiliar vocabulary, giving conversation something specific to build on.

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found positive relationships between children and staff, strong partnership with parents, and use of signing to support communication for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

In February 2022, parents received information about children's achievements and next learning steps, helping them continue learning at home. Everyday independence mattered too: children practised managing coats, peeling oranges and opening lunch boxes. Handwashing was linked to understanding germs, making self-care part of learning rather than simply an instruction.

The address is Little Eaton Village Hall, Vicarage Lane, Little Eaton, Derby, DE21 5EA.

In February 2022, opening hours ran from 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. At that time, the pre-school provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. These are dated operating details, useful context for a setting whose provision was sessional.

• Purpose behind play. In February 2022, some staff needed clearer intentions for the knowledge and skills children would gain. On a visit, ask how practitioners connect children's chosen activities with their next learning steps.
• Counting in everyday activities. The February 2022 improvement priorities included making better use of play to practise numbers and counting. This matters alongside the shape and comparison language already being encouraged.
• Attendance fit. The February 2022 opening window ended at 3.30pm. Ask which current booking pattern would work for your family's week.

The February 2022 picture suits families who value practical preschool play and opportunities for children to manage everyday tasks themselves. The wormery, shared construction and self-care activities give that judgement substance. Balance those strengths against the need for clearer learning intentions and more counting during play; those are the most useful priorities to explore on a visit.