Little Hearts Pre-School

Dough-making, a bug hotel and obstacle courses gave Little Hearts Pre-School a practical, playful character in June 2023. Children used everyday materials to explore numbers, invent games and work together. The strongest examples connected learning with something children wanted to make or do.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good at its 16 June 2023 inspection, with improvements needed in planning children's next learning steps and allowing more thinking time in conversation. Little Hearts has capacity for 20 children, with an age range of 36 to 48 months.

In June 2023, children counted and measured while making dough, bringing ideas about quantity and weight into their play. Feathers transformed dough into a pretend parrot; golf tees became birthday candles. These were opportunities to combine imagination with mathematical language.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play. In June 2023, books, name cards and children's own writing gave this framework concrete expression: children made signs for their bug hotel, putting early writing to a purpose they understood.

Outdoor activity also had substance. In June 2023, children used an equipped outdoor space and forest school, an approach involving learning outdoors. Planks and crates became an obstacle course for practising coordination and balance. Children knew that helmets were required when riding tricycles and began assessing outdoor risks themselves, connecting physical challenge with learning to make safer choices.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities good, including early identification, individual plans and cooperation with the local authority and health visitors. That combination gave additional support a practical structure.

In June 2023, an app carried photographs and learning updates to parents, alongside ideas for extending activities at home. Children practised everyday independence by serving their drinks and getting plates at lunchtime. Staff also encouraged children to try resolving disagreements before offering help, giving them opportunities to understand feelings and consider others.

Preparation for school was tangible in June 2023. Transition meetings introduced school life and uniforms, children ate lunch alongside school children, and weekly church attendance involved the whole school. Those experiences made the next stage more familiar.

Little Hearts is based at Sacred Heart RC Aided Junior & Infant School, Byermoor, Burnopfield, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 6NU. It opens Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3.10pm during term time, and closes for school holidays. This calendar matters for families arranging care around work.

In June 2023, session times ran from 9am to 3pm and the pre-school provided funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. Attendance here does not guarantee a Reception place at the school; families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Learning next steps. In June 2023, staff sometimes lacked precision about what an activity should teach next. On a visit, ask how planning now identifies the next step for your child.
• Time to think. Adults sometimes supplied answers before children could respond in June 2023. Ask how staff give children space to explain their ideas independently.
• Term-time calendar. Opening hours finish at 3.10pm and care closes for school holidays. Consider how that timetable fits your family's working year.

Little Hearts suits families seeking term-time preschool care. Practical play and preparation for school were strengths of its June 2023 provision. Its June 2023 experiences linked making, movement and early literacy effectively. The decision points are specific: how staff sharpen learning intentions and give children enough time to think and answer for themselves.