St John's Pre-School

Dough, dinosaur vocabulary and bikes give St John's Pre-School a concrete character: its September 2022 day combined hands-on exploration with conversation and physical play. At its 14 September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that staff supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through collaboration with other agencies.

Based at St John's Centre in Widnes, the pre-school has 48 places in total. Children attending in September 2022 were aged two to four; that age range describes the setting at that time.

In September 2022, sensory activities gave children different ways to practise movement and coordination. Dough could be shaped, rice and pasta used for patterns, and pincers used to lift small items. Older children experimented with marks and letter sounds, building skills relevant to reading.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the September 2022 examples included practical exploration, language and growing independence: staff extended a child's dinosaur vocabulary and used questions to encourage predictions. Children's interests informed activity planning, although teaching did not consistently adjust when their needs or the group changed.

Outdoors that September, bikes, benches, stepping stones and larger climbing equipment supported balance and movement. The equipment offered physical challenges. However, outdoor activities sometimes lacked a clear learning purpose, especially for children who learnt best outside.

In September 2022, children showed confidence in talking about their activities and were kind towards one another. Staff encouragement helped them take pride in their efforts, while familiar daily routines supported their sense of security.

Independence was practical that September: children put on painting aprons and washed their hands before eating snacks. Staff also worked with parents on healthier packed lunches, snacks and drinks, alongside teaching about oral health. Children learnt words from the home languages of others attending, connecting daily learning with their peers' cultures.

The address is St John's Centre, Greenway Road, Widnes, WA8 6HA.

At the 14 September 2022 inspection, the pre-school opened during term time, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3.30pm. Session times on 14 September 2022 were 9am to midday and 12.30pm to 3.30pm; children staying all day also had a lunchtime session from midday to 12.30pm. This was a pattern built around shorter sessions as well as an all-day stay.

Funded early education for children aged two, three and four was provided in September 2022. That dated offer matters to families comparing attendance costs, but it is not a promise of a funded place today.

• Teaching in changing groups. In September 2022, activities did not consistently adapt to children's changing needs and group dynamics. This matters because an activity's intended learning could be missed.
• Learning outdoors. The September 2022 improvement action called for daily learning opportunities outside for children who preferred that environment. Physical equipment alone did not meet that need.
• Attendance fit. The September 2022 pattern combined term-time sessions with a lunchtime bridge for all-day attendance. Does today's age range, session pattern and funding arrangement fit your child?

St John's suits consideration by families weighing shorter-session attendance against an all-day stay, with the term-time pattern described in September 2022 as their starting point. The strongest examples from that period are tangible: language woven into play, sensory exploration and small steps towards independence. The two teaching priorities deserve equal weight, especially for a child who prefers learning outdoors.