Great Bowden Pre-School

A church-hall pre-school with a book corner, practical play and a personal key person gives Great Bowden Pre-School its character. This committee-run charity takes children from two to school age at Church Hall, Dingley Road, Great Bowden. Its scale and session-based approach make it a useful option for families seeking preschool education within a village setting.

At its 10 December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with children receiving support for their emotional wellbeing and developing the basic skills needed for their next stage, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There were also clear priorities for improvement: more precise planning for individual learning, better-targeted staff supervision and more effective organisation of group activities.

Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside all-day preferences, flexible sessions and wraparound care, with attendance offered during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, with activities shaped around children's interests and development. Here that means conversation, storytelling, creative materials and practical mathematics. A personal key person helps connect those experiences to the individual child.

The book corner contains fiction and non-fiction, while stories, songs and rhymes give children opportunities to listen and try new vocabulary. Drawing and early writing introduce the idea that marks can communicate meaning. The curriculum also makes room for children to investigate materials and use simple tools to solve practical problems.

Paint, pencils, glue and reclaimed materials support making and experimentation. Children can explore textures and colours or develop their own ideas through role play. Mathematics takes a similarly practical route: matching and sorting objects, recognising shapes and talking about quantities help make numbers part of everyday activity.

In December 2024, children made costumes from fabric and used a large wooden model car in imaginative play. They also wrapped toys, working out the paper and tape needed with adult help. These examples show how a familiar activity can combine decision-making, hand control and early mathematical thinking.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor activities include balancing, climbing and movement, alongside handling small objects and using pencils. The combination gives children opportunities to practise both larger movements and the hand control needed for drawing and writing.

In December 2024, outdoor play took place daily, with running, skipping and climbing among the activities. Indoors, children shaped dough with their hands. The registration process also includes parental consent for short walks around the village as part of preschool activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a personal key person, and parents can take part in preschool activities and their child's learning. Regular spoken updates are complemented by opportunities for a longer discussion. The SEND information also describes photographs shared through WhatsApp and conversations during the year about what children have enjoyed and learnt.

In December 2024, staff helped children practise everyday independence: pouring their drinks, serving themselves fruit and vegetables, finding their name cards and helping put resources away. Picture-based routines supported the day's structure. These are small tasks with a clear purpose, giving children opportunities to take responsibility within a shared group.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A special educational needs coordinator provides a point of contact for additional support. Observations inform changes to equipment and play, while an Individual Education Plan sets targets that parents, staff and involved professionals review together. Professionals may also work with a child and their key person in a small group, connecting specialist advice with everyday activities.

The main hall and playground have wheelchair-friendly access through the rear entrance. For children receiving SEND support, transition arrangements include liaison with their chosen school, staff accompanying school visits and return visits from school staff. This is practical preparation for a new setting, rather than an admissions advantage.

Collection arrangements use a password, with advance information and a photograph requested when an unfamiliar adult will collect a child. Food and drink are provided on site, but the preschool may not be able to cater for every child's dietary needs; its policy acknowledges cross-contamination risk and requires an individual risk assessment for known allergies. Parents provide sun cream for staff to apply with consent.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Church Hall, Dingley Road, Great Bowden, Market Harborough, LE16 7ET. Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, with a shorter Friday pattern set out below. Attendance is offered over 38 weeks, following Leicestershire term dates, and the preschool closes on bank holidays.

From Monday to Thursday, morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm. Lunch Club, the lunchtime attendance option, runs from noon to 1.30pm. Wraparound care operates from 8.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 4pm.

Friday has a 9am-to-noon morning session, Lunch Club from noon to 1pm and early wraparound care from 8.30am to 9am. The application form also accepts all-day preferences on Monday to Thursday and states a minimum request of two sessions, if available.

Applications enter a waiting-list process. The allocation criteria include time on the list, a child's age and siblings who attend or previously attended. Initial applications can be returned by email; a separate registration form follows an agreed place. The contract requires at least one month's notice to reduce hours or leave, with fees payable for that notice period if insufficient notice is given.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside privately paid hours. The funding arrangements cover 15 or 30 hours according to entitlement, and the childcare agreement offers attendance during term time. Funding paperwork includes universal hours for three- and four-year-olds, the Working Parent Entitlement and two-year funding for families receiving additional government support; the preschool's entry age remains two.

For children staying within their eligible funded hours, there is no additional charge except for outings and parties, so food provided during those hours carries no separate charge. Sun cream comes from home. Additional private hours are paid for, and current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the session and prices page explains the funded-hours charging position.

• Individual learning and group time. December 2024 priorities covered evaluating teaching, making children's next steps more precise, targeting staff supervision and improving group engagement. At a visit, ask how these changes now work in practice.
• Friday and school holidays. Friday offers morning attendance, lunchtime care and early wraparound, while the agreement covers 38 term-time weeks. Families needing afternoon Friday care or holiday attendance should weigh that pattern against their working week.
• Allergy arrangements. Food preparation takes place outside a commercial-kitchen operation, and the policy acknowledges cross-contamination risk. Allergy-affected families should discuss their child's risk assessment and confirm current practice before agreeing attendance.
• Booking commitment. Applications request at least two sessions if available, and reductions or withdrawal require a month's notice. Discuss the intended session combination and settling arrangements before signing the childcare agreement.

Great Bowden Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with all-day preferences and wraparound options on the longer weekdays. The key-person system, practical curriculum and SEND planning give parents concrete arrangements to assess, while the church-hall setting and term-time calendar define its shape.

The Good judgement from December 2024 provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific work required on planning, staff support and group activities. Those priorities deserve attention alongside the appeal of play-based learning and flexible attendance.