Medbourne Preschool

An extensive garden, outdoor adventures and an annual Christmas-tree decorating trip give Medbourne Preschool a recognisably village-centred character. Children can explore nature alongside painting, construction and imaginative play, with Medbourne Church providing a setting for one of the preschool’s recurring celebrations. The outdoor space is more than somewhere to let off steam: it supplies material for discovery and creative work.

Based at Medbourne Village Hall in Medbourne, near Market Harborough, the preschool accepts children from their second birthday until they turn five and has 24 places in total. At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is dated; the practical choice today centres on its play-led approach, outdoor provision and term-time attendance patterns.

Morning and afternoon sessions run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with flexible combinations. This is a preschool timetable to build around, rather than an assumption of care throughout the working week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and development, with children learning through play. Here, that means opportunities to choose between construction, dressing up, painting and small-world play, as well as spending time with books. A cosy book corner gives reading a physical place among the busier activities. Children are encouraged to try activities with staff support, so choice sits alongside guidance.

The day combines freely chosen play with creative work, conversation, snacks, outdoor activity, songs and stories. Regular singing sessions add a shared activity to that rhythm. These experiences give children different ways to join in: making something, talking about it, listening together or playing alongside others.

In May 2022, activities drew on questions children brought to staff. One child’s curiosity about plants led to an experiment comparing a watered bean with one left without water. Children watched the changes and made predictions. Another activity used baking soda and vinegar to create an erupting volcano, prompting discussion of what children could see and smell. These were concrete ways to connect curiosity with observation.

School preparation also had a practical form in May 2022. Children explored initial sounds through a bag of objects, made plant labels and practised writing their names on pictures. Counting cups at snack time brought early mathematics into an everyday task. Repeating activities, including a challenging dinosaur puzzle, gave children another opportunity to practise rather than immediately moving on.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor Explorers adds nature-themed, hands-on activities alongside the preschool’s play-based learning. The sessions use children’s interests outdoors and include opportunities to explore risk through play. The garden and outdoor play area give this approach a physical setting, while adventures in nature connect outdoor time with learning about the world.

Seasonal experiences extend beyond the garden. Spring visits to a nearby farm introduce children to new lambs, and Chinese New Year activities include making dragons and tasting noodles. These are tangible encounters with animals, celebrations and traditions, rather than topics confined to pictures or discussion.

Christmas Tree Decorating is an annual visit to Medbourne Church, where children decorate the tree and sing afterwards. A Christmas nativity performance gives them another shared occasion to prepare for. The church visit connects the preschool’s year with village life; the performance gives families a way to share in the children’s activities.

In May 2022, outdoor exploration included collecting materials for bird nests and identifying wildflowers. Visitors from nearby villages brought kittens and ducks. Physical play included large-block building and supported climbing and jumping from a small tree. These examples show the breadth of the outdoor experience at that time, from observing living things to testing movement and balance.

Relationships and Communication

A key person helps each child settle, attends to their individual needs and builds a relationship with their parents. That gives families a particular practitioner through whom to develop the home-preschool connection. Settling is part of the role, rather than a separate task left to the child.

In May 2022, children sought staff out for help, and adults supported them through disagreements with suggestions for resolving them. Children practised managing coats, buttons and zips themselves. Contact with parents included sharing learning that could continue at home: children took home handmade bird feeders and returned with observations about the birds they had seen.

Parents also have a route into the preschool’s governance. A volunteer committee, including current and former parents and local community members, oversees leadership and finances, while childcare professionals manage daily provision. Meetings take place half-termly unless more are needed, staff attend, and parent feedback is sought regularly. All parents are welcome at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), giving involvement a formal place as well as an everyday one.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The preschool has a Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinator, and practitioners are first aiders. The key-person arrangement provides a mechanism for discussing individual needs during settling and beyond. These are specific arrangements for care; they should be considered alongside a child’s own support requirements.

The May 2022 inspection identified two improvements: staff questioning sometimes restricted children’s opportunities to develop language or respond, and staff supervision needed a more effective process for confidential discussion and support. The distinction matters. Enjoyable stories and conversations do not remove the need to give children time to speak, while good working relationships do not replace structured support for staff.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Medbourne Village Hall, 8 Main Street, Medbourne, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 8DT. Attendance runs during term time on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Morning sessions are 9am to 12.15pm, lunch runs from 12.15pm to 1.15pm, and afternoon sessions are 1.15pm to 3.30pm. Session combinations can be adjusted to suit the child.

From age three, children are expected to attend at least two sessions each week. This is a minimum attendance expectation to factor into the timetable, even when choosing shorter sessions. Visits with a child can be arranged by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours from the term after a child’s third birthday, alongside two-year-old funding and 30-hour funding for eligible children. Attendance is term-time. Private hours are also charged, and families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen arrangement.

Snacks have a separate optional contribution, and the Outdoor Explorer contribution is also optional. These sit apart from the hourly childcare charge. New joiners pay a non-refundable registration charge unless they are fully funded, so that exemption belongs in any cost comparison.

Payment is due in advance, either weekly or half-termly, and missed sessions are charged in full. Families using funding must complete a Statement of Undertaking, check or update it at the beginning of each term, and provide a copy of the child’s birth certificate. The administration is part of arranging funded attendance, alongside choosing the sessions themselves.

• A three-day, term-time timetable. Sessions run Tuesday to Thursday, and children aged three and above are expected to attend at least two each week. Families need an arrangement that fits both the operating days and this attendance expectation.
• Time for children to speak. In May 2022, questioning sometimes gave children insufficient room to develop answers. This is a useful point to explore through examples of how practitioners now extend conversation during play.
• Support for staff. In May 2022, supervision needed a more effective process for confidential concerns and professional support. The Good judgement should be read alongside that improvement point.
• The complete session cost. Snack and Outdoor Explorer contributions are optional, while missed sessions are charged in full. At a visit, what are the lunch arrangements and who supplies any non-food consumables your child needs?

Medbourne Preschool suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or flexible combinations within a Tuesday-to-Thursday, term-time week. Its appeal is concrete: a substantial outdoor area, Outdoor Explorers activities and recurring village celebrations alongside play, books and creative work.

The May 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, with language development during play and staff supervision as clear improvement points. For families whose timetable fits, the combination of a key person and opportunities for parent involvement adds another reason to consider it. The decision rests on that practical fit as much as the garden and activities.