The Pre-School Play Station

A village-hall base, regular woodland outings and a garden built for messy exploration give The Pre-School Play Station its character. Based in the Alan Talbott room at The Village Hall in Broughton Astley, this preschool combines book-led themes with practical independence: children pour drinks, help with food preparation and explore outdoors. Its appeal lies in those concrete experiences.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That judgement provides a dated assessment of care and education, rather than a promise about every child's experience today.

There are 26 places in total. Children attending in November 2022 were aged two to four; that age range describes the inspection visit. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions now sit within a Monday-to-Friday, term-time opening pattern.

The strongest reasons to consider this setting are its regular visits to Fosse Meadows and Burbage Common, its practical garden resources and the way stories carry through into activities. Two improvement points also deserve attention: participation by quieter children in adult-led learning and clearer guidance for parents supporting learning at home.

Rooms and Ages

The Alan Talbott room is the preschool's base within the village hall, while the on-site garden extends the space for play. This is a setting whose character comes from how its spaces are used: some afternoons, the room is cleared for bikes, scooters, footballs and a climbing frame. Indoor movement has a place alongside outdoor exploration.

Outside, children can use a mud kitchen, sandpit, water-play area and gravel pit, with a balance beam and slide adding opportunities for movement. Playhouses and a wigwam support imaginative play. Resources change with children's interests, so the garden also accommodates toys and activities carried out from indoors. During drier months, much of the day is spent there, with den-making used to create shade.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through play, with children's choices alongside activities organised by adults. Here, that means free play and adult-led experiences share the day, rather than children following a single sequence of tasks. The monthly book gives planning a recurring thread that can carry into outdoor activities.

The Gruffalo, Handa’s Surprise and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are examples of those book themes. A different country also shapes planning each month, with France, Scotland and Spain among the examples. Traditional dances linked to the country theme bring movement into that exploration. Stories and themes therefore reach beyond the book area into what children do.

Literacy is spread across storytelling, songs, labels and opportunities to write for different purposes. Maths is introduced through both chosen play and adult-led activities. Mornings begin with yoga or exercises, while playdough and threading provide smaller movements for hands and fingers. The mix gives children opportunities to practise language, physical coordination and early number ideas in different contexts.

In November 2022, activities drew on children's interests and assessments of what they needed to learn next. One example involved using tweezers to lift pretend butterflies, practising the finger movements used in early mark-making. Children also discussed familiar story characters, sang rhymes and experimented with drawing and writing their names. These are useful examples of what learning looked like at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds small-group outdoor exploration, with activities shaped by the monthly book and children's ideas. Den-making, identifying insects and plants, imaginative play and mark-making are among the activities. The approach gives children concrete things to investigate, build and discuss beyond the indoor room.

Fosse Meadows and Burbage Common are regular destinations, reached by minibus. Trips can follow planned themes or develop from children's interests, and the preschool supplies wet-weather suits and wellingtons. Families can see outing risk assessments before a trip. Those arrangements make outdoor learning a practical part of attendance, with clothing and preparation still important.

The preschool also visits and cares for its ponies and chickens nearby. Its outdoor work has earned the Woodland Trusts' Gold, Green Tree Schools Award, and it holds Green School Ambassador status. The more useful detail for a parent is what sits behind those names: repeated outdoor experiences, garden play and contact with animals.

Relationships and Communication

Children are encouraged to help one another with coats and invite others into play. Staff model language and behaviour, and role-play supports social development. These are concrete ways of practising relationships during the day, rather than leaving kindness as an instruction on its own.

In November 2022, children sought comfort from staff when uncertain or hurt, and established routines helped them settle into activities. They practised taking turns while building towers and helped put resources away. Adults explained why particular behaviour could hurt another child, connecting rules with their consequences.

Tapestry is used for children's learning journeys, providing a way to document development. The link between those records and home learning matters: the November 2022 improvement actions included helping every parent understand how to support their own child's learning. A record of an activity is most useful when a parent can see what the child is practising and how to continue it.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role forms part of the staff structure, alongside designated safeguarding roles and paediatric first-aid training. At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with other professionals to support children with SEND, while identifying a need to adapt adult-led activities so less confident children could participate more fully. That combination is important for families whose child needs additional help or takes time to join a group.

Everyday independence is also built into the snack bar. Children practise pouring a drink, using safe knives to prepare food, washing their hands and clearing up afterwards. These manageable tasks allow them to make choices and contribute to their own care. The learning is practical and immediately useful.

School preparation featured in the November 2022 activities through early writing, language and independence. Practising a pencil grip or managing a small task contributes to readiness for the next stage; it does not require the preschool day to become a formal lesson timetable.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Village Hall, Station Road, Broughton Astley, Leicester, LE9 6PT. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time, excluding half terms and bank holidays. This calendar needs to fit the family's arrangements for school holidays as well as its ordinary working week.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, and all-day sessions from 9am to 3pm. The shorter sessions offer a different attendance pattern from the all-day option, while both operate within the same term-time timetable.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone. A request for a new starter's place is saved only after admission forms collected from the setting have been completed and returned. Making an enquiry and completing the admission paperwork are therefore separate steps.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded hours are accepted, and session fees apply once those hours have been used. Attendance is term-time, with private sessions also offered. Families should obtain current prices in the preschool's written quotation; the fees and consumables information explains the charge structure.

Families provide a healthy packed lunch for all-day attendance, while snacks fall within the separately charged session consumables package. That package also covers Forest School, wet-weather suits, wellingtons and Tapestry, with the charge applying per session for all ages.

This bundled arrangement matters when comparing the cost of attendance: funded hours, additional paid sessions and the session package are separate elements. Outdoor equipment is part of that package, rather than a reason to assume that every item a child needs is included in the childcare fee.

• Joining adult-led activities. In November 2022, less confident children needed better support to participate fully. During a visit, ask how staff now help a reluctant child join an activity and whether they adapt the group or the task.
• Learning at home. The November 2022 improvement actions included clearer individual guidance for parents. Ask how Tapestry learning journeys translate into practical ideas for your child at home.
• Outdoor preparation. Regular woodland trips require suitable clothing, including long trousers, long sleeves and coats; wet-weather suits and wellingtons are supplied. Consider how this outdoor pattern suits your child, and use the pre-trip risk assessments to understand planned outings.
• Term-time attendance and settling. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions all follow the term-time calendar. Consider holiday cover alongside the chosen session, and ask how settling would be organised for your child's attendance pattern.

The Pre-School Play Station suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting an all-day place within a term-time timetable. Its strongest practical attractions are regular woodland trips, a well-equipped garden and everyday tasks that let children practise independence.

The November 2022 Good judgement sits alongside specific improvements around quieter children's participation and guidance for learning at home. Families should weigh those points with the outdoor emphasis and session calendar. For a child who enjoys stories, movement and investigating the natural world, the combination offers clear reasons to consider this village-hall preschool.