Shobdon Arches Pre-School

A mud kitchen and weekly forest school sessions gave Shobdon Arches Pre-School's March 2022 provision a practical, outdoor character. At its 17 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and judged safeguarding effective. Its home is Shobdon Village Hall, Shobdon, Leominster, HR6 9LX, with capacity for 20 children.

The children attending in March 2022 were aged two to four. The strongest detail is what they did: experimenting with mud, making chalk marks outdoors and using imaginative play to explore caring for others.

In March 2022, weekly forest school sessions took place in the adjacent school's grounds. Children explored natural materials and practised handling risks, including understanding that ash could remain hot after flames disappeared. Outdoor learning had substance.

The mud kitchen brought mathematics into play that month. Children adjusted water and mud to change their mixture's consistency, then compared wet and dry textures. Elsewhere, chalk drawing around a friend's shadow connected outdoor play with making marks.

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the March 2022 examples included learning through stories, imaginative play and practical exploration. Staff used story props, while children playing doctors considered whether their pretend patients needed a bandage or an x-ray.

In March 2022, staff helped children practise sharing, taking turns and managing their behaviour. Activities reflected individual interests and needs; children needing help with speech received additional individual conversations with adults.

Communication that month combined outdoor conversations with electronic updates about children's development and learning at home. Fresh fruit, water and milk were offered at snack time, and pretend toothbrushes and teeth helped children explore oral hygiene.

The March 2022 inspection identified a failure to notify Ofsted of a manager's appointment, while confirming that staff suitability checks were implemented and the breach had no significant effect on children's safety. Two educational priorities also remained: helping parents encourage healthier eating and using spontaneous learning opportunities to draw out children's reasoning and ideas.

The village-hall address places the setting in Shobdon, Leominster. In March 2022, attendance ran Monday to Friday during term time, with sessions from 9am to 3pm. These are the arrangements at that date.

Funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds was provided in March 2022. That historical offer should be distinguished from a family's current funding and attendance arrangements.

• Outdoor learning. March 2022 provision included weekly forest school sessions and mud-kitchen exploration. These are useful reference points for discussing the present day during a visit.
• Thinking and healthy eating. The March 2022 priorities concerned deeper questioning during play and advice to parents about healthy food. Ask how those priorities now shape practice.
• Attendance planning. The March 2022 pattern was term-time weekday sessions. What current attendance and funded-hours arrangement would fit your family?

For families looking for practical outdoor play and a term-time preschool pattern, the March 2022 account offers concrete reasons for interest. It also identifies questions about teaching and parent communication. The Good judgement belongs to that inspection; the outdoor examples give families something specific to explore when choosing care today.