Incy Wincy's Preschool

In May 2024, cinnamon play dough, pretend car repairs and balancing beams gave Incy Wincy's Preschool a recognisable, practical character. At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest examples involved children using their hands, talking through their play and practising movement.

Based at Bagworth Community Centre in Coalville, the preschool has 45 places in total. In May 2024, children attending were aged two to four, and the attendance pattern combined morning and afternoon sessions with a lunch club.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play supports learning alongside everyday routines. In May 2024, activities followed children's interests and what they needed to learn next. Pretend mechanics talked about repairing ride-on cars, with staff introducing the names of tools. That gave conversation a concrete purpose.

Physical play had useful variety. In May 2024, children practised balancing on low wooden beams, spooned soil into pans in the mud kitchen and used chalk on the patio. These experiences connected larger movements with the smaller hand movements needed for drawing.

The May 2024 inspection identified three priorities: clearer learning aims in planned activities, group sessions that involved every child, and more useful information for parents about learning. The examples make those concerns tangible. During dough-making, a planned mathematical element was lost because children did not weigh or measure ingredients; in a rhyming activity, some watched rather than joined in.

In May 2024, settling began with parents sharing their child's interests and home routines. A key person then established what the child already knew and what to introduce next. This connected the start at preschool with familiar experiences from home.

Daily routines also supported social learning. In May 2024, staff helped children practise sharing and taking turns, and gave advance warning before activities changed. That warning gave children time to finish their play rather than stop abruptly. Mealtimes included conversations about drinking water and staying healthy.

The address is Bagworth Community Centre, Station Road, Bagworth, Coalville LE67 1BH.

In May 2024, the preschool operated on weekdays during term time. Morning sessions ran from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and lunch club bridged the interval from noon to 12.30pm. These were separate parts of the attendance model, rather than simply an opening window.

Funded early education for children aged two, three and four was part of the May 2024 provision.

• Purposeful activities. In May 2024, dough-making missed its intended weighing and measuring element. At a visit, ask how staff now carry planned learning through into the activity.
• Participation in groups. Some children watched the May 2024 rhyming activity rather than taking part. Ask how group activities are adapted for different stages of development.
• Learning at home. More detailed communication with parents was a May 2024 improvement priority. Ask to see an example of the information families receive and how it helps them continue learning at home.

Incy Wincy's Preschool merits consideration for families drawn to practical play and a sessional preschool model. Its May 2024 pattern suited both morning attendance and afternoon attendance, with a lunch club between them. The balance to weigh is clear: engaging examples of physical and imaginative play sit alongside specific priorities for activity planning, group participation and communication with parents.