St Peters Pre School, Little Explorers

Independence gives this Hinckley preschool its clearest character: children preparing snacks, tackling their own shoes and helping one another solve problems were central to daily life in November 2021. These are small tasks with a useful purpose. They give children opportunities to practise managing themselves alongside playing with others.

Ofsted rated St Peters Pre School, Little Explorers Outstanding on 4 November 2021. The setting has 25 places in total and admits children from 24 months at its St Peters site. Its home is St. Peters Catholic Church, Leicester Road, Hinckley, LE10 1LW.

Current opening hours are 8.45am to 2.45pm, Monday to Friday. In November 2021, the setting operated during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the shared framework for early years learning and care. Through play, children develop communication, physical skills and relationships, alongside reading, writing, mathematics and creativity.

In November 2021, children weighed dough caterpillars and connected them with stories and photographs of caterpillar food, bringing language and number into practical play.

Doctors' role play helped children discuss medical care, with staff correcting misunderstandings about why people visit a doctor.

Making dinosaur homes involved helping each other with scissors and tape; building with blocks encouraged listening to others' ideas. Both gave children practice in cooperation.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2021, children gathered leaves, mixed paints to match their colours and made prints and collages. Books connected the artwork with where leaves came from, extending observation into discussion.

Fence posts became part of pretend painting with water and brushes. Children considered how to reach different heights and worked together to make their solutions safe. The physical setting supplied a practical problem to solve.

Regular care-home visits that November involved singing and baking with residents, giving children shared experiences with another generation.

Forest School is an additional group provision in Stoke Golding, with a separate attendance charge for St Peters children. Its approach gives children opportunities to investigate outdoors and develop practical skills through experiences they help direct. It is a separate option alongside the main preschool, so families should distinguish it from the Hinckley site's ordinary opening hours.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2021, staff helped children think through mistakes and consider the effect of their choices on others. Children also made craft gifts for one another and sought out familiar adults when they needed reassurance. Everyday interactions provided opportunities to practise kindness and express feelings.

Language support drew on children's existing knowledge. During mark making that November, staff invited children to name colours in their home language before introducing the English words. This connected new vocabulary with something already understood and recognised the language children brought from home.

Settling is approached as a partnership with parents, allowing for children who adjust quickly and those who need longer. Familiar toys can be used to support the transition. That gives families a practical way to connect home with the new setting rather than expecting every child to settle at the same pace.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with professionals involved in individual care and learning needs. Those are dated judgements rather than an assurance about present practice.

During that November, staff explored safeguarding situations through discussion and scenarios to test their understanding. Parents also helped establish children's existing skills and knowledge. Together, these examples show how adult communication informed both care and learning at the time.

Sessions and Attendance

St Peters opens from 8.45am to 2.45pm on weekdays at St. Peters Catholic Church, Leicester Road, Hinckley, LE10 1LW. The branch contact is stpetersexplorers@gmail.com or 07896496403, and an online enquiry form provides another contact route.

Children can start from 24 months. Applications follow a first-come, first-served rule, and parents can express a preferred session.

In November 2021, the setting operated during term time and provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. The current funding arrangements distinguish funded hours from separately charged services and additional attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision includes the 15-hour term-time entitlement from the term after a child turns three and the 30-hour term-time entitlement for eligible working families, alongside support-based funding for eligible two-year-olds. The St Peters starting age still applies: the group's funding information for younger children does not change this branch's admission age.

There are two funded contract options. The Extra Services Package allows parents to select attendance days and sessions, subject to availability, and retain a set booking. Funded Hours Only bookings are allocated for each term on nominated days; families request that option on their funding contract and receive their allocation before the term begins.

The distinction matters for budgeting and continuity. The service package is charged separately from funded hours and includes snacks and toothbrushing supplies; families provide a packed lunch. Consumables are separately charged through the package, and Forest School attendance has its own additional charge for St Peters children.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Non-funded missed attendance remains chargeable, including illness and holidays. Requests to end or alter a funded contract must be made in writing, and changes during a term depend on the funding arrangements; transferring funding to another setting requires one month's notice.

• A weekday finish at 2.45pm. St Peters opens at 8.45am and closes at 2.45pm. Compare that window with the care your household needs across the working day.
• Two different funded contracts. The service package supports a continuing set booking, while Funded Hours Only sessions are allocated term by term on nominated days. Consider which arrangement fits your family's need for predictable attendance.
• Forest School is separate. The group provision is in Stoke Golding and carries an additional charge for St Peters children. At a visit, ask how attendance there fits with a child's Hinckley routine.
• Support at the start. Settling allows for different adjustment periods and familiar comfort toys. Discuss how the first sessions would be organised for your child, including any individual support needs.

St Peters merits consideration for families seeking preschool care from 24 months within its weekday opening window. Its November 2021 examples give substance to the Outstanding judgement: practical independence, thoughtful play and cooperation were visible in ordinary activities.

It suits families choosing between a continuing booking with the Extra Services Package and term-by-term Funded Hours Only attendance. The contract choice and early afternoon finish are central to whether it works for a household.