Ramsey Pre-school CIO

An open-plan playroom, a log cabin and an enclosed garden give Ramsey Pre-school CIO a day built around shared play and smaller learning groups. This parent-and-community-run charity serves children from age 2 to school entry on School Lane in Ramsey. It has capacity for 36 children in total. That whole-setting figure is separate from the age groups children join for parts of the day.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest practical ingredients are easy to identify: children can choose between indoor and outdoor play, younger and older children mix, and adult-led activities also take place in age-related groups. There is room for both independent choices and more directed learning.

A volunteer committee manages the setting and its funds, with parents contributing ideas, fundraising and help with its running.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions operate during school terms, giving families different ways to use the same setting.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybirds is the group for children aged 2–3; Bees and Butterflies are the preschool-aged groups. Children mix for play, with registration, adult-led learning and some activities organised by group to suit their stage.

Each group uses the indoor space, garden and log cabin. Indoors, one large open-plan room is rearranged to introduce different play areas and role-play ideas. That makes the environment adaptable to changing interests rather than fixing children to the same layout throughout their time here.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes learning through play across its areas of learning. Children choose activities and join adult-led experiences, with staff adapting activities to their interests and children extending them with their own ideas.

The carpet area has a large smart board for group discussions, learning and turn-taking games. Elsewhere, a book corner offers a quieter option, while the home corner supports pretend play. Construction, loose parts and small-world resources give children materials to combine and reinterpret; messy activities and crafts provide another route into experimenting and making.

In February 2025, reading, songs and conversations were used to develop language, with simpler vocabulary for younger children and more complex sentences for those ready for them. Staff also joined building play to help children collaborate on a tower. These examples show how an ordinary play activity can carry both language and cooperation, rather than treating learning as a separate lesson.

There was a limitation alongside that work. In February 2025, background sound and distractions were not consistently considered, affecting concentration and how clearly children could hear speech. The improvement needed was about the conditions for communication, as well as the opportunities to speak.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can move between the indoor area and the enclosed garden, choosing activities and developing their own games. A large climbing frame with a slide sits alongside a smaller one. Daily access to a large sand pit and a messy/mud kitchen area gives outdoor play a hands-on character, with space for digging, making and physical movement.

Planting, watering and looking for bugs add attention to living things. Children explore habitats and learn names of creatures as part of this outdoor activity. For a child drawn to practical investigation, the garden offers more than climbing equipment.

In February 2025, outdoor play also included balance bicycles, digging, throwing and building, while an outdoor stage supported singing and dancing. Instruments extended the exploration of sound. Indoors, painting, cutting and shaping materials gave children practice with the smaller movements needed for handling tools.

Celebrations need the same balance of enthusiasm and thoughtful teaching. In February 2025, children made crafts connected with Christmas and Chinese New Year, but learning about other families, cultures and ways of life needed to go further. Exploring a festival did not consistently lead to understanding similarities and differences between people.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who follows their development, maintains progress records and liaises with parents. This gives families an identified practitioner with whom to discuss learning, rather than relying only on whoever happens to be nearby. An open-door approach also allows parents to discuss concerns or their child's needs.

In February 2025, staff modelled manners and children helped one another with practical tasks, including putting on shoes. Children also developed imaginative games together and exchanged ideas during play. The daily emphasis included learning how to cooperate and offer help, alongside developing independence.

Communication with families had recently been revised by February 2025. Staff shared what children had been learning each day, with new methods intended to encourage conversations in both directions. That matters because a useful account of the day gives parents something specific to discuss with their child and with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that key persons used targeted plans and worked with other professionals to support children with SEND, helping them make good progress. The current team structure includes designated SENCO and safeguarding lead roles. These are identifiable responsibilities within the setting, rather than a general promise about support.

In February 2025, the setting employed 16 childcare staff and a cook; 11 staff had qualifications in early years at level two or higher. These are staffing figures from that visit, rather than a measure of how many adults are with a particular group today. They should not be read as a staff-to-child ratio.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is School Lane, Ramsey, PE26 1AF. The preschool opens on five days each week for 38 weeks of the year, during term time. Its term dates follow those of Ramsey Spinning Infant and Junior school as closely as possible. Families coordinating older siblings have a useful link between calendars, although the wording allows for differences.

Morning sessions run from 09.00 to 12.00, afternoon sessions from 12.00 to 15.00, and a full-day session from 09.00 to 15.00. Families can choose shorter sessions or stay across both parts of the day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01487 710160 or by email at ramseypreschool@outlook.com. Joining uses an application form, and no deposit is required. Visits are by appointment.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted for eligible 2-year-olds, alongside the universal 15-hour entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds, starting the term after a child turns 3, and the Working Parents 30 hour funding scheme. Delivery is term-time. Participation in a funding scheme is separate from a family's eligibility, and working-parent codes are checked before a funded place is taken up.

Private sessions and additional attendance beyond eligible funded hours are charged. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the sessions and fees page explains the attendance options and funding structure. Fees can be paid weekly or settled by the end of the month, with invoices issued at the month's beginning.

Moving on to School

The preschool sits next to Spinning Infants School and describes itself as a feeder for Ramsey Spinning Infants School. Attending does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Sound in the shared room. The February 2025 improvement point concerned background noise and children's ability to hear speech clearly. During a visit, ask how quieter conversations and language activities are protected within the open-plan space.
• Learning about other families. February 2025 findings identified a need to extend children's understanding beyond their own cultures and ways of life. Ask for examples of how everyday activities now develop this, alongside festival crafts.
• Your funded-session agreement. Funded hours and chargeable additional sessions are separate parts of the offer. Ask for the written breakdown of any meal or consumable arrangements for your intended attendance pattern.
• Community participation. The volunteer parent committee is essential to the preschool's operation. Consider whether contributing ideas, fundraising or committee time is something your family would enjoy.

Ramsey Pre-school CIO suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting a full school-day pattern during term time. Its shared playroom, log cabin and freely accessible garden provide different settings for child-chosen play, with Ladybirds, Bees and Butterflies adding age-related group activity.

The February 2025 Good judgement sits alongside two concrete priorities: clearer conditions for language learning and deeper understanding of other families' lives. The appeal is a practical combination of flexible session choices, outdoor activity and meaningful parent involvement. Families should weigh that community model and the term-time calendar alongside their child's needs.