St Leonards, Brington

Tuesday afternoons have a clear purpose at St Leonards, Brington: Rising 5s gives children approaching primary school extra attention to literacy and numeracy. The neighbouring Brington C of E Primary School also features in transition visits. This is preschool provision with a concrete connection to the next stage, set in a purpose-built building surrounded by countryside.

The nursery has 30 places in total and offers preschool care for children aged two to five. At its August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement provides a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of today's provision.

Parent involvement has a practical role here. An elected volunteer committee runs the charity, and parents, carers and grandparents of attending children can join it. Families who want to contribute to the setting's organisation have a route to do so, alongside the everyday relationship with staff.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play and social interaction provide opportunities to practise language, explore ideas and become more independent. Activities cover the seven areas of learning. Talk is an explicit emphasis, giving conversation a place within play rather than reserving it for adult-led activities.

Rising 5s adds more directed literacy and numeracy activities on Tuesday afternoons for children in their final preschool year. Its timing matters for families interested in that element of the day. It sits alongside play-based learning, with attention to skills children will use when they move into primary education.

In August 2022, children's interests shaped activity planning. A holiday-inspired beach theme used shells, spades and sand; another activity paired a miniature rock pool with reference books and clay modelling. Children could investigate a creature, find information about it and then represent it in a different material. These examples give a clearer picture of the learning than a list of curriculum headings would.

Water play also involved solving practical problems in August 2022. Children experimented with moving toys along guttering using water and used pipettes to remove chalk from boards. The materials invited them to try an idea and see what happened. Staff joined children's play and extended the activity through interaction, rather than leaving the equipment to do all the work.

Books had several roles in August 2022: children listened to stories on request and during group times, joined repeated phrases and used books connected to activity themes. Circle times, rhymes and action songs supported listening, while adults supplied words as younger children played. For a parent, the useful detail is how language entered ordinary activity throughout the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The purpose-built premises have outside areas, and the countryside surroundings give the setting a rural identity. The building also serves the wider community through hall hire for occasions such as children's parties and meetings. That community use is separate from the childcare day, but helps explain the setting's local role.

Relationships and Communication

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found the key-person arrangements effective, with staff using their knowledge of individual children to plan learning, while identifying further development of teaching skills as the improvement priority. The distinction matters: the assessment recognised established strengths but still expected staff learning to deepen.

In August 2022, staff shared information about children's learning with parents and offered ideas for continuing it at home. Planning drew on observations and individual interests. This made communication useful beyond a description of what a child had done: families received ways to connect preschool experiences with home life.

Starting preschool brings some simple, tangible routines. Each child receives a coat peg and a drawer. Easily washable clothes are encouraged for messy activities, and clothing children can manage themselves supports toilet independence. These are modest details with practical value, especially for a child learning to recognise their belongings and handle personal tasks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In August 2022, children practised dressing and putting on shoes, followed handwashing routines and accessed drinking water themselves. Staff reinforced sharing and turn-taking with consistent reminders. Independence was therefore part of everyday care, rather than something saved for the months immediately before school.

Relationships with school staff also supported transition in August 2022. The current preschool offer includes contact with the Reception teacher and school visits through the year. Familiarity with people and places is the concrete benefit; it should be kept separate from the decision about a school place.

Sessions and Attendance

Preschool opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year. There is a week's closure in April and another in December. For family planning, the combination is significant: provision extends beyond school terms, while the daily opening window finishes in the afternoon.

A holiday club also serves schoolchildren during school holidays. That is a separate offer from preschool care. Preschool enquiries can be made by telephone on 01832 710 020 or by email to preschoolleader@stleonards-brington.co.uk.

Getting There

The address is St Leonards Hall, High Street, Brington, PE28 5AD. The preschool describes close links with its neighbour, Brington C of E Primary School, including Reception-teacher contact and visits to support transition.

Attending preschool does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process; the transition relationship helps children prepare for school rather than securing admission.

Funding and Paid Extras

The setting participates in the Funding Twos Scheme for two-year-olds and the Nursery Education Grant for three- and four-year-olds. Paid preschool hours are also offered. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their attendance arrangement and any extras; the preschool hours and fees page sets out the charge structure.

Lunch is at noon, and hot meals brought from the primary school are charged separately. That food charge needs to sit alongside childcare costs when families consider their overall arrangement.

• The afternoon finish. Preschool closes at 3pm, despite operating for 50 weeks each year. Consider how that finish and the April and December closures fit your family's working pattern.
• Tuesday school preparation. Rising 5s takes place on Tuesday afternoons and concentrates on literacy and numeracy for children in their final preschool year. At a visit, discuss how it would fit your child's attendance.
• Teaching development. In August 2022, further development of staff teaching skills was the improvement priority. Ask how staff training now strengthens the play-based curriculum and children's learning.
• Funding and everyday supplies. Hot lunches are charged separately and two named funding schemes are offered. Ask for the funded-hours arrangement and the position on non-food consumables to be included in your written quotation.

St Leonards, Brington suits families seeking play-based preschool care across much of the year, with a 9am start and a 3pm finish. Rising 5s and the relationship with Brington C of E Primary School give school preparation specific content, while the volunteer committee offers families a way to participate in the setting's organisation.

The August 2022 Good judgement supports that picture, with staff teaching development the identified area for improvement. The strongest reasons to consider it are concrete: a purpose-built rural setting, Tuesday literacy and numeracy activities, and transition visits. Its hours need to fit the family as closely as its approach fits the child.