Pre-school, St Helens

Mud, herbs and conversations about worms give this pre-school's October 2023 account its character: everyday play became an opportunity to experiment, compare and talk. Pre-school, St Helens has 20 places in total, with its address at St. Helens Cp School in Ryde.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Outstanding and found teaching helped children make exceptional progress. Children attending at that time were aged two to four. The strongest examples concerned what staff did with children's interests, rather than a catalogue of organised activities.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care. In October 2023, this took practical form through conversations that extended vocabulary, number play using comparisons and tally charts, and mealtime tasks that developed independence. In October 2023, staff adapted group activities around children's interests, giving them a reason to join in and sustain their play.

Outdoor learning had substance. In October 2023, children mixed herbs in the mud kitchen and shovelled mud in the builders' area, using materials for experimentation and imaginative play. Comparing garden worms brought size into conversation; tally charts gave children a way to record quantities and explore simple calculations.

Language received equally practical attention that month. Staff explained unfamiliar vocabulary and used questions to extend children's thinking. Children used words connected with transparency and buying things in their conversations, showing how talk could stretch beyond naming objects.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support excellent, with the special educational needs coordinator working alongside parents and professionals to arrange early, continuing help. This was support connected to individual learning needs.

In October 2023, staff helped children share and take turns, while children comforted shy peers and invited them to play. Mealtimes also offered practice in independence: cutting blueberries required persistence, and children encouraged friends to keep trying.

Parents were invited to curriculum open days in October 2023, connecting activities at the pre-school with learning at home. Staff supervision addressed professional development and wellbeing, while the manager used audits to identify changes to the learning environment.

The address is St. Helens Cp School, Broomlands Close, St. Helens, Ryde, PO33 1XH. In October 2023, the pre-school operated inside the primary-school building and opened on weekdays, from 7.45am to 5pm, during term time.

Funded early education was offered to two-, three- and four-year-olds in October 2023. These hours and funding arrangements describe that period. Attendance at the pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time rhythm. The October 2023 opening pattern followed school terms. How would the current attendance arrangements fit your family's working week and holiday childcare needs?
• School-site expectations. Sharing a primary-school building in October 2023 offered a school setting for early learning, but attending the pre-school does not secure a Reception place.

For families drawn to practical outdoor learning and purposeful conversation, the October 2023 account gives compelling examples: herbs, worms and tally charts all became learning materials. Its term-time operation at that date suited families organising childcare around school terms. The Outstanding judgement adds weight, while the concrete examples explain what earned it.