Giggles 'N' Squiggles West Winch

In June 2025, independence shaped daily life at Giggles 'N' Squiggles West Winch: children poured their own drinks, cut their food and chose their play. At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective.

The setting is based at West Winch Village Hall. Children attending in June 2025 were aged 1 to 11, with early years provision alongside care for school-age children.

In June 2025, learning followed children's interests and their next developmental steps. The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care; here, play included practical opportunities to explore numbers, movement and language.

Mathematics reached beyond counting activities. Children counted insects' legs in the garden, explored how much containers held in water play and weighed resources using scales. What's the time Mr Wolf involved counting steps during a group game, giving number language a practical purpose.

Physical resources served different stages of development. In June 2025, furniture at children's height helped younger children practise walking, while older children used spray bottles for large creative marks and to exercise their hands. Ladders and bikes offered opportunities to practise balance. Outdoors, the mud kitchen also supported shared play: children welcomed others into their activities.

Shared construction added another dimension to the June 2025 activities. Children worked together on a train track, making cooperation part of completing something together. The garden and water activities also connected mathematical words with things children could investigate: counting a bug's legs, comparing what containers held and measuring resources rather than treating numbers as a separate exercise.

Practitioners positioned themselves throughout the setting in June 2025, joining play and taking children's learning further. This mattered alongside the emphasis on children's interests: adults participated in the activities children chose, while also attending to what they needed to learn next. Younger children had opportunities to explore and decide what to do, so independence extended beyond getting dressed or managing mealtimes.

Preparation for school was also an explicit aim of the June 2025 curriculum, centred on confidence and doing things independently. Its practical expression was in everyday experiences: children making choices, managing personal tasks and working with others. For parents, these examples make the school-preparation emphasis tangible, extending it beyond counting or making marks.

In June 2025, practitioners built relationships with families and encouraged children to manage everyday tasks, including dressing and toileting. Mealtimes offered further practice in independence, from handwashing to handling drinks and food.

An online app carried photographs, observations and children's next learning steps in June 2025, alongside suggestions for continuing activities at home. This gave parents something concrete to follow up beyond a general account of the day.

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found SEND provision good, including individual work and collaboration with other professionals, but asked for stronger staff confidence and knowledge in supporting these children and more explicit teaching about feelings and the effects of children's actions.

Social routines supplied further practice in June 2025. Children listened to instructions, waited for turns in group games and treated friends kindly. Practitioners demonstrated the language and behaviour they wanted children to use, including sharing and taking turns. These were skills children could use immediately with other children, as well as during organised activities.

Before meals, children queued to wash their hands, and indoor routines encouraged walking. Understanding an instruction and following a familiar routine were therefore visible strengths in the June 2025 day. The improvement priority concerning emotions was a separate issue: staff needed to help children understand feelings and the effects of their behaviour, alongside teaching them how to follow routines. Families weighing social development should consider both parts of that picture.

The address is West Winch Village Hall, Watering Lane, West Winch, PE33 0JY.

In June 2025, opening hours were 7.30am to 5.30pm during term time, and wraparound care served school-age children. The setting also provided government-funded early education for eligible children at that time.

• SEND support. Staff confidence was an improvement priority in June 2025. At a visit, discuss how practitioners would plan for your child's needs and respond to situations requiring individual support.
• Understanding emotions. June 2025 teaching did not consistently develop children's understanding of feelings. Ask how staff now help children recognise emotions and connect their actions with others' feelings.

For families who value practical independence and learning through everyday play, the June 2025 picture offers clear reasons to consider West Winch. Garden counting, water exploration and shared construction gave learning concrete contexts. The term-time provision and school-age wraparound care described then suit families organising childcare around the school calendar, while SEND practice and emotional learning deserve close attention.