1st Steps Preschool

An exploratory kitchen, water turned into pretend potions and children taking responsibility as helper of the day give 1st Steps Preschool a practical, playful character. These were features of daily life in January 2022, with imaginative play sitting alongside the small tasks that help children become more independent. The setting operates at St. Barnabas Parish Hall in Crosland Moor, Huddersfield, and has 66 places in total.

At its 19 January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found that children progressed well, including those with SEND and those learning English as an additional language. There were also two clear teaching priorities: more precise next steps for two-year-olds and sharper planning of adult-led activities for older children. Both matter when judging how purposeful the play is.

The preschool accepts children aged 18 months to four years and operates during term time, with full-day, morning and afternoon attendance patterns. Its parish-hall address and preschool age range distinguish this branch from the group's other settings.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: play, communication, physical development and relationships contribute to preparation for later learning. It is the foundation of provision here, rather than an extra programme that sets the preschool apart.

In January 2022, younger children listened to stories and explored dough, while older children used the exploratory kitchen for imaginative play. Role play also gave children opportunities to work together. Taking a turn as helper of the day brought responsibility into familiar routines, making independence something children could practise rather than simply hear about.

Water play was especially inventive at that time. Children carried water to cauldrons and combined it with materials including stones, feathers and soil to make pretend potions. Indoors, a toy cement mixer and foam bricks supported construction play, with staff introducing counting and comparisons of height. These examples connected children's interests with early mathematical language.

Small hand movements received attention too. In January 2022, younger children used large tweezers to serve snacks, and older children handled pipettes and scissor-handled tongs. The practical value was preparation for the control needed in early writing, through tools that belonged within play and everyday tasks.

The teaching concerns were specific. In January 2022, learning plans did not consistently pinpoint the most important next steps for two-year-olds, while some older children's activities needed a clearer connection between their intended learning and the teaching or materials used. Self-portrait work was one example. An attractive activity needs a clear purpose as well as appealing resources.

In January 2022, settling arrangements were adapted to individual children, and home visits had been reintroduced. Familiar routines and affectionate staff relationships helped children settle. For a child beginning preschool, the important feature was the adjustment of the settling process to their needs, rather than an expectation that everyone would adapt at the same pace.

Communication with families at that time combined conversations, electronic contact and summaries of children's development. Staff also shared activities for home, including work supporting language and coordination between hands and eyes. That gave parents practical ways to continue learning outside preschool, alongside updates about what their child was doing.

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised the early identification of developmental difficulties and coordinated professional support for children with SEND. Visual prompts helped children understand routines where spoken language was a barrier. These are dated findings, but they give families useful detail about how support worked, beyond the overall grade.

The current Crosland Moor team includes a lead SENCO, a designated safeguarding lead and a deputy safeguarding officer. These roles identify responsibility for additional needs and safeguarding within the branch. They also give parents clear points of responsibility when discussing a child's support.

Health routines were tangible in January 2022. Children practised toothbrushing with mirrors, a model mouth and a sand timer, and used stations for wiping their noses. These everyday tasks placed self-care within the preschool day, helping children practise skills they would also use at home.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Barnabas Parish Hall, 3 De Trafford Street, Huddersfield, HD4 5DR. Opening hours are 8.15am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. This makes the school-holiday calendar a central consideration for families organising regular childcare.

The branch timetable offers full days from 8.15am to 3.45pm or 9am to 4.30pm. Shorter sessions run from 9am to noon and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, with each pattern shown across the working week. Morning and afternoon sessions provide a different attendance option from a full day; the opening window should not be treated as a single compulsory booking.

Enquiries can be made directly on 07722 286472 or by email to 1ststepspreschoolltd@gmail.com. The branch also directs families to enrolment information. Written confirmation of the chosen attendance pattern is especially useful given the full-day timing issue below.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered in 15-hour and 30-hour patterns, subject to eligibility, and delivery at Crosland Moor is during term time. The branch's funding arrangements allocate 15 hours across two full days or five sessions, and 30 hours across four full days. Those are different ways to organise attendance, so the relevant entitlement and session pattern need to be considered together.

Cooked hot meals are included within funded sessions, with no additional cost for those sessions. Current private-session prices should come in the preschool's written quotation. The funded offer and a private booking should each be clear in that quotation, so families can understand the arrangement they are choosing.

• Full-day timings. The branch timetable gives 8.15am to 3.45pm and 9am to 4.30pm, while the Crosland Moor price table gives 8.15am to 4.30pm and 9am to 3.30pm. Before agreeing a booking, obtain written confirmation of the full-day pattern being offered.
• Teaching precision. The January 2022 improvement priorities concerned two-year-olds' next steps and the planning of older children's adult-led activities. On a visit, ask how staff now choose individual learning targets and connect activities to them.
• Term-time care. Crosland Moor operates during term time. Families needing continuity through school holidays should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.

1st Steps Preschool suits families seeking term-time preschool attendance, whether through a morning or afternoon session or a full-day pattern. The January 2022 examples give its provision character: imaginative kitchen and construction play, practical hand skills and everyday responsibility, alongside individual settling arrangements.

The balance is clear. The dated Good judgement sits alongside specific teaching improvements, and the current team identifies responsibility for SEND and safeguarding. For parents, the strongest decision points are the term-time calendar, the choice of attendance pattern and how precisely staff plan the next stage of a child's learning.