Brockholes Pre-School

A purpose-built port-a-cabin, an adjoining outdoor play area and close links with the school next door give Brockholes Pre-School a clear identity. This is a small, term-time setting with 17 places in total, where cars, bikes, climbing equipment and a slide give physical play a substantial place in the day. Its current age range is 24 to 60 months.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good, judged safeguarding effective and found strong support for children's language development. Two practical improvements accompanied that judgement: protecting concentration during organised activities and strengthening information-sharing with other settings children attend. Both matter when comparing how care and learning fit together.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings serve different family routines. The setting is run by a voluntary committee, giving parents a route into its management as well as their own child's early education.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS, or Early Years Foundation Stage, is the framework for children's learning and care: here, activities and play are planned around individual interests. A key person follows each child's development, and those observations help shape what comes next. The emphasis is on connecting learning with things children already care about, rather than giving everyone an identical starting point.

In November 2023, children chose play with friends and drew on familiar experiences, including pretending to refuel a car at a garage. Adult-led activities sat alongside that independent play. Action songs involved stretching and large arm movements, bringing movement into learning rather than reserving it for outdoor time.

Stories also prompted conversation. In November 2023, children used illustrations to discuss events and anticipate what might happen next, while staff talked with them about changing daylight. Shape activities brought drawing and mathematics together: children held templates while tracing stars and moons, then discussed their edges and points. These are concrete examples of several areas of learning meeting in one activity.

Early phonics had also been introduced by November 2023, connecting preschool learning with the sounds children would encounter at school. The important distinction is between those dated examples and the current commitment to planning around each child's interests.

Outdoor and Community Life

Cars and bikes, balance equipment, climbing equipment and a slide make the adjoining outside area useful for different kinds of movement. Children can practise balancing, climbing and moving themselves around, rather than depending on a single outdoor activity.

In November 2023, children harvested and ate fruit from a community garden. They also practised ball skills and used scooters outdoors, while community walks included road-safety learning. The garden example connected healthy eating with something children had helped grow; the walks gave safety discussions a practical context.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with their family and records development. Tapesty is the online learning journal used to track that development and inform subsequent planning. This gives observations a purpose beyond recording what happened: they influence the activities offered next.

The Children's Learning Portal gives families personalised information and resources to support learning. It adds a practical home connection to the key-person relationship. In November 2023, parents also received ideas for activities beyond the setting, including a holiday nature walk followed by children bringing in their discoveries.

Starting is organised around an induction with a parent present while the child plays and settles. Staff discuss the induction pack and complete the necessary forms with the family before arranging the start date once requested sessions have been confirmed. That creates a defined first step, rather than treating settling as an informal extra.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised children needing additional help, sought specialist advice and used strategies to support their progress. The current admissions condition is that individual needs are assessed and can be met, so a family's discussion about support should relate to their own child.

In November 2023, left-handed scissors were available for children who needed them. Staff also sat with children over lunch and used conversation to make eating a social part of the day. These details show how equipment and ordinary routines contributed to children's participation.

The current team includes an Early Years Teacher. Parents can also take a wider role through the voluntary committee, which works alongside staff; joining usually involves a minimum of a year. That is a different commitment from day-to-day conversations about a child's development.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to noon, afternoons from noon to 4pm, and full days from 8.30am to 4pm. Those separate patterns make the setting relevant both to families seeking shorter preschool attendance and to those needing the whole opening day.

Term dates generally follow Kirklees, and the pre-school is usually open when Brockholes School holds inset or teacher-training days. Families are notified of changes. School holidays therefore need their own care arrangements, while an inset day does not automatically mean the pre-school is closed.

Getting There

The address is Brockholes Lane, Brockholes, Holmfirth, HD9 7EB, on the site of Brockholes CE(C) Junior and Infant School. Contact is by telephone on 01484 665957 or email at info@brockholespreschool.co.uk.

The pre-school describes close links with the neighbouring school to help children move into school life. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Transition support and admission entitlement are separate decisions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds, 15 or 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and funding for working parents. The universal three- and four-year-old entitlement starts in the term after the third birthday and is delivered during school term time. Private paid hours are also offered; current prices should be obtained in a written quotation.

Full-day fees include the morning snack and afternoon tea, while lunch is separately charged in the fees information; the healthy-eating instructions instead require a lunchbox for children attending over lunchtime. Those two lunch arrangements need resolving before a family plans attendance across midday.

• Concentration during group activities. In November 2023, routine preparations for lunch interrupted children's attention during stories. On a visit, ask how organised activities are now protected from competing tasks.
• Attendance at another setting. In November 2023, information-sharing with other providers needed strengthening. Families combining settings should discuss how developmental information will pass between them.
• Lunch arrangements. The full-day fee includes snacks, but separately charged lunches and a required lunchbox are both described. Confirm which arrangement applies to the sessions you choose.
• Induction and personal supplies. A visit can be booked by phone or email, and induction includes play with a parent present. Use that conversation to ask what non-food consumables your child needs to bring and how the key person will support their assessed needs.

Brockholes Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those choosing full days. Its small overall capacity, adjoining outdoor space and individual planning give it a clear practical appeal, while the parent committee offers a deeper role for families who want one.

The November 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with specific improvements to weigh alongside it. Concentration during organised activities and continuity between settings deserve attention, and the lunch arrangement needs settling before booking. School-site links support transition, but the Reception application remains a separate process.