Meltham Community Pre-School

Large magnets, garden bicycles and children serving their own snacks give Meltham Community Pre-School's July 2023 account its character: practical exploration alongside growing independence. Based at Meltham Baptist Chapel on Mean Lane, it has capacity for 24 children. At its 5 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and judged safeguarding effective.

Children attending in July 2023 were aged two to four. The emphasis then was on language, independence and preparation for the next stage of education, with children choosing activities and practising cooperation through play.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, the July 2023 examples show learning woven into play and everyday tasks. Children counted steps and compared quantities during lunch, giving mathematical ideas a practical purpose.

In July 2023, magnets prompted children to investigate paper clips and jar lids together. Board games gave them practice at waiting for a turn. Language work included introducing unfamiliar vocabulary and using words gathered from families' home languages, while clear repetition helped children needing additional speaking support.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supported active play in July 2023, including skittles and cycling around obstacles. Chalk mark-making outdoors, drawing with pencils and picking up rice with tweezers also gave children opportunities to practise hand control. Physical activity involved both larger movements and smaller, more precise actions.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that assessment, targeted help and referrals supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make good progress from their starting points. That finding concerned support tailored to individual children, with parents and other professionals involved.

In July 2023, the key-person arrangement helped staff understand children's interests and development. Children seeking comfort received a prompt response, and families received regular updates about learning. Washing hands and serving snacks gave children manageable responsibilities within the day.

Staff support in July 2023 included team discussions, individual supervision, mentoring for less-experienced colleagues and training. The improvement needed was more precise activity planning, especially during group sessions, so that activities addressed each child's next learning steps.

Meltham Community Pre-School is based at Meltham Baptist Chapel, Mean Lane, Meltham, Holmfirth, HD9 5QS.

In July 2023, it operated during term time, with sessions running from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. It also provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four at that time. These arrangements belong to that dated account.

• Group learning. In July 2023, activity planning did not consistently match each child's next learning needs, especially during group sessions. This is a material consideration for families weighing how individual learning is supported alongside shared activities.
• Term-time attendance. The July 2023 pattern was weekday sessions from 9am to 3pm during term time. At a visit, what attendance and funding arrangements now apply for your child?

Meltham's July 2023 picture suits families who value practical play, growing independence and language development in a preschool setting. Magnets, cycling and everyday mathematical conversations give that picture substance. The Good judgement sits alongside a clear planning improvement: shared activities needed closer attention to what individual children should learn next.