Upper Hopton Pre-School

A wildlife garden, horticultural activities with Hopton in Bloom and play that children can choose for themselves give Upper Hopton Pre-School its character. Based at Croft House Community Centre in Upper Hopton, Mirfield, it combines community involvement with a practical emphasis on growing independence. Children help shape the garden as well as use it: changes in plants and wildlife become material for their learning.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 16 December 2024 and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The teaching priorities from that visit matter too: children needed longer to answer questions and greater freedom to pursue their own ideas.

The pre-school has 26 places in total and accepts children from 20 months to four years. Attendance follows school terms, with morning, afternoon and six-hour sessions providing different ways to organise the week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play. Here, children choose activities during each session, giving them opportunities to make decisions rather than follow an entirely adult-led sequence. That choice is a useful part of the offer, especially for children who become absorbed in an activity and want to keep exploring it.

In December 2024, learning drew on children's interests and their next developmental steps. Play dough gave them practice using their hands and fingers, while counting toast and describing bowls of oats brought mathematical language into ordinary activities. These were practical experiences: number and quantity were connected to things children could handle.

Books also had a place in the day at that time. Adults read expressively to groups and invited children to contribute to familiar stories. Alongside listening, there were opportunities to join in and use language. The teaching weakness was the pace of some questioning: several questions could follow too quickly for children to process and answer them.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor space is enclosed and shaded, with a wildlife garden to which children have contributed. Watching plants grow and noticing changes over time gives outdoor play a purpose beyond simply spending time outside. Regular horticultural activities with Hopton in Bloom connect that learning to people in the surrounding community. Gardening is a shared activity here.

In December 2024, children searched outdoors for worms and woodlice with magnifying glasses, then put their discoveries on paper. Bicycles provided opportunities to share equipment and practise taking turns. Wooden posts offered a balancing challenge, with staff helping children recognise the risks when the surfaces were slippery. Those examples show how physical play, observation and independence came together during that visit.

Relationships and Communication

Settling follows the child's pace, with parents involved in the process. That matters for families whose child needs time to become comfortable with unfamiliar adults and routines: the starting point is the individual child rather than a single timetable for everyone.

Tapestry carries updates about children's development and learning, keeping parents connected to activities beyond the session itself. Stay and Play takes place each term and includes grandparents as well as parents. It gives family members an opportunity to participate in the play, rather than receive updates alone.

In December 2024, a lending library and ideas for learning at home added practical ways for parents to continue activities beyond pre-school. Independence was also part of everyday care: children practised putting on coats, tidying and clearing up after activities. These small tasks gave them responsibilities they could attempt for themselves.

At that visit, adults demonstrated polite exchanges while handing over books and toys. Children followed their example, passing drinks to one another and expressing thanks. Everyday interactions became opportunities to practise manners, alongside the practical responsibilities of coats and clearing up.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children do not need to be toilet trained before joining. For families considering a start from 20 months, this removes a specific entry hurdle and allows attendance to begin before that milestone.

The team includes a SENCO role, and staff hold current paediatric first-aid certificates. The process for developmental concerns involves talking with parents first and seeking written permission before sharing information with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists or an educational psychologist. Information is also shared with the next early-years setting or school when children move on, providing a mechanism for carrying information across that change.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 9am to 3pm from Monday to Thursday and 9am to 1pm on Fridays, during school terms. Families can choose a morning session from 9am to 1pm, an afternoon session from noon to 3pm, or a six-hour session from 9am to 3pm. Friday's earlier finish is an important part of planning the week.

Applications and waiting-list requests go directly to the pre-school. To apply, families email admin@upperhoptonpreschool.com with their child's name and date of birth. Visits for parents and children are offered Monday to Friday, subject to availability; a request for a particular place is followed by a discussion of the family's needs rather than a guarantee of that pattern.

Getting There

The address is Croft House Community Centre, Jackroyd Lane, Upper Hopton, Mirfield, WF14 8HS. A large car park provides a practical option for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to children eligible to claim childcare hours, within the term-time attendance model. Snacks carry an optional separate charge; families can opt out or supply their child's snack themselves, with the arrangement discussed with staff.

The optional snack charge is separate from funded childcare, so families can decide whether to use that arrangement.

• Time to think. In December 2024, some questioning moved too quickly for children to formulate answers. During a visit, ask how staff now allow pauses and respond to a child's own ideas.
• Child-led exploration. Adults sometimes steered activities too closely in December 2024, limiting children's investigations. Look for how the activity choices and wildlife garden give children room to develop their own play.
• Friday planning. The week ends at 1pm on Friday, while afternoon and six-hour sessions extend to 3pm on other opening days. Match that shorter day and the term-time calendar to your family's care needs.
• Support in practice. A SENCO role and parent-first discussions provide specific routes for raising developmental concerns. If your child needs additional support, ask how those arrangements would shape their settling and daily activities.

Upper Hopton Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a six-hour day during school terms. Its wildlife garden, Hopton in Bloom activities and termly family play sessions give the offer a recognisable community character. The December 2024 teaching priorities deserve attention: the strongest fit is for families who value children's activity choices and want those choices supported by patient, responsive adult involvement.