Adel Pre-School

Ice experiments, bike ramps and pretend soup give Adel Pre-School’s inspection-era account a clear outdoor character. Based at Adel Methodist Church Hall in Leeds, the setting has 45 places in total and accepts children aged 12 to 60 months.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, with physical play, stories and children’s independence prominent in its findings. That is a dated assessment: the examples below describe daily life in January 2023.

In January 2023, outdoor play combined movement with investigation. Children balanced on wooden planks, rode bikes and examined ice they had frozen overnight. Ladders gave them climbing practice; tweezers brought smaller, more precise movements into the same day. These were practical opportunities to explore balance, coordination and changing materials.

The mud kitchen supported pretend cooking with fruit, vegetables and water. A shed outside also held books, connecting storytelling with outdoor play rather than confining reading to an indoor activity.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the January 2023 examples show how play could bring those strands together: stories prompted conversation, questions extended vocabulary, and shapes in sand invited children to work out how objects fitted on a shelf. Indoors, younger children connected books with their pets and home lives; painting with dinosaur feet added another way to experiment.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found that leaders adjusted their approach, obtained advice and understood the use of funding for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Those findings describe both the protective arrangements and the practical support assessed at that visit.

In January 2023, children were comfortable with staff, helping them settle and participate. Everyday routines encouraged independence: children buttered their own toast, while nappy changes included conversation about using the potty and toilet. Singing and action songs incorporated signing, giving children another way to communicate.

Parent communication was a strength at that time, but learning at home needed more consistent development. Exploration of cultures and home languages also needed greater depth. These are useful distinctions: positive relationships did not remove the need to strengthen those aspects of provision.

The address is Adel Methodist Church Hall, Gainsborough Avenue, Leeds, LS16 7PQ. The term-time calendar means attendance needs to fit around school-holiday closures.

In January 2023, opening hours were Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, during term time. At that date, the setting accepted funding for two-, three- and four-year-olds. These are historical operating details rather than a current session menu or funding arrangement.

• Holiday cover. Attendance follows a term-time calendar, with school holidays closed. Families needing childcare across the year will need separate holiday arrangements.
• Learning beyond the setting. In January 2023, home learning and exploration of cultures and home languages were improvement priorities. At a visit, ask how these now shape parent communication and children’s activities.
• Attendance and costs. How do today’s booking patterns, funded hours and charges for meals and consumables fit your intended attendance?

Adel Pre-School suits families seeking term-time childcare whose priorities include outdoor exploration, stories and practical independence. Its January 2023 assessment gives those priorities concrete substance through ice investigations, balancing activities and everyday self-care. The decision also needs to account for holiday cover and the development priorities identified at that time.