Meanwood Preschool

Map-making, number puzzles and weekly yoga gave Meanwood Preschool's June 2021 day a recognisable character. At its June 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding and found that its carefully sequenced teaching helped children make substantial progress and prepare well for school.

Based at Holy Trinity Community Hall in Leeds, the setting has 20 places in total. Children attending in June 2021 were aged 3 to 4; that age range describes the inspection cohort.

In June 2021, the early years foundation stage took practical form through counting, stories and exploration of the world. Children numbered completed transport puzzles, using a number line and staff guidance to connect counting with written numerals. This made mathematics part of an activity they had chosen themselves.

An atlas extended children's map-making: they looked for cities and roads, including Leeds. Staff adjusted activities as children's ideas developed, giving them opportunities to investigate their own questions. Books and storytelling supported language and literacy, while children shared words from their home languages with friends.

Weekly yoga sessions in June 2021 aimed to help children feel calm and support their wellbeing. Outdoors, children shared scooters and managed turns independently. These examples give parents a concrete picture of the balance between thinking, movement and social learning at that time.

A globe prompted discussion in June 2021 about countries, animals and people, which children then developed into maps of their own. They explained the colours they had chosen to represent land, sea, sand and desert lizards. Children turned the discussion into their own play and explained what their maps represented. For parents, the useful detail is the connection between talking, making and developing an understanding of the world.

The transport puzzles offer another detailed example from June 2021. Children first completed the jigsaws independently, then decided to add numbers; adults helped them use sticky notes, and the sequence reached 20. The activity linked a child's decision with counting, recognising numerals and writing them. Staff also discussed their practice together and used professional development to refine teaching. These examples help families understand both the learning children pursued and the work adults did to extend it.

At the June 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff alert to possible harm, clear about protective procedures and supported by recruitment checks; it also judged relationships with parents highly effective.

In June 2021, staff responded quickly to small upsets and challenged unkind behaviour. Children formed friendships and played together cooperatively. Adults also drew on children's family backgrounds in group activities, giving children opportunities to contribute something familiar to shared learning.

In June 2021, safeguarding work included knowing children and their families, recognising possible concerns and understanding where to seek support. Recruitment procedures were accompanied by continuing checks on adults' suitability. These were practical responsibilities alongside the everyday work of helping children manage friendships and upsets. For families, the account connects protective procedures with staff's knowledge of the children in their care; the finding belongs to that date.

During that period, online platforms helped parents support learning at home. Work with other professionals supported children's care, and preparation for starting school was a clear part of the preschool's work.

The address is Holy Trinity Community Hall, Memorial Drive, Leeds LS6 4LF.

In June 2021, attendance operated during term time, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions ran from 9am to midday; afternoon sessions ran from midday to 3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That timetable combined mornings across the working week with afternoons on specified days. These are inspection-era arrangements.

• Attendance fit. The June 2021 timetable combined morning and afternoon sessions during term time. At a visit, ask how today's attendance arrangements fit your working week and school holidays.
• Learning in practice. June 2021 activities included child-led maps and numbering transport puzzles. These are useful examples against which to discuss how staff extend children's interests now.

Meanwood Preschool suits families drawn to a preschool experience centred on children's ideas, language and practical mathematics. In June 2021, child-chosen puzzles and map-making connected children's interests with counting and knowledge of their local area. The attendance patterns described then served families seeking morning sessions and those using afternoon sessions, within a term-time routine.