Hand In Hand Preschool, Oak Centre

Magnetic tiles attached to an outdoor fence, songs with actions and conversations that give children time to answer: the September 2024 picture of Hand In Hand Preschool, Oak Centre puts language alongside practical exploration. Ofsted rated the setting Good at its 10 September 2024 inspection.

The preschool has capacity for 20 children at Braunstone Oak Centre in Leicester. Children attending in September 2024 were aged two to three; provision then followed a term-time timetable with two daily session windows.

In September 2024, children explored puzzles by rotating pieces, tested which surfaces attracted magnets and built with magnetic tiles outdoors. These activities gave them concrete problems to work through. Daily singing introduced vocabulary through animal names and accompanying actions.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the September 2024 examples included conversation, stories, physical play and practical tasks, connecting language with what children could do and investigate.

Outdoors, stepping stones supported balance, while chalk on a blackboard and tools used with play dough exercised smaller movements. Staff demonstrated scissor handling, explaining finger placement and the cutting action. Manners were modelled through pretend cooking in the play kitchen.

Small-group work in September 2024 included stories and learning about body parts and movement. Distractions, however, prevented some children from sustaining their attention throughout. The organisation of these sessions was an improvement priority.

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), whose targeted plans, professional input and shared information helped them make excellent progress from their starting points.

In September 2024, staff used Makaton sign language alongside speech to support communication. Visual timetables made routines easier to follow, and staff gathered words in children's home languages from parents when they started. They also discussed children's language development at home, giving families a practical role in communication support.

Children then poured drinks and selected fruit and vegetables at snack time. Some were developing independence with toileting, but handwashing reminders were inconsistent, including after nose-blowing. Self-care and hygiene teaching needed more attention.

During that same month, leaders tracked children's development, held regular staff supervision meetings and supported staff wellbeing. This provided a structure for reviewing both children's learning and staff practice.

The address is Braunstone Oak Centre, Bendbow Rise, Leicester, LE3 1QA.

In September 2024, the preschool operated on weekdays in term time, with sessions running from 9am to midday and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. These were separate session windows rather than a continuous day.

At that time, it provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. That age-based funding provision is separate from the two-to-three age range of children attending at the inspection.

• Group attention. September 2024 small-group activities lost some children's attention because of surrounding distractions. Ask how these sessions are now organised to help children participate.
• Self-care routines. Handwashing after nose-blowing was an improvement point in September 2024. The practical question is how staff now reinforce hygiene while encouraging independence.
• Term-time sessions. The September 2024 timetable had two separate daily windows. Confirm the current attendance pattern before planning childcare around work commitments.

This preschool suits families drawn to language-rich play, practical exploration and structured communication support. Its September 2024 attendance model served both morning and afternoon session needs during term time. The useful balance is clear: substantial support for communication and SEND, alongside specific improvements needed in group participation and everyday self-care.