St Barnabas Preschool

Bangles for counting and obstacle courses for movement give St Barnabas Preschool's January 2022 account its character: practical play, with social development given deliberate attention. At its 19 January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and judged safeguarding effective.

Based at St. Barnabas Church in Manor Park, London, the preschool has 30 places in total, with a current age range of 24 to 60 months. It operates during term time.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, connecting education with everyday routines. In January 2022, activities included exploring bangles, counting them and taking turns to hang them on a stand. One simple activity brought together sensory exploration, numbers and sharing.

Story time also provided practice in joining a group and listening. In January 2022, staff used songs, books and familiar rhymes to introduce words and their sounds; home languages were used alongside English for children learning English as an additional language. That gave children more than one route into understanding an activity.

Physical play had concrete equipment behind it. In January 2022, children practised balance on climbing equipment and tackled obstacle courses, making movement part of their learning.

In January 2022, settling procedures introduced children to daily routines, while staff responded with comfort and reassurance. Staff knew their key children and planned what they would learn next. Parents could follow those next steps through an online app and received ideas for activities at home, linking preschool learning with family life.

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that links with other professionals needed strengthening to improve the support for children's learning. This matters alongside the individual planning: recognising a child's needs and drawing on outside expertise are separate parts of support.

During January 2022, staff development included training, appraisals and supervision, with attention to interactions that supported children's language.

The address is St. Barnabas Church, Browning Road, Manor Park, London E12 6PB. Opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the preschool closes for school holidays. The calendar therefore matters as much as the daily hours for families organising childcare around work.

In January 2022, the preschool received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position, rather than a promise of an individual child's entitlement.

• Professional support. Strengthening external partnerships was the January 2022 improvement point. How are other professionals involved when a child needs additional help?
• Holiday cover. The preschool closes during school holidays. Families needing care throughout the year will need a separate holiday arrangement.

St Barnabas Preschool suits families seeking term-time childcare for preschool-aged children. Its January 2022 account gives useful substance to the Good judgement: hands-on counting, language work and physical play, alongside settling support and communication with parents. The improvement point concerns making fuller use of professional partnerships, a relevant consideration for families whose children need additional support.