Hedgehogs Preschool at Silverdale

Book borrowing and links with the host school's Reception class shaped Hedgehogs Preschool at Silverdale's November 2022 inspection picture. In November 2022, children could choose books in a cosy reading area and take them home to share with their families, while older children joined phonics activities at Silverdale Primary Academy. Early reading connected home, preschool and school.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, made good progress from their individual starting points. That is a dated assessment, with specific teaching improvements to weigh alongside it.

The preschool accepts children aged 18 to 48 months and operates within Silverdale Primary Academy in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Its current opening hours are 9am to 3pm on weekdays, during term time.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning and care: in parent terms, this brings play, communication, physical development and early learning into the same day. In November 2022, children had both activities organised by adults and opportunities to choose their own play. Taking off their coats independently and selecting something to do gave them practical responsibility as well as choice.

Dough-making brought several kinds of learning together that November. Children combined flour with water, counted as they worked through a recipe and explored words for texture. These were concrete ways to connect language and numbers with something they could handle. The limitation was in how adults extended those experiences: questions did not consistently encourage children to think further for themselves.

Creative work also had a social element. In November 2022, children collaborated on a collage shaped like a bear, explored instruments and sang together. Books had their own inviting space, and borrowing them extended reading beyond the preschool day. That physical reading area matters more than a broad claim about encouraging literacy: children had somewhere to choose and explore books independently.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor play formed part of the November 2022 routine. Autumn leaves became material for throwing, kicking and noticing seasonal change, joining movement with an introduction to the natural world. Celebrations across the year also introduced children to traditions and cultures beyond their own experiences. These examples show the breadth of the day at that time, rather than a current timetable of events.

In November 2022, children sought comfort from their key person and other staff, and practitioners knew their individual personalities. Before a child started, staff collected information from parents to help preserve familiar care routines. For a family managing the move into preschool, that makes settling a conversation about the particular child rather than simply a start date.

Staff watched children during play to identify development needs. However, individual learning priorities needed sharper attention, and the arrangements for communicating those priorities across the team needed strengthening. The practical issue was continuity: a child's next learning step should inform support from whichever practitioner was working with them.

The current Silverdale team includes practitioners with paediatric first aid training. This is a concrete care arrangement; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection rather than to staff certificates.

School transition was another practical thread in November 2022. Practitioners exchanged relevant information with teachers at Silverdale Primary Academy, and older children participated in Reception phonics activities. Familiarity with learning routines and continuity between adults were the benefits described, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Silverdale Primary Academy, Racecourse, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 6PB. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, in term time. Families needing care during school holidays should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.

In November 2022, sessions ran from 9am to midday and from midday to 3pm. Those are historical session times, separate from the current opening window. Enquiries can be made through the Silverdale contact form or by telephone on 07583 600952.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2022, the preschool provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families should obtain a current written quotation before committing to paid childcare.

Sharing a site with Silverdale Primary Academy does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority's school admissions process. The preschool's transition work and the school's admissions decision serve different purposes.

• Individual learning priorities. The November 2022 improvement points concerned sharing each child's next steps and developing adults' questioning. On a visit, ask how practitioners now use those priorities during everyday play.
• The term-time calendar. Weekday opening is 9am to 3pm during term time. This needs to fit the family's holiday childcare arrangements as well as its usual week.
• The written quotation. Before booking, ask which attendance patterns and funded arrangements apply to your child, and how meals, snacks and non-food consumables are handled within the quotation.

Hedgehogs Preschool at Silverdale suits families seeking term-time preschool care within a primary-school setting, especially those who value early reading and practical preparation for the next stage. The November 2022 examples give substance to that appeal: book borrowing, shared creative work and contact with Reception learning. The teaching improvement points deserve equal attention. Individual learning priorities and the questions adults use are useful tests of how the preschool supports a child's progress today.