Killamarsh Bears Pre-School c/o Killamarsh Sports Centre

A pre-school inside Killamarsh Active, with play, conversation and family involvement shaping its character: Killamarsh Bears combines a sports-centre setting with a clear emphasis on helping young children communicate and become more independent. It has 30 places in total and accepts children from two to four and a half years old. This is preschool provision rather than baby care.

At its April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support. The practical detail behind that judgement matters: children explored ducklings, discussed the safety of a homemade ramp and borrowed books to share at home. There was also a clear improvement point about giving children's own interests more room during planned activities.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and all-day bookings. That gives families more than one way to fit early education into the week.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS structures learning through play, covering children's language, relationships and physical development alongside early literacy, number work, creativity and understanding their surroundings. At Killamarsh Bears, the curriculum emphasises social and communication skills. For parents, that means learning includes expressing an idea, listening to someone else and managing feelings, as well as recognising letters or counting.

In April 2025, small-group activities gave children practice in listening and extending their vocabulary, while staff used questions to encourage them to think. Conversation had a practical purpose elsewhere too: children playing with sand and shells were encouraged to request a bucket politely rather than take it. These are concrete ways of connecting language with everyday relationships.

Learning also involved real experiences. In April 2025, children explored the life cycle of ducks and practised caring for and handling ducklings. Older children explained that they hatched from eggs; younger children described their webbed feet. That example connected observing living things with finding words to describe them. It should be read as an example from that period, rather than a recurring programme.

Play and Independence

A wooden-plank ramp provided a useful test of judgement in April 2025. Staff prompted children to consider its safety, and the children lowered it before trying it. The learning lay in making a decision themselves. Daily tidying responsibilities also gave children a task they could complete and take pride in.

The limitation was in adult-led activities. In April 2025, staff sometimes held too closely to the learning they had planned, leaving less scope for children to pursue their own ideas. Families who value child-directed play should pay attention to that distinction: purposeful activities matter, but so does what happens when a child wants to take one in another direction.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with parents on individual needs. This gives families a particular practitioner with whom to discuss care and development, alongside the option of speaking to other staff. The settling procedure encourages brief separations that gradually lengthen, with support continuing according to how the child settles.

Tapestry Learning Journal records children's experiences through photographs, video and diary entries and provides direct communication with parents. The Learning Journey Record captures interests and achievements, is shared regularly and welcomes parents' contributions. Together, these give home observations a place alongside what happens at pre-school.

Parent involvement goes beyond receiving updates. Families are invited to join activities, contribute ideas, support fundraising and meet staff to discuss progress. In April 2025, staff shared children's next learning steps and made books available to take home, creating a practical link between conversation at pre-school and reading with family.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Staff work with other professionals around additional needs. In April 2025, this collaboration produced individual targets, while extra funding supported experiences tailored to children's needs. Family photographs were displayed, and activities drew on traditions from children's homes, including tasting foods from different countries. These details gave children's home lives a visible place in the setting.

In April 2025, healthy-food learning included making soup and smoothies, with children discussing how food and drink helped their bodies. Daily snacks currently include options such as fruit, carrots and toast, accompanied by milk or water; snacks are charged separately through a requested contribution.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, and afternoons from 11.30am to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday. The all-day booking runs from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Paid early drop-off covers 8am to 8.30am, with late collection from 2.30pm to 3pm. Funded and fee-paying arrangements can have different times, so the standard session windows need to be read alongside that qualification.

The pre-school operates for 39 weeks of school term time and follows Derbyshire County Council's school holidays. Sessions are agreed with the manager. Families can contact the office by telephone or email to begin that discussion.

Getting There

The address is Killamarsh Community Campus, Stanley Street, Killamarsh, Derbyshire S21 1EL. The pre-school sits inside Killamarsh Active, near Aldi and the Killamarsh Parish Council office, giving families specific landmarks for finding it.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private fee-paying sessions are both offered. Funding includes 15 hours per week for eligible children and participation in the 30 Hour Funding Scheme, with up to 30 funded hours a week; attendance is term-time. Funded hours can also be split with another setting.

Working-parent funding codes must be reconfirmed every three months. If a code expires, booked sessions become fee-paying under the usual payment terms. This is an administrative deadline with a direct consequence for the family budget.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out the charging structure. Fees are payable at least two weeks ahead, and cancelling attendance requires a full term's written notice. Session charges continue during absence or term-time holidays, with the payment policy allowing specified medical exceptions.

• Children's own ideas. The April 2025 improvement point concerned staff following children's emerging interests during planned activities. On a visit, ask how practitioners now adapt an activity when a child takes it in a different direction.
• Term-time coverage. The 39-week calendar suits families arranging care around school terms. Families needing holiday care will need to factor that calendar into their plans.
• Funding and session times. Funded and fee-paying timings can differ, while working-parent codes need renewal every three months. Discuss the proposed timetable and payment terms together before agreeing sessions.
• Leaving or missing sessions. A full term's written notice is required, and absence can still attract session fees. These terms matter if work patterns change or a family plans travel during term.

Killamarsh Bears suits families seeking morning or afternoon early education, as well as those wanting an all-day term-time booking. Its key-person arrangement, parent contributions and digital learning journal provide concrete ways to connect home with pre-school life. The April 2025 examples give substance to its emphasis on communication and independence. The question to weigh is how much freedom children now have to shape planned activities themselves, alongside whether the term-time calendar fits family life.