St Margaret's Pre-School

A church-hall playroom with covered outdoor space gives St Margaret's Pre-School its village character. This charity-run setting in Laceby combines a parent-and-family management committee with a day built around play, familiar practitioners and opportunities to move between indoors and outdoors. It has capacity for 26 children, with provision designed for children from two years to statutory school age.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good on 30 June 2022. That is a dated judgement, while the current offer centres on independently accessible play resources, a key worker for each child and communication through Tapestry, an app for sharing development and memorable moments with families. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance patterns give parents different ways to use the provision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the curriculum: children learn through play, developing communication, physical skills and relationships alongside early mathematical and mark-making experiences. Here, the practical emphasis is on keeping familiar activity areas accessible so children can return to an interest, practise a skill and make their own choices.

The home corner, role play and painting and mark-making areas remain consistent parts of the environment. Practitioners enhance the resources in familiar activity areas around children's interests. For example, a building interest may prompt the introduction of measuring equipment or clipboards, bringing mathematical language and early writing into something the child already wants to do. That makes the connection between play and learning concrete.

In June 2022, children used puppets and pretend play to invent stories, while mark-making activities helped them practise the hand movements needed for writing. One observed activity involved making pretend soup with water and chives. These examples show the kinds of experiences used at that time to combine conversation, imagination and practical experimentation.

Outdoor and Community Life

One large playroom sits beside kitchen and toilet facilities. Outside, an enclosed area has a soft surface and a canopy, allowing indoor and outdoor play to connect even in wet weather. Outdoor learning takes place in all weathers, so clothing needs to suit the day rather than assuming play will stay inside.

The charity's management committee includes parents, grandparents and relatives of past and present children. Fundraising and donations help pay for equipment, toys and running costs. For families who value a role in the organisation behind their child's care, that committee structure gives the pre-school a clear community dimension.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has an allocated key worker who introduces themselves before the child starts and helps with settling. The same practitioner records development and special moments through Tapestry, which parents and carers can access without a limit. This provides both a familiar adult for the child and a clear person for parents to approach about progress or concerns.

In June 2022, parents knew their child's key person and received updates through an online platform, but some were unclear about the next steps in learning or how to help at home. Communication between providers also needed attention when a child attended more than one setting. Those are practical limitations: sharing photographs and updates is useful, but families also need to understand the learning behind them and how care connects across different settings.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and highlighted the key-person arrangements and the special educational needs coordinator's work with families and other professionals to support individual needs. The current staffing structure includes a special educational needs coordinator, a designated safeguarding lead and deputy safeguarding roles; practitioners' qualifications include Early Childhood Studies and pre-school practice.

In June 2022, the Colour Monster was used to help children explore emotions, with additional funding supporting emotional wellbeing. Staff also helped children manage disagreements and practise kindness towards one another. This gives a specific picture of the emotional support used at that point, rather than a general promise about every child's experience today.

Parents supply packed lunches for children attending a full day or an afternoon session. The pre-school asks families to keep nuts and peanut butter out of lunches as part of its aim to maintain a nut-free environment, and to notify staff about allergies or intolerances.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Church Hall, Grimsby Road, Laceby, Grimsby, DN37 7DB. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Full days run from 9am to 3pm on those four days, while Wednesday is a half day from 9am to noon and the afternoon is closed. Funded children can use flexible hours during the week.

Meadow Mornings is the named early session from 8am to 9am, Monday to Friday, and Forest Friends is the named later session from 3pm to 4pm. These extensions are being trialled. Their practical value is the extra attendance window; the names alone should not be read as descriptions of learning activities.

In June 2022, opening was term-time only. Current illness arrangements require children to be free of sickness or diarrhoea symptoms for at least 48 hours before returning, and payment remains due for an absent child's privately paid session. Parents must also tell staff if a different adult will collect their child, so collection can be authorised.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The funding arrangements include 15 hours for children aged three to five, normally beginning in the term after their third birthday, and an additional 15 hours for eligible working parents; funding for two-year-olds is allocated through the local authority. Private sessions are also offered, with invoices sent by email and payment accepted online or in cash.

Funded childcare carries a separate per-session consumables charge. Parents also supply sun cream in summer, so non-food supplies involve both a charge and items brought from home. Packed lunches are parent-provided for the relevant sessions, including when attendance is funded. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation; its fees and funding information explains the charge structure.

• Trial extensions. Meadow Mornings and Forest Friends extend the core session windows but are being trialled. Before building a working-day routine around them, ask whether both will operate throughout your intended attendance period.
• Learning updates across settings. In June 2022, next-step information for parents and communication with other providers needed strengthening. At a visit, ask how Tapestry updates now translate into practical ideas for home and shared plans if your child attends elsewhere.
• Lunch and allergies. Full-day and afternoon attendance require a packed lunch, with families asked to avoid nuts and peanut butter under the pre-school's lunch guidance. Families managing allergies should confirm current arrangements for their child's specific needs.

St Margaret's suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon attendance or full days in a village pre-school, with flexible hours for funded children. The shared playroom, covered outdoor area and allocated key worker give the offer a clear shape, while the charity committee creates opportunities for family involvement.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with two practical qualifications: parents needed clearer learning guidance, and information-sharing across settings needed strengthening. Those details matter alongside the attractive attendance options. For a family choosing this pre-school, understanding how communication works today is as useful as understanding the timetable.