Lincoln Gardens Pre-School

Eggs, chicks and muddy puddles gave learning a practical starting point at Lincoln Gardens Pre-School in March 2022: counting connected with nature, while outdoor play brought in measuring and early writing. At its 18 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding and judged safeguarding effective.

Based at Lincoln Gardens Community Centre in Scunthorpe, the setting has capacity for 40 children. Children attending in March 2022 were aged two to four. The strongest thread through that account was individual attention, with activities built around children's interests and existing knowledge.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. In March 2022, its practical expression here included conversation, counting, exploring textures and making marks through play. An activity involving eggs connected numbers with discussions about hatching chicks and investigations of feathers.

Outdoors that month, children added water to puddles and used their boots to judge depth. Sticks became tools for making marks in mud. These examples connected early mathematics and writing with something children could change and investigate themselves.

Planning in March 2022 also gave social development, emotions and communication particular attention. A discussion about camping encouraged children to imagine sleeping outside and identify possible sounds. Learning started with familiar interests, then introduced another question or idea.

In March 2022, staff gathered developmental information from parents and used children's portfolios to understand individual needs. Favourite books helped provide familiarity, and family occasions became part of relationships with parents. Communication included telephone conversations, email and discussions at collection.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children needing SEND support benefited from prompt professional involvement and tailored staff training, while additional funding supported individual work with children. This was a concrete support mechanism rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Health and independence also featured in March 2022 routines. Children washed their hands themselves and fetched packed lunches from their own bags or boxes; healthy snacks accompanied reminders about covering coughs. These small tasks gave children opportunities to manage parts of their day.

The address is Lincoln Gardens Community Centre, Stow Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2DY.

In March 2022, attendance followed the school terms, with sessions running Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 3.15pm and Friday from 9.15am to 12.45pm. Those were the arrangements at that visit. Friday's earlier finish was a material consideration for working families.

Funded early education for children aged two, three and four was provided in March 2022. Packed lunches came from home at that time.

• Term-time timetable. The March 2022 pattern included a shorter Friday. How do today's session arrangements fit your working week and holiday childcare needs?
• Individual support. In March 2022, additional funding paid for one-to-one work and professional input supported children with SEND. Discuss how those mechanisms would apply to your child's needs.
• Inspection date. The Outstanding judgement dates from March 2022. Use a visit to explore how the interest-led activities and parent communication described then work today.

The inspection-era account will appeal to families who value practical outdoor learning and individual attention. In March 2022, the term-time timetable included longer Monday-to-Thursday sessions and a shorter Friday. Its inspection-era strengths were concrete: learning through outdoor investigation, close attention to individual needs and practical links between home and pre-school. The dated judgement provides a strong assessment of that period; the daily examples explain what earned it.