Broughton Under Fives Preschool

Child-led play, a voice board for choosing activities and ready access to outdoor space give Broughton Under Fives Preschool its character. Based at the Village Hall in Broughton, it takes children from age two to school entry and has 32 places in total. Sessions bring together two-, three- and four-year-olds.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good, judged safeguarding effective and recognised tailored SEND support, while identifying activities that needed better adjustment to children's different stages of development. That educational picture needs to be read alongside later safety concerns. In June 2024, December 2025 and May 2026, Ofsted published regulatory outcomes covering supervision, premises risk assessment and outings, each recording corrective action after requirements had not been met.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day choices. The combination gives families more than one way to use the preschool, but the repeated safety findings deserve careful attention before choosing it.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play, communication, physical activity and learning to manage feelings and relationships, alongside early literacy, mathematics and creative exploration. These are the foundations of the offer. Children select resources, take part in independent play and join group activities rather than following a day made entirely of adult-led tasks.

A voice board gives children a way to express choices about resources and activities. A group activity near the end of a session also gathers ideas for the following day. That makes children's interests part of planning, with scope for a conversation or a preferred activity to influence what happens next.

The sessions mix two-, three- and four-year-olds, with a stated maximum of 32 children attending a session. Younger and older children also spend time in separate age groupings to help staff adjust learning, while continuing to interact. The useful distinction is between the whole-session cap and the group a child actually joins for an activity: the former does not describe every part of the day.

In November 2023, everyday tasks carried learning beyond organised activities. Children prepared fruit and cleaned their snack utensils, practised counting while constructing towers, and explored sharing by dividing painting equipment. These examples connect early mathematics and independence to something children are already doing.

The same dated account also identified a limitation: some planned tasks were beyond the abilities of children taking part, preventing full involvement. For a mixed-age setting, matching the task to the child matters as much as providing the materials.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow indoor and outdoor play runs from 9.30am to 11.20am and again from 12.30pm to 3pm. Children can move between activities during these periods, giving physical play room alongside craft, sensory exploration and role play. Outdoor access is a regular part of the session structure.

In November 2023, the concrete outdoor surface became a place for large chalk marks, while an obstacle course gave children balancing practice. Indoors, extracting dried spaghetti from play dough with tweezers exercised smaller hand movements. The contrast is useful: physical development included both whole-body coordination and the hand control needed for later practical tasks.

Settling begins before the first regular session. The preschool recommends at least two introductory sessions, each lasting about an hour to an hour and a half, so children and parents can begin building relationships with staff and become familiar with the routine. Key-person relationships continue into ordinary sessions, with staff supporting children as they settle into play.

Parents receive feedback about their child's day at the end of sessions. This gives communication a place in the daily routine rather than reserving it for formal meetings. Staff have paediatric first-aid training, and SENCO support forms part of the team structure; those are arrangements families can discuss in relation to their own child's needs.

In November 2023, additional support included adapted resources, individual care plans and advice from occupational, physical and speech and language therapists, as well as portage workers. Advice was incorporated into children's plans. Work with early years teachers at the local primary school also supported preparation for moving on.

Later safety events remain material because they concern more than one aspect of supervision and risk management. The June 2024 outcome addressed a child briefly being left unattended and recorded additional safeguards for movement into and out of the setting. In December 2025, corrective action concerned staff understanding of risk assessment. The May 2026 outcome addressed outings, with fewer children per adult introduced for safer supervision. Each outcome recorded action to put matters right; taken together, they make the consistency of daily safety practice an important decision point.

Snacks are included in fees, as are consumables, and funded hours carry no required payment. The preschool's snack policy provides for adaptations for allergies and intolerances; festival periods also introduce foods from different parts of the world.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Village Hall, Gate Lane, Broughton, Kettering, NN14 1ND. Attendance runs Monday to Friday during term time, with closure during school holidays. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07939 985 071 or by email to broughtonunder5s@hotmail.co.uk.

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, and full-day sessions from 8.30am to 3pm. The minimum booking is two sessions. Families can therefore choose shorter sessions or a day spanning both parts of the timetable, within the term-time calendar.

Optional Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 8.30am. It can be booked ad hoc before 5pm on the preceding day, is separately charged and cannot be paid for with funded hours. A late-collection charge applies after the booked session ends.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool accepts 15 hour Universal funding, 30 hour funding and 2 year funding, with a funding form used to access the universal entitlement. Eligibility conditions apply to the relevant funding routes. Childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare are also accepted.

Snacks and consumables are included in fees, including for funded attendance without required extra payments. There is no sign-up charge. Cash contributions and donations of materials or snack ingredients are voluntary, so families can distinguish a request for support from a condition of attendance. Current private-session prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

• Repeated safety findings. The June 2024, December 2025 and May 2026 outcomes each recorded corrective action, but covered different safety situations. At a visit, ask staff to explain how movement between spaces, premises checks and outings are supervised now.
• Learning across ages. Sessions mix children aged two, three and four, and the November 2023 improvement point concerned tasks that were too difficult for some children. Ask to see how the same activity is adapted for a younger child and a child approaching school entry.
• Term-time commitment. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions come with a two-session minimum and school-holiday closures. These arrangements need to fit the family's regular childcare calendar.
• Food allergies. Snack adaptations are part of the preschool's policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm the current ingredients and handling arrangements for their child.

Broughton Under Fives Preschool suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a full preschool day. Child-led choices, regular outdoor access and introductory settling sessions give the offer practical substance. Included snacks and consumables also make the charge structure straightforward.

The Good judgement from November 2023 supports the educational offer at that date, with a clear improvement point about adapting activities. Later corrective action addressed each recorded safety concern, but the repeated findings remain significant. A choice here should weigh the learning and attendance model alongside the consistency of supervision and risk assessment.