St Nicholas Church Pre-School

Building a dinosaur from connecting blocks and retelling a story through play dough gave learning a practical shape at St Nicholas Church Pre-School in March 2023. Children's ideas drove the activity, with adults helping them take the next step.

Based at St Nicholas Church Hall in Uphill, Weston-Super-Mare, the pre-school has capacity for 24 children. At its 7 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good overall and found safeguarding effective. Children attending at that time were aged two to four.

In March 2023, the early years foundation stage framed children's learning and care: play brought together language, making things, social interaction and growing independence. Adults extended construction activities from wooden blocks to connecting pieces, giving children a different challenge rather than simply repeating a task.

Stories also fed into play. Children made pig faces in play dough, discussed their creations and anticipated what would happen next in a shared story. Adults introduced vocabulary, including for children learning English alongside another language.

The March 2023 environment supported children in choosing their activities. They used large play equipment with adult supervision and explanations about climbing safely. Finding coats and attempting to put them on gave everyday routines a practical purpose: children could practise doing things for themselves.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported individual needs, including SEND, once they had the necessary information, but initial information gathering from families and other settings needed improvement. That distinction matters for children whose care and learning span more than one provider.

In March 2023, signs and visual prompts helped children understand the sequence of the day, while small hand-held resources supported participation in group activities. Adults helped children negotiate turns, and children showed care for one another through friendships and shared hygiene routines.

There was a practical weakness too. During March 2023, nappy changes sometimes broke children's concentration, and adults did not consistently help them return to their activity. Protecting sustained play was an improvement priority, alongside gathering fuller information when children started.

The address is St Nicholas Church Hall, Uphill, Weston-Super-Mare, BS23 4UH.

In March 2023, opening hours were 8.20am to 2.50pm each weekday during school terms. At that time, the pre-school received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. These are dated operating arrangements, rather than a statement of today's attendance offer.

• Information at the start. Gathering information from parents and other settings was a March 2023 improvement priority. Discuss how your child's care requirements and learning information would be brought together before starting.
• Continuity of play. March 2023 routines sometimes interrupted absorbing activities for nappy changes. A visit can explore how personal care now fits around children's play.
• Attendance fit. The March 2023 opening pattern followed school terms. What ages, attendance patterns and funded arrangements apply now?

St Nicholas Church Pre-School merits consideration for families who value practical independence, construction play and stories that carry into children's own creations. Its March 2023 picture combines purposeful adult interaction with clear weaknesses in initial information gathering and the continuity of play. Those practical details give families useful priorities for a visit.