Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School

Glass doors connect a shared play space to digging areas, raised beds and Mud Kitchens at Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School. That connection gives its day a clear character: children can move between indoor activities and outdoor exploration, rather than treating outside time as a separate outing. Set within the grounds of Kirkby Malzeard Primary School, this charity is managed by parents and volunteers.

Children can attend from 18 months until compulsory school age, and the pre-school has 26 places in total. At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with strong support for communication and language. That judgement belongs to the provision assessed then.

Term-time attendance combines morning and afternoon sessions, full days and wraparound care, accommodating shorter sessions and longer days.

Rooms and Ages

One shared indoor space accommodates the provision, with activity areas rather than a sequence of separately named age-group rooms. A child can choose construction, dressing up or painting, then move to the Cosy book corner or Dough/clay table. Equipment changes regularly, while the activity areas remain accessible during each session. This gives children choices within a recognisable layout.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the required framework for learning and care, with children developing language, physical skills and relationships through play. Development Matters, guidance used to plan those experiences, informs both the equipment offered and the balance between children's choices and adult-led activities. It is the educational starting point here, rather than an extra programme.

The curriculum gives repeated actions, or schemas, a place in planning: staff observe patterns in children's play and use them to shape what comes next. Resources are intended to be realistic, open-ended and natural where practical. For parents, the useful distinction is that an interest can influence the next activity, rather than every child being expected to follow precisely the same route.

Two music sessions take place each week, alongside singing, stories and group activities. A rota helps children attending different sessions take part. Half-term planning is divided into themes, with opportunities for children to work individually, in smaller groups and together.

In May 2022, younger children joined songs and rhymes while older children tackled counting and subtraction during group activities. Staff explored what would happen as ice warmed, introduced vocabulary such as cowslip, and extended pretend firefighting into discussion of how people might feel. These examples show the inspected day combining conversation, practical investigation and imaginative play, rather than relying only on table activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Mud Kitchens, sand and water activities, scooters and ride-on toys give the outdoor space several different uses. Quieter sitting areas offer another choice. Raised beds and a water butt support growing activities, while soil, gravel and sand provide materials for digging; den building adds opportunities to make and rearrange spaces.

Outdoor play features in every session, with activities set up daily. Suitable outdoor clothing is expected throughout the year.

Community involvement also has a place. In May 2022, children participated in the village show, and trips extended their experience beyond the setting. Fundraising events include the Kirkby Malzeard Jumble Sale, Christmas and Easter Raffles and the Easter Bunny trail. These give the parent-run charity concrete ways to involve its community in supporting the provision.

Relationships and Communication

A key person takes particular responsibility for each child's interests and needs, helps with settling and works with the family throughout attendance. Staff exchange information about their key children when a colleague is absent, so that the arrangement does not depend entirely on one adult being present every day.

Settling can include short sessions with a parent or carer before the planned start, and a familiar toy from home is encouraged. Each child has a peg marked with a name and picture. These are small, practical ways to make the setting recognisable while a child becomes accustomed to spending time away from home.

Tapestry, an early-years software application, holds each child's Learning Journey: observations and photographs shared electronically with parents, who can contribute their own information. The value is two-way communication, with experiences at home able to inform the picture staff build at pre-school. Written development summaries also accompany key transition points.

Daily information can pass through staff at collection or drop-off, by email or through a communication book where further exchange is needed. Changes to routines should be given in writing. Parents wanting a more active role can join the management committee, whose monthly meetings provide a route into decisions about the setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND procedures use a graduated approach: initial adjustments and strategies are reviewed, with the key person involving the SENCO or manager and parents where difficulties persist. A SEN action plan sets out interventions, resources and responsibilities, with review dates agreed at least termly. External advice can inform support, and a health care plan can sit alongside it when medical interventions are needed.

The procedures provide for seeking local authority inclusion funding when needs exceed the setting's core resources.

Toilet training is not a condition of starting. Staff support families when they begin it, and clothing that children can manage themselves helps that process. The team includes a SENCO and designated safeguarding lead role, with paediatric first-aid training among the staff training listed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Church Street, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon, HG4 3RT. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm on the same days. A full day runs from 9am to 3.30pm, and a lunchtime session can be combined with a morning or afternoon.

Wraparound care extends attendance to 8am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8am to 4.30pm on Friday. The pick-and-mix model lets families combine sessions rather than committing only to a full day. All of these arrangements operate within the term-time offer.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone. A parental agreement records the sessions chosen and their associated fees. Payment is due before each half term, and withdrawing a child requires at least half a term's notice; fees also remain payable for short absences without notice.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted, including the 15/30 hours funding entitlement, subject to the relevant eligibility criteria; wraparound attendance can form part of those hours. Additional private hours are charged separately. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains payment and withdrawal terms.

Snacks, milk and water are included at no extra charge, while families provide a named packed lunch containing fruit or vegetables. Dietary requirements and allergy concerns form part of the information families give the setting, and its policy is to accommodate those needs.

Moving on to School

The pre-school occupies the grounds of Kirkby Malzeard Primary School. In May 2022, staff worked with the on-site school to support children moving on. Attending the pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place: families still use the local authority admissions process. The useful connection is transition support, rather than an admissions entitlement.

• Term-time fit. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance can be extended with wraparound care, but the service is term-time only. Families needing care during school holidays should weigh that boundary carefully.
• The building's future. Fundraising is directed towards replacing the existing prefabricated building. At a visit, ask how the project would affect the setting's accommodation and day-to-day arrangements.
• Independence and starting information. In May 2022, adults missed opportunities for children to do more for themselves at snack time, and information about children's existing abilities was insufficiently detailed at entry. Ask how snack routines and the initial family conversation work now.
• Food and younger-child supplies. Lunch comes from home, while snacks are included. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements.

Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those combining a full day with wraparound care during term time. Its shared play space, connected outdoors and parent involvement give the offer substance. The May 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, while the practical choice rests on whether this communal setting, packed-lunch arrangement and school-term calendar fit the child and family.