Smart Start Wistow Community Pre School

A village hall, a preschool garden and a committee-led organisation give Smart Start Wistow Community Pre School a clear community identity. Based in Wistow, near Selby, it serves children aged two to four and has 24 places in total. The setting occupies The New Jubilee Village Hall, with a large field and tennis courts around it. These are features of its surroundings, rather than a promise that every space forms part of the children's daily provision.

At its December 2025 inspection, Ofsted assessed behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, inclusion, and leadership and governance at Strong standard, with achievement and curriculum and teaching at Expected standard, and safeguarding standards met. The distinction matters: care and relationships earned stronger judgements than teaching, where staff's knowledge of individual learning targets needed more consistent organisation.

Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time. For families choosing a first preschool experience, the combination of shorter attendance patterns and a community setting is the practical attraction.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: speaking, counting, movement, stories and creative play help children develop skills through everyday experiences. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision. Songs, stories and counting give children playful opportunities to develop communication, movement and early mathematical skills.

In December 2025, learning was organised around a book theme and a word theme each week. Stories were selected to introduce children to ideas about the world, while accessible displays allowed them to return to familiar books themselves. That arrangement gave reading a place beyond adult-led story time: children could choose a book and revisit an interest.

Singing and group activities also featured throughout the day in December 2025. Practitioners added vocabulary to conversations during play, and a targeted speech and language programme operated with the local authority. The concrete addition was language support woven into ordinary activities, alongside more targeted work.

Painting and measuring supplied another useful example from December 2025. Children used rulers to make lines and compare dimensions, bringing early mathematics together with hand control. At snack time, tweezers offered a different opportunity to practise small movements. These were practical tasks with a purpose, rather than isolated exercises.

Outdoor and Community Life

The preschool garden is a physical feature of the current setting. In December 2025, children also had outdoor activity each day, took regular walks and visited a local park and a nearby farm. Those outings extended their experience beyond the hall; the frequency attached to walks should not be read as a fixed timetable for every destination.

Outdoor play during December 2025 included children testing how pine cones travelled through a pipe and proposing water as a way to change the result. Older children combined leaves and pine cones in pretend cooking. Both examples show how simple materials prompted investigation or shared imaginative play.

Outdoor development was also a leadership priority in December 2025. Fundraising had secured money for improvements, with more room for bike riding identified as a goal. That is a useful distinction for families: the outdoor setting exists, while the inspection-time plans concerned how to develop it further.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a key person, giving the family a particular practitioner with responsibility for understanding their needs. Parents and children meet that person at their first session. This provides a clear relationship to build, rather than leaving communication to whichever adult happens to be present.

In December 2025, younger children approached familiar adults for comfort, while older children practised sharing games and taking turns. Staff used songs and gestures to signal changes of activity. Predictable signals made the day's transitions easier to follow, especially for children still learning the routine.

Care arrangements in December 2025 were adjusted around individual sleep, eating and toileting needs. Parents received updates about the day, and children practised everyday independence through handwashing and small responsibilities. The current parent partnership arrangements also provide time for families to discuss concerns and contribute suggestions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that individual support, early identification of needs and work with external professionals enabled children with SEND to make secure progress from their own starting points. In December 2025, practical measures included individual help during transitions outdoors, targeted language resources and support plans shared between settings.

The current team includes a SENDCo, a Designated Safeguarding Lead and a deputy safeguarding lead, with paediatric first-aid training among staff. These are arrangements families can understand and discuss; the dated safeguarding judgement above is the assessment of effectiveness.

School preparation in December 2025 included cooperation with local schools and other settings, alongside sharing individual support plans. Children also practised responsibilities such as serving their cereal and milk. The emphasis was on practical independence and continuity of support.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 9am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday. Attendance operates during term time, with a morning session from 9am to 12.15pm and an afternoon session from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. A lunchtime session runs from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. The afternoon and lunchtime periods overlap, so they should be understood as booking options rather than consecutive blocks to add together.

The address is Wistow Jubilee Hall, Jubilee Road, Wistow, Selby, YO8 3YP. Families can make an enquiry using the contact form, by email at wistowsmartstart@gmail.com or by telephone on 01757 242576.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and nonfunded places are offered for children aged two to four. Private session charges and a per-session snack contribution form part of the charge structure; families obtain current prices in a written quotation from the preschool. The sessions and fees information sets out the attendance options and snack contribution.

Children attending Lunch Club can bring a packed lunch from home or choose a separately charged hot lunch supplied by Wistow Primary School. The hot-lunch options follow a three-week menu rotation for the autumn term.

• Individual learning targets. In December 2025, systems for keeping every practitioner informed about their key children's next learning targets were not fully established, which affected how consistently teaching matched individual needs. Ask how those targets are now communicated across the team.
• Term-time attendance. Morning and afternoon sessions serve different parts of the day, while attendance follows school terms. This suits families whose childcare arrangements can accommodate the holidays.
• Committee involvement. The preschool is a nonprofit organisation supported by a managing committee, and parental involvement contributes to fundraising and its operation. Consider whether that community role fits the time your family can give.

Smart Start suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool attendance, with a key-person relationship and a village community setting. Its garden, practical play and language work give the offer substance. The December 2025 findings also leave a clear issue to weigh: positive care and inclusion sat alongside a need to make individual learning targets more consistently understood by staff. For parents, that makes teaching follow-through the central point to explore.