Allendale Pre-School

In March 2023, Allendale Pre-School's garden gave children space to climb, scoot and roll, alongside books and opportunities to write outside. At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and highlighted the progress of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The setting has capacity for 24 children aged 24 to 60 months. Its term-time calendar is a practical consideration for families organising childcare around school holidays.

In March 2023, a reading den and mark-making area brought stories and early writing into the garden. Children used scooters to practise steering and balance, and helped adults assess outdoor risks. Outdoor play therefore included both physical activity and opportunities to think about safety.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning and care, including communication, physical development and learning through play. In March 2023, stories supplied starting points for activities: children tasted porridge and used bear masks for imaginative play. A floor book helped them look back at what they had done.

Local shop visits also connected learning with everyday life in March 2023. Children bought food and wrote invitations asking shop assistants to visit. Indoors, china crockery in the home corner gave children practice handling objects carefully.

In March 2023, staff used spaces arranged to encourage conversation and shared children's learning updates with parents through an online system. Next steps were communicated regularly, giving families something specific to discuss rather than simply an account of activities.

Support in March 2023 included recognising missed developmental milestones and drawing on external agencies. Staff also helped children prepare for moving on to school. These are useful mechanisms for families considering how learning needs and changes of setting are handled.

The address is Happy Days, Shilburn Road, Hexham, NE47 9PT. Opening hours are 9am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the setting closes for school holidays.

In March 2023, the pre-school received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position rather than a promise of an individual child's entitlement.

• Changes between activities. In March 2023, some children lost interest while waiting before snack and outdoor play. The improvement priority was to shorten those waits. On a visit, ask how staff now organise these changes.
• Holiday coverage. The term-time calendar excludes school holidays. Families needing continuous childcare will need to account for those closures.
• Funding arrangements. Early-education funding supported attendance in March 2023. Ask which entitlements and associated charges apply to your proposed attendance pattern now.

Allendale suits families seeking a term-time routine, with outdoor space and story-led activities prominent in its March 2023 provision. The reading den, garden writing area and local shopping experiences give that account substance. The clearest point to explore is how children move between activities, since waiting interrupted some children's engagement at that visit.