Tick Tock All Stars Pre-School, Six Ways

Weekly gymnastics, cooking lessons and an outdoor play area give this Six Ways preschool a practical, active character. The emphasis is on children doing things for themselves: exploring through play, moving their bodies and taking part in everyday tasks. Play-based learning forms part of the preschool's preparation for school.

Tick Tock All Stars Pre-School, Six Ways has 32 places in total and caters for children aged 24 to 60 months, at Six Ways Island, Denton Green, Nottingham. Ofsted rated it Good on 15 September 2022, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. That is a dated assessment, and the detail beneath it matters: independence was visible in daily routines, while activity planning and conversations with quieter children needed attention.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care, with play helping children develop their communication, physical abilities and early understanding. Here, the play-based approach includes water and sand activities, reading, writing, maths and science. These give children different ways to explore ideas, rather than expecting every child to learn through the same activity.

Cooking lessons and weekly gymnastics sessions add practical experiences alongside that framework. Cooking brings learning into an everyday task; gymnastics gives physical activity a place in the weekly rhythm. Outings also form part of the weekly offer. Together, these experiences suit families who want movement and hands-on exploration to sit alongside early literacy and number work.

In September 2022, activities included self-portraits painted on plates, with colours allowing children to represent different skin tones. This connected creative work with recognising themselves and their backgrounds. Staff also watched how children responded to materials: a child's enjoyment of squeezing dough prompted plans for further messy play. The useful principle was responsiveness to the child, rather than simply completing a planned task.

The same September 2022 assessment identified a weakness in how activities followed on from one another. Some children lacked the earlier understanding needed to benefit fully from the task in front of them. For parents, the distinction is important: an appealing activity needs to fit what a child already understands and what they are ready to learn next.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor play area provides space for climbing, jumping, running and exploring nature. It gives physical play a setting of its own, alongside the indoor activities. The weekly outings extend children's experiences beyond the preschool.

In September 2022, children visited a local park and played a cooperative parachute game, keeping a ball moving together. The activity combined movement with taking account of other children. Outdoor chalkboard drawing also linked physical control with early writing: children drew faces and identified their features. These were concrete examples of learning through action, rather than outdoor time being simply a break from learning.

Independence was part of ordinary routines in September 2022. Children helped themselves to lunch, poured water and cleared their plates afterwards. Adults also encouraged nose-blowing followed by handwashing. Such tasks gave children opportunities to practise looking after themselves within the preschool day.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described tailored help for children with additional needs, including individual reassurance during stories. The practical example matters more than a broad promise of inclusion: support was adjusted for a child who found sitting through story time difficult.

Communication needed a more even reach in September 2022. Staff spoke frequently with children, but those who were less vocal did not receive the same opportunities to stretch their language as confident speakers. This is a meaningful consideration for families whose child tends to listen rather than join in. Frequent adult talk alone does not establish that every child is drawn into conversation.

Daily exchanges with parents and photographs through an online app formed part of communication in September 2022. Staff also observed children's interests and existing abilities as they began attending, using that understanding to plan what came next. An end-of-year graduation event marked the move towards school, giving children a shared occasion to recognise their learning.

Food is prepared fresh each day by the preschool's on-site chef, with breakfast, snacks, dinner and afternoon tea spread across five mealtimes. This makes eating part of the day's routine, with opportunities for social interaction and practising self-care.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The preschool operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Families balancing childcare with work therefore need to account for that Christmas closure as well as the usual holiday dates.

Getting There

The address is Six Ways Island, Denton Green, Nottingham, NG8 6GD. Preschool enquiries use 01159 780 325, option 2, which distinguishes this setting from the other Tick Tock locations. An online contact form also allows families to select the Denton Green preschool.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2022, the preschool provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That describes its provision at the time, rather than establishing a current entitlement or attendance arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Learning in steps. In September 2022, some activities moved ahead of children's existing understanding. On a visit, ask how staff connect an activity with what a child has already learned.
• Quieter children. Conversation opportunities were uneven in September 2022. Ask how practitioners bring less vocal children into exchanges that develop vocabulary.
• Attendance and charges. The preschool opens across the year but closes for bank holidays and one Christmas week. Discuss the booking pattern you need and request written terms covering funded hours, meals and consumables together.

This preschool suits families seeking an active, play-based experience for preschool-aged children, with weekly gymnastics, cooking and outings adding substance to the day. Its opening window and year-round operation are useful practical features, provided the Christmas closure fits family plans.

The September 2022 judgement offers a positive assessment with specific limits. Independence in everyday tasks was a strength; progressive learning and sustained attention for quieter children were the areas needing work.