Gingerbread Cottage Playgroup

A double mobile building in Launde Primary School’s grounds gives Gingerbread Cottage Playgroup a recognisable setting: two rooms on one level, an enclosed garden and a day built around preschool play. This is a separate childcare choice within a school setting. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Launde Primary School.

The playgroup has capacity for 38 children, with an accepted age range of 30 to 60 months. At its 11 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership to meet the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. Those are area judgements, rather than an overall grade.

Morning, afternoon and funded daytime sessions give families different attendance patterns during term time. The strongest reasons to consider Gingerbread Cottage are its practical emphasis on independence, opportunities for outdoor play and the school-site setting; the March 2026 findings also identify specific work needed on teaching interactions, partnership working and balanced lunches.

Learning and Activities

Two rooms share a single level, with both steps and ramp access to the building. Children have toys, games and activities across the indoor space, while the Snack Bar lets them choose what to eat. That choice gives a small, everyday task to the child rather than leaving every decision to an adult.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, its everyday meaning is learning through play and routines: practising conversation, handling materials, sharing resources and becoming more independent. In March 2026, communication and independence were the curriculum’s central priorities, with mathematics woven into activities rather than confined to a separate lesson.

Stories provided a recurring thread that month. Children revisited a story of the week and explored unfamiliar vocabulary, including cocoon, while group conversations gave them chances to describe the weather and think of words starting with a particular sound. These are concrete opportunities to practise speaking and listening. The next step was to make staff interactions more consistent, so that opportunities to deepen learning were used more fully.

Small-muscle development was another March 2026 priority. Children shaped play dough and practised cutting fruit, bringing hand control into purposeful activities. Circle time had also been adjusted to support attention and listening ahead of school. These activities connected school preparation with listening, attention and everyday hand skills.

French clubs run on Mondays and carry an additional charge. They sit alongside the playgroup’s core sessions as a separate activity choice; families considering them should weigh that extra commitment against their child’s attendance pattern.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden combines paved areas with artificial grass, giving outdoor play its own dedicated space. In March 2026, children used the garden daily and explored a climbing frame, taking turns and learning where to stand safely while others climbed. Physical challenge and consideration for other children were part of the same activity.

Cooperation also appeared indoors that month. Children building a block tower waited for each other to add a piece and shared the pleasure when it stayed standing. These small social moments matter: a group activity asks children to manage both their own ideas and somebody else’s turn.

In March 2026, staff used predictable routines and visual prompts to help children understand changes between activities. A dedicated space with resources for managing emotions gave children somewhere to regain their composure, and regular yoga sessions formed part of the support for emotional wellbeing. These were practical responses to different needs within the day.

At the March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received tailored social and emotional support and that targeted plans were reviewed with families, while identifying faster collaboration with parents and outside professionals as a next step. For a family seeking additional support, the important distinction is between having a plan and bringing everyone involved into that plan promptly.

Adults modelled manners and helped children settle disagreements in March 2026, including disputes over a toy. Staff stayed nearby when a child needed reassurance during a group activity. Children also took responsibility for small jobs, such as clearing their crockery and helping clean tables, connecting independence with looking after a shared space.

Food arrangements require some preparation at home: parents supply the packed lunch for the daytime session offered to children entitled to 30 Hours FEEE funding, while the Snack Bar offers choices including fruit, toast, pasta and paratha, with milk and water. In March 2026, healthier packed lunches remained an improvement priority because guidance to families was not reinforced consistently.

Sessions and Attendance

Gingerbread Cottage operates during term time for 38 weeks of the year. The morning session runs from 9am to noon; the afternoon begins at 1pm and has an end time of 3.30pm or 4pm. The separate daytime session runs from 9am to 3pm for children entitled to 30 Hours FEEE funding, with a packed lunch supplied by parents.

Lunch Club runs from noon to 12.45pm and costs extra. It is a separate booking element to consider alongside the main session, rather than assuming lunch attendance is part of a morning place. Monday French clubs are also separately charged.

The address is c/o Launde Primary School, New Street, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 4LJ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0116 271 1970 or through the contact form, selecting Gingerbread Cottage Playgroup as the location.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with 15hours per week or 30 hours per week subject to the Local Education Authority’s criteria. Delivery is term time. Eligibility and the particular session chosen need to fit together: the 9am to 3pm pattern specifically serves children entitled to the 30 Hours FEEE funding.

Current prices come in the playgroup’s written quotation. The separate charges for Lunch Club and French clubs mean the session choice and any extras should be considered together when comparing the total arrangement.

Sharing grounds with Launde Primary School does not secure a Reception place there. The location may make the school setting familiar, but the nursery booking and school application are separate decisions.

• Afternoon finish. Afternoon sessions end at 3.30pm or 4pm. When visiting, establish which finish applies to the pattern you want so that collection arrangements fit.
• Additional support. Faster collaboration with families and external professionals was a March 2026 next step. Families needing targeted support should discuss how reviews bring the relevant people together and how agreed actions are followed through.
• Lunch arrangements. The funded daytime session requires a packed lunch from home, and balanced lunches were a March 2026 improvement priority. Discuss the current lunch guidance, including how any dietary needs will be handled.

Gingerbread Cottage suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as eligible families considering the funded 9am to 3pm day during term time. The enclosed garden, child-led snack choices and practical independence give it a clear everyday character.

The March 2026 position supports a measured choice: all assessed areas met the Expected standard, alongside specific next steps on interactions, partnership working and food. Its school-site setting adds familiarity, while Reception admission remains a separate application.