Leesfield Pre-School Group

A curiosity garden built with parents gives Leesfield Pre-School Group a recognisable character: families help shape the setting as well as use it. In November 2024, parents contributed to developing this outdoor space and supported fundraising and themed events. That involvement gives parent partnership a practical expression beyond conversations about a child's day.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good on 5 November 2024, with improvements needed in staff understanding of intended learning and support for children's emotions. The strengths and the cautions belong together. This is a setting where reading, physical activity and family involvement featured strongly, but the consistency of adult support still needed attention.

Based at Barn Fold in Lees, Oldham, the preschool welcomes children from two years and has 30 places in total. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon, part-day and full-day options.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage brings children's learning, development and care together; here, play includes opportunities to talk, count, listen to stories and practise physical skills. Those experiences connect learning to things children can do and discuss rather than keeping it separate from their play.

In November 2024, mathematics activities built on children's existing interests. Children counted and discussed the characteristics of flat shapes. Staff planned learning around what children already understood, with their eventual move to school in mind. The important caution was that some practitioners did not understand the intended learning clearly enough: activities could miss a child's developmental stage, and some children disengaged.

Storytelling had a tangible connection with home. In November 2024, staff chose books suited to children's ages and used expressive reading; children discussed library visits and took books home to share with their families. This gives parents something concrete to join in with, extending a story beyond the preschool session.

Changes to the learning spaces also prompted conversation. Children discussed unfamiliar resources and talked about the collages and models they had made. The emphasis was on using language while doing something meaningful, with creative work providing a reason to explain ideas.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2024, trips to the local park brought opportunities to use play equipment and tackle obstacle courses. Outdoor activity included hopping, balancing and running, while learning to use a scooter offered another challenge. These examples show physical learning through movement and practice rather than a single organised exercise.

The curiosity garden was another part of the setting's outdoor development, created with parent involvement. Families also attended a Halloween party. These were examples of participation in preschool life, rather than evidence of a fixed annual events calendar.

Community learning included encounters with local police and fire officers. In November 2024, children recalled learning about staying safe beyond the setting through those visits. Festivals and celebrations also gave them opportunities to explore differences between people and families.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, praised the identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and judged that children receiving this support made good progress. For a family weighing additional support, the important detail is the attention given to recognising needs and pursuing help, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

In November 2024, additional funding supported sensory resources, including lights and objects with different textures. Children explored brightness, colour and touch. This is a concrete example of funding becoming something children could use in their play.

Relationships with parents included meetings about children's progress, alongside fundraising and contributions to the learning environment. In November 2024, the setting also worked with external professionals and local schools. Planning considered children's next learning steps and preparation for school; those links should be understood as support for transition, rather than an admissions advantage.

Emotional support was less consistent. In November 2024, some staff gave uneven guidance about expectations, and some children consequently found it difficult to manage their emotions. Families should weigh that finding alongside the positive examples of children caring for one another. Warm relationships matter, but children also need adults to respond consistently when feelings become difficult.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am or 9.30am until noon; afternoon sessions start at noon or 12.30pm and finish at 3pm.

Part Day runs from 9am or 9.30am until 1.30pm. Full Day uses the same two start times and finishes at 3pm. These choices allow families to distinguish a short morning or afternoon from a longer day, with the later start providing another practical variation. The term-time calendar remains central to the arrangement.

The address is Barn Fold, Lees, Oldham, OL4 5DN. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email through the preschool's contact route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with information covering two-year funding and the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements. The two-year entitlement depends on eligibility; the preschool's information also describes the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds and additional hours for eligible working parents. Attendance here is term-time, so the general explanation of stretching funding should not be read as a year-round booking option.

Private childcare is also offered. Fees are payable ahead of attendance, normally at the child's first session of the week, and payments are non-refundable. Charges continue for missed sessions, including sickness and holidays taken during term. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

• Consistency of learning. In November 2024, some activities did not match children's development because staff were unclear about the intended learning. On a visit, ask how practitioners now plan and adapt activities for individual children.
• Support with emotions. The November 2024 findings identified uneven adult responses to children's behaviour. Ask how staff agree their approach when a child becomes upset or struggles with expectations.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon, part-day and full-day patterns sit within a term-time calendar. Families needing care through school holidays will need to account for that boundary.
• The full cost of a session. Missed sessions remain chargeable. Before agreeing a pattern, ask for a written quotation setting out the treatment of meals and non-food consumables, including on funded hours.

Leesfield suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting a part-day or full-day term-time arrangement. Parent involvement has substance: the curiosity garden, progress meetings and fundraising show different ways families have participated.

The November 2024 picture combines engaging practical experiences with two clear weaknesses in consistency. Reading shared with home, outdoor movement and sensory resources give the preschool character. The decisive visit questions concern how staff now translate learning plans into suitable activities and help children handle difficult feelings.