Bees in the Hive Pre-school

Hidden numbers to discover and a shared poppy for Remembrance Day give a concrete picture of Bees in the Hive Pre-school's November 2022 daily life. Based at the Bretton Centre in Peterborough, it accepts children aged 24 to 59 months.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found that children progressed well across their learning. Its strongest examples combined early mathematics, communication and relationships, with children eager to take part.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care: here, the November 2022 curriculum emphasised language, social development and building skills through play. Children counted objects and matched numbers with quantities, giving mathematical ideas a practical purpose.

In November 2022, cultural learning included discussing Remembrance Day and creating a large poppy together. This connected a shared activity with an event children were learning to understand.

Outdoor experiences that month included sand exploration and making marks on a large scale. However, children who preferred learning outside needed more opportunities. Books also needed attention: children could borrow them for home, but could not consistently reach them independently within the setting. These were concrete limits on children's choices.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified timely support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including referrals to other agencies. Picture prompts supported communication, while advice from speech and language therapists helped shape activities.

In November 2022, the key-person approach helped children develop close relationships with staff. Practitioners supported children to recognise emotions and treat one another kindly. Family activity sessions included pizza making, creating opportunities for staff and relatives to talk while doing something together.

The address is The Cresset Leisure Services Ltd, Bretton Centre, Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 8DX. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with closure during school holidays.

At the 22 November 2022 inspection, session times were 9am to 12 noon and 12 noon to 3pm. At that date, the pre-school provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Those arrangements describe the inspection period rather than a current booking offer.

• Outdoor learning. In November 2022, outdoor opportunities did not match the strength of indoor experiences. Families whose children prefer being outside should weigh this finding carefully.
• Independent reading. Access to books needed improvement in November 2022. Being able to choose a book matters alongside borrowing books for home.
• Attendance arrangements. Term-time opening means school-holiday closure. At a visit, ask how the morning and afternoon arrangements described in November 2022 work now, including funded attendance and any charges.

Bees in the Hive suits families seeking term-time preschool provision, with a November 2022 account of practical number learning and close staff-child relationships. Morning and afternoon attendance were both part of that account. The Good judgement carries weight, but the dated concerns about outdoor learning and independent book access deserve equal attention.