Longthorpe Preschool, School Site

Mud-area discoveries, expressive storytelling and children preparing their own snacks give Longthorpe Preschool a clear character in its December 2022 inspection account. Practical exploration runs through those examples, from investigating vegetables to discussing animals that lay eggs. At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding, found safeguarding effective and praised the targeted support for children with speech and language difficulties.

Based at Longthorpe Primary School in Peterborough, the setting has capacity for 30 children aged three to five. Its preschool opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time, with school holidays closed. Longthorpe also runs Breakfast Club and After School Club for children attending the primary academy, a separate offer from the preschool day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the required framework here: in December 2022, children’s experiences included conversations during construction, shared stories and practical exploration of food. These examples show how learning connected with what children were doing, giving families a concrete picture of the preschool’s educational work at that time.

In December 2022, staff planned around children’s interests and discussed individual learning targets together. Questions were followed by time for children to think before answering. When an expression came up during brick-building, staff explored its meaning with the children. That is a useful detail for parents interested in how conversation can develop understanding during play.

Books had an active role in the December 2022 day. Children returned to familiar stories, listened to expressive reading and joined in repeated phrases. Instruments also signalled changes between activities, helping children recognise the routines. Together, these examples describe a day with both sustained play and understandable transitions.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2022, the outdoor mud area provided a setting for excavation with buckets, spades and magnifying glasses. An egg-finding activity led into discussion of different egg-laying animals. The physical space mattered: children could handle tools and investigate materials while staff extended the conversation.

Movement took several forms at that time, including yoga, dancing, climbing and obstacle courses. Outdoor running and equipment use gave children opportunities to practise movement and muscle control. Staff also introduced celebrations beyond children’s own family traditions, connecting their experiences with the community around them.

In December 2022, children had close relationships with staff and friendships with one another. They understood daily routines and behavioural expectations, and used polite language. For families, those observations describe the social side of preschool as clearly as the learning activities do.

Speech and language support in December 2022 involved outside specialists and individual intervention programmes with specific learning targets. Staff also used their language skills to help parents who spoke other languages. These are concrete mechanisms for support, with the inspection judgement applying to the practice seen at that time.

Communication in December 2022 included sharing resources and ideas that parents could use to continue learning at home. Staff discussed teaching strategies for children’s individual learning targets, linking planning with what each child needed to learn. This gives parents a useful basis for discussing how home and preschool work together.

Independence was practical in December 2022: children poured drinks and helped get snacks ready. Food exploration included okra, aubergine and bitter gourds, with child-friendly knives and conversations about seeds, colour and texture.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Longthorpe Primary School, Bradwell Road, Peterborough, PE3 9QW. Preschool opening hours are 9am to 3pm on weekdays during term time; the setting closes for school holidays. That calendar is central to whether it fits a family’s working arrangements.

Breakfast Club starts at 7.45am and continues until the school day begins. Children can eat breakfast and play with friends. After School Club operates Monday to Friday, with a drink, snack and activities that may include planting, games or cooking. These clubs serve the primary academy’s children, so families should keep their purpose separate from the preschool provision.

Funding and Moving On

In December 2022, the preschool provided funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. This is a dated description of its funding offer, alongside the inspection-era account of its day.

The preschool is based on the primary-school site. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a place at Longthorpe Primary School.

• Term-time calendar. Preschool operates during term time and closes for school holidays. Families needing care across the year will need to account for those closures.
• Preschool and school clubs. Breakfast Club and After School Club serve children attending the primary academy. Their hours should be considered separately from the preschool’s 9am to 3pm opening window.
• A dated picture of support. The detailed account of speech and language interventions comes from December 2022. At a visit, ask how individual support and communication with parents work now.

Longthorpe suits families seeking term-time preschool for children aged three to five, while its breakfast and after-school patterns serve primary-academy families. The December 2022 account gives the preschool its character: outdoor investigation, conversation woven into play and small practical steps towards independence. The Outstanding judgement is valuable, but its date matters. Choose it with a clear distinction between the preschool day and the school-age clubs.