Emmer Green Pre-School

A storybook tea party and spice-scented dough gave learning a practical shape at Emmer Green Pre-School in February 2024. Everyday activities connected stories, conversation and making things. At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good overall and asked staff to develop children's vocabulary and understanding through longer conversations.

Based at Emmer Green Youth & Community Centre in Reading, the setting has 30 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months. That capacity describes the whole pre-school, rather than the size of an individual group.

In February 2024, the early years foundation stage took concrete form through listening games, songs, counting and recognising the first sounds in children's names. Children guessed what was concealed in a bag, giving them a reason to listen carefully and take part.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea inspired a tea party, while The Gingerbread Man prompted dough-making with spices and a shared story. These activities gave children several ways to engage with a book: handling materials, noticing smells and joining familiar phrases. The language-development recommendation matters here because children were eager to contribute ideas, but staff did not consistently expand those exchanges.

Small wooden pieces, hammers and nails featured in picture-making during that February 2024 visit. Children practised careful hand movements with a tangible purpose. Indoor and outdoor spaces both supported activities, and music with movement involved stretching, bouncing and following instructions. Children also led the movements.

During February 2024, activities emphasised physical development, language and social skills across all seven areas of learning. Staff also helped children explore their individuality, cultural beliefs and independence. For a family, this gives a fuller picture of the day: learning involved how children understood themselves and related to others, alongside their early experiences of sounds and numbers.

The stories had several points of participation at that visit. Children identified animals in the illustrations, and older children contributed a familiar repeated line from The Gingerbread Man. Spiced dough prompted descriptions of its texture and a smell children associated with biscuits. These were concrete opportunities to put experiences into words, making the recommendation to extend conversations relevant to activities children already enjoyed.

Physical games also involved understanding boundaries. In February 2024, children followed an indoor game's safety rule about walking. Movement activities required careful listening as well as physical participation, so following instructions was part of the play itself.

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person arrangements helped children settle and that safeguarding was effective. Home visits helped staff learn about family backgrounds and children's interests.

In February 2024, familiar routines helped children understand transitions between activities and spaces. They tidied resources and treated one another kindly. Mealtimes also brought small learning opportunities: counting strawberries, recognising triangular sandwiches and clearing away afterwards connected practical independence with conversation.

Relationships were visible in ordinary shared tasks during February 2024. Children played alongside staff, understood expectations and lined up for changes between indoor and outdoor activities. Tidying toys gave them a part in looking after their shared resources. These examples help families picture what the routines asked of children, as well as how adults supported them.

Home visits at that time offered staff a way to learn about each child's interests and family background. Warm relationships with practitioners helped children settle and enjoy attending. The practical value lay in combining knowledge of the child with familiar adult support during the pre-school day.

The address is Emmer Green Youth & Community Centre, Grove Road, Emmer Green, Reading, RG4 8LN.

In February 2024, opening hours were 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, during term time. The pre-school also received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four at that time. These arrangements describe its operation at that visit.

• Developing conversation. The February 2024 improvement priority was to make fuller use of children's interest in talking. Families who place special emphasis on language development should weigh that recommendation alongside the story-based activities.
• Attendance pattern. The February 2024 timetable covered four named weekdays during term time. At a visit, what attendance pattern and funding arrangements would fit your child's needs now?

Emmer Green Pre-School suits families drawn to practical story activities and an emphasis on settling through personal relationships. In February 2024, practical learning and warm relationships were strengths, while extending children's conversations needed further attention. For families considering term-time care, the timetable recorded at that visit is a useful starting point when weighing how the setting fits family routines.