The Hermitage Pre-School

In July 2023, friendships, imaginative play and growing independence shaped daily life at The Hermitage Pre-School. In July 2023, children shared books with staff, helped younger friends with their coats and turned pretend shops into opportunities for counting. These everyday interactions made learning practical and social.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good at its July 2023 inspection, finding that children progressed well through a curriculum shaped around their interests. In Ruddington, the setting has 26 places in total; children attending in July 2023 were aged two to four.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care. Here, the July 2023 activities brought those expectations into play through number sequences, recognising letters and practising physical skills.

Younger children assembled railway tracks, while older children acted out teaching with alphabet cards. Sand activities encouraged children to search together for hidden objects. These examples show learning taking several forms, rather than relying on an adult-led task alone.

During July 2023, the railway activity gave younger children a construction task, with tracks to connect and engines to arrange. Pretend teaching gave older children a different role: they carried clipboards and used alphabet cards with their friends. Recognising a letter from their own name linked that game to something personally meaningful. The materials mattered because children could use them to build, organise or act out an idea.

Number work also grew out of play that July. Younger children counted the animals pictured in books; older children introduced prices and closing times into their pretend shops. When children traced numbers, staff prompted them to think about the next number. These were concrete ways to bring counting and sequence into familiar activities.

Outdoor play also occupied substantial stretches of the July 2023 day. Children investigated the marks toy cars made in soil, organised chasing games and practised scoring into football nets. Physical activity sat alongside close observation and imagination.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described close staff-child relationships that helped children settle. Familiar adults offered encouragement when tasks became difficult, including cutting boxes with scissors.

In July 2023, children practised pouring drinks and cutting fruit with staff guidance. Older children supported younger ones, and children negotiated turns during play. Care included opportunities to do things for themselves.

The July 2023 routines gave children recognisable signals for changes in the day. Bells meant it was time to tidy, and children understood the instruction. Before going outside, they formed a line and held a rope used to keep the group together. These details put practical organisation alongside the affectionate relationships described at that visit.

Peer support in July 2023 extended beyond getting coats on. Older children demonstrated a threading activity to younger friends, using dried spaghetti and cereal shapes. During football play, children proposed taking turns with a shared ball. Helping with a fiddly task and negotiating access to a toy offered different opportunities to practise consideration. Staff reinforced this behaviour with praise, giving children feedback on how they treated one another.

Staff supervision meetings and professional development supported the team at that time. However, routine care sometimes interrupted concentrated learning: nappy changes took place during stories. Protecting children's attention was the improvement priority.

The July 2023 safeguarding finding covered everyday staff practice as well as procedures. Staff recognised possible indicators of abuse and neglect, received regular training and understood their responsibility to raise concerns about children's welfare or adults' behaviour. Recruitment checks, continuing suitability checks and routine risk assessments formed part of the arrangements assessed then. This gives substance to the dated safeguarding judgement: it concerned staff knowledge, reporting responsibilities and checks on the environment, rather than a policy document alone.

The address is The Hermitage, Wilford Road, Ruddington, NG11 6EL.

In July 2023, attendance was term-time only, Monday to Friday. Monday sessions ran from 9am to 4pm; Tuesday to Friday sessions ran from 8am to 4pm. That timetable made the different Monday start relevant to families organising their working week.

The pre-school provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds in July 2023.

• Uninterrupted learning. In July 2023, nappy changes interrupted stories. On a visit, ask how care routines now protect children's concentration.
• Term-time planning. The July 2023 timetable covered term time and had a later Monday start. How does the current attendance pattern fit your working week and school holidays?

The Hermitage's July 2023 picture will appeal to families who value sociable preschool play and practical independence within a term-time timetable. Children had opportunities to investigate, imagine and help one another. The caution is specific: routines needed to give sustained learning more protection. This is a dated account of preschool life, with friendship and everyday skill-building its clearest strengths.