Crosspool Community Pre-School

A wildlife garden, a shared school library and a parent-led committee give Crosspool Community Pre-School a clear community character. Based within Lydgate Infant School in Sheffield, it combines a small setting with access to the school's activity and outdoor areas. There are 21 places in total, with provision aimed at children aged three and four.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding on 14 May 2024. The strongest detail beneath that judgement is practical: children investigated insects, built elaborate models and used stories as starting points for imaginative play. These are useful examples of learning through doing, rather than school preparation reduced to sitting at a table.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered, with lunch an option alongside either shorter session. The parent-led management committee also gives families a route into the organisation of the setting, beyond their own child's daily experience.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play, with adult-guided activities alongside children's own choices. Small-group activities give particular attention to communication, physical development and social and emotional development. That means conversation, movement and learning to play with others form part of the educational day, rather than being treated as breaks from it.

Indoors, children can move between a home corner, a technology table, construction resources and spaces for books, craft and sensory activities. Threading and peg activities exercise hand control; water and sand invite exploration. Lego and Duplo provide different ways to build, while role play lets children develop ideas with friends. The value is in having several routes into learning: a child can talk, make, pretend or investigate.

The routine balances free choice with small-group and whole-group time. Songs, stories and home-to-pre-school books bring children together, while tidying gives them a part in looking after the shared space. There is a recognisable rhythm, with room for spontaneous activity.

In May 2024, language learning included clapping syllables, repeating greetings and talking about weather. Children used magnifiers to examine insects and discussed how caterpillars change. Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel also fed into play, with dolls and construction materials used to recreate story settings. These examples connect vocabulary to something children can examine, build or act out.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor provision has substance: a mud kitchen, reading den, sand trays and a growing area for vegetables. Children use climbing equipment and balance beams, ride scooters and bikes on a track, and explore the wildlife garden. Quiet reading, physical challenge and messy play therefore each have a place outside.

Shared access to Lydgate Infant School's library and activity area extends the resources beyond the pre-school's own room. The nursery describes a close working relationship with the school, giving the setting a connection to the surroundings in which many children later learn.

In May 2024, children also took part in yoga and tackled a trim trail and obstacle course. A dentist's visits contributed to learning about healthy habits through stories and role play. These were concrete opportunities to practise movement and discuss looking after themselves.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who builds a relationship with both the child and their family. Information gathered at the start, including parents' knowledge of their child, helps staff plan individual next steps. Observations draw on photographs, drawings, writing samples and family contributions, so planning is connected to what a child actually does.

That relationship continues through the child's time at pre-school. Staff can help with matters families are working on at home, and the home-to-pre-school books provide another connection between the two settings. For parents, this makes communication part of the learning process rather than simply an account of how the session went.

In May 2024, families contributed through stay-and-play sessions, volunteering and sharing cultural or religious experiences. Children also took responsibility for putting away their materials and helping clear the room. Participation extended to both adults and children, in different ways.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support highly effective, with staff identifying developmental needs early, involving speech therapists and local authority advisers, and using additional funding for individual support. This gives families a dated assessment of how support worked in practice, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

The staffing structure includes safeguarding lead and deputy roles, SENCO responsibilities and a SEND Support Lead who assists the SENCO. The deputy manager holds a Level 4 qualification in Early Childhood Education, and an early years practitioner holds Early Years Professional Status. These are concrete details about the team, rather than an unspecified claim about expertise.

Children bring a healthy packed lunch to eat in the classroom; snacks include vegetables, fruit, crackers and breadsticks, with voluntary donations requested towards snacks. Water is accessible through the day, and milk is offered at snack time.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Lydgate Lane, Sheffield, S10 5FQ, within Lydgate Infant School. Morning attendance runs from 8.30am to 11.30am; the afternoon runs from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Lunch occupies the hour between them, from 11.30am to 12.30pm, and can accompany either shorter session. A full day is also an attendance option.

In May 2024, opening was Monday to Friday during school terms. This is a useful distinction for families planning care around school holidays. The mix of shorter sessions and full days also means the pre-school can serve different weekly routines, rather than requiring every child to follow one attendance pattern.

Enquiries and visit arrangements go through the contact form or telephone. The waiting list gives priority to local children within a catchment aligned with Lydgate Infant School, and families can add a child's name during the academic year in which they turn two. Children usually begin in September and attend during the academic year before Reception.

The usual age group is three and four. Occasionally, children are accepted in the term of their third birthday, subject to space. That is a conditional entry arrangement, not a general offer for younger children.

Funding and Paid Extras

The pre-school accepts Working Parent Entitlement and Funded Early Learning. Its funding arrangements include 15 hours per week for three- and four-year-olds, up to 570 hours per year, and, for eligible working families, 30 hours per week from the term after the child's third birthday, up to 1140 hours per year. Additional attendance beyond a child's funded entitlement is paid privately.

Invoices are issued each half term, with payment due ahead of that half term. Families obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and costs page explains the charging arrangements. Packed lunches come from home, while snack contributions are voluntary. Purple and green uniform is optional, and families can supply their own bookbag instead of purchasing one.

Moving on to School

The pre-school identifies Lydgate Infant School as the school most children move to, while also recognising other local destinations. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families must make a separate application through the local authority's primary admissions process. Shared facilities and school preparation should therefore be understood as educational connections, rather than an admissions advantage.

• The school-term rhythm. Opening was term-time only in May 2024. At a visit, establish how the current calendar and your chosen morning, afternoon or full-day pattern fit your working week.
• Catchment priority. The waiting list favours local children within the Lydgate Infant School catchment, with names accepted in the academic year children turn two. This is a pre-school booking rule; a Reception application remains separate.
• Lunch and snack arrangements. Lunch is brought from home and snack donations are voluntary. Families managing allergies should discuss how their child's packed lunch and shared snack times will be handled.

Crosspool suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a full day in a community pre-school connected to an infant-school setting. The mud kitchen, wildlife garden, shared library and individual key-person planning give that proposition concrete substance.

The Outstanding judgement from May 2024 adds weight, while the attendance calendar and separate Reception application remain practical considerations. Its appeal lies in purposeful play, family participation and school preparation through everyday experiences.