Broadbottom Pre-school Playgroup

Play spills beyond the activity tables at Broadbottom Pre-school Playgroup: an indoor climbing frame, construction materials and walks through the surrounding area give children different ways to explore. Based at Broadbottom Community Centre, this parent-committee setting has capacity for 21 children. Its appeal is practical and personal: imaginative play, outdoor activity and parents taking an active part in preschool life.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in staff development and children's hygiene routines. That judgement belongs to that visit. The current offer combines morning and afternoon attendance with wraparound care during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the learning, development and care requirements followed here; in everyday terms, children develop language, physical skills and relationships through play alongside early number work and creative activity. Broadbottom puts that into a day with room for children to choose activities and shorter periods led by adults.

Circle Time brings children together for stories, songs, group games and sometimes meditation. Storytime and Singing also feature as adult-led activities. These give a shared rhythm to a day otherwise filled with role play, water and sand, puzzles, drawing and construction. Boxes, tubes and fabric are available for imaginative play, so children can decide what materials become rather than work towards a single finished product.

In October 2023, a story about The Three Little Pigs became a building investigation: children made structures using bricks and wooden tubes, then tested which would withstand their pretend wolf. Counting also developed through play, with adults extending a child's brick-counting activity by introducing another brick. These examples show how a familiar story or a simple construction task could become an opportunity to reason and experiment.

Outdoor and Community Life

Physical activity has concrete equipment behind it. Bikes, rockers, stilts, slides and balance beams feature in the routine, while the gallery includes an indoor climbing frame. That gives children opportunities to move as well as sit, make and listen.

The afternoon routine aims for local walks two or three times a week, subject to the weather. Families can sometimes help with nature walks and pond dipping, making parent participation part of the outdoor offer rather than only a committee responsibility.

In October 2023, outings included shopping for local produce and tasting lemon curd afterwards. Road crossings became opportunities to talk about safety. Outdoor play also included stepping stones, with an adult nearby to help children balance. The learning extended beyond equipment: familiar streets and everyday errands supplied things to discuss and investigate.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who keeps parents informed about development and maintains a Learning Journey containing photographs and examples of work. Parents can look at it whenever they wish. This gives families something concrete to discuss, alongside conversations with staff before or after sessions.

Parents and carers may occasionally stay during a session to see the activities and how children respond. Adults with useful skills or professions are also welcomed, with baking and knitting among the examples. Participation can therefore be hands-on as well as administrative.

In October 2023, children practised independence by handling their coats and pouring drinks. Older children helped younger ones find the bathroom, and adults demonstrated sharing and taking turns. These were small, everyday steps towards managing routines and being considerate of others.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The manager also holds the special educational needs and disability coordinator role; the deputy is a trained SEND coordinator and the designated safeguarding lead. Key workers use children's individual plans and observations during play. These are specific responsibilities and mechanisms for discussing a child's needs.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used observations to identify learning gaps and arranged support promptly, and that procedures for allergies and regular medication were followed consistently. Families needing support have a useful starting point in those findings, while the current coordinator roles provide the people to approach.

Staff undertake professional development through Noodle Now, an online training provider covering topics including food hygiene and children's mental health, and first-aid training through Millie's Trust. The preschool also belongs to the Early Years Alliance, which provides practical support and training for early-years settings. In October 2023, the improvement priority was to make staff development build knowledge more systematically, rather than simply provide training opportunities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Broadbottom Community Centre, Lower Market Street, Broadbottom, Hyde, SK14 6AA. Opening hours run from 7.45am to 5.30pm on weekdays, during term time. Term dates generally follow Tameside's calendar, with occasional differences for inset days.

The routine starts the main preschool day at 9am. Morning attendance finishes at noon; afternoon children are welcomed from 12.30pm, and the day ends at 3.30pm. Morning wraparound runs from 7.45am to 9am, with afternoon wraparound from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. These extensions sit around the preschool sessions rather than replacing their activity schedule.

Telephone and email enquiries go directly to the setting. Booked sessions remain payable when a child is absent, and missed attendance cannot be exchanged for another day. Payments can be made weekly or by half-term; an outstanding preceding half-term invoice prevents attendance starting in the next half-term.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is accepted for children aged two and above, including working-parent funding and funding for three- and four-year-olds. Funded hours can be arranged across different parts of the term-time day, including wraparound care; working-parent applications require a funding code, and changes in eligibility must be reported.

Children bring packed lunches and may also supply their own snacks, following the preschool's dietary requests and healthy-eating policy. Milk and mid-morning snacks are charged separately when supplied by the preschool, as are breakfast and light tea for children using extended hours.

Private childcare is also offered. Families joining can add their child's name to the next-intake list.

• Term-time attendance. Both the preschool sessions and wraparound operate during term time. Families needing holiday childcare will need an arrangement covering those breaks.
• Hygiene and teaching development. In October 2023, children were not consistently prompted to wipe their noses with tissues, and staff development needed a clearer cumulative direction. On a visit, ask how hygiene reminders and staff learning have changed since then.
• Food and personal-care arrangements. Packed lunches must follow the preschool's dietary requests, while supplied snacks and extended-hours food attract separate charges. Discuss current allergy precautions.
• A parent-run setting. The committee is essential to the preschool's operation, and fundraising supports equipment and maintenance. Consider whether committee meetings, helping on walks or fundraising would fit your family's time and interests.

Broadbottom suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with wraparound available to extend the day during term time. Its clearest attractions are practical: imaginative materials, physical equipment, local walks and a key-person Learning Journey that parents can inspect.

The October 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment, alongside specific improvement priorities. For parents who value involvement in a small community-centre setting, the committee structure and opportunities to join activities add substance to the choice.