Leap Nursery

Community support gives Leap Nursery its character. Based at Clyde House in Ashton Under Lyne, it operates as Little Leaps Pre-School within The LEAP Centre, bringing preschool education into a setting that also houses family services. This is a not-for-profit nursery, with a practical emphasis on helping children prepare for school.

Leap has capacity for 45 children and accepts children aged two to five. At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, with a curriculum-planning improvement needed to make the next steps in children's learning more precise, especially for younger children. That distinction matters: enjoyable activities and clear learning progression need to work together.

Attendance includes full days, morning or afternoon sessions, and requested extensions, all within a term-time offer. For parents, the combination of shorter sessions and a school-holiday closure pattern is an important part of the choice.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, communication and everyday routines contribute to their education. Alongside it, Leap uses the Curiosity Approach as its named approach to early learning. The practical question for a visit is how that approach shapes the activities and resources children use.

In July 2022, stories and singing gave children opportunities to practise language throughout the day. Pretend food preparation in the home corner and water play involving caring for babies added different reasons to talk, imagine and interact. These were ordinary play experiences with useful educational possibilities: children could try out language while doing something that interested them.

At that time, activities followed children's interests and the needs of the group, including preparation for school among older children. The improvement point concerned the precision of that planning. Younger children also needed a clearer sequence of knowledge and skills to support what they would learn next, rather than participation in activities being the whole measure of progress.

Two resources extend the nursery's material into the home. Sing With Us provides nursery-rhyme lyrics, while Make It Yourself includes instructions for slime, playdough and a sheep craft. These give parents concrete starting points for shared singing and making; they are home resources, rather than a promise of scheduled nursery sessions.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2022, the outdoor space accommodated cycling, climbing on play equipment and painting with water. The combination gave children opportunities for physical movement and early mark-making outside. Outdoor activity therefore served more than one purpose, with space for energetic play alongside smaller hand movements.

During that same period, children explored cultures and celebrated festivals. Those experiences connected learning with the community the nursery served. They also offered starting points for conversations about other people's traditions, rather than treating preparation for school solely as an exercise in early writing or counting.

Free settling-in sessions are part of the current offer. They give families a way to introduce the nursery before regular attendance begins, making the initial adjustment a practical part of joining.

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with staff monitoring needs and working alongside other professionals. That is a dated assessment of practice, and its useful detail is the combination of attention within the nursery and help from outside it.

In July 2022, leaders had failed to tell Ofsted about a manager change, breaching notification requirements. This had no effect on children or the nursery's operation, and the provider had strengthened its understanding of which changes required notification.

In July 2022, children sought adults when they needed help, and staff responded sympathetically when emotions became difficult. Reading and singing sat alongside that emotional support. Parents could also speak with staff and receive additional help, linking children's experiences at nursery with what was happening at home.

Family support extended beyond the playroom at that time. A winter support fund helped disadvantaged families with food parcels and energy costs. This is a concrete example of the nursery's community role, rather than an assumption that attending automatically gives access to every service in the wider organisation.

Mealtimes in July 2022 brought children together for conversation, with opportunities to serve themselves and discuss healthy eating. Today, parents and carers provide a healthy packed lunch, and there are no separate charges for meals or snacks.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Clyde House, Clyde Street, Ashton Under Lyne, OL7 0NQ. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; requested extended hours run from 8.30am to 3.30pm. School holidays therefore need a separate care arrangement for families who require childcare throughout the year.

Private attendance is sold as a full day or an AM or PM session. Extended sessions cover 8.30am to 9am or 3pm to 3.30pm and carry a separate charge per request. Wraparound care and extended hours are also offered to families receiving funded nursery education. These options make the attendance pattern more adaptable than the central opening window alone.

Nursery enquiries use leap@leapcfc.org. Free settling-in sessions accompany the joining offer.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds through 15- and 30-hour arrangements, within the term-time provision. Private childcare is offered too. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing families to distinguish their funded attendance from any additional paid sessions.

Parents supply lunch. Meals and snacks attract no separate charge, and there are no charges for consumables or activities; these terms apply across the offer, including funded attendance. The separately priced extensions are therefore a different category from food, consumables and activities. For budgeting, the attendance pattern matters as well as the funded entitlement.

• Learning progression. July 2022 brought a specific improvement point about identifying the knowledge and skills children should acquire, especially the younger children. On a visit, ask how planning now makes those next steps clear and how the Curiosity Approach contributes.
• Term-time coverage. The nursery closes for school holidays, while its attendance options include full days, shorter sessions and requested extensions. Consider the whole year's care needs alongside the weekly pattern.
• Settling and lunch. Free settling-in sessions offer a practical introduction, while a healthy packed lunch comes from home. Families managing food allergies should confirm current lunchtime arrangements before attendance.

Leap suits families seeking term-time preschool education with a choice between full-day attendance and morning or afternoon sessions, plus requested extensions. Its not-for-profit model, free settling-in sessions and lack of separate consumables or activity charges give the offer a clear practical shape.

The July 2022 assessment provides a positive inspection position, balanced by a specific curriculum-planning concern. Community support is the strongest thread running through the account of the nursery. For parents, the decision turns on whether that preschool and family-support setting fits their child, their preferred sessions and their school-holiday arrangements.