Little Chicks Pre-School

Water play, books and practical independence give Little Chicks Pre-School its character. Based at Shawbirch Community Centre in Telford, it combines hands-on learning with preparation for the everyday demands of school: communicating, making choices and managing simple tasks. There is capacity for 46 children in total.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in activity planning, information for parents and staff coaching. Children attending at that time were aged two to four. That dated assessment gives families a useful starting point, rather than a description of every aspect of today's practice.

Attendance is organised around flexible hourly bookings during term time. This is a preschool whose practical appeal lies in fitting care around individual family routines, rather than selling only fixed day packages.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care, with play used to develop communication, physical skills and growing independence. The activities turn those broad aims into recognisable experiences. Water & Sand Play involves handling equipment, experimenting with textures and practising turn-taking. Pouring and digging give children something concrete to investigate while developing control of their hands.

The Book Area brings stories, rhyme and conversation together. Children are encouraged to discuss characters, anticipate what might happen and handle books carefully. Mark Making adds drawing and shared materials, with children's work displayed and discussed. The emphasis is on giving marks meaning and developing coordination.

In September 2022, books about experiences such as a dental appointment introduced unfamiliar vocabulary, while songs supplied repeated language. Paint, chalk, dough and small construction blocks provided different ways to practise the movements needed for writing. These were purposeful, everyday resources: children could explore an idea through conversation, movement or making something.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor Play gives children opportunities to move, negotiate with one another and encounter changing weather and seasons. In September 2022, the garden supported climbing, running and ball games; a water chute also drew children into shared play. Those details matter because physical activity and cooperation were part of the same experience.

Police Visits bring uniform for children to try, alongside colouring pictures and stickers. They offer a tangible introduction to people working in the community. Animal Visits has included a visit from a young lamb. That is a past example of bringing an animal into children's experience, rather than a promise of a recurring animal programme.

Relationships and Communication

Termly parent meetings provide a regular occasion to discuss development and exchange strategies. This gives families a scheduled conversation about their child. Teachers also visit children before their school visits, giving children an opportunity to meet school teachers before their school visits.

In September 2022, children formed warm relationships with staff, who used encouragement and helped them recognise feelings, share resources and understand routines. Children also practised washing their own hands and choosing their play. Care and independence worked together: adults supported children while allowing them to attempt manageable tasks themselves.

The September 2022 improvement priorities deserve attention. Some practitioners needed a clearer grasp of what an activity was intended to teach, so they could adapt it to the child taking part. Parents sometimes needed more useful information about learning, and staff coaching needed quicker, more precise feedback. These are practical questions about consistency, rather than reasons to overlook the positive assessment.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The deputy manager holds the SEND coordinator role and is also a designated safeguarding lead. This gives families an identifiable role through which to discuss additional needs. Collection arrangements include a family-chosen password for an unfamiliar adult collecting a child, and access doors and gates to children's areas are kept locked.

A mid-morning fruit snack comes with milk or water, while families supply a packed lunch for afternoon attendance. The lunch policy asks families to exclude ingredients containing nuts.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Shawbirch Community Centre, Oakfield Road, Shawbirch, Telford TF5 0LT, beside the Shawbirch shops. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01952 248538 or through the contact form.

Opening hours are 8.15am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday. Fees are calculated hourly, with a minimum weekly booking of a three-hour session. Illustrative arrangements include 9am to noon, noon to 3pm and 9.30am to 2.30pm; these demonstrate the flexibility of the hourly model rather than separate half-day and full-day tariffs.

The preschool operates for 39 weeks during term time. Five professional development days bring additional closures, as do bank holidays and elections when the community centre serves as a polling station. Families needing care throughout school holidays therefore need a separate arrangement for those periods.

Requests to change days or hours, or add time, may be accommodated, preferably with advance notice; professional development day swaps are excluded. Fees remain payable for short absences. These terms make flexibility useful, but do not make every requested change an entitlement.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered during term time: 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, and 30 hours for eligible working parents of children in that age group who obtain a code. Funding codes must be obtained in the term before they will be used. Eligible two-year-olds can also access funded provision, including the stated 15- and 30-hour arrangements subject to their respective eligibility criteria.

Private hours are charged separately through the hourly booking model. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and fees information explains the attendance structure. Packed lunches are supplied by parents for afternoon attendance.

• Consistency of teaching. In September 2022, some staff needed clearer learning aims and more precise coaching. During a visit, ask how practitioners now adapt an activity for different children and receive feedback on their work.
• Information for home. Termly meetings provide a regular discussion point, but September 2022 identified a need for more useful learning updates. Ask to see how a child's progress is explained between meetings and what families can use at home.
• Term-time boundaries. The 39-week calendar includes professional development and election closures. Compare these interruptions with your working calendar before choosing an attendance pattern.
• Lunch and allergies. Afternoon attendance requires a packed lunch, and the policy excludes nut-containing ingredients. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice; prospective visits have morning and afternoon windows that can be arranged beforehand.

Little Chicks suits families seeking term-time preschool with flexible morning attendance or afternoon care, rather than a single fixed booking pattern. Its concrete appeal is easy to understand: stories, sand and water, outdoor activity and opportunities to practise independence.

The Good judgement from September 2022 supplies a positive foundation, with clear qualifications about teaching consistency, parent information and staff development. The strongest decision will weigh those questions alongside the hourly model, packed-lunch responsibility and term-time calendar.