Ladybirds Pre-School

Signing accompanies songs, a garden extends the village-hall play space, and support for communication runs through everyday activities at Ladybirds Pre-School in Thorrington. This is a pack-away setting with its own outdoor area. The hall is arranged afresh each day, with resources at floor and table height and space for children using mobility aids.

At its 7 December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Ladybirds Outstanding, finding that teaching developed children's thinking and that children made rapid progress. Children invented stories, negotiated building projects and made decisions about their day.

Ladybirds welcomes children aged 2 to 5 and has 30 places in total. Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, with breakfast club and lunchtime cover offering additional choices. Signing, targeted language work and individual support planning give families concrete arrangements to consider.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, including language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics. Children's interests shape activities, while adults guide play and adapt planning to their development.

Communication receives additional attention through Makaton, which combines speech with signs and symbols. Signing is used across sessions, including songs and rhymes, and a sign of the week gives children a shared example to practise. This makes alternative ways of communicating part of ordinary nursery life, rather than something confined to individual intervention.

The Wellcomm Toolkit tracks speech and language development and supplies play activities for targeted support; children are screened termly. Early Talk Boost addresses delayed language in children aged 3 to 4 through listening, vocabulary and sentence-building work.

In December 2023, children used decorated stones as prompts for invented stories and anticipated what would happen in familiar group tales. Adults extended these activities through questions that encouraged further thinking. Children also explored the vocabulary of tea-making while handling and pouring it. Language was attached to something they were doing.

Outdoor and Community Life

The dedicated outdoor area supports free movement between inside and outside, with gardening, role-play equipment and physical resources. Waterproof clothing and footwear are supplied for winter use. Growing projects have included potatoes that children harvested, cooked and ate, connecting care for a plant with food they could taste.

In December 2023, children collaborated on outdoor constructions using crates and planks, then photographed their work to share with friends and their key person. That example joins physical play with negotiation and reflection: children had to agree what to build, then explain the result.

Visits to Thorrington playing field and the mini play park extend activity beyond the hall. The annual sports day also takes place at the playing field. Before outings, accessibility and individual requirements are considered with parents, with extra equipment or staff where needed. Community visitors have included firefighters, nurses and Guide Dogs, bringing working roles into children's conversations.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts, and a buddy arrangement provides another familiar contact. Families can have a home visit to discuss preferences, interests, medical requirements and learning needs, with an individual settling plan agreed around the child. This gives staff useful information before they begin planning activities or helping a child manage separation.

Each key-person group has a colour on registration ladybirds and coat-peg labels, helping children recognise their belongings and group.

Tapestry Online Learning Journal records development through photographs, video, observations and diary entries. Parents can contribute their own observations, allowing experiences at home to inform activities at Ladybirds. Staff entries receive manager approval before upload, and families can download the journal when their child leaves. Artwork and handwriting examples are also collected in a separate folder.

In December 2023, children voted for stories with bricks and chose their snack time. Story sacks and home-learning resources extended activities into family time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with SEND received exceptionally effective support, with outside agencies contributing to their progress. Current support arrangements include two joint SENCOs, who coordinate observation, assessment and planning, alongside work with therapists and specialist professionals.

Parents contribute to individual profiles and support plans, with termly meetings to review outcomes. Speech and language groups take place twice weekly. Attention Autism provides regular shared activities that build attention and early communication, while Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) supports communication through exchanging pictures. Each approach has a defined purpose; support is planned around the individual child.

The hall has ramp access, accessible toilets and changing facilities, and direct wheelchair access to the outdoor area. Visual timetables and choice boards help make routines understandable. Rufus, the resident puppet, is used in role-play scenarios about feelings and behaviour, giving children a concrete character through which to discuss choices.

School preparation includes Reception teacher visits, changing practice for PE and school role play. The Tendring Transition Passport carries information into primary school, with additional meetings and record sharing for individual needs. These arrangements support continuity of care and learning during the move.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Village Hall, Salmons Lane, Thorrington, Colchester, Essex, CO7 8HQ. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Ladybirds operates for 38 weeks during term time, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Morning sessions run from 9.30am to 12.30pm; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Breakfast club runs from 8.30am to 9.30am, and lunchtime cover runs from 12.30pm to 1pm for children attending shorter days.

There is no minimum booking requirement. For children starting out, Ladybirds recommends two morning sessions a week to help relationships and settling develop. Occasional extra sessions can be requested, subject to staffing and ratios, with as much notice as possible. They are not guaranteed.

On Wednesdays, the separate Caterpillars Baby and Toddler Group runs from 9.30am to 11.30am during term time, welcoming families with children from birth to school age. Ladybirds practitioners provide play resources and finish with songs, rhymes, actions, props and signing.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through Free Early Education Entitlement for three and four year olds, Free Early Education Entitlement for two year olds, and 30 Hours Extended Entitlement Funding for three and four year olds. The delivery pattern is term time; the two-year-old and extended entitlements depend on eligibility. Additional private sessions and extra-session charges sit alongside funded provision.

Breakfast is included in the breakfast-club charge, and a charge also applies when a funded hour is used there. Families supply a healthy packed lunch and drink for lunchtime attendance, including funded attendance, with lunchtime cover charged separately.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the session and funding structure. Families complete a funding agreement each term, setting out the hours they intend to use. Uniform is optional.

Getting There

Ramp access and allocated disabled parking bays directly outside the building are useful practical features for families using mobility equipment. Inside, the single-storey playroom is arranged to accommodate wheelchairs and walking aids.

• The weekly pattern. Preschool sessions operate on four weekdays during term time, with Wednesdays devoted to the separate Caterpillars group. Families needing Wednesday preschool care or provision during school holidays will need an arrangement that covers those periods.
• Settling and the hall layout. Two initial morning sessions are recommended, although there is no minimum booking. A visit can explore how the daily hall setup and buddy system would work for your child, alongside the option of a home visit.
• Individual support. Termly reviews, communication interventions and accessible facilities provide specific starting points for a support discussion. Bring your child's existing plans and priorities to that conversation so the proposed arrangements address their actual needs.
• The complete cost. Breakfast club, lunchtime cover and extra sessions have separate charges, while lunch comes from home. When reviewing the written quotation, ask who supplies or pays for any non-food consumables your child needs.

Ladybirds suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon preschool sessions, with breakfast club and lunchtime cover where those additions fit their routine. Its strongest practical character comes from communication: signing across sessions, named language interventions and parent involvement in support planning.

The December 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight to this offer. Outdoor access and preparation for primary school broaden the experience; the four-day preschool week remains a decisive consideration.