Hampton Magna Pre-School

A wooden teepee for reading and outdoor play with pipettes give Hampton Magna Pre-School a recognisable character in its April 2024 account. At its 18 April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, with activities shaped around children's interests and development.

Based at the Community Centre in Hampton Magna, the setting has 35 places for children aged 24 to 60 months. Its inspection picture combines engaging play with two clear priorities: giving children more responsibility for themselves and more thinking time.

In April 2024, outdoor activities brought different kinds of learning together. Children used pipettes and scooped sand to develop hand control, rode tricycles and push bikes for physical activity, and searched for minibeasts. The wooden teepee provided somewhere to read and relax. Outdoor time served more than exercise.

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for children's learning, development and care; here, its areas of learning were explored through play indoors and outside. In April 2024, staff introduced vocabulary through conversations and used questions intended to encourage thinking. However, they sometimes supplied answers too quickly. Children needed longer to work out their own responses, rather than having adults finish the thinking for them.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) included early referrals, additional staff training and funding directed towards individual needs.

In April 2024, short meetings before children started helped staff understand family routines and requirements. Parents could respond to shared photographs and observations, giving them a part in discussions about their child's learning.

Personalised songs called children to handwashing before snacks. This made a routine into a recognisable cue for each child. There was also room to increase self-care: adults sometimes put children's coats on instead of letting them practise themselves.

The address is Community Centre, Field Barn Road, Hampton Magna, Warwick, CV35 8RT. Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during term time, with school holidays closed.

In April 2024, the pre-school provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be kept separate from a family's present funding arrangements.

• Independence. In April 2024, adults sometimes took over putting on coats. On a visit, ask how children now practise managing these tasks themselves.
• Thinking time. The April 2024 findings highlighted questions answered too quickly by staff. Look for conversations that leave children time to respond and solve problems.
• Term-time calendar. Opening days are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with school holidays closed. This pattern suits families whose childcare needs follow the term calendar.

Hampton Magna Pre-School suits families seeking term-time childcare and an outdoor element to play. The April 2024 picture includes practical exploration, communication with parents and individual support. The balance to weigh is equally specific: stimulating activities should leave children enough space to think and do things for themselves.