Yelvertoft Pre-School

China teapots, nuts and bolts, and a reading hut built from hessian and canes give Yelvertoft Pre-School its character. This village-hall setting takes inspiration from the Curiosity Approach, using everyday objects and open-ended play to encourage children to imagine, investigate and make things for themselves. The materials are part of the learning.

Based at Yelvertoft Village Hall, it welcomes children aged 2 to 5 and has 14 places in total. That capacity describes the whole setting, rather than the number attending any particular activity. Access to a pocket park, playing field and enclosed pond extends its rural surroundings beyond its own outdoor play area.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good at its 19 October 2022 inspection. Its current opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, making the school-year calendar an important part of the practical choice.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play supporting skills such as communication, independence and understanding the world. Yelvertoft adds the Curiosity Approach: ordinary household objects and wooden materials become resources for imaginative exploration, rather than prescribing a single way to play.

Curtain rings, old phones and photo frames are among the objects children use. Spare parts can become tracks or vehicles according to a child's ideas. Nuts and bolts give children something to manipulate, while china plates and teapots introduce the care needed when handling delicate objects. These are concrete choices about what children do with their hands and imaginations, rather than simply a label for the curriculum.

A reading hut made from canes and hessian adds a physical place for books within that approach. The emphasis is on children shaping their play, with adults supporting it. For parents who value everyday materials over conventional toys, this is a substantial part of Yelvertoft's appeal. It is also worth understanding before choosing the setting: the resources are central to its style of learning.

In October 2022, children explored pumpkin seeds with spoons and a pestle and mortar. A light projector prompted conversations about dinosaurs and plants, although adults sometimes missed opportunities to develop those conversations further. The improvement priorities were sharper use of observations to guide staff development and more consistent extension of children's learning. Interesting resources alone were not the whole answer; the adult response mattered too.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor provision includes a secure play area, with access to a play park, an enclosed pond, a pocket park and a large playing field. These give children different settings for movement and exploration. Nature is part of the pre-school's approach, alongside reading, creative play and mindfulness.

In October 2022, children gathered fallen fruit, conkers, leaves and acorns, with conversations connecting these discoveries to growth and decay. Visible wind turbines also became a starting point for talking about energy. Those examples show how the surrounding countryside supported learning at that time, using things children could actually see rather than an abstract topic introduced indoors.

Yoga sessions take place regularly, alongside mindful walks. The community connection also has a practical fundraising role: events held in recent years include the Village Pumpkin Festival and Easter Egg Hunt, while the pre-school has hosted the Yelvertoft Christmas Market. These are past examples of fundraising, rather than promises of the next events calendar.

Relationships and Communication

Hygge, an approach emphasising comfort, togetherness and emotional wellbeing, is another influence on the setting. It sits alongside the use of familiar household materials and the intention to create surroundings that feel homely. The practical emphasis is on the relationship between a child's comfort and their willingness to explore, rather than an early imitation of a school classroom.

In October 2022, staff learned about children's families and interests and adjusted the environment to help them settle. Parents contributed information when children started, then received updates through conversations and an online app. This connected the child's experience at home with their time in the setting, giving parents ways to remain involved beyond the initial settling period.

Independence was visible in everyday routines in October 2022. Children managed coats and shoes with some help, served snacks using utensils and poured drinks. These small tasks gave them opportunities to practise doing things for themselves. Calm adult responses supported sharing and turn-taking, while children also learned handwashing routines before eating.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO lead, designated safeguarding lead roles and paediatric first-aid training, with speech, language and behaviour-related training also represented. These are practical roles and areas of preparation for families to understand, rather than a guarantee about any individual child's experience.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified effective support for speech and understanding, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Adults gave children thinking time, demonstrated language and used conversation to support understanding. That judgement belongs to the inspection date; the current SENCO role provides a separate point of contact within the staff structure.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Yelvertoft Village Hall, Lilbourne Road, Yelvertoft, Northampton, NN6 6LJ. Opening hours run from 9am until 3pm on weekdays, during term time only. For families planning work around childcare, both the afternoon finish and the holiday calendar deserve attention.

Training days also form part of the calendar and may change. Term-time childcare is therefore a different practical proposition from care continuing through school holidays. The setting can be contacted at info@yelvertoftpreschool.co.uk for enquiries, and its Business Manager provides help with funding options and childcare cost-support schemes.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours each week during term time from the term after a child's third birthday. The Working Parent Entitlement offers 30 hours a week for eligible two-year-olds and eligible children aged 3 and 4, delivered over 38 weeks. Eligibility remains a condition of that working-parent funding.

Private hours are charged when attendance exceeds the 15-hour entitlement. Snacks and non-food consumables carry a separate daily charge for both funded children and fee-paying children, with different charges for those two groups. The charge supports a healthy daily snack, hygiene products, seasonal activity materials and wellbeing activities; funded hours therefore also have these extras charged separately.

Yelvertoft participates in Tax Free childcare and allows Universal Credit childcare-cost reclaims. These are separate routes for helping with costs, rather than additional hours of entitlement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the charge structure.

• The working-day fit. Term-time opening ends at 3pm, and training days may change. At a visit, ask how attendance can be booked within that opening window so the arrangement fits your working week.
• Adult involvement in play. The October 2022 improvement priorities concerned staff development and missed opportunities to extend learning. Discuss how adults now develop children's ideas when they use the open-ended resources.
• Extras on funded hours. Snacks and consumables are charged separately for funded children as well as those paying privately. Include those daily charges when assessing the written quotation.
• A role for parents. A volunteer committee oversees management and fundraising, with monthly meetings and an annual general meeting in July. Joining is voluntary, but parents considering it should weigh the responsibilities alongside the opportunity to contribute.

Yelvertoft suits families seeking term-time early education with everyday materials, imaginative play and access to rural outdoor spaces. The reading hut, delicate household objects and surrounding parks give its approach a clear physical expression. Parent involvement extends beyond communication into the opportunity to help run the setting through its committee.

The Good judgement from October 2022 is useful context, alongside the priorities to develop staff practice and extend learning more consistently. The practical decision rests on the weekday opening window, holiday arrangements and separate snack and consumables charges. For families whose routine fits those terms, Yelvertoft offers a recognisable approach to the preschool years.