Alston Pre-School

Two outdoor areas, outings to Tyne Willows playing field and celebrations with Grisedale Croft Care home give Alston Pre-School a day that reaches beyond indoor play. Community contact is a substantial part of its character: library visits bring songs and books, while visiting emergency services introduce children to people whose work they can recognise locally.

The preschool offers childcare for children aged 2-5 and has 20 places in total. At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of everything happening today.

Child-led learning, regular school transition sessions and a key person allocated before a child starts are the main practical strengths of the offer. Term-time attendance includes morning, afternoon and full-day patterns, giving families different ways to fit preschool around their week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning and development: children learn through play, with relationships, their individual development and the environment shaping the experiences staff provide. It is the shared early-years framework, rather than an extra programme unique to Alston.

Alston's addition is In the moment planning, which uses children's interests and observations of their play to decide how to extend learning. The starting point is what a child is doing and wondering about. For parents who favour learning that follows children's curiosity, that is a more useful description than a timetable of adult-directed tasks.

The Curiosity Approach also encourages children to explore through opportunities built around their interests. The team is working towards accreditation; this should not be confused with having achieved it. Its place alongside the EYFS is an approach to organising learning, rather than a replacement for that framework.

In October 2021, play included mixing leaves, petals and coloured water, using farm knowledge in imaginative activities, listening to stories and persisting with scissors. Children also practised sharing through dough-making and dividing baking cases between friends. These examples connect physical skills, conversation and cooperation within ordinary play rather than treating them as separate lessons.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two outdoor areas extend the learning space. Bug hunts, mud pies and imaginative searches for fairies give children different reasons to explore outside. A vegetable patch links growing food with eating it, and baking takes place weekly. These are concrete activities through which children can handle materials and take part in everyday tasks.

Outings include the local park, woodland and Tyne Willows playing field, with opportunities to feed ducks and horses. No fixed frequency is attached to these trips. Their value is the connection between preschool experiences and the places children know around Alston.

Library visits happen regularly, combining singing with books brought into the setting. The fire service, ambulance team and a vet also visit to share their work. An annual Chinese New Year visit introduces different foods and cultures, while parents join Easter egg hunting and Christmas carol singing at Grisedale Croft Care home. Community life here includes both people coming into preschool and children taking part elsewhere.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts. That practitioner handles the family's introduction, works with parents on care and learning, and acts as their main contact. Developmental records are shared regularly, with information from home helping to build a fuller picture of the child.

Settling is planned around the individual child. Pre-start visits take place during the preceding half-term, and parents help decide how separation should progress. The settling policy expects a parent or close relative to remain for much of the first week's sessions, extending time away as the child becomes comfortable; some children need longer. This has a practical consequence for adults arranging leave or other childcare.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to share children's progress. Practitioners contribute observations, and parents can add photographs and comments from home. Communication therefore works in both directions, giving staff a way to hear about interests and experiences beyond preschool.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role coordinates support for children with special educational needs. The support policy uses assess, plan, do and review, with parents involved in decisions and links to external agencies where needed. It also sets out routes for further assessment and information about local advice services. These are specific mechanisms, rather than a promise that every need will be met in the same way.

At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used advice from parents and professionals in targeted learning plans, but asked for more individualised staff supervision and more consistent modelling of pronunciation. Both improvement points matter: one concerns how practitioners develop their practice, the other the precision of everyday language support.

Behaviour support begins with calm adult intervention, recognition of children's feelings and help resolving the difficulty. Where concerns persist, the key person and SENCO work with parents on a support plan and can seek specialist advice. The approach gives families a sequence of responses rather than relying solely on sanctions.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Samuel Kings School, Church Road, Alston, CA9 3QU. Alston Pre-School opens Monday to Friday during term time, from 8.30am to 3.15pm. The opening window and booked session times are different: a morning session runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, an afternoon session from 12.15pm to 3.15pm, and a full day from 8.45am to 3.15pm.

Funded and privately paid childcare are both offered. The admissions policy allows attendance patterns to respond to family circumstances, provided the continuity of the setting is maintained. Its waiting list is ordered by birth date, with possible consideration of funded entitlement, time waiting, home location, siblings and the child's individual needs. That is a booking rule, not an indication of spare places.

For contact, the preschool's telephone number is 07734 929123.

Funding and Paid Extras

The funded options include 15-hour funding for eligible two-year-olds and 15- or 30-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. The funding information describes these entitlements over 38 weeks; the preschool itself operates during term time. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, using the fees and funding page as the starting point for understanding the charge structure.

Breakfast and afternoon snack are included in fees, while hot lunch is charged separately and consists of two courses prepared in the school kitchen. Children help prepare breakfast and snacks, giving mealtimes a practical role in developing independence.

The preschool is situated within Alston Moor Federation and has regular transition sessions with it. These can help children become familiar with school routines and surroundings. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time fit. Opening ends at 3.15pm and attendance is term-time only. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings suit different routines, but families need arrangements that fit the school-holiday calendar.
• Time for settling. The settling policy expects family involvement during the first week, potentially longer. During a visit, discuss how that gradual separation would work for your child and your working arrangements.
• Language and staff development. In October 2021, improvement priorities concerned pronunciation modelling and more targeted supervision. Ask how those areas are handled in everyday practice now.
• The complete childcare cost. Breakfast and afternoon snack are included, with hot lunch charged separately. When agreeing a funded or private pattern, ask how meals and non-food consumables are treated within that arrangement.

Alston Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoons or full-day attendance, with child-led play and contact with the surrounding community. The two outdoor areas, local outings, library sessions and care-home celebrations give parents tangible reasons to consider it.

Its October 2021 Good judgement provides a useful historical assessment, with clear development priorities attached. The deciding practical questions are whether the term-time timetable fits family life and whether adults can support the gradual settling process. For families whose routines align with those arrangements, Alston offers a specific mix of play, outdoor exploration and community participation.