Emley Playschool

Emley Playschool
Unique reference number (URN): 311282
Address: Emley Methodist Chapel, Church Street, Emley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9RP
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 18/03/1993
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Emley Playschool Committee
Inspection report: 19 January 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and actively promote sharing and turn-
taking throughout the day. They model positive behaviour and clearly reinforce expectations
through consistent routines and clear boundaries. This considered approach means children
feel secure and it helps them to learn self-regulation and conflict resolution in a supportive
and age-appropriate way. For example, children offer to share play dough when they have
more than their friend.
Staff actively promote kindness, respect and an understanding of privacy. They encourage
children to treat one another with care and consideration, creating a respectful and inclusive
culture. Staff always act as positive role models, demonstrating calm communication and
respectful interactions.
Children work towards achieving personal and social goals with the guidance and
encouragement of staff. Consistent praise reinforces positive behaviour and builds
confidence and self-esteem. Children play collaboratively, form strong relationships and feel
safe, valued and respected in the setting.
Staff monitor attendance closely and respond quickly to any concerns. Attendance is high,
ensuring children benefit from regular participation and continuity of care.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders prioritise and promote children's welfare and wellbeing through robust policies and
procedures that guide daily practice. There is highly effective partnership working with
children and families through a consistent key-person approach. Staff complete home visits
to ensure they fully understand individual needs from the outset. Parents follow clear
procedures for reporting absences. Any unexplained absences are followed up in a very
timely manner. This ensures children's safety and welfare remain a priority.
Staff maintain high standards of hygiene that actively support children's personal health.
They encourage personal care routines and maintain a clean environment to promote
healthy habits. Staff support children's independence by encouraging them to manage self-
care tasks such as toileting and handwashing.
Staff actively promote healthy lifestyles with children. This includes a balanced diet and
good oral health. They limit screen time and include regular physical activity. Staff
encourage healthy eating through discussions, role modelling and sharing mealtimes with
them. Well-structured routines are embedded in practice and provide consistency. This
helps children to feel secure and promotes their emotional wellbeing.
Staff build warm, trusting relationships with all children. Additionally, they have a significant
impact on the wellbeing of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is
recognised and praised by parents.

Expected standard
Inclusion Strong standard
Skilful staff identify children's individual needs. For children with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND), there is highly coordinated and timely intervention and support.
This is successfully guided by experienced staff who have specific SEND training and in
close working partnership with parents and other professionals. Therefore, the culture of
inclusion is well-embedded into practice.
Staff have high expectations for all children. They use consistent routines, purposeful
teaching and clear boundaries that support positive behaviour and learning. Staff closely
monitor the progress of all children. They use successful strategies to monitor the impact of
their adaptations on practice, for instance the use of additional funding to support the
provision of one-to-one and extra sessions for children. Regular meetings between adults
involved with children ensure their next steps are purposefully identified and implemented.
Parents feel confident, supported and well informed about their children's development
through continual communication with staff. Children show expected levels of progress in
their learning. However, there are higher levels of progress in children's social and language
development. Staff build children's confidence, form positive relationships, and develop
communication skills through meaningful interactions and a combination of adult- and child-
led play.
Achievement Expected standard
Children experience a broad and balanced curriculum across the 7 areas of learning and
develop new skills. Children practise and apply new learning through purposeful play and
well-planned activities and self-chosen resources.
Children's communication and language development is a strength. This means children are
confident to share their thoughts and ideas. They speak and listen in turn and add their own
text to pictures using their imagination to tell a story. Children use mathematical language
during play, both in child- and adult-led activities. They demonstrate a growing
understanding and application of concepts, such as counting, size and shape. For example,
they count, measure pebbles and recognise numbers in the sand tray. Children develop
personal and social skills. They begin to recognise and show empathy and understanding to
those around them. For example, they check if a friend is hurt when they have fallen over
and offer them a cuddle.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Staff understand the curriculum and what they want children to learn. Close links with
schools help to ensure children are ready for the next stage in their learning. Teaching builds
on what children already know. Staff understand that revisiting and adapting past learning
ensures newly gained knowledge is secure and meaningful.

Small-group activities play a key role in teaching. During such activities, staff focus on
children's speaking, listening and attention skills, for example during talking-time sessions.
The curriculum is inclusive and accessible. It is reflective of children's needs, interests and
abilities. Children's care needs are met, and staff create a secure environment where
children are motivated to learn.
Staff adapt teaching to suit different ages and learning styles. They respond sensitively to
children's cues and support their emotional wellbeing. Physical development is prioritised
through a range of activities. Children ride wheeled toys with increasing speed and
directional skill. Strength and coordination are promoted when children squeeze water from
pipettes and sponges. Mathematics is taught through fun activities. Children are confident to
use mathematical language and understand mathematical concepts. Staff typically use
activities indoors to promote learning effectively. However, there is less focus on children's
learning during outdoor play.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of the setting's context, strengths and areas
for development. They take timely action to drive improvement and respond to the changing
needs of children and families. Leaders work in partnership with parents and external
professionals, ensuring support and any action is targeted and effective.
Leaders engage parents and professionals thoughtfully, supporting smooth transitions. As a
result, children settle quickly and feel secure. Leaders help children to thrive through careful
planning and tailored support. However, leaders do not share and gather information well
from all settings where children attend.
Leaders manage the provision efficiently. They skilfully balance children's care and staff
wellbeing and ensure manageable workloads. This approach creates a positive working
environment where staff perform to the best of their abilities for the benefit of the children.
Regular and relevant professional development equips staff with the knowledge and skills to
carry out their roles successfully. This includes initiatives and training that is not mainstream
to upskill staff and support the diverse needs of children. Staff feel valued and supported.
They review each other's practice and confidently accept and offer feedback to make further
improvements. There is a secure culture of wanting to make a difference to children and
families.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy, safe and well-cared-for at this very established heart of the community-
based setting. Children arrive at the setting excited, motivated to learn and eager to join in
with a well-planned range of activities. There is a consistent daily routine that is clearly
understood by children. This enables them to have a sense of belonging. Children are
warmly greeted by a qualified and long-standing staff team whose aim is for them to thrive,
achieve and reach their full potential. Staff know the individual needs of each child very well,
including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, which is a key strength of
the setting. This means that all children are fully included in all aspects of the setting and the
day.
Staff are playful and engage with children consistently. Children giggle as they practise
throwing beanbags to build balance, resilience and coordination skills. Staff skilfully
challenge children by increasing the distance they throw the beanbag to hit the target.
Children enjoy the challenge and celebrate their achievements, and they are active learners
who understand how to share and take turns.
Children explore the playroom with confidence, including those who are newer to the setting.
Staff deploy themselves well within the environment. Teaching strategies are tailored to
children's starting points, individual needs and their identified next steps in learning. Staff
are enthusiastic and use effective open-ended questions to ignite children's thoughts. Staff
listen to and value children's responses and their shared ideas. Children are kind to one
another. They engage in cooperative play both indoors and outdoors. Children join in group
activities such as listening for home sounds with audio. They pay attention with deep levels
of concentration. Children develop age-appropriate social skills, demonstrating how to
express themselves when shopping for fruit and vegetables in the role play area.
Next steps
Strengthen communication with other settings children attend to ensure continuity of
learning.
Ensure highly effective teaching and interactions are embedded into practice during
outdoor play and learning.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator
and parents during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Inspectors:
Jade Charlton
Lindsay Dobson
Stephanie Nixon
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 311282
Address:
Emley Methodist Chapel
Church Street, Emley
Huddersfield
West Yorkshire
HD8 9RP
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 18/03/1993
Registered person: Emley Playschool Committee
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:15,Tuesday : 09:00 -
11:30
Local authority: Kirklees
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 19 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
The inspection started on 19 January 2026. Inspectors returned on 5 March 2026 to gather
additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and
gathering additional evidence policy.

2 to 4
Total number of places
20
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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