URN EY460779 · Inspected 2026-02-23 · Published 2026-04-15 · Inspector: Claire Budge
Alne Preschool Playgroup Unique reference number (URN): EY460779 Address: Alne Primary School, Main Street, Alne, YORK, YO61 1RT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/04/2013 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Alne Pre-School Playgroup Inspection report: 23 February 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 Leaders have established a consistently calm and respectful environment where expectations for behaviour are clearly understood and embedded across the setting. Practitioners model positive interactions, and children respond with confidence and trust. Relationships between staff and children are warm and secure, enabling children to seek reassurance when needed and engage fully in learning. Children demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning and responsibility. They collaborate well, negotiate roles in play and resolve minor disagreements independently. For example, children persevere and rebuild constructions when they fall. Children independently wash their hands, line up sensibly and take responsibility for tidying, such as collecting a dustpan and brush without prompting. They sustain concentration during activities, listen attentively during group times and show pride in their achievements. Practitioners support children thoughtfully according to their age, stage and individual needs, using calm language to guide emotional regulation and perseverance. Staff reinforce expectations through clear explanations and positive encouragement, helping children understand why rules are important. Inclusive approaches ensure that children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing participate successfully alongside their peers. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and consistent routines, recognising their role in supporting children's security and readiness to learn. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders ensure that children's individual care needs are met effectively through warm, responsive relationships and secure routines. Children separate confidently from parents and approach adults for reassurance and support, showing secure and trusting relationships with familiar adults. Practitioners know children well and respond sensitively to emotional cues, helping them to recognise and manage their feelings. For example, when play becomes frustrating, staff calmly guide children to try again, supporting resilience and emotional regulation. Children are supported to understand personal safety, health and wellbeing through consistent routines and meaningful discussion. They wash their hands independently, manage self-care tasks and engage in regular outdoor physical activity that promotes coordination and strength. Healthy lifestyles are encouraged through snack routines, physical play and conversations about balanced choices. Care practices are inclusive. Children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are supported thoughtfully through adapted routines and close partnership with families and professionals. Supervision is attentive and purposeful, particularly outdoors, ensuring children explore confidently while remaining safe. Staff are vigilant in monitoring children's wellbeing and respond promptly to emerging needs. Individual requirements are carefully considered so that children experience consistency between home and the setting. Overall, Expected standard children demonstrate high levels of wellbeing, security and independence within a nurturing environment. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders provide clear and consistent leadership, maintaining high standards across all aspects of the provision. They have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths, particularly in behaviour, welfare and communication, and have identified clear priorities to continue improving the provision. Decisions are consistently taken in the best interests of children. Leaders work closely with families and external professionals to ensure children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing receive appropriate support and reasonable adjustments. Staff wellbeing is considered carefully. Leaders maintain open communication and ensure workloads remain manageable. Staff report that they feel valued, supported and confident in their roles. Leaders recognise that they could do even more to strengthen how mathematical concepts are introduced and revisited through daily routines and play, to further support children's developing understanding of number and reasoning. Professional development is purposeful and aligned to improvement priorities. Parents speak positively about the setting and the clear communication from leaders. They describe the provision as calm, consistent and nurturing, and report that their children are happy to attend and settle quickly. Parents value the manager's communication and the way staff know their children as individuals. Leaders are continuing to review how mathematical concepts are introduced and revisited through daily routines and play so that learning builds more consistently over time. Feedback shared with inspectors reflects families' trust in the setting and the supportive relationships developed with staff. Achievement Expected standard Children make appropriate progress from their starting points, particularly in communication and language. They confidently retell familiar stories, for example predicting what may happen next during story time and responding accurately to repeated phrases. Children initiate conversations with visitors, share favourite books and explain their play. Early literacy skills are developing as children recognise letters in their names and write shopping lists using initial sounds they know. Children demonstrate growing independence by washing their hands without prompting, buttering their own toast and managing coats and puddle suits with decreasing support. Children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are supported to participate alongside their peers. They join group play, develop confidence and begin to sustain interactions with others. Most children show increasing confidence and resilience as they explore new experiences. However, opportunities for children to apply counting, comparison and problem-solving in meaningful contexts are not yet consistently embedded across all areas of the curriculum. Leaders recognise that further development in this area would support children's mathematical understanding. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have established a child-led curriculum that prioritises communication, personal, social and emotional development, and independence. They demonstrate a secure understanding of the setting's strengths, particularly in the consistent focus on language development. Practitioners purposefully extend vocabulary and model conversation throughout the day, encouraging children to predict outcomes in stories, explain their ideas in play and engage in sustained shared thinking. Children confidently articulate their thoughts and retell familiar stories. Learning is layered through play-based experiences that reflect children's interests. For example, practitioners explore cause and effect when adjusting the height of ramps and introduce early recording skills when children write café 'orders' using letters they recognise. Independence is embedded in daily routines, including self-care and snack preparation, which supports children's confidence and readiness for school. Assessment is ongoing and informed by practitioners' secure knowledge of children's starting points. Staff adapt teaching appropriately for children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, through targeted support and reasonable adjustments. Leaders recognise that they could do even more to strengthen the coherence and progression of mathematical learning across the curriculum, to further support children in applying counting, comparison and problem-solving skills in meaningful contexts. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders have established a welcoming and inclusive culture where children's individual needs are identified through ongoing observation, regular assessment and close partnership with families. Staff recognise when children may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing and make thoughtful adaptations to routines, resources and adult support to promote participation and independence. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported through targeted strategies, visual prompts and consistent adult guidance, enabling them to access the curriculum alongside their peers. Leaders work appropriately with external professionals and signpost families to additional support when required. They demonstrate awareness of their responsibilities in identifying children who may require additional help and ensure that support plans are in place. Disadvantaged children and those who may face emerging barriers are monitored through regular discussion and review. Leaders recognise that greater precision in identifying next steps and more systematic review of support strategies are areas they are continuing to strengthen. Leaders are developing this work through ongoing review and reflection. Overall, inclusive practice ensures children are supported to participate confidently and make appropriate progress from their starting points. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Children feel safe, confident and valued in this calm and welcoming setting. They arrive happily, separate from their parents with ease and approach visitors with curiosity and assurance. Children talk confidently about their play and readily invite adults to join them, demonstrating secure attachments and trust in familiar staff. Clear routines and high expectations are embedded across the day. Children wash their hands independently, prepare their own snack and take responsibility for tidying resources. Staff model respectful Inspector: Claire Budge interactions and sensitively support children through moments of frustration, helping them regulate their behaviour and cooperate with others. Children achieve appropriately from their starting points. Staff know children and families well and build learning around children's interests, particularly prioritising communication and language. Children retell familiar stories, join in with repeated phrases and confidently share ideas during play. Early literacy develops through meaningful opportunities to recognise letters and make marks, for example, making lists in role play or writing signs for their play. Outdoors, children build physical confidence as they ride scooters, balance and construct with crates. Staff encourage children to take manageable risks and persist when tasks feel challenging, strengthening coordination and resilience. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported thoughtfully through adapted routines and targeted adult guidance so that they participate alongside their peers. Children thrive in an emotionally secure environment where staff respond sensitively to their individual needs and maintain a calm atmosphere. Attendance is promoted carefully. Staff share information regularly with parents so children experience continuity between home and the setting. Overall, children develop independence, confidence and positive attitudes that prepare them well for their next stage of learning, including school. Next steps Leaders should continue to strengthen how mathematical knowledge and skills are intentionally developed and consistently built upon across the curriculum so that all children deepen their understanding over time. Leaders should continue to refine the precision of identified next steps for all children, including those who require additional support, so that the impact of teaching and support can be evaluated more consistently. About this inspection The inspector spoke with the manager and staff team 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. About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY460779 Address: Alne Primary School, Main Street Alne YORK YO61 1RT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/04/2013 Registered person: Alne Pre-School Playgroup Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: North Yorkshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 23 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 Total number of places 24 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. 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