At Sunshine Pre-School in Grantham, the team has set up a perfect cosy corner for all-weather outdoor fun, reading, singing and talking. After running a few fundraisers to purchase the corner shed, the team now has a space for the children to enjoy when the weather outside is too hot or too cold and/or wet to be outside for long periods.

Inside the Den, there’s a selection of wildlife and ‘Spotter’ books, as well as stories and chunky board books so children of all ages can access something to look at and enjoy while in the Den. As you can see, it’s very popular!

Play Planet Pre-School, in Canvey Island, Essex, is delighted to share their Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ inspection result. The preschool, which caters for children aged two to four years, has 30 children on roll.

The report states that “children excel in this exceptionally nurturing, inclusive and stimulating environment, making rapid progress in all areas of learning" and "staff deliver exemplary support for children with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND)".

Manager Sarah De’ath said: “This achievement reflects the dedication, passion and hard work of the amazing staff, the support of our wonderful families, and the joy and curiosity of our children every single day. Inspectors found that the pre-school provides an ‘outstanding’ quality of education, with outstanding behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.”

At Best Childcare Day Nursery, Leeds, the team had some very exciting news while in London for the Pearsons Teaching Awards: they were announced as a Gold Winner for the Early Years Team of The Year 2025!!

Manager Nikki said: “Early years is very undervalued and a sector that is often not spoken highly of, so we feel honoured to have received this as a representation of all Early Years Team.

“Bridget Phillipson spoke with us after about how important early years is for the foundations of children learning, and we spoke about how much more needs to be done to support and raise the profile further.” 

Parkstone Pre-school are delighted to have received an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating in their latest inspection – and, not only has the team been celebrating together, but the local newspaper has also been celebrating, too! They’re especially proud of the achievement because Parkstone Pre-school is one of very few pack-away settings in Hull.  

Julie Gregory, pre-school manager: “We are absolutely delighted to have received an ‘Outstanding’ grading from Ofsted for the first time. We’re a small, pack-away setting of six staff and work extremely hard to provide the best care we can for our children and families. The grading is a fantastic reflection of the commitment and dedication of our brilliant team. We’ve all worked together for many years and are really proud of what we have achieved during this time.  

“We couldn’t have done this without the support of our amazing families, both past and present. As we’re a small setting, we’re able to get to know our families on a more personal level, which in turn creates a more positive environment for our wonderful children. We’d like to take the opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us and for all the lovely messages of congratulations.”  

What’s been happening in your setting?

The team at Under 5 want to know! To share your good news, success stories, and fun events with us, Alliance members can email editor.u5@eyalliance.org.uk (with the subject line ‘My Under 5’) to make sure we don’t miss your email.