Little Explorers Pre-School

Water painting on outdoor walls, signs that help children communicate and practice serving their own snacks give Little Explorers Pre-School a character built around practical learning. Those examples belong to June 2022, when children combined hands-on exploration with growing independence. Small everyday tasks mattered alongside early writing.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good overall. The setting is based at Frypa Hall in Basildon and has capacity for 50 children, accepting ages from 24 to 60 months. Its term-time calendar makes it a choice for families whose childcare needs follow school terms, rather than school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage brings learning, development and care together: children build communication, physical skills and early literacy through play and everyday routines. In June 2022, that took tangible forms here. Children experimented with ice, made play dough and explored how sand and water behaved. They could test an idea, ask questions and decide how to continue their play, rather than simply complete an adult's task.

Early writing also reached beyond pens and paper. In June 2022, children made large movements while drawing on upright surfaces, including using water and brushes on outdoor walls. Alongside this, they practised drawing shapes and began producing recognisable letters. The combination gave children different ways to practise movement and mark-making.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2022, bikes gave children opportunities to practise taking turns, while weekly football sessions introduced another form of physical activity. Conversations about exercise connected movement with what happened in their bodies. Dental health was part of the learning too, bringing personal care into the nursery day.

There was a qualification to this account of learning. In June 2022, some group activities concentrated on younger children, leaving the most able with too little additional challenge. Individual learning received attention, but shared activities did not consistently extend children who already understood the task. For parents of a child ready for more demanding work, that distinction matters.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2022, children who struggled with separation received comfort from familiar staff. Signing helped children express themselves and understand situations such as waiting for a turn. This connected communication with managing feelings: children had another way to make themselves understood while playing with others.

Everyday independence was also visible in June 2022. Children managed toileting and handwashing, dealt with their coats and noses, and helped themselves to snacks. These were practical opportunities to take responsibility for their own needs. Staff also discussed learning with parents and supported activities at home, linking the pre-school day with family life.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including staff's detailed understanding of individual needs and adaptations that helped children participate and progress. A special educational needs coordinator contributed to this work.

In June 2022, staff also used different ways of communicating with children learning English as an additional language. Home languages and cultures were welcomed. For a family using more than one language, this is a useful example of how communication and inclusion were approached at that time.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Explorers operates during term time and closes for school holidays. Opening hours are 9.15am to 2.15pm from Monday to Thursday, with Friday finishing at 12.15pm. That earlier Friday finish deserves attention when planning a working week: the weekday timetable is not uniform.

Getting There

The address is Frypa Hall, The Fryth, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3PL. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01268971163 or by email at littleexplorerspreschool1@hotmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2022, the pre-school provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. That is a dated description of its funding provision, rather than a promise of an individual child's entitlement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Challenge for confident learners. In June 2022, group activities did not consistently stretch the most able children. During a visit, ask how staff now extend a child who has already mastered the activity.
• A shorter Friday. Friday ends at 12.15pm, while Monday to Thursday continue until 2.15pm. Families need an afternoon arrangement that fits that difference, as well as cover during school holidays.
• Funding and daily supplies. For a child joining this term-time setting, ask for a written breakdown of funded attendance, additional hours, food and consumables so the proposed arrangement can be assessed together.

Little Explorers suits families seeking term-time preschool care who can work around its daytime hours and earlier Friday finish. Its June 2022 picture combines hands-on exploration, communication through signing and practice with everyday independence. The improvement point gives parents a useful test: how are children who need more challenge stretched during shared activities? This is a setting to assess through both the child's learning needs and the family's weekly timetable.