Little Steps Pre-School

Children drawing construction plans, choosing when to have a snack and exploring woodland give Little Steps Pre-School its character in April 2024: independence and purposeful play run through the day. Based at Luncies Hall in Basildon, it has capacity for 28 children aged 24 to 60 months.

At its 29 April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding, finding that ambitious teaching helped children make substantial progress and prepare for their next educational stage. The practical offer is term-time attendance, with shorter opening hours on Mondays and Fridays.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, its April 2024 expression included language through songs, mathematical thinking during play and opportunities to draw and write. Children explored letter sounds through singing, used notepads and drew plans in the construction area. Writing had a purpose within their play.

In April 2024, practitioners adjusted challenges as children developed their skills, raising hoops during ball games rather than leaving the task unchanged. They also gave children thinking time to test possible solutions. Counting spiders and comparing size and pattern brought mathematics into concrete experiences.

Woodland visits offered nature exploration that month. Another outing involved taking a handmade poppy wreath to a local church by bus, connecting a creative activity with the wider community.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with targeted help and shared understanding contributing to exceptional progress. Communication between adults supporting each child mattered alongside the activities themselves.

In April 2024, children had close relationships with their key person and helped shape the rules using their own words. That gave them a part in deciding how they treated one another. Choices extended to songs, play and snack timing at the cafe, where children prepared snacks themselves; putting on coats also built everyday independence.

Support extended beyond the child to the family that month, with collaboration between home and pre-school helping address gaps in learning. Staff development included recognising safeguarding concerns and responding to them.

The address is Luncies Hall, Luncies Road, Basildon, SS14 1SA. Opening hours are 9am to 12.30pm on Monday and Friday, and 9am to 3.30pm from Tuesday to Thursday; the pre-school closes during school holidays.

In April 2024, the setting provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

• Term-time coverage. School-holiday closures make this an attendance pattern to weigh against a family's year-round childcare needs.
• Different finishing times. Mondays and Fridays end at 12.30pm, while the other weekdays run until 3.30pm. Those differences matter when organising work and collection.
• Planning a place. At a visit, ask how the current booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would fit your child's intended attendance.

Little Steps suits families seeking term-time provision who can accommodate its different weekday finishing times. Its strongest evidence is the April 2024 account of children making decisions, testing ideas and receiving carefully targeted support. The appeal lies in that combination of practical independence and thoughtful teaching.