Little Doves Christian Pre School

Vegetable textures, butterflies and a village-hall setting give Little Doves Christian Pre School a recognisable rural character. Based at Navestock Village Hall in Brentwood, this Christian pre-school combines topic-led learning with close involvement from families. Its church connection is explicit, while children from different religions and cultures are welcome.

On 26 June 2025, Ofsted rated Little Doves Outstanding, praising its education and children's happiness. Food exploration prompted conversation; butterflies connected counting with learning about living things.

Children can start from their second birthday, and the setting has 45 places in total. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance are offered from Tuesday to Friday during term time. For parents, the central choice is whether this village-hall pre-school's calendar and Christian ethos fit family life.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning and care: play and observation help staff plan around children's development. Topic projects add connections between children's experiences and the wider world.

In June 2025, the farm to fork topic connected food with the surrounding rural community. Children cut into vegetables and fruit, explored how they felt and learnt words for their textures. Books then extended the activity into growing and harvesting. This joined practical exploration to conversation, rather than treating language as a separate exercise.

That month, children also released butterflies raised from caterpillars, counted them and revisited their life cycle. Non-fiction books helped them compare species and extend their vocabulary.

Shining Stars football brings a visiting educator on Fridays, with a separate contribution. The Big book of me learning journal combines observations, photographs and children's work to guide planning; families keep it when their child leaves.

Outdoor and Community Life

A fenced outdoor play space and the adjacent field extend the setting beyond the hall; parental permission covers outside play and short walks in that field. Indoors, the pre-school uses the main hall and a smaller neighbouring room, with double doors connecting to outdoor play.

In June 2025, outdoor play included a mud kitchen, where children combined sand, petals and mud while talking about textures. Bikes, balancing and obstacle courses added physical challenges. Together, those experiences gave children reasons to move, experiment and describe what they were doing.

St Paul's Bentley Church provides a community connection, and families are invited to its events. Christian values inform the pre-school's approach, alongside exploration of celebrations and beliefs from other cultures. This is a meaningful part of its identity for families considering whether its ethos matches their own.

Relationships and Communication

A designated key person gives each child and family a consistent point of contact. Before starting, children attend a build-up session with a parent or carer, who can stay and discuss the child's needs. An Initial Child Profile records interests, strengths and preferences, so settling begins with information from home rather than a blank slate.

Settling time follows the child's needs, with one comfort toy allowed. Children in nappies are accepted, and potty training follows routines used at home.

Communication has several practical forms. A Contact book lets parents and practitioners exchange news about achievements and milestones; information can also be relayed through a collecting grandparent or childminder with parental permission. A whiteboard summarises the session's activities, while an Individual Next Steps Plan is prepared each term with ideas for supporting learning at home. Parent helper sessions also give families an opportunity to take part in the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, judged SEND provision excellent and praised the key-person relationships and personalised support that helped children progress.

Current SEND arrangements centre on the key person and SENCO, with parents involved in identifying needs and reviewing support. One Planning is the setting's person-centred process for agreeing individual outcomes and the help required to reach them. An Inclusion Partner can advise or observe a child with parental permission, and support plans specify interventions, resources and who will carry them out. Reviews take place at least termly.

Visual timetables help children understand routines, and a quiet corner provides somewhere to read or rest. The single-storey building has flat access suitable for wheelchair users, an accessible toilet and changing facilities. These physical arrangements matter alongside planning, especially for children who need adjustments to participate.

Staff training covers paediatric first aid, food hygiene, allergen awareness, safeguarding and understanding autism. Personal health care plans and parental consent for prescribed medication help staff address individual requirements.

Moving to school is planned too. Receiving staff can visit children at Little Doves, and the SENCO prepares a Passport for a child with SEND, covering preferences, helpful strategies and professionals involved. Families decide whether to pass the learning journal to the next setting, while consent is sought for transferring other records. This helps new adults understand the child before the move.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting address is Navestock Village Hall, Navestockside, Brentwood, CM14 5SD. Regular sessions run Tuesday to Friday: mornings are 9am to noon, afternoons noon to 3pm, and all-day sessions 9am to 3pm. Afternoon or day closures, including Wonky Wednesday afternoons, are deducted from invoices. The pre-school follows a term-time calendar and opens for 37 or 38 weeks a year.

September is the main intake. Places are typically not held open for children with spring or summer birthdays, although those children receive priority if a place becomes available and usually greater priority the following autumn. Enquiries by telephone or email lead to an enquiry and waiting-list form; families are contacted in the term before the intended start to agree sessions and arrange the build-up session.

Session swaps are considered individually and are not guaranteed. Funded hours can be changed at the start of a term before the parent declaration is signed; extra attendance beyond the declared funded hours is paid for privately. This makes the initial choice of pattern important for families whose schedules change.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid hours are both offered. Funding includes eligible two-year-old entitlement, working-parent funding for two-year-olds, universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, and extended working-parent entitlement for qualifying three- and four-year-olds. Provision follows the term-time calendar.

Lunch is brought from home, while morning snacks and snacks after 2pm carry separate charges; families may supply their own healthy snacks instead. The pre-school publishes a No Nut policy for lunchboxes, and its food procedure asks parents to use cool blocks because packed lunches are kept unrefrigerated.

Parents supply nappy cream when their child needs it. Activity materials, visiting football sessions and the learning journal have separate contributions; for funded children, the chargeable extras are voluntary and are not a condition of taking a place. A separate voluntary charitable donation is also encouraged.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation and payment agreement; the sessions and fees page explains extras. Illness and holiday absences remain payable. Financial hardship can be addressed through a payment plan or reduced attendance.

Getting There

Disabled parking with unloading space is provided beside the building's main entrance. Combined with flat access, this gives families using mobility equipment a practical route into the setting.

• Term-time timetable. Regular sessions run Tuesday to Friday and finish at 3pm, with afternoon or day closures including Wonky Wednesday afternoons. Compare the session choices and closure calendar with your working week and holiday care needs.
• Spring and summer starts. September is the main intake, and places are typically not kept open for children with later birthdays. At a visit, discuss how the waiting-list policy applies to your child's intended start and requested sessions.
• Christian character. Little Doves has links with St Paul's Bentley Church and welcomes families of all religions and cultures. Ask how Christian principles and celebrations feature in your child's everyday experience.
• Lunchboxes and extras. Lunch comes from home, snacks carry separate contributions and the pre-school has a No Nut policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food handling and the arrangements for their child; funded families can discuss alternatives to voluntary extras.

Little Doves suits families seeking morning or afternoon pre-school sessions, as well as those choosing an all-day term-time pattern. Its appeal rests on concrete arrangements: topic projects connected to children's experiences, a learning journal shared with families, individual SEND planning and preparation for the move to school.

The June 2025 Outstanding judgement adds weight. Families comfortable with its Christian identity, village-hall setting and Tuesday-to-Friday calendar have substantial opportunities to participate, alongside responsibilities for lunch and separate contributions.