Little Learners Pre School & Happy Holidays Hub

A private garden, woodland learning and a mobile library give this village-hall setting a character that extends well beyond indoor play. Little Learners Pre School & Happy Holidays Hub brings preschool provision and holiday childcare together in West Horndon, with practical learning and family communication running through its approach. Books travel home; children's interests help shape activities.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. There are 36 places in total. The combined preschool and holiday provision serves children aged 2–11. In July 2025, attending children were aged 2–4.

Term-time preschool opening hours sit alongside several holiday booking patterns, including morning and afternoon sessions. That makes the distinction between the two services important when planning childcare across the year.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, with activities connecting the different areas of children's development indoors and outside. Alongside this, In the moment planning lets practitioners respond to a child's interests as play unfolds, while retaining planned activities and themed learning.

Dough disco uses playdough and finger movements to develop the strength and control needed for early writing. Music Communication combines movement and music to encourage listening, with particular attention to children experiencing speech and language delay. Gentle yoga and breathing activities also give children opportunities to practise calming themselves.

In July 2025, children investigated fossils, grew plants and explored the development of chickens. Dinosaur eggs prompted questions about their contents, giving children something tangible to investigate and discuss. Resources were arranged so children could choose them independently, and children also selected books for themselves.

The Lending Library carries that interest in books into family life. Children choose a book to borrow, linking reading with the small responsibility of selecting and taking it home.

Outdoor and Community Life

A private garden provides outdoor space at the setting, while nearby playing fields and woodland extend the possibilities for outings. Forest Schools sessions use the woodland for child-led exploration and opportunities to practise judging manageable risks. The approach connects physical activity with learning about the natural world; it also gives children a different setting in which to make choices.

Essex County Council Library is a named partner bringing a mobile library to Little Learners. Children can explore books and share stories, and families have an opportunity to register for the library service. This complements the books borrowed from the setting itself. In July 2025, children also visited the local library, with some becoming members.

Holiday activities have their own breadth. Cookery classes and science experiments sit alongside den building, table tennis and gymnastics. The holiday offer includes both practical making and physical activity.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who supports settling, plans next steps and maintains their learning feedback. Families can explore the setting with their child before the first session, with further settling visits where needed. The process can be adapted to individual needs.

Termly parent consultations provide a regular discussion with the key person, while an open-door arrangement allows families to request meetings at other times. Blossom Education supports ongoing updates and parental involvement.

In July 2025, staff shared ideas with families for supporting speech at home. Children approached adults with questions and sought help when they needed it. An emotion board let children indicate how they felt by placing their names on it, providing a concrete way to start a conversation about feelings. Small-group experiences also gave children opportunities to practise cooperation and managing emotions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role is part of the team structure, and learning is adapted around children's interests and individual needs. Music Communication gives an additional route into listening and participation for children with speech and language delay.

Healthy Smiles supports tooth-friendly habits through staff training, information for families and activities about oral health. Its standards include tooth-friendly snacks and encouraging alternatives to sweets and cake at celebrations. This places everyday food choices alongside learning about looking after teeth.

Children bring a packed lunch prepared at home, and the lunch policy excludes nuts and products that may contain traces of them; meals cannot be reheated. Snacks are provided, while funded-hours food services are charged separately if families choose them.

School preparation includes inviting local schools to meet children and completing a transition passport to share with the receiving teacher. A Graduation Ceremony takes place in the final half term, with families invited to celebrate.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting is at East & West Horndon Village Hall, Thorndon Avenue, West Horndon, Brentwood, CM13 3TP. Preschool operates during term time, opening at 8am each weekday and closing at 1.30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, or 3.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

Happy Holiday Hub offers an extended day from 8am to 4pm, a full day from 9am to 3pm, a morning from 9am to noon and an afternoon from noon to 3pm. The prospectus gives holiday opening days as Monday to Thursday, excluding the week between Christmas and New Year.

For preschool attendance, the recommendation is at least two sessions spread over two days each week. This is advice, rather than a stated compulsory minimum. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone.

Getting There

A large car park serves the setting, making collection by car a practical consideration for families. The C2C line provides links to London, and the nursery describes it as just a short walk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded preschool hours are delivered term-time over 38 weeks, with a minimum funded session of three hours and a daily funded maximum of eight hours. The offer includes 15-hour universal funding for children aged 3–4, eligibility-based 30-hour extended funding for that age group, and eligibility-based funding for two-year-olds, beginning in the term after the relevant birthday. Additional private hours are charged separately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For funded attendance, food and snack services and non-food consumables are charged separately when chosen; the consumables cover items such as wipes, sun cream and nappy sacks. Packed lunches remain the family's responsibility, so the food arrangement combines parent-provided lunch with separately charged funded food services.

Families can choose whether to purchase additional services without losing access to their funded hours. The enrichment charge covers activities including outdoor learning, sports coaching, cooking and school-transition sessions. Invoices are itemised and requested termly, allowing families to distinguish funded time from the services they elect to use. The funding and charges information explains that structure.

• Participation in groups. At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted identified a need to involve quieter communicators more actively in group activities, where confident speakers could dominate. On a visit, ask how practitioners make room for a child who needs more time to respond.
• Different preschool closing times. Three weekdays end at 1.30pm and two at 3.30pm. Compare those collection times with your working week, as well as the separate holiday-session choices.
• Choosing funded extras. Food services, consumables and enrichment are separately charged choices alongside funded hours. A written quotation should make clear which services your family has selected and how they are itemised on the invoice.
• Packed-lunch preparation. Lunch comes from home, must meet the nut policy and cannot be reheated. Families managing allergies should confirm current handling arrangements during their visit.

Little Learners suits families looking for term-time preschool with substantial outdoor learning, book borrowing and an individual key-person relationship. It also serves families choosing between full-day holiday care and shorter morning or afternoon sessions. Those are meaningfully different attendance needs.

The garden, woodland sessions and mobile-library partnership give the offer substance. The dated Good judgement supports the overall picture, while the group-participation improvement point deserves attention for families of quieter children. The decision turns on the fit between the child's needs, the preschool closing times and the family's chosen holiday and funded-service arrangements.