Little Ashes Pre-School

Woodland, an allotment and real tools give Little Ashes Pre-School its character. Based at the Parish Hall in Great Brickhill, this is a setting where outdoor exploration sits alongside books, songs and child-led play. Forest School, its approach to learning through outdoor exploration and practical challenges, is a substantial part of the offer rather than an occasional outing.

Ofsted rated Little Ashes Good on 7 February 2023. The current age range is 24 to 48 months, making this a preschool choice rather than baby care. Its strongest appeal is the combination of natural surroundings and opportunities for children to make decisions, handle tools and follow their interests.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day bookings, plus breakfast and lunch clubs.

Learning and Activities

Little Ashes follows the EYFS: children develop their language, independence and practical skills through play and exploration. Its open-ended approach adds planning that responds to children's interests, with natural materials used to invite investigation. The point is to give children something to explore, rather than a finished task to reproduce.

Peelers and hammers feature in practical learning. Children also encounter books, print and opportunities to sing and rhyme, while activities using one-handed tools support early writing movements. The curriculum information brings these strands together: independence and language are part of the same day, rather than competing priorities.

In February 2023, children cut fruit and vegetables to investigate the seeds inside, then discussed what they discovered. That example captures the appeal of this approach: a practical task becomes a reason to observe closely and find words for an idea. During the same period, outdoor activities included making bird feeders, constructing dens and painting with natural brushes.

Weekly enrichment includes Piccolos Music Club, a music activity, and Tot Bop, a movement and dance class. Both sit within a separately charged enrichment package, and the activity providers can change with notice. Regular cooking offers another practical addition. These are concrete reasons to consider the afternoon offer alongside the indoor morning sessions.

There was also work to do in February 2023. A newly introduced curriculum needed to become more securely established, with staff developing confidence in its delivery and checking its effectiveness. Staff coaching and supervision also needed to continue so that their benefits carried through into teaching. The Good judgement came with those qualifications.

Outdoor and Community Life

Access to woodland, play parks and the preschool's own allotment gives outdoor learning several different settings. Forest School includes exploring nature, using tools, climbing and foraging, with opportunities to tackle problems together. Visits to a local working farm add a connection with the surrounding community; the allotment gives growing a practical place in children's experience.

Forest School stay & play sessions offer a separate parent-and-child activity on Wednesday mornings. Nature walks, identifying trees and observing plants and animals are part of the session, and parents must remain with their children. Spring and summer sessions run from 9.30am to 11.30am; autumn and winter sessions run from 9.30am to 10.30am. This is shared activity, rather than a childcare booking.

Relationships and Communication

A key-person approach gives families an identified relationship within the preschool. Planning also involves primary carers and takes account of each child's interests, making communication part of the learning approach rather than simply an update at the end of a session.

In February 2023, staff prepared children for changes in routine and treated their feelings thoughtfully. Key-person relationships helped children form attachments and settle. Those observations offer a useful picture of care at that time, especially for families weighing how their child might manage a first preschool experience.

Famly App access forms part of the enrichment charge and gives parents access to their child's learning journey. Itemised invoices arrive through the app each half term. Keeping learning updates and billing in the same system is a practical feature for parents, although the enrichment charge needs to be considered alongside the cost of attendance.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported good developmental progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, supported by staff's knowledge of individual children. That is a dated assessment, rather than a promise about every child's experience today.

Current arrangements include a SENCo role, support for that role within management, and designated safeguarding lead roles. These roles organise responsibility for additional support and safeguarding. The curriculum also includes listening to children and helping them understand their emotions, connecting independence with attention to how they feel.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Ashes operates during term time, Monday to Friday, for 38 weeks a year. The morning booking runs from 9am to noon and the full-day booking from 9am to 3pm. Afternoon bookings are priced from noon to 3pm, while the outdoor afternoon programme runs from 12.30pm to 3pm.

An optional Breakfast Club runs from 8.30am to 9am, and an optional Lunch Club from noon to 12.30pm; each is charged separately. This gives families several attendance patterns, but the term-time calendar remains a clear limit for those needing childcare during school holidays.

Getting There

The address is Parish Hall, Rotten Row, Great Brickhill, Milton Keynes, MK17 9BA. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07852392780 or through the Famly enquiry form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both funded and privately paid attendance are offered during the term-time timetable. Funding depends on eligibility, and current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the fees and funding information explains the charging structure.

For funded sessions, a voluntary consumables charge covers snacks and non-food items such as wipes, nappies and sun cream; families can opt out when registering and must then supply the daily items specified by the manager. The charge does not apply where a child receives disadvantaged or EYPP funding.

Snacks therefore sit within a separate, opt-out charge for funded attendance, while fruit and cereal are provided through the separately charged breakfast club. Non-food consumables are likewise charged through that funded-session arrangement, with parent provision following an opt-out.

The enrichment charge covers activities, cooking, learning-journey access and seasonal celebrations, outings and visits. A non-refundable registration administration fee is required to confirm registration, but is credited against the first half-term invoice when the child starts. Funded hours, enrichment and additional services are separate parts of the attendance cost.

• Afternoon timing. The afternoon fee covers noon to 3pm, while the outdoor session starts at 12.30pm and Lunch Club occupies the intervening period. At a tour, ask how the afternoon booking and Lunch Club fit together for your chosen attendance pattern.
• Funded-session extras. Consumables have an opt-out arrangement, with an exemption for disadvantaged or EYPP funding, while enrichment has a separate charge. A written quotation should distinguish these from private hours and any clubs.
• Curriculum development. In February 2023, the curriculum and staff coaching were still being established. Ask how staff now review children's learning and how coaching supports day-to-day practice.
• Outdoor participation. Woodland activities include tools, climbing and foraging. Discuss clothing and how participation is adapted to your child's needs when visiting, especially if additional support will be needed.

Little Ashes suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or full-day attendance, with afternoon bookings offering another route into its outdoor and enrichment activities. Woodland access, an allotment and child-led practical learning give it a clear identity. The Good judgement from February 2023 provides a useful assessment, qualified by the curriculum and staff-support work required at that time.

The decision turns on fit: whether outdoor exploration appeals to your child, whether the term-time calendar meets your needs, and how the separate clubs and funded-session charges affect your budget. For families comfortable with that combination, this is a preschool with a recognisable educational approach and several ways to attend.