Little Oaks, The Parish Rooms

Toddler care has a clear identity here: language, feelings and the growing ability to do things independently shape the day at Little Oaks, The Parish Rooms. Based at St Margaret's Parish Rooms in Penn, it welcomes children aged 18 months to 3 years and has capacity for 42 children. This is a setting for the early stages of nursery life, with a planned move to another nursery as children grow.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. The practical character is more revealing than the grade alone: play observations guide learning, parents receive updates through Blossom Educational, and toilet training follows the approach families use at home. Those details give parents continuity between home and nursery rather than a separate set of routines to manage.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play provides opportunities to practise language, explore feelings and learn how things work. Familiar songs, rhymes and games sit alongside a toddler's increasing interest in copying other people and expressing preferences. Staff observe children's play and use what they notice to shape subsequent learning opportunities, so observations help staff tailor learning opportunities to each child.

The branch's additional experiences include cooking, woodland adventures and exploring the surrounding area, alongside movement and creative activities such as dance, music and yoga. These bring learning beyond toys and table activities: cooking gives children something practical to take part in, while exploring their surroundings broadens what they can notice and talk about. Participation in charged additional experiences depends on the agreed funding and payment arrangements.

In September 2025, staff used children's interests when planning activities. Celebrations also introduced children to different backgrounds and ways of life. The emphasis was on recognising differences respectfully, through experiences suitable for young children.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2025, children could move between inside and outside during their play. A balance beam gave them an opportunity to practise movement and try a physical challenge with supervision. Outdoor access was therefore part of the daily routine, rather than a separate occasional activity.

Choice was visible in the snack routine too. In September 2025, children decided when to eat from a selection that included vegetables and fresh fruit. The next step was consistency: staff did not always encourage children to serve their own drinks. Giving children a choice of snack and helping them manage the drink are related skills, and both matter when independence is a central aim.

Relationships and Communication

Blossom Educational is the system used to record observations of children's development, with notifications sent to parents through an app. Its purpose is practical: staff can connect what a child does during play with future learning opportunities, and families can receive those observations at home. In September 2025, communication also included daily conversations and updates about wellbeing, development and incidents.

Toilet training is approached as shared work with parents. Families provide nappies and wipes in a small bag, stored on their child's named peg, and staff aim to follow the strategies already being used at home. Parents can also discuss eating, sleep and behaviour with the team. That makes the handover of routines especially relevant for children starting before they are toilet trained.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff identifying emerging developmental concerns promptly, then coordinating support with parents and other professionals. This is a dated judgement about practice, with a concrete mechanism behind it: observation leads to discussion and joint support rather than concerns being handled in isolation.

In September 2025, the nursery employed 10 staff. That is a workforce count at the inspection, rather than a measure of how many adults work with any particular group. The useful question for a parent remains how their child's care and communication are organised through the day.

Moving on is planned. For children transferring to the nursery at Tylers Green First School, July in the year they turn 3 includes one or two settling sessions. In September 2025, transition work also involved meeting the next key person and passing on information about learning and care. Familiarity and shared information can make a change of setting less abrupt.

Sessions and Attendance

Core nursery hours run from 8.45am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday, with Friday ending at 1pm. Shorter attendance options finish at noon or 1pm. Breakfast Club runs from 7.45am to 8.45am, while Tea Time Club extends Monday to Thursday from 3pm to 4pm. These provide different ways to use the setting: a shorter morning, a core nursery day or attendance with wraparound sessions.

Attendance is term-time, for approximately 38 weeks a year. The shorter Friday and school-holiday closures need to fit the family's weekly routine as well as the child's preferred session length.

The address is St Margaret's Parish Rooms, Church Road, Penn, HP10 8EG. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by email to enquiries@little-oaks.org, and applications use an enrolment form. The waiting list works primarily in application order, with additional consideration possible for siblings, proximity and particular needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and paid additional hours are offered. Entitlements include disadvantaged two-year-old funding and working-parent funding for two-year-olds; the funding arrangements also list universal and working-parent entitlements for three- and four-year-olds, with eligibility and the child's age governing the claim. Delivery follows the term-time calendar.

For funded two-year-olds, the admissions terms specify that only hours beyond the funded entitlement attract an additional charge. Other agreed additional experiences may be charged, and children do not have to take part in fee-paying activities: an alternative is provided. No deposit or registration charge is required. Parents supply nappies and wipes; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The onward nursery is based at Tylers Green First School, but attending that nursery does not guarantee admission to the school. Families apply for a school place separately through Buckinghamshire Council.

• Independence in practice. In September 2025, the improvement priority was for staff to support children's own choices consistently, including opportunities to pour drinks. During a visit, ask how that now works during snacks and other routines.
• The youngest starters. Children beginning before age 2 may start in a smaller group and move when parents and staff agree they are ready, or at a term boundary. Ask how the initial group and settling sessions would work for your child.
• A term-time timetable. Friday finishes earlier than the other core nursery days, and attendance follows school terms. Compare both the shorter sessions and wraparound options with your actual collection arrangements.
• Agreement on extras. Additional experiences can carry agreed charges, while funded two-year-olds have a specific protection against extra charges apart from additional hours. Review the written offer against the entitlement you intend to use.

Little Oaks, The Parish Rooms suits families seeking either shorter morning attendance or a term-time nursery day with breakfast and teatime options. Its clearest strengths for parents are practical continuity: play observations shared through Blossom Educational, toilet-training routines linked to home, and settling sessions before an onward nursery move.

The September 2025 improvement priority gives the balance: independence needs consistent encouragement from staff, not simply opportunities to choose. For families comfortable with the term-time calendar and the transition around age 3, the setting offers a clearly defined toddler stage.