Little G's Pre-school

A baby's home routine and a parent's changing shifts both have a place in Little G's Pre-school's approach. This family-run Chorley nursery combines care organised around younger children's routines with an emphasis on learning through play. At its November 2021 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good and found safeguarding effective.

Children aged three months to five years are accepted, with capacity for 50 children in total. The Ladybird Room serves the youngest children, while the Butterfly Room provides a more structured day for children aged two to three. For parents, the useful distinction is how routines develop as children grow, rather than simply a change of room name.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions sit alongside support for shift-working families and term-time attendance. That gives the practical offer breadth, although the arrangements for funded hours deserve careful attention.

Rooms and Ages

The Ladybird Room caters for children up to two, with routines shaped around the individual child and continuity with home. Its approach to moving children onwards involves parents and takes account of readiness. For a younger child, that makes the daily routine and the timing of a room move connected decisions.

Children aged two to three use the Butterfly Room, where a two-year co-ordinator supports development and the move from the younger room; the day introduces more structure while retaining flexibility for individual children. Preparation for primary school is also part of the nursery's approach for older children.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning and development here: children build skills through play, exploration and experiences that extend what they already know. Play is Work is the nursery's description of this approach, emphasising imagination and discovery rather than separating learning from play.

In November 2021, babies explored how objects fitted together, including a bottle and its lid, while younger children shaped dough through pressing and moulding. Older children discussed occupations and acted out road-safety roles. These examples show how language, physical activity and pretend play could share the same experience.

The November 2021 activities also included weekly football and regular visits to the library van. Football brought children together around a shared task; library van visits extended children's experiences of reading. Older children heard The Three Little Pigs and then performed the story with friends in the theatre, linking listening with imaginative play.

There was a limitation to that approach. In November 2021, some younger children joined road-safety play before they had the background understanding to make sense of it. The improvement priority was to match small-group activities more closely to those children's starting points. An engaging idea still needs the right level of challenge.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry Online Journal lets parents follow their child's progress and connect learning at home with nursery experiences. The Ourschools app provides another channel for parent communication. These have different practical purposes: one centres on the child's development, while the other supports contact with the setting.

In November 2021, introductory taster sessions helped babies and children settle, and conversations about home life gave children opportunities to share what mattered to them. At that inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with parents and other professionals to obtain early support for children who needed it. Those are dated findings, but useful reference points for discussing settling and support today.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2021, the wow garden recognised children's kind actions, while birthdays and other personal occasions received attention. The garden detective role involved children spotting possible hazards. Both examples gave children an active part in nursery life: kindness was noticed, and keeping a shared space safe became something they could help with.

Staff development was another improvement priority in November 2021. Supervision had become less frequent and needed more targeted discussion to help practitioners develop their work. This matters alongside the praise for everyday interaction, because support for staff affects how consistently activities meet children's needs.

Collection arrangements use advance parental authorisation and a password for another adult collecting a child. If the password is missing, staff contact the parent and keep the child at nursery; parents also sign children out. The sickness policy requires children with sickness or diarrhoea to stay away for 48 hours, a practical consideration when planning backup care.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Unit 6, Chorley West Business Park, Ackhurst Road, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 1NL. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Opening extends to 7.30am for early starts and 6.30pm for later finishes when required. The nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing for a week at Christmas; its session arrangements also specify bank-holiday closures. Support for shift workers and term-time attendance broadens the choice beyond a fixed year-round pattern.

Visits can be booked, and the nursery also allows visits without an appointment. Telephone contact is through 01257 233500.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for qualifying families, including two-year-old funding and the 15 and 30 hours arrangements. The 15-hour entitlement begins from the term following a child's third birthday. Funded attendance is term-time only, across 38 weeks: the standard 15-hour pattern combines one ten-hour day with one five-hour session, while 30 hours uses three ten-hour days. Alternative arrangements carry a flexibility charge, and early starts or later finishes also cost extra; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Parents supply lunch and the evening meal, while the nursery provides breakfast for children attending from 8am or earlier, daytime drinks and snacks, and a light snack after 4.30pm. This makes packing food part of the daily routine for families using the main meal periods.

Fees are payable in advance, including for absence or sickness and bank holidays, with the Christmas closure excluded from payment. The policy also provides for a late-collection charge. Families should weigh the attendance pattern alongside these payment terms, rather than treating the session length as the whole arrangement.

• Younger children's activities. The November 2021 improvement priority concerned matching small-group experiences to younger children's understanding. On a visit, ask how practitioners adapt an activity when children are at different stages.
• Room progression. The Ladybird Room follows individual routines, and readiness informs moves onwards. Ask which room your child would use and how the transition would be agreed with you.
• Funded attendance and shifts. Funded hours follow set term-time patterns, with a charge for flexibility outside them. Compare your actual shift pattern with the proposed attendance agreement and written quotation.
• Food from home. Lunch and evening meals are parents' responsibility. Ask how food brought from home is stored and served, and discuss any dietary requirements before joining.

Little G's suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, with particular practical relevance for parents working shifts or arranging term-time care. Individual routines in the Ladybird Room and the two parent communication systems give the offer a recognisable shape.

The Good judgement dates to November 2021. Its examples of imaginative play and settling sit alongside clear improvement priorities for younger children's activities and staff supervision. The decision is therefore about both the child's day and the family's timetable: room progression, funded patterns and meals brought from home all deserve attention.