Little Dreamers Nursery

Blanket hideouts, wooden toys and children setting the meal table give Little Dreamers Nursery a recognisable character. At Wolfe Lodge in Bordon, practical tasks sit alongside imaginative play: children handle everyday objects, make their own constructions and take increasing responsibility for routines.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has 52 places in total. At its April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found effective safeguarding arrangements and good progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), supported by collaboration with families and other professionals. The improvement priorities were clearer purposes for learning activities and better organisation of daily transitions.

Attendance spans full days, morning and afternoon sessions, a shorter school session and repeating shift patterns. That breadth gives families several ways to use the nursery, rather than requiring everyone to fit the same working day.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room accommodates children from three to 24 months upstairs, where sensory exploration and familiar home routines guide their early nursery experience. The upstairs provision includes a sensory room, a sleep area and spaces for quieter and messier play. For babies, the practical attraction is the combination of different activities with routines shaped by parents.

Toddlers, for children aged two to three, uses downstairs rooms for exploration and introduces a predictable daily rhythm. Pre-School, for ages three to five, emphasises preparation for the move to school and has indoor-outdoor access to the garden.

Downstairs, a messy room and loose-parts materials give children opportunities to handle, arrange and experiment with objects. A cosy corner provides a quieter alternative.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, with activities planned around children's development, interests and needs. Observations and information from parents help staff decide what to introduce next. It is the foundation of the nursery's education, rather than an extra programme.

Alongside it, the Curiosity Approach uses ordinary objects and natural materials for imaginative, open-ended play. Children make shelters using fabric, blankets and timber, then develop their constructions with paths or steps. Setting out crockery and utensils for meals adds another practical task. The point is participation: children do something useful or decide what their materials can become.

In April 2025, toddlers tackled a task involving tweezers and small model chicks, practising tool control and persisting when it became difficult. Books and songs also featured in the day, with adults extending conversations during shared reading.

The same visit identified a limitation: some activities did not connect closely enough to what individual children needed to learn next. Enjoyment alone was not the whole test. Clearer learning intentions were needed so that an appealing activity also moved a child's understanding forward.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fenced garden has a mud kitchen, a wooden house and balance beams, with gardening activities alongside play. Preschool children can move between inside and outside, giving them access to a different kind of activity without making every outdoor experience a separate outing.

In April 2025, outdoor play included pedal vehicles, ride-on toys and football. Toddlers also negotiated a low beam while allowing other children room to pass. Physical activity therefore involved both coordination and sharing space with others.

Community experiences include library visits and local church celebrations. The nursery also plans to use nearby woodland for exploration and seeks parental permission before outings beyond its grounds.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions introduce children and parents to the surroundings and staff before regular attendance begins. Transition planning takes account of individual needs and can involve other childcare settings. This matters where a child is changing provision: familiarity and continuity are part of the preparation.

Parents can follow their child's personal learning journey through the Family App, which gives remote access to significant observations. Meetings with parents supplement that record, and written reports support the eventual move to school.

In April 2025, daily conversations covered children's activities, while staff also helped families with sleep and toilet training. Staff received supervision from leaders. The current team includes childcare-qualified staff and paediatric first-aid training, giving a practical picture of experience and preparation without treating credentials alone as a judgement on care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In April 2025, support for children needing help with speech included language boards, allowing them to communicate needs as well as understand adults. Families and professionals worked towards manageable individual goals, with additional funding directed towards children's needs. These are specific support mechanisms, rather than a general promise that every need can be met in the same way.

Sleep arrangements combine a scheduled rest period, from 12.45pm to 2.30pm, with babies' individual routines agreed with parents. Requests about daytime sleep are discussed during settling. Staff may discourage sleep at a parent's request, but will neither physically keep a child awake nor force sleep; if the child falls asleep, parents receive a call about how to proceed.

An external nursery caterer supplies freshly cooked lunches and teas, with the weekly menu displayed for families. The nursery publishes a nut-free policy, records dietary needs and communicates meal adaptations to the caterer; parents supply formula milk in a sealed container.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Wolfe Lodge, Farnham Road, Bordon, GU35 0NH. Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, Morning session from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm. School session runs from 9am to 3pm, while Early Drop off covers 7.30am to 8am and is subject to availability.

Both year-round and term-time attendance are catered for. Shift-working families can use a pattern that repeats within a 10-week period, allowing staffing to be planned around it. That condition matters: the flexibility is designed around a repeating arrangement, rather than an unrestricted change of days each week.

Core hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with bank holidays and weekends closed. Monthly invoices are issued ahead of attendance, and holidays or sickness remain chargeable at the usual rate. Enquiries use the contact form or telephone contact with the nursery.

Getting There

Wolfe Lodge sits within a small business complex on Bordon's outskirts, just off the main road, with parking at the property. This makes the site's vehicle access a practical part of the choice for families using Farnham Road.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including universal 15-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds, the extended 30-hour entitlement and working-parent funding from nine months where eligible. A stretched arrangement spreads funded hours over more weeks, reducing the hours used in each week. Eligibility and the nursery's participation remain separate questions.

For privately paid sessions, the stated prices include meals, snacks, nappies and wipes, with formula supplied by parents. On funded hours, food and consumables are covered by a separately charged package that families can decline; opting out means bringing suitable cold food, nappies, wipes, sun cream and other daily essentials.

A non-refundable registration charge applies when reserving a place. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page explains the session and funded-hours structure.

• Daily transitions and learning. April 2025 improvement priorities concerned the purpose of activities and routines between them, including younger children's routines before meals. During a visit, ask how staff identify the next learning step and organise these transitions.
• Collection time. Closing times conflict: the contact details give 6.30pm, while pricing gives 6pm and the core day ends at 6pm. Agree the collection deadline and any additional hours in writing before booking.
• Food and allergies. Funded families can decline the food and consumables package and bring their own supplies, subject to the packed-lunch and nut-free policies. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling arrangements and meal adaptations.

Little Dreamers suits families wanting morning or afternoon attendance as well as full days, with a shorter school session and a defined option for repeating shifts. Its clearest attractions are practical: imaginative play with everyday materials, a garden reached directly from preschool spaces, and communication through the Family App.

The April 2025 improvement priorities give parents useful points to explore alongside those strengths. A successful fit depends on the chosen attendance pattern, confidence in the organisation of daily routines and a clear understanding of funded extras. For babies, the commitment to home routines and the detailed sleep policy deserve particular attention.