Little Fishes Nursery School

Woodland walks and cooking give the week a clear shape at Little Fishes Nursery School in Rowledge. Based in the Church Centre beside Alice Holt Forest, this church-owned nursery combines play with planned activities for children from the term after their second birthday until they start Reception. There are 26 places in total.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Little Fishes Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that staff successfully delivered a curriculum supporting children's independence and preparation for school. There were also practical improvements to make: keeping adult support close enough to sustain children's attention, and giving children more opportunities to investigate their own ideas. Those points matter alongside the positive judgement.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered during term time. The afternoon programme gives families a further choice to weigh: woodland exploration runs on several afternoons, while Wednesday brings cooking.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, this includes learning to communicate needs, make choices and manage feelings through play and planned activities. The useful distinction is what Little Fishes adds to that everyday foundation. FOREST FUN takes children into the woods to explore nature on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons; COOKERY CLUB runs on Wednesday afternoons, with children making food to take home. These are concrete experiences with a place in the weekly routine.

Timing matters. A child attending mornings has a different attendance pattern from one staying into the afternoon, when those specialised activities take place. For families choosing between shorter sessions and a full day, the programme is part of the decision rather than an incidental extra.

In January 2025, staff used children's earlier experiences as starting points for new activities. Remembering seed planting prompted further discussion, while cooking experiences reappeared in pretend play involving recipes. Stories and play alongside adults were also part of the day. These examples show the connection between an activity and what children subsequently do with it.

The same January 2025 account included play about planets and rockets, with children mixing an imaginary soup in sand. However, adults sometimes stopped short of helping children investigate how materials could be joined together. The limitation was specific: an interesting starting point did not always become an opportunity for children to try out their own solutions.

Outdoor and Community Life

Alice Holt Forest is next to the Church Centre, giving the setting a recognisable woodland context. FOREST FUN uses walks in the woods to explore the natural world; an all-weather garden provides another outdoor space. The woodland programme and garden are different parts of the offer, rather than interchangeable descriptions of outdoor play.

In January 2025, additional funding also supported weekly physical-development sessions delivered by an external company. This was an inspection-time activity, separate from the current afternoon timetable. It adds useful context to the nursery's provision at that point, without turning a dated example into a continuing booking promise.

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff monitored learning closely, responded to emerging support needs and used signs and gestures to help children communicate, while supporting their emotional wellbeing effectively. The detail matters more than a broad assurance: communication support involved practical ways for children to express what they needed.

Current staff roles include a SENCO and deputy SENCO, alongside a designated safeguarding lead and deputy safeguarding lead. The manager holds a Level 6 qualification and the deputy manager a Level 4 qualification. These are descriptions of the team structure, rather than evidence of a particular number of adults working with a group on any given day.

In January 2025, adults helped children manage difficult feelings and encouraged siblings both to play together and to form friendships of their own. Parent contact included workshops, coffee mornings and family outings, giving conversations about learning a setting beyond routine exchanges.

There was a tension in adult deployment at that time. Helping a child regulate their emotions sometimes drew staff away from other children's activities, and those children could lose concentration. For parents, the practical issue is how individual help and sustained attention to the wider group work together. Both deserve attention.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. James' Church Centre, Church Lane, Rowledge, Farnham, GU10 4EN. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm from Monday to Thursday and 9am to 12.30pm on Friday. Attendance is term-time only, so this is a pattern to fit around school holidays rather than year-round childcare.

Full days run from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday. Morning sessions start at 9am and finish at 12.30pm, with a 1pm finish available Monday to Thursday for children staying for lunch. Afternoon sessions run Monday to Thursday from 12.30pm to 3pm, or begin at noon when lunch is included in the attendance pattern. Friday offers the morning session only.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01252 794617 or through the contact form. The different lunch-linked start and finish times are useful details when matching nursery attendance to a family's day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, beginning in the funding period following the third birthday and taken across at least two days. Eligible working families can use the extended 30-hour entitlement, although Little Fishes can accommodate up to 27.5 funded hours within its weekly opening pattern. Funding runs over 38 weeks, rather than being stretched across the year.

Eligible two-year-olds can receive funded early education through the Hampshire Early Years Funding scheme from the term following their second birthday. Additional private hours are charged separately; the nursery does not add top-up fees to the funded entitlement. Current prices should be obtained in the nursery's written quotation.

Invoices are issued at the beginning of each term for the requested sessions, with funding deducted. Withdrawal or a reduction in attendance requires half a term's notice or payment for that notice period. The funding and fees page sets out those terms, which matter when planning a change of childcare arrangements.

• Afternoons and holidays. FOREST FUN and COOKERY CLUB take place in the afternoon, while Friday ends at 12.30pm and attendance is term-time only. Choose the pattern with both activities and holiday cover in mind.
• Funded attendance. The nursery can accommodate up to 27.5 funded hours for eligible children using the extended entitlement. Families planning around 30 hours need to account for that weekly limit.
• Adult support and independent thinking. The January 2025 improvement points concerned sustaining attention and helping children develop their ideas. A visit can be arranged by telephone or contact form; ask how adults now balance individual support with helping children pursue an activity.
• Lunch and everyday supplies. Lunch changes the start or finish of some sessions. How do lunch and everyday supplies work for children attending funded and private sessions?

Little Fishes suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoon sessions or full days, with woodland exploration and cooking built into the afternoon week. Its Church Centre base beside Alice Holt Forest gives the setting a clear identity. The Good judgement sits alongside two concrete teaching improvements, so the strongest decision combines the activity timetable, the shorter Friday and a close look at how adults support children's concentration and own ideas.