Little Bears Day-Care, Whiteley Village

A large hall divided between Squirrels and Hedgehogs gives Little Bears Day-Care, Whiteley Village a clear identity: care for children aged two to five, with an equipped outdoor area alongside the indoor space. This is a nursery for toddlers and preschool children, with capacity for 36 children in total.

At its 24 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The practical appeal is the combination of age-based groups, activities shaped around children's interests and an approach to settling that tries to preserve familiar home routines. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to use that offer.

Rooms and Ages

Squirrels caters for children aged two to three, while Hedgehogs takes children aged three to five; both occupy sections of the large, open-plan hall, with activities and toys chosen for children's ages and development. For parents, the layout is an important part of the choice: the age groups have their own sections within a shared hall rather than separate enclosed rooms.

Outside, a substantial play area contains outdoor equipment. The physical offer therefore extends beyond tabletop activities and indoor play, giving children space for movement as well as quieter learning. The hall arrangement and outdoor area are useful features to weigh together when considering how a child responds to shared spaces.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care: here, play and planned activities are adapted to children's interests and development. It is the common foundation for early years provision, rather than an extra programme. Little Bears uses that foundation to plan activities that challenge children physically and mentally, with age-appropriate toys supporting the two groups.

In March 2025, imaginative play included a pretend journey into space. Staff joined the game, encouraged children to prepare for their journey and made room for their ideas and descriptions. The value of that example is concrete: conversation grew out of something the children wanted to do, rather than being detached from their play.

Counting also became an active experience in March 2025. Familiar songs and actions led into questions about what remained after an item was removed, with children given thinking time before answering. This connects number language with a situation children can work through for themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2025, children used a mud kitchen for pretend baking and rode bikes while learning to judge space and avoid one another. Adults watched their riding and intervened when needed. These were opportunities to practise sharing, movement and decisions about using equipment safely.

The same month's outings reached beyond the nursery: children travelled into the village on foot or by bus, including visits to the post office and care homes. Parents and other visitors also introduced their cultures and occupations. These experiences brought people and everyday services into children's learning, giving conversations about the wider world a tangible starting point.

Forest school, an outdoor learning approach, and outings form part of the nursery's charge structure. They sit alongside the EYFS rather than replacing it.

Familiar routines are part of the settling approach. Staff try to follow a child's home routine, which gives parents a practical reason to share the habits that help their child feel comfortable. The intention is continuity between home and nursery, with recognisable patterns supporting the move into childcare.

In March 2025, information exchanged with families included health needs and routines at home. Parents received updates about development and ideas for continuing activities at home. That makes communication useful in both directions: families contribute knowledge about their child, while staff share ways to extend nursery experiences beyond the session.

Emotional language was another part of daily life in March 2025. When children became frustrated, adults responded and encouraged them to explain their feelings and what had happened. Children were familiar with these conversations. Activities also addressed changes at home, including preparing for a new sibling through caring for toy babies, bathing them and changing their nappies.

A chef is part of the Whiteley Village team and involves children in cooking activities as well as preparing meals. Food therefore also creates opportunities for participation.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is based at Whiteley Village Cricket Club, Coombe Lane, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 4EL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with Bank Holiday closures; it operates throughout the year.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 8am to 6pm. These are genuinely different booking patterns: a family can choose the first or second part of the day rather than having to use the entire opening window. Full-time attendance is also priced through the full-day pattern.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, selecting Whiteley Village, or by email to info@littlebears.club. This keeps the enquiry tied to the correct nursery within the Little Bears group.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers FEET and FEE 15/30hrs Government Funding for core childcare hours, applying from the term after a child's second or third birthday under its funding terms. Funding applies to a complete morning, afternoon or full-day booking, rather than paying for only part of a session. Additional hours sit outside that funding, so the relationship between a child's booked sessions and funded hours matters to the overall bill.

For privately paid sessions, meals, nappies, wipes, sundries, activities, forest school and outings are included in the fee. On days using funding for some or all of the care, these items are covered by a separate voluntary consumables charge. Funded care hours and the cost of these extras are therefore separate parts of the arrangement.

Fees are billed monthly and paid in advance. A non-refundable registration charge applies when a place is offered, and the deposit is credited towards the final calendar month's fees when notice is given; it is retained if notice is absent or the child does not take up the place. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the Whiteley Village fees page explains the charge structure.

• Teaching through play. The March 2025 improvement point was for staff to develop conversations and interactions further so that play extended children's understanding more consistently. During a visit, ask how staff now build on a child's ideas rather than simply supporting the activity.
• A divided hall. Squirrels and Hedgehogs use separate sections of an open-plan space. A visit is a useful opportunity to consider how the sound and activity across the hall would suit your child, alongside the outdoor provision.
• Funded sessions and extras. Funding covers complete booked sessions, and funded days carry a separate voluntary charge for food, supplies and activities. Ask for a written quotation showing how this arrangement applies to your chosen morning, afternoon or full-day pattern.

Little Bears suits families choosing between morning sessions, afternoon sessions and full days for a child aged two to five. Its divided hall, equipped outdoor space and attention to home routines give the offer a practical shape. The March 2025 examples of village outings, imaginative play and emotional conversations add substance to that picture.

The balance is clear: there is useful choice in attendance patterns and a Good inspection judgement, alongside a specific improvement point about extending learning during play. Families should weigh the shared hall layout and funded-session extras as carefully as the activities themselves.