Little Angels Pre-School

A large indoor play space linked to an enclosed garden gives Little Angels Pre-School its defining feature: children can choose between indoor and outdoor play. Based at Fareham Baptist New Life Church on Gosport Road, this term-time setting combines a shared play environment with care organised around each child's key person. It has 26 places in total.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good, found safeguarding effective and identified targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There was also a clear improvement point: staff positioning needed attention so that responses to unwanted behaviour were consistent. Both findings matter to the choice here.

Children aged 2 to 5 are welcomed, with half-day and full-day attendance patterns that can include lunchtime.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning, covering communication, physical development and relationships alongside literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. In parent terms, play is a way to practise talking, moving, making choices and exploring ideas. This is the educational foundation, rather than an extra programme.

In February 2023, staff planned activities around what individual children needed to learn next. Language groups included a game about recognising sounds, while simple signs helped reinforce communication. These examples give substance to individual planning: children could work on a specific skill through an activity rather than receive the same task regardless of their needs.

Stories also invited participation. During that February 2023 visit, children discussed pictures, anticipated what might happen and copied a character's movements. Books became opportunities to speak and move, as well as listen. Shared imaginative play included children building a pretend jail together, giving them a reason to exchange ideas and negotiate their play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The indoor space and attached enclosed garden are connected by free-flow access. Children can move between the two, making the outdoor area part of their play choices rather than simply a separate scheduled break.

In February 2023, outdoor play included digging in mud, and staff had added physical challenges after training about outdoor experiences. Children also remembered a dentist's visit and talked about sweets and cavities. That visit connected an everyday health message with someone they had met; it does not establish a recurring visitor programme.

Every child has a key person, introduced to the family when they start. This gives parents a specific practitioner with whom to build a relationship and discuss their child's needs. A SENCO role and a designated safeguarding lead role form part of the staffing structure, and staff undergo enhanced DBS checks.

In February 2023, settling sessions could be adapted for children and their families, while conversations before starting helped staff understand children's needs. Staff also passed on advice from speech and language therapists and offered parents practical ideas about toileting and lunches. The useful feature was the connection between conversations at home, professional advice and support during the pre-school day.

Independence was visible in small routines in February 2023: children selected snacks and poured drinks for themselves. Behaviour was generally positive, but adults did not respond consistently to incidents such as children taking resources from one another. Sometimes a nearby adult intervened; at other times the response was less effective. The improvement request concerned how staff positioned themselves and supported these moments, rather than a claim about staffing ratios.

Sessions and Attendance

Half days and full days can be arranged around family needs, with lunchtime added to the pattern. These are term-time arrangements. The opening window runs from 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday; Friday closes at noon, or 12.30pm for children using 30-hour funding. Lunchtime runs from 11.30am to noon. Opening hours and booked attendance should be read separately.

Fees are paid in advance, either monthly or weekly, using bank transfer or cash. They remain payable when a child is ill or away on holiday, which matters when comparing the cost of different attendance patterns. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Telephone and email provide the enquiry routes.

Getting There

The address is Fareham Baptist New Life Church, Gosport Road, Fareham, PO16 0QW. There is a large on-site parking area, and the setting is on the A32 with a bus route, giving families both driving and public-transport options.

Funding and Paid Extras

The pre-school participates in government funding for eligible two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds, including the extended 30-hour entitlement, and can help with applications. Its fees page describes the three- and four-year-old entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday, an additional 15 hours for qualifying working parents, and 15 hours for some eligible two-year-olds.

Attendance is term-time only. Lunchtime attendance has a separate charge; that is a charge for the attendance period, rather than a statement about food being included.

• Responses to behaviour. February 2023 brought an improvement request about staff positioning and consistent intervention. On a visit, ask how adults now support sharing and respond when children take resources from others.
• Friday and term-time coverage. Friday ends earlier than the other weekdays, with the later finish tied to 30-hour funding. This pattern needs to fit the family's working week and holiday arrangements.
• Lunchtime arrangements. Lunchtime can be added to half-day or full-day attendance and is charged separately. Before choosing that pattern, ask how food and everyday consumables are arranged and charged.

Little Angels suits families seeking either half-day sessions or full-day attendance during term time, with the option to add lunchtime. Its connected indoor space and enclosed garden offer children choices about where to play, while a key person gives families a consistent point of contact.

The Good judgement from February 2023 is balanced by a specific concern about consistent responses to behaviour. For parents considering this setting, the decisive combination is its flexible attendance pattern, outdoor access and individual care arrangements, alongside the need to understand how that behaviour concern has been addressed.