The New Little Village Nursery

Weekly Spanish lessons, a nursery minibus and an upstairs preschool room give this Ansdell setting a recognisable character, but its inspection position deserves equal weight: Ofsted rated it Requires improvement on 12 August 2025. The practical appeal and the concerns both matter when choosing care.

The New Little Village Nursery welcomes children from birth to five at 41 Woodlands Road, Lytham St. Annes, FY8 4ER. Its rooms take children through baby care, toddler exploration and preparation for school, with a key worker and the Famly app connecting nursery life with home. For babies, the published room maximum is 12 children. That is a useful starting point for thinking about the scale of the youngest children's day.

Learning includes weekly Spanish from Biliniusing, alongside regular community outings. These add language experiences and opportunities beyond the nursery building. In August 2025, allegations against staff had gone unreported to external safeguarding bodies on a rare occasion, and children sometimes needed longer to answer questions. Those issues belong alongside the activities, rather than being lost beneath them.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room accommodates up to 12 children aged 0 to two, with equipment and activities intended to stimulate early development. Settling support is tailored to the child, so the move into nursery can involve familiarisation before their usual attendance begins.

As children approach two, their key worker discusses the move to the Toddler Room with parents; here, child-chosen play sits alongside adult-led activities, with construction, painting, jigsaws and water play giving children different ways to experiment.

Pre-School occupies an upstairs room, where more challenging play and a structured learning programme support preparation for school, while achievements are recorded in each child's learning journey. The emphasis changes as children grow, rather than every room following an identical day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for care, development and learning, with activities planned around children's interests and needs. In parent terms, play and observation help staff decide what a child is ready to explore next. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision; the additions here include Spanish and community outings.

Biliniusing provides the weekly Spanish lessons. The frequency makes language an ongoing part of the offer, rather than a one-off event. The curriculum page also connects planning with observations that parents can follow through Famly.

In August 2025, stories and songs formed part of daily routines, while early writing and letter recognition introduced children to literacy. Counting during play, comparing objects and exploring shapes brought mathematics into ordinary activities. A sensory activity using foam for pretend ice creams developed into an investigation of cleaning windows: children's experimentation could change the direction of an activity.

During the same month, the pre-school council and small-group conversations gave children ways to influence their surroundings. This offers a concrete example of children contributing ideas, alongside adults planning activities. However, staff sometimes moved on before children had enough time to think and answer. For a child who needs longer to formulate a response, the pace of adult conversation matters as much as the activity itself.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play includes gardening, bikes, construction and opportunities to climb. Milk crates, tyres and water add materials children can use in different ways, extending exploration beyond tabletop activities.

A nursery minibus supports outings into the surrounding community. Trips are regular, while outdoor play is offered as often as possible; these are different arrangements, and the outings should not be read as a weekly timetable.

A key worker provides a consistent point of contact for each child. In the baby provision, settling-in sessions and home visits allow families and staff to get to know one another before nursery becomes part of the child's routine. The tailored settling package is useful for families who want the transition to respond to their child's temperament.

Famly combines practical communication with learning updates. Babies have a live care diary, while parents can follow learning, message the team and pay bills through the app. Parents' evenings take place twice a year, creating a separate opportunity for a fuller conversation about development at home and nursery. App updates and scheduled discussions serve different purposes.

Support for growing independence includes working with parents on potty training when they decide their child is ready. Movement into the next room is also discussed with families, helping connect changes at nursery with what parents see at home.

At its August 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, but identified a rare occasion when allegations against staff had not been reported to the regulator or the local authority's designated officer; internal action and risk controls reduced the risk to children. The requirement arising from that visit was to follow safeguarding procedures consistently, including the handling of allegations; internal action did not replace external notification.

In August 2025, mealtimes included conversations about healthy choices and encouragement of table manners. Medication arrangements require a completed form before a manager can administer medicine, and medicine must be prescribed and supplied in its original container.

The address is 41 Woodlands Road, Lytham St. Annes, FY8 4ER, in Ansdell between Lytham and St Annes. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year, with bank holidays closed.

Families can make an enquiry through the contact route or request a show around. Enrolment uses a registration form, which can be emailed or delivered as a paper copy. These provide a straightforward route from an initial conversation to completing the paperwork.

Funded childcare is offered. Funding information covers support for eligible two-year-olds, 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term that they turn three, and 30 hours subject to eligibility. A funded-hours agreement gives consent for the nursery to claim a child's entitlement. Eligibility conditions matter: the higher entitlement is not a promise that every family qualifies.

Private childcare is also offered, with bill payment through Famly. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, so they can consider the cost alongside their intended attendance.

• Handling safeguarding allegations. The August 2025 finding concerned external notification as well as internal action. At a visit, ask how the notification procedure now works and how leaders ensure it is followed.
• Time to answer. In August 2025, children were sometimes given too little thinking time. Ask how practitioners adapt conversations for children who take longer to respond.
• The baby-room scale. The Baby Room can accommodate 12 children aged under two. A visit can help families assess how its activity and care arrangements would suit their baby.
• Attendance and funded costs. Opening hours span the working day and funded childcare is offered. What booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would apply to your family, including meals, consumables and any additional charges?

This nursery suits families seeking care across the year, a tailored start for babies and ongoing communication through Famly. Weekly Spanish, community outings and the upstairs preschool provision give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The August 2025 judgement remains central to the decision. The safeguarding notification finding and the need for more patient questioning deserve clear attention alongside the room progression and learning opportunities. A choice here should weigh those practical strengths against the specific improvements required, rather than treating the activity programme as an answer to the concerns.