Little Me Nursery

A willow yurt, an orchard-side garden and a nursery day that moves between shared rooms give Little Me Nursery in Foxton its character. Children use different spaces for different activities rather than spending the whole day in one age-group room. That arrangement makes the building itself part of the choice for parents: messy play, stories, meals and sleep each have their own setting.

With capacity for 35 children aged three months to five years, Little Me occupies Bramley House in Foxton, near Market Harborough. Its age groups begin with the Pippins, followed by the Pixies and Bramleys. At its 3 August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. That dated judgement sits alongside a current offer built around play, individual learning plans and a key person who keeps parents informed.

The strongest practical distinction is the combination of shared activity spaces and a separate place to sleep. Outdoors, gardening and occasional canal visits extend children's experiences beyond indoor play. The attendance calendar needs equal attention: the nursery opens for 47 weeks, while funded hours run across 38 weeks.

Rooms and Ages

At 9am, children divide into age groups: the Pippins cover 12 months to two years, the Pixies two to three, and the Bramleys three to five. These are age groups within a nursery whose children use its different activity spaces through the day. Mixed-age play also forms part of the approach, giving children opportunities to share and take turns with children at different stages.

The Big Playroom combines a carpeted play space, a sofa for sharing stories and a tiled area for messy activities; The Wet Room brings cooking, painting, modelling and sand or water play into a fully tiled space that also serves as the dining room. Those different surfaces have a practical purpose. Children can move between quieter play and activities involving glue, water or paint rather than making one room serve every task.

The Sleep Room provides a darkened, quiet space apart from the main activity rooms, with an adult remaining while children sleep. Pre-School is upstairs, with countryside views, and gives the Bramleys a tinker table, finger gym and IT zone alongside opportunities to explore early writing, sounds and mathematical ideas. The physical separation between sleep and activity is useful for children who still need a daytime rest.

Learning and Activities

EYFS is the shared early-years framework, covering children's learning and care through play across seven areas of learning. Here, individual plans and daily observations help staff choose experiences around each child's development and interests. It is the starting point for the curriculum, rather than an extra programme that sets this nursery apart.

Children help shape the day's activities. Construction, pretend play and investigation sit alongside creative work, with staff demonstrating skills and extending what children already know. Younger children have an emphasis on sensory and physical experiences; preschool preparation includes drawing and writing, exploring letters and sounds, and working with shape and measurement. There is a clear connection between play materials and the skills children practise.

In August 2022, independence was visible in ordinary routines: younger children managed shoes and handwashing, while preschool children served food and poured drinks. Real plates and cutlery gave those tasks substance. Responsibility also extended to tidying toys, making cooperation part of daily life rather than a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden sits beside an old orchard and has two artificial-grass areas for year-round use. Its willow yurt provides space for imaginative play or a quiet pause, while the Outdoor kitchen, tyres, log pile and water tray offer different ways to investigate and move. A large sandpit adds another substantial play space. These are concrete choices for children whose interests run towards making, digging or active play.

Growing flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables brings seasonal change into the day. Village Park has hosted Bear Hunts, picnics and nature trails, and occasional canal visits involve looking for boats and ducks. The outings broaden the outdoor offer without depending on a fixed weekly trip schedule.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for daily communication, observations and the Learning Journey, a record bringing together information about the child's development. This gives parents a defined person to speak with about activities and wellbeing. When children move from the Pixies to the Bramleys, that person stays with them wherever possible, preserving a familiar relationship through the change.

Daily routines provide another thread of continuity. Meals, snacks, activities and free play follow a consistent timetable, with room for spontaneous changes. For parents, the useful balance is between a recognisable day and flexibility around children's experiences. A predictable routine does not mean children remain in the same room throughout it.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to respond to welfare concerns and all staff having paediatric first-aid training. That is a dated assessment of practice. The nursery's current learning arrangements include observation of changing needs and individual plans, giving staff a means of adjusting activities for each child rather than relying solely on age-group planning.

Sleep has a clear practical arrangement: an adult settles children and remains in the room, alongside a listening device and additional checks. Each child has separate bed linen, which the nursery washes. Rest therefore has both its own space and a stated supervision routine.

Meals include a homemade hot lunch, fruit and savoury refreshments, and an afternoon tea; meat comes from Joseph Morris of South Kilworth, with other produce sourced from Tesco’s or The Farndon Fields Farm shop. Special diets can be accommodated, and daily menus are displayed for parents.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates for 47 weeks, closing for a spring week, two summer weeks, an autumn week, bank holidays and the Christmas period. These planned breaks matter for families organising childcare throughout the working year.

Funded attendance has a separate clock: hours can be claimed during term time between 9am and 4.30pm, or between 8.30am and 5pm. Attendance before or after those funding windows attracts an additional charge. The opening day and the funded part of it therefore need to be considered separately when planning a working day.

Getting There

The address is Bramley House, 25 Main Street, Foxton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7RB. Foxton is close to the A6, making the village location relevant to families travelling along that route. General enquiries go through the nursery office by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

Working Family Funding offers eligible children over nine months up to 30 hours each week, subject to nursery availability; universal funding begins in the term following a child's third birthday for children who do not qualify for the extended entitlement. Funding is delivered over 38 term-time weeks. It is not spread across the full nursery year.

Parents claiming funding complete a Parental Statement of Undertaking (PSOU) and the nursery's Funding Contract (FEEE) before a claim is made. Continued eligibility for the working-parent entitlement must be reconfirmed with HMRC every three months. That recurring administrative step belongs alongside the attendance calendar in a family's planning.

On funded days, meals carry a separate, optional charge, with alternatives discussed with a senior staff member if parents decline it; consumables also carry a separate daily charge. The consumables charge covers items including wipes, toothbrushing supplies, children's individual learning records, cooking and gardening resources, and nursery celebrations.

For the nine non-funded weeks, attendance is charged privately and the daily rate includes meals and consumables. Extra hours outside the funding windows are charged separately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees information explains how the different parts of the bill fit together.

• Movement between activities. In August 2022, changes between indoor and outdoor play sometimes unsettled children's engagement. During a visit, ask how staff now organise those changes, especially for a child who finds transitions difficult.
• Staff development. In August 2022, less-experienced staff needed more targeted coaching in teaching and engagement. A useful discussion is how that training now translates into the activities children experience.
• The childcare calendar. A 47-week nursery year includes planned seasonal closures, and funding applies over 38 weeks. Match both calendars to your working arrangements before choosing an attendance pattern.
• Youngest children and daily care. The Pippins age group begins at 12 months, and children move between shared activity spaces. Use an appointment to discuss how your child's age, sleep routine and dietary needs would fit that arrangement, including current allergy practice where relevant.

Little Me suits families who value a village setting, shared activity rooms and a separate sleep space, with outdoor play extending to gardening, Village Park and occasional canal visits. It also suits parents planning term-time funded attendance or privately paid attendance during the non-funded weeks, provided its seasonal closures fit their needs.

The useful balance is between individual attention and a day spent using different spaces. A continuing key person can provide familiarity, while the garden and upstairs preschool space give older children scope to explore. The August 2022 priorities around staff coaching and transitions deserve a place in the decision alongside those physical and practical strengths.