Little Incredibles

A garden plot that supplies the kitchen, frequent nature walks and a nursery dog give Little Incredibles a clear character: children spend time with the natural world rather than simply learning about it. This Yaxley setting has capacity for 20 children. Its appeal lies in the connection between outdoor activity, everyday responsibility and family involvement.

At its 8 August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Little Incredibles Good and judged safeguarding effective. Children attending then were aged 1 to 4; that age range belongs to the inspection period.

Mixed-age mealtimes and activities give younger and older children opportunities to learn together. Flexible collection and drop-off arrangements sit within weekday opening hours, with an earlier finish on Fridays.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines are opportunities to develop communication, physical skills and independence. Little Incredibles adds an emphasis on movement, nature and participation in its surrounding community. Outdoor play continues in different weather, while frequent nature walks take learning beyond the setting.

Family input helps shape the curriculum. Discussions and questionnaires bring children's home experiences and family priorities into planning, giving practitioners a basis for connecting nursery activities with what matters to each child. The emphasis includes communication, confidence in movement and care for the environment. Those priorities make more sense together than as separate activities: a walk can involve talking, physical exploration and noticing living things.

Spanglish lessons and Total Sports sessions are delivered by visiting providers and covered by the daily extras charge. They add outside-led activities to the day. Their content and timing would be useful topics for a visit, especially for families weighing the extras against their child's interests.

In August 2023, practical activities linked stories and mathematical ideas. After a Goldilocks story, children handled oats and explored weighing; dough and differently sized containers helped introduce size comparisons. Younger children experimented with the feel of cornflour mixed with water. These were tangible ways to explore ideas before relying on words alone.

Outdoor and Community Life

The dedicated garden plot connects growing with eating. Children help cultivate fruit, herbs and vegetables, then take part in preparing ingredients for meals. This gives food a starting point beyond the plate and makes helping with lunch part of learning.

The Big Wild Garden provides another named outdoor space, alongside walks to the woods. Flora, the nursery's cavapoo, comes to the setting most days and accompanies outdoor activity. For children comfortable around dogs, an animal is part of the nursery's everyday character; families with concerns about dogs will want to discuss how contact is managed.

In August 2023, community experiences included outings linked to children's interests and visits from police and veterinary professionals. Children also grew beans and radishes and talked with the cook about ingredients. Parents shared languages, food and aspects of their heritage. The connection was practical: children encountered people and experiences beyond their immediate family.

In August 2023, babies sought comfort from their key person, while older children talked with staff about their plans. Settling arrangements were adapted to individual children, and managers sought feedback from families. This gave the start of nursery a personal shape rather than expecting every child to adjust in the same way.

At the August 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged SEND support very effective, describing cooperation between the special educational needs coordinator, outside agencies and parents to keep support consistent. The current team includes a special educational needs coordinator and designated child-protection roles, with paediatric first-aid training represented among staff. These are practical support arrangements, rather than a guarantee about any individual child's experience.

Everyday independence also mattered in August 2023. Children practised getting ready for outdoor play, used cutlery and helped with clearing toys and preparing tables. Staff encouraged sharing and recognised considerate behaviour. Responsibility came through manageable tasks, giving children opportunities to contribute to the group.

Communication remains a point to examine carefully. In August 2023, staff sometimes asked too many questions and gave children insufficient time to express their thoughts and ideas. The improvement priority was to give children's ideas more room. For a parent, the useful distinction is between an adult keeping conversation going and allowing a child time to lead it.

Menus can be viewed through the babys days system, and families can contribute favourite recipes. Meals are cooked at the nursery; the current menu is pescatarian and dairy-free in response to allergies. Dietary requirements are discussed during settling, making the food conversation part of joining rather than an afterthought.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 27 London Road, Yaxley, Peterborough PE7 3NQ. Opening hours are 8am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3.30pm on Friday, with flexible drop-off and collection times. The setting operates for 47 weeks each year and closes on bank holidays.

The autumn 2026 closure begins in the week commencing 26 October, with reopening on Monday 2 November. That break matters for families planning childcare around work. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01733 244011 or by email at little.incredibles@outlook.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible children from the term after they turn 9 months old, and for children aged 3 and 4; an extended entitlement is also offered to eligible children aged 3 and 4. The funding schedule distributes hours across the autumn, spring and summer terms, with a different weekly allocation in summer. Additional private hours are billed monthly, and the calculation changes with the funding claimed and the length of each term.

Meals and non-food consumables are charged separately through a daily extras fee, including alongside funded hours. That charge covers outside-provider activities too; nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun protection are among the supplied consumables. Families who do not wish to pay for specific extras can raise this with the nursery to discuss the next steps.

A separate voluntary daily contribution for access to funded hours applies to children aged 3 and 4. Families should obtain a current written quotation that separates private hours, extras and that contribution. The fees and chargeable extras page sets out the structure.

• Friday finish and autumn break. Friday closing is 3.30pm, and the October 2026 closure runs from the week commencing 26 October until reopening on 2 November. Both need to fit the family's working arrangements.
• Conversation at a visit. The August 2023 improvement priority concerned giving children more time to express their ideas. Look for how practitioners pause, listen and let children shape an exchange.
• Food, extras and choice. The menu is currently dairy-free and pescatarian, while the daily extras fee combines meals, consumables and outside-provider activities. Discuss current allergy practice and how declining particular extras works, including what Spanglish and Total Sports involve.
• Contact with Flora. The nursery dog attends most days. Families with allergies, anxiety around dogs or preferences about animal contact should discuss the arrangements before joining.

Little Incredibles suits families who value outdoor activity, growing food and a connection between nursery life and home. The garden plot, nature walks and mixed-age experiences give those priorities concrete expression. Its weekday hours, flexible drop-off and collection arrangements, and shorter Friday need to fit the family's routine.

The Good judgement provides a dated assessment, while the August 2023 interaction priority offers a useful question for a visit. The strongest reason to consider this setting is its everyday character: children have opportunities to grow, prepare, explore and contribute, with families involved in shaping what they learn.