Little Stars at The Oaks

A church setting, adaptable play rooms and natural grounds give Little Stars at The Oaks a clear character. Based at St Peters Church in Accrington, it takes children from two years to school age and has 40 places in total. The combination gives creative play room indoors and an outdoor setting where children can explore nature.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. Books, conversation and growing independence were central to the day: children could choose reading material themselves, discuss their ideas and practise everyday tasks. These are useful foundations for families who want nursery to build confidence as well as provide childcare.

Attendance is term-time, with a choice of morning and afternoon sessions. That practical distinction matters alongside the setting’s educational strengths.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, its inspection-time expression included learning through play, conversation, stories and everyday routines, with activities shaped around what children already understood and what interested them.

In December 2024, dinosaurs supplied a route into mathematical ideas and more demanding vocabulary. Staff used a familiar enthusiasm to introduce something new, rather than treating children’s interests as a diversion from learning. Children joined activities led by adults and also played cooperatively with one another. The day therefore included opportunities both to follow an idea and to work alongside other children.

Language received deliberate attention during that visit. Adults allowed children time to consider a question before answering and helped them connect new ideas with things they had learnt earlier. Fiction and factual books were placed among different activities, while comfortable spaces supported shared stories. Reading was part of the play environment, rather than confined to a single scheduled activity.

Independence also had concrete expressions in December 2024. Younger children practised handling their coats; older children served themselves drinks, helped themselves to cereal and cut fruit. These small tasks matter because they let children participate in their own care. They also give families a clearer picture of school preparation than a broad promise about readiness.

Outdoor and Community Life

Large indoor rooms can be rearranged for creative play, and the church grounds provide a natural outdoor environment. The practical appeal is the combination: space for changing activities inside, with nature close to the nursery itself. In December 2024, children also spent time outdoors taking part in physical activities, and staff discussed healthy eating and drinking with them.

The nursery maintains relationships with community organisations and agencies involved in children’s care and learning. There is also a concrete example of its work with trainee practitioners: Blackburn College presented the Oaks team with a certificate recognising its support for trainee practitioners on placement. That acknowledgement concerns training placements; it is a separate fact from the nursery’s inspection judgement.

Relationships and Communication

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person approach supported children’s confidence, that staff identified additional developmental needs and planned effective help, and that communication with families was good. The detail behind those findings is useful: parents had daily opportunities to speak with their child’s key person, and information from home contributed to planning.

During that month, staff combined parents’ accounts of their children with observations made at nursery to decide what to teach next. Adults also responded to children’s distress by finding the cause and offering comfort. For a parent choosing a first nursery, these are meaningful examples of how relationships influenced the day, rather than simply a statement that staff knew the children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In December 2024, bilingual team members used families’ home languages, while colleagues learnt useful words and phrases. This gave children a familiar means of communication as they settled. Support therefore involved practical changes to adult communication, alongside attention to children’s individual development.

Behaviour guidance was similarly concrete at that visit. Staff explained why children should move carefully indoors and treat one another gently, rather than simply issuing instructions. The improvement point concerned another aspect of safety: teaching children about safe technology use needed to become part of the curriculum.

Staff development was active in December 2024, with coaching, supervision and training both online and together as a team. Those arrangements gave practitioners opportunities to discuss and develop their work with children.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Oaks Child and Family Centre, St Peters Church, Richmond Street, Accrington, BB5 0SJ. Branch enquiries can be made by telephone on 01254 879387.

Morning sessions run from 9am to midday and afternoon sessions from 1pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. These are separate attendance patterns, so families can choose the part of the day that fits their routines. The term-time calendar means the arrangement needs to sit comfortably alongside a family’s school-holiday plans.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. The attendance arrangement includes 15 hours across five days; a 30-hour arrangement across five days may be considered. The distinction is important: the longer arrangement is conditional, rather than a promise of a particular booking.

Additional hours or sessions may also be possible. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their proposed attendance pattern, so the agreed hours and charges can be considered together.

• Term-time sessions. The morning and afternoon patterns run during term time. Consider how either session fits work commitments and how childcare will work during school holidays.
• The longer attendance arrangement. A 30-hour pattern across five days may be considered, while the shorter pattern is 15 hours across five days. Discuss the proposed arrangement and its written terms before committing.
• Technology safety. In December 2024, teaching about safe technology use was the identified improvement point. Ask how this now fits into children’s learning.
• Seeing the setting. The nursery welcomes visits without an appointment. Use a visit to explore how the adaptable rooms and natural grounds work for your child, and discuss settling with the team.

Little Stars at The Oaks suits families seeking morning or afternoon nursery sessions during term time, with adaptable indoor space and natural church grounds. Its December 2024 Good judgement is supported by tangible examples of language work, independent tasks and communication with families. The technology-safety improvement point deserves attention, and the conditional longer attendance arrangement needs a clear agreement. For parents whose routines fit the sessions, the appeal is a nursery day built around conversation, play and practical independence.