Little Stars Pre-School Nursery

Three age-specific rooms, three secured outdoor play areas and a busy programme of yoga, cookery, music and movement give Little Stars a clear identity. Based at New Bentley Neighbourhood Resource Centre, the nursery accepts children from three months to four years. Ofsted rated it Good in August 2023, an improvement from Requires Improvement in December 2022.

Inspectors saw children moving confidently through play and routines, at ease with practitioners who joined their activities. Children’s growing independence showed in their choices and self-care, alongside cooperative play. The strongest practical distinction is choice: the nursery publishes funded and private morning, afternoon and full-day patterns rather than one fixed day.

Rooms and Ages

The Moonlight Room covers three to 18 months. Its Black & White Corner gives babies a calm place for soft toys and stories, while a ball pit adds colour, movement and coordination. A milk kitchen keeps feed storage and preparation within the room, and a no-shoes policy is intended to protect the floor space used by babies. Baby yoga and musical movement add structured experiences without replacing sensory play.

Rainbow Room is published for children aged two to three. Its resources span all seven Early Years Foundation Stage areas: role play and mealtimes support social development; construction, a toddler trampoline and messy play build physical skills; and puzzles, magnetic letters, mark making and painting introduce mathematics, literacy and creative expression. This framework turns play and everyday routines into planned progress across communication, physical, social, mathematical and creative development.

Sunshine Room is for three- to five-year-olds, although the provider describes its school-preparation work for three- and four-year-olds. Reading, writing and basic mathematics sit alongside yoga, Zumba and computing. A free-flow area also brings age groups together for celebrations, concerts and plays, giving older children both focused work and shared nursery experiences.

Learning and Named Experiences

The wider programme is unusually specific. Zumba uses dance, games and child-friendly routines; cookery introduces equipment and recipes such as fruit salad and baking; music and movement combines singing, instruments and action; sensory sessions use lights, bubbles, balloons and natural-interest objects; and yoga turns stories into physical adventures. These activities are included rather than charged as extras.

Ofsted saw the curriculum working through children’s interests. Staff extended container-filling into counting and number recognition, while doll bathing supported sharing, turn-taking and discussion about dental health. Children also developed strength and coordination on climbing apparatus and through yoga, then practised control with simple tools in cooking and painting. Inspectors asked the nursery to strengthen how the intended curriculum is implemented outdoors, making subsequent outdoor planning a key decision point.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor provision includes three secured play areas. One contains a large sand pit and gardening space; the other two separate provision for older and younger children across soft and hard surfaces. An outdoor sensory room was designed with additional needs in mind but is available to all children.

Community activity extends beyond the grounds. In 2023, children regularly visited the local sports centre, park and shops, and staff arranged joint events with local groups, including a centre for people with learning disabilities. The programme includes local walks and trips to the library, post office and shops, plus annual picnics and summer outings.

Settling is structured around a key person. Settling starts with a one-hour first day, two hours on the second, then a gradual increase across the week. That key person supports care routines and plans individual activities. Recent staff training informed the nursery’s approach to helping children adjust, while parents valued communication and updates about development.

Inclusion is a documented strength. Staff used visual aids to help children understand routines and communicate choices, identified developmental concerns promptly, worked with parents and referred to outside professionals where needed. Resources and activities reflected children’s home lives and cultures. The annual calendar reinforces that approach through Chinese New Year, Eid, Navratri, Diwali, Christmas and International Day activities.

Safeguarding arrangements were effective in August 2023. Staff understood signs of harm, reporting procedures, safer recruitment and risk assessment. This dated regulatory judgement records the position at that inspection.

Food is parent-led in the published routine. Children bring fruit, vegetable sticks or yoghurt for snack and their own lunch bag; the nursery provides milk and drinking water. Staff encourage children to serve themselves, open lunch bags and discuss healthy food. Individual sleep routines are agreed with families for babies and toddlers.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Stars is at New Bentley Neighbourhood Resource Centre, first floor, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow Wealdstone, HA3 5BD. Its published opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.

Funded morning, afternoon and full-day patterns cover eligible children, with the full-day pattern reserved for eligible three- and four-year-olds using 30 hours. Private sessions are 8am to 1pm, noon to 4pm, or 8am to 4pm, covering children from three months to four years. The overlapping private patterns make the booking combination important.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision is available for eligible children from nine months, eligible two-year-olds, and universal or extended entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, delivered for up to 38 weeks. Eligibility and codes depend on each child’s circumstances. Families need a tailored quotation for private hours and any registration or notice terms.

Children bring snacks and lunch, while the nursery supplies milk and water.

Visits are booked by phone, email or the website enquiry form. The setting is on the first floor of the resource centre.

• Outdoor curriculum. The August 2023 improvement point was to strengthen implementation of the curriculum outdoors. Changes in planning, staff practice and use of the three play areas are the central follow-up point.
• Funded-session calendar. The funded patterns are published for school terms. Families who need privately paid sessions during school holidays should confirm how those weeks are arranged.
• Room age gap. Published rooms cover three to 18 months, two to three years, and three to five years. The placement of children aged 18 to 24 months and the transition process need clarifying.
• Food and practical access. Children bring snacks and lunch. Families should clarify practical access and what they supply for personal care.

Little Stars combines its Good 2023 outcome with distinctive rooms, substantial outdoor space and named daily enrichment rather than vague promises. The evidence is strongest on relationships, inclusion, independence and community experience; the published room detail makes it easy to picture how those priorities change with age. The outdoor curriculum action prevents an unqualified endorsement, but it also gives parents a precise decision point.

This nursery best suits families who value a real choice between funded mornings, funded afternoons, funded full days, private mornings, private afternoons and private full days. Collection after 4pm falls outside the published session windows.