Little Lambs Pre-school

Daily garden play, bikes and scooters indoors, and a key person who plans around each child's interests give Little Lambs Pre-school a clear character: play comes first, with individual development shaping what happens next. Its home is Good Shepherd Lower Church Hall in Downham, Bromley. This is a preschool setting with capacity for 32 children, with a current age range of 28 to 48 months.

Ofsted rated Little Lambs Outstanding at its June 2022 inspection. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of a recent visit. The current offer combines daily movement, termly conversations with parents and a structured process for supporting children with additional needs.

Term-time attendance includes full days and extended mornings, with funded patterns built around either two full days or three extended mornings for the 15-hour entitlement.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: here, children learn through play, with their key person planning around their development and interests. That makes the adult's knowledge of the child useful in a practical way. Activities can respond to what interests them, rather than expecting every child to follow the same starting point.

In June 2022, dough-making brought counting and problem-solving into a shared activity. Children measured out ingredients and mixed them, then considered how to adjust the mixture. The value was in the conversation as well as the finished dough: a familiar hands-on task gave children reasons to use numbers, make decisions and work together.

Reading also received individual attention in June 2022. Staff examined the text around the setting, including books and labels, to extend learning for children already interested in reading. Parents joined story activities, translating familiar books alongside staff. This connected children's home languages with their preschool experience, rather than treating the two as separate parts of their lives.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is used daily. Indoors, children can move between dancing, yoga, ring games and riding bikes or scooters, giving physical play a place within the day as well as outdoors.

In June 2022, flowers and a mud kitchen provided different starting points for outdoor exploration. Children investigated scents and textures, while imaginative cooking prompted exchanges with friends. Staff adjusted their language to the children taking part. The garden therefore supported conversation as well as movement.

Family participation has a place in the 2026-2027 calendar. Bring your Dad to Preschool days and Play & Learn Together sessions recur across the terms; the latter are scheduled for October 2026, January 2027 and April 2027. A December 2026 theatre trip and a May 2027 farm trip extend the calendar beyond the hall. These are planned events, rather than a promise of weekly outings.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, linking individual planning with a familiar adult. Parents discuss progress and next steps with that practitioner each term. This gives families a regular opportunity to connect what happens at home with the child's learning at preschool.

The SEND procedure also includes a first-term conversation about settling and any concerns arising from observations. For a family whose child finds separation difficult, that creates a specific point for reviewing how the start has gone, alongside the ongoing relationship with the key person.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding, strong support for children with additional needs and rapid learning progress, with close parent and specialist involvement contributing to that support. These findings belong to that inspection date.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A designated SENCo works with key persons and parents on individual support. My Plan sets out agreed outcomes and strategies, with reviews every 6-8 weeks. The process moves from identifying needs to planning help, putting it into practice and reviewing its effect. Families therefore have a mechanism for revisiting support as their child's needs change.

Where other professionals are already involved, the procedure seeks a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting. For children with SEND moving to another setting, a transition meeting with the new teacher helps pass on information and agree support. This is preparation for the move, rather than an admissions advantage.

Children eat alongside staff, and families supply a healthy packed lunch. Sugar Smart is the setting's approach to reducing sugar in children's diets, so lunch preparation remains a practical responsibility for parents.

Sessions and Attendance

Full days run from 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday; extended mornings run from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Attendance is term-time only. The 30-hour funded pattern uses Monday to Thursday full days, while the 15-hour pattern can be taken as two full days or three extended mornings.

The calendar includes planning days that finish at 3pm, as well as holiday breaks and inset closures. These shorter days matter for families arranging collection around work: the normal full-day finish does not apply to every date in the term.

Getting There

The address is Good Shepherd Lower Church Hall, 79 Moorside Road, Downham, Bromley, BR1 5EP. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. The joining process uses an appointment with the child, followed by the option to join the waiting list; the setting contacts families when it can offer a place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Little Lambs offers 15-hour funded provision and the 30-hour Working Parent's Entitlement. These are term-time arrangements, and eligibility conditions apply. Working-parent codes need renewing every three months to continue accessing funded hours.

The Working Parents Entitlement carries no additional charges or top-up fees, while packed lunches come from home. Private childcare and additional paid hours are also offered; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding policy separates funded hours from paid hours on invoices and allows payment by week, month or term.

There is no deposit to secure a place. Paid hours remain chargeable during term-time sickness or holidays; if a child leaves before Headcount Day and the local authority does not fund those sessions, the family may have to pay for the attendance already used.

• Term-time collection plans. Full days and extended mornings both operate Monday to Thursday, with some planning days ending at 3pm. Match the calendar to the care your family needs during holidays and shorter days.
• Your child's starting age. The current age range is 28 to 48 months. At the appointment, discuss the intended start date and how the grouping and settling arrangements would work for your child.
• Packed lunches and daily supplies. Families provide lunch, with Sugar Smart guiding the approach to sugar. Ask how dietary needs are handled and which personal care supplies your child should bring.
• A visit with your child. Book by phone or email to meet staff together. Use that appointment to explore the key-person relationship and, where relevant, how My Plan reviews would involve your family.

Little Lambs suits families seeking term-time preschool through either full days or extended mornings. Daily garden use and indoor movement give the day physical variety, while key-person planning and termly parent discussions keep individual development visible.

The June 2022 Outstanding judgement is an important part of the choice, but its date matters. Today's practical strengths are the clear attendance patterns, packed-lunch arrangement and defined support procedures. Families needing holiday care or later collection will need to weigh those boundaries carefully.