Lymington Little Dolphins Pre-School

A water wall, a mud kitchen and access to an infant-school playground give Lymington Little Dolphins Pre-School more scope for play than its community-room base might imply. This is a parent-involved setting on Avenue Road in Lymington, with capacity for 20 children. Its character comes from practical independence: choosing activities, handling resources and learning to do things for oneself.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding and found that carefully adapted learning, individual support and effective safeguarding helped children make excellent progress. That judgement belongs to that visit. The current day combines stories, creative work and outdoor exploration, with a key person supporting each child and Tapestry giving parents an online window into their learning.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions allow families to build different attendance patterns, subject to a minimum of two sessions on separate days. The school-site setting has practical benefits, but attending Little Dolphins does not help a child gain admission to Lymington Infants School.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS frames learning and care through language, movement, social skills, early reading, mathematics and creative play. Staff observe each child's interests and development to plan what comes next.

The welcome circle makes everyday routines part of that learning. Children identify their name labels and post them into a box, count the group and discuss the weather and calendar. Makaton signs accompany the morning greeting, adding a signed element to this shared routine. These are small, repeatable opportunities to recognise names, use language and take part with others.

Two weekly topic books shape additions to play resources. Children follow their interests and can choose whether to join activities introduced by staff. Morning circle brings stories, yoga, singing and movement into the day.

In March 2022, children acted out familiar stories and worked together on construction, discussing their designs and trying again when structures collapsed. One investigation began with a homemade see-saw and developed into weighing bricks. Those examples give substance to the emphasis on independence: children were experimenting, negotiating and changing their ideas, rather than simply completing an adult's task.

Outdoor and Community Life

The pre-school room, patio and garden provide different kinds of activity space. Indoors, children can use a book corner, role-play resources, a mathematics and literacy table, and materials for making marks or manipulating by hand. Resources change while the underlying play provision remains accessible, giving familiar activities fresh possibilities.

Outside, the patio combines a water wall and sand tray with chalkboards, whiteboards and an art easel. The garden adds a mud kitchen, a quieter snuggle area and climbing apparatus with a rock-climbing wall. These features support different energies: mixing and experimenting, drawing on a larger scale, climbing or taking a quieter pause.

After settling at the beginning of the year, children can move between the supervised patio and garden during the morning. They use the infant school's playground daily, with its music room and wildlife area accessible by arrangement. The field supports nature exploration and preparation for summer-term sports day.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person oversees care and development and works with parents through settling. Settling-in visits and a New Parent's Evening accompany arrangements tailored to each family, providing a relationship through which parents can share habits, interests and worries.

Tapestry, an online learning journal, lets parents see recorded experiences and discuss them with their child.

Parents elect the voluntary committee annually. Its responsibilities include policies, recruitment, staff appraisal and administration, giving families a role in running the setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes SENco responsibilities, an Early Language Lead Practitioner and a Behaviour Management Lead Practitioner, alongside designated safeguarding roles. These are useful points of responsibility for families discussing additional needs, communication or behaviour. Individual observation and planning provide the mechanism for responding to a child's development.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff adjusted learning to address children's needs, used additional funding effectively and gave close attention to emotional development. Children were encouraged to attempt early writing and took pleasure in succeeding. These were findings about practice at that time, rather than a promise about any individual child's future progress.

The current safeguarding policy provides a trained deputy when the designated person is away and procedures for recording and escalating concerns. Children also have their key person as someone with whom to share worries. The arrangements establish responsibilities; the dated safeguarding judgement is the one given above.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Community Room, Lymington Infant School, Avenue Road, Lymington, SO41 9GP. Opening hours are 8am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. The morning session runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, the afternoon from 12.30pm to 3pm, and the full day from 8.45am to 3pm. An early start covers 8am to 8.45am, with a separate lunchtime session between 11.45am and 12.30pm.

Children must attend at least two sessions each week on different days; lunch alone does not count towards that minimum. Two full days are recommended, especially in the year before school, rather than required. This distinction matters for families planning shorter sessions around other commitments.

In March 2022, the pre-school operated during school terms only. Applications begin with a registration form requested by email at littledolphins@live.co.uk. A waiting list is ordered by birth date, prioritising three-year-olds in their year before school, and a points system applies if it is oversubscribed. These are allocation rules, rather than an indication of spaces now.

Sharing the infant-school site gives children access to some school facilities. It does not confer an admissions advantage: attendance at Little Dolphins does not assist entry to Lymington Infants School, and families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted through the working-family 30-hour entitlement, universal 15-hour provision for three- and four-year-olds, and 15-hour support for eligible two-year-olds. The age scope of a funding scheme does not override the pre-school's entry rules. Private hours are charged after funding has been used, and childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare are accepted.

Morning snack is covered by a separate voluntary consumables charge, while parents supply packed lunches; the snack menu rotates over three weeks and the pre-school publishes a nut-free policy. Children help with snack preparation, using utensils to spread, pour and cut, making this part of learning as well as eating.

Non-food items covered by the voluntary charge include sun cream, wipes, spare nappies and nappy sacks, alongside Tapestry and activities beyond normal provision. The charging terms do not distinguish funded attendance from private attendance. Families who opt out must supply the required items at each session; forgotten items may result in a charge for using pre-school supplies or those supplies being withheld.

Special events can attract a separate voluntary charge, communicated outside termly invoicing. The fees and session information explains that structure. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation.

• Starting age. The general offer covers children from two to school age, while the admissions policy sets a minimum of two years and nine months. Resolve that difference before planning a start for a younger child.
• Attendance across the year. The two-session minimum excludes lunch-only attendance, and the March 2022 opening pattern was term-time only. At a visit, ask how your proposed sessions fit the current holiday calendar.
• Allergies and supplies. The pre-school publishes a nut-free policy and charges separately for snack and non-food consumables through a voluntary charge. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food-handling practice and agree the items required if opting out.
• Parent participation. The elected committee carries operational responsibilities. Ask at a visit what involvement looks like for new families and how settling-in arrangements are agreed with the key person.

Little Dolphins suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, with play, practical independence and outdoor choice central to the experience. The water wall, mud kitchen and access to school facilities give children different ways to explore; Tapestry and a key person connect that experience to home.

The Outstanding judgement from March 2022 is a strong dated endorsement. The decision now rests on whether the session minimum, starting-age position and parent-involved model fit family life. School-site familiarity is a benefit of the setting, while Reception admission remains a separate decision.