Little Bears Forest Preschool

Milton Common Local Nature Reserve and the seashore of Langstone Harbour give Little Bears Forest Preschool its defining character. Outdoor exploration shapes the day here, with a garden and woodland space of its own, natural materials for creative work and outings into the surrounding area. This is a preschool for families who want nature to be part of ordinary learning, rather than an occasional change of scenery.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The concrete examples behind that judgement are compelling: children grew vegetables, turned beetroot into paint and practised ways to calm themselves. Those examples connect practical activity with conversation, creativity and emotional understanding.

Children aged 2 to 5 attend the Southsea setting at Langstone Centre on Shore Avenue. Term-time opening runs from Monday to Thursday, with all-day care among the attendance options. The outdoor emphasis sits alongside indoor spaces for art, imaginative play and larger-group activities, giving children different ways to take part.

Rooms and Ages

The indoor arrangement centres on shared activity spaces. Children can move freely into the Art Room and Role Play Room, while the hall accommodates physical activity and larger groups.

Keyworker groups have bear names: Polar Bears, Panda Bears, Spectacled Bears and Brown Bears. These are keyworker groups, distinct from the activity rooms.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play. Forest School adds the preschool's chosen approach: practical exploration in natural surroundings, with children's interests helping shape what they investigate. It is an approach alongside the framework, rather than a replacement for it.

A defined daily routine provides structure, but much of the activity takes place outdoors. Children use natural resources in creative work and explore textures through messy play. The value is in handling and investigating real materials: children have something concrete to describe, compare and transform, rather than learning about nature only through pictures or instructions.

Activ8 Minds visits twice a week for sessions supporting physical development and healthy living. This adds a named visiting organisation to the movement already built into outdoor play. Father Bear's Journey connects preschool with home: a draw selects a child to take the bear away for the weekend, and photographs of the adventure are shared with the other children. The activity gives family experiences a place in preschool conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden and woodland space are complemented by visits to Milton Common and Langstone seashore. Children go outdoors in changing weather and learn about seasonal differences through direct experience. All-weather clothing is part of that practical picture. Families choosing this preschool are choosing a day in which weather changes the experience rather than automatically bringing exploration indoors.

In September 2024, the allotment supplied a detailed example of learning with a purpose. Children tended tomatoes and cabbages, made predictions about beetroot before harvesting it, and used their crop to create paint. A single activity brought together growing food, estimating, describing and making pictures. The allotment was a working learning space, not simply greenery around the preschool.

Community connections also featured in September 2024, when staff worked with the local university and police. These relationships introduced children to people and organisations beyond preschool. They sit naturally alongside the setting's use of its surrounding area: learning extended beyond the indoor activity spaces and the preschool's own garden.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry, an online learning journal, allows staff and parents or carers to record and follow a child's development. It gives families a way to contribute as well as receive information, making the connection between home and preschool more concrete than a one-way update.

In September 2024, staff helped children settle and encouraged friendly behaviour through everyday interactions. They acknowledged helpful actions, supported turn-taking and encouraged children to thank one another. These were small, repeatable social habits, useful for children learning how to join a group and maintain friendships.

Family involvement also included a workshop in September 2024, where staff shared practical ideas for learning at home. That example matters because it connected preschool activity with things parents could actually do. Father Bear's Journey provides another, more playful connection: a family outing or an ordinary weekend experience becomes something a child can share with friends.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities highly effective, including signing for communication and a visual sequence of upcoming activities that was also shared with parents. The practical value of those examples is clear: communication support and preparation for what happens next were carried between preschool and home.

Emotional understanding was part of daily practice in September 2024. Children used breathing exercises to become calmer, and staff helped them think about feelings and how their brains worked. This made emotional regulation something children could practise, rather than simply an instruction to calm down.

Independence was taught through ordinary personal care in September 2024. A mirror helped children see what they were doing when cleaning their noses, while staff encouraged them to manage washing and drying their hands after using the toilet. These are modest tasks with practical significance: children gain experience of looking after themselves before moving on to school.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday during term time. All-day care is one attendance option; breakfast club and a late-afternoon session also form part of the offer. The opening window describes the preschool's operating day, while these patterns allow families to think separately about the preschool day and care around its edges.

Additional holiday clubs operate during Easter and summer holidays. This is a term-time preschool with holiday-club provision, so families planning year-round childcare need to account for both parts of the arrangement. The funded provision follows a 38-week term-time structure.

The address is Langstone Centre, Shore Avenue, Southsea PO4 8NB. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form, which takes session requirements. A welcome pack and admissions paperwork are sent separately as part of joining.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded preschool sessions operate Monday to Thursday. Breakfast and light tea carry separate charges, and families supply a packed lunch; the same separate breakfast or tea charge applies when funded hours are used during breakfast club or the late-afternoon session.

The charge structure therefore matters as much as the attendance pattern. Funded childcare and food are separate elements, while lunch remains a task for parents. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the sessions and fees information sets out the arrangements for food and funding.

Ending the agreement requires at least one month's notice. The preschool may also charge for late collection. These terms make collection planning and changes to childcare arrangements practical considerations alongside the weekly timetable.

• Outdoor days in changing weather. Trips to Milton Common and Langstone seashore accompany use of the garden and woodland space. During a tour, discuss the all-weather clothing children need and how outdoor activity works for your child.
• Term-time organisation. The preschool opens Monday to Thursday, with Easter and summer holiday clubs in addition. Families whose working week includes Friday or other holiday periods need a childcare plan that fits that pattern.
• Food arrangements. Parents pack lunch, while breakfast and tea are charged separately, including during funded hours. Allow for both lunch preparation and the separate food charges.
• Changing an arrangement. Ending the agreement takes at least one month's notice, and the preschool may charge for late collection. Build those terms into plans for collection and any future move to different childcare.

Little Bears Forest Preschool suits families seeking a nature-led preschool experience, whether they use all-day care, breakfast club or the late-afternoon session around a term-time routine. Milton Common, Langstone Harbour and the preschool's own woodland space give that choice substance. Tapestry and Father Bear's Journey also make room for family participation.

The September 2024 Outstanding judgement is supported by memorable examples of purposeful learning and practical care. The deciding questions are about fit: a Monday-to-Thursday week, outdoor activity in different weather and food arrangements that combine packed lunches with separately charged breakfast and tea. For families comfortable with those conditions, the offer has a clear identity.