Li'l Champs

Strawberries in raised beds, a sensory room and a sound box for phonics give Li'l Champs in Deepdale a recognisable character. Play takes several forms here: growing, exploring textures, building and listening to rhymes. The setting combines space for children's own choices with adult-led activities, rather than making the whole day one continuous group session.

At its 25 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. There are 32 places in total, and children aged two to five are welcomed. Flexible sessions have a three-hour minimum, giving families a shorter attendance option alongside arrangements tailored to their requests.

The strongest practical appeal is the combination of indoor sensory exploration and outdoor growing. The important qualification is educational: in May 2022, younger children sometimes lost interest in group activities, and opportunities to develop imagination needed further work. Those points deserve attention alongside the positive judgement.

Learning and Activities

EYFS guides development tracking and individual activity planning. For parents, that means play and observation are used to understand what a child can already do and where further help would be useful, rather than expecting everyone to progress at the same pace.

Free play gives children choices between construction, writing, small-world play and the reading corner. Circle Time brings children together for rhymes, shapes, colours, numbers and phonics using a sound box. A keyworker also plans an activity around each child's needs. The combination gives children time to explore independently and time with an adult working on a particular next step.

The Sensory Room emphasises touch and listening, with filled gloves offering different textures to investigate. Daily guided exercise adds a more energetic part of the routine. These are different kinds of participation: a child can explore materials with their hands as well as practise larger movements outdoors.

In May 2022, activities included making painted patterns with celery and using counting, matching and sorting during play. Storytelling involved changes in voice and familiar phrases for children to join in with. However, group planning did not consistently suit the youngest children's development, and work on imaginative expression was still being established. The distinction matters: an appealing activity needs to engage the child taking part, not simply look busy.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside, children have a play house and den area, opportunities for scootering and tricycling, and construction and water play. Stones, shovels and pebbles add materials for investigating and building. The outdoor offer is therefore about making and exploring as well as movement.

Access to a community allotment extends that experience. The nursery has its own raised beds for fruit and vegetables, where children can plant strawberries and sunflowers; a bug hotel adds another point of interest. Outdoor exploration is subject to the weather. Growing gives children something to return to and observe, rather than a single activity completed in one sitting.

In May 2022, local daffodil walks connected learning with the surrounding community. Families also contributed traditional foods and photographs of celebrations, bringing children's own backgrounds into nursery life.

Relationships and Communication

The All About Me booklet gathers information about home languages, favourite stories, important relationships and what helps when a child is upset. Its settling plan also asks families about their hopes and worries. A key person combines parental information with observations to establish a starting point for learning. This gives settling a concrete basis in the individual child, including preferences that might otherwise take staff longer to discover.

In May 2022, staff used their language skills to communicate with families and children learning English. An online app helped parents follow learning, while family photographs in the role-play area made children's home lives part of the setting. These examples connect communication with everyday experience, rather than treating it solely as administrative updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and staff skilled in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including using additional funding and working with families and other agencies. That is a dated assessment of practice, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's experience now.

The All About Me booklet includes dietary requirements, healthcare plans and communication needs. Where a school needs further information about a child's difficulties or disabilities, the nursery uses an Individual Education Plan or Action Plus rather than treating the booklet itself as the school transition document.

Independence features in the daily routine: children practise pouring milk and peeling fruit at snack time. In May 2022, school preparation also included recognising and writing names and walks to help children become familiar with their next setting. These were practical preparations for change, rather than claims of an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Li'l Champs is at 19 Stanleyfield Road, Deepdale, Preston, PR1 1QL. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01772 875657. Registration involves completing a form and returning it by email or handing it in at the nursery.

Flexible sessions have a minimum duration of three hours; at least two sessions are suggested, rather than required. Hours can be arranged around families' requests. In May 2022, the setting operated throughout the year on weekdays, with session times of 8am to 6pm. That dated timetable should be kept separate from the flexible booking arrangement.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-year-olds, with 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements for three- and four-year-olds. Eligibility conditions apply to the extended entitlement. Private childcare is also offered; families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

Parents can supply a healthy packed lunch, or arrange a hot lunch charged separately. Snacks and milk are provided during the routine. For both funded and private places, the notice requirement is a full term, so changes to attendance need planning ahead.

• Participation for younger children. In May 2022, group activities sometimes failed to hold younger children's interest. During a visit, ask how Circle Time and adult-led activities are adapted for a two-year-old.
• Imaginative play. In May 2022, opportunities for children to express ideas through imagination needed further development. The home corner, small-world resources and den area provide useful starting points for discussing how staff support this now.
• Outdoor sessions beyond the nursery. Woodland Forest School in Fulwood is associated with activities including treasure hunts and wood carving, while the trips information carries a Covid-related pause. Ask which visits currently form part of preschool attendance before making them central to your decision.
• Changing an attendance pattern. Flexible sessions still have a three-hour minimum, and funded and private places require a full term's notice. Consider how those terms fit changing work arrangements before committing.

Li'l Champs suits families seeking flexible sessions for children aged two to five, with shorter bookings subject to the three-hour minimum and hours arranged around requests. Its sensory exploration, allotment growing and varied play spaces give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The May 2022 Good judgement is a useful starting point. The deciding questions concern how younger children participate and how imaginative play has developed: both go directly to the quality of a child's day, beyond the appeal of the facilities.