Little Imp Pre-School

A baby room with its own outdoor space, toddler yoga and a sensory room with illuminated water tubes give Little Imp Pre-School a recognisable character. Overlooking Hillsborough Park in Sheffield, it combines age-specific rooms with an emphasis on helping children communicate. The physical arrangements matter: babies have carpeted space for crawling, separate from messy activities, while preschool children can move freely into the garden.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, were making good progress. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of care today. Its strengths sat alongside specific work needed on activity planning, storytelling and the way children first settled.

Little Imp welcomes children from six months to five years and has capacity for 80 children. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside full-day and term-time arrangements, giving families several attendance patterns to consider.

Rooms and Ages

Pixie Room accommodates babies from six months to two years, with carpet for crawling and rolling, messy activities kept apart from soft furnishings, changing facilities and a food-preparation area within the room. A small outdoor space gives babies room to practise larger movements.

For children aged two to three, Imp Room separates its learning space from the area used for eating, includes toilets and changing facilities, and combines activities based on children's interests with yoga for balance and strength. Eating and drinking independently are part of the room's everyday practice.

Upstairs, Elf Room gives preschool children direct garden access, a routine with greater responsibility and daily group work on letters and sounds, alongside opportunities to practise forming letters. Preparation for school therefore includes managing everyday tasks as well as early literacy.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children develop communication, physical and social skills through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creative activity and exploration of the world. Little Imp uses Development Matters guidance to shape activities within that framework. These are foundations for the nursery day, rather than extras unique to this setting.

Communication gives the curriculum its particular direction. Activities draw on a selection of core books, while staff observe children and adapt planning to their interests. Children are encouraged to express feelings, share ideas and use new vocabulary. For babies, the initial emphasis is on communication, personal and emotional development, and movement; the other areas are introduced as children become secure in those foundations.

In January 2023, babies explored paint, textured books and musical instruments, while older children played at running an ice-cream business and taking the teacher's role during a story. These examples show different routes into learning: sensory exploration for younger children, and imaginative play that uses conversation and familiar social situations for older ones.

The same January 2023 account described children matching animal names to cards and using counters to explore numbers and quantities. However, some activities had unclear learning purposes, and storytelling did not consistently involve every child. The practical issue was how adults used an activity to extend learning, rather than whether resources or play opportunities existed.

Outdoor and Sensory Play

Sensory Room, on the first floor, is used regularly by small groups and contains scented bags, glowing toys, illuminated water tubes and calming music. Its appeal is the opportunity to explore through several senses in a space separate from the age-group rooms. Small-group use also distinguishes it from equipment placed in a busy shared play area.

Outdoor access differs by stage: Pixie Room has a small outdoor area, while Elf Room opens into the garden. The nursery overlooks Hillsborough Park, but that setting should be understood separately from the outdoor spaces children use within the nursery itself.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to share photographs, videos and observations with families. Written developmental reports are prepared twice a year, with a parents' evening available afterwards. This gives parents both everyday glimpses of their child's experiences and a more structured opportunity to discuss development.

Families can also contribute news and achievements through the Tapestry App, giving children something familiar to talk about with their friends. Communication therefore runs in both directions: nursery experiences can be followed at home, and experiences from home can become part of conversation at nursery.

In January 2023, staff gathered information about new children's interests and offered settling visits with parents present. Some parents did not remain for the intended visit, leaving some children distressed and struggling to settle. The January 2023 recommendations concerned clearer learning intentions across rooms, stronger storytelling and more consistent settling arrangements to support children's emotional wellbeing. Those recommendations are useful subjects for a visit, especially for a child who finds separation difficult.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In January 2023, the special educational needs coordinator worked with children's key persons, families and outside agencies to organise support and interventions. The mechanism matters: the child's everyday practitioner and family were involved alongside specialist input. Parents considering additional support can use that dated arrangement as a starting point for discussing how individual needs are handled now.

Current security arrangements include locked doors, external CCTV and a password system for collection. Daily risk assessments cover the building and equipment, and visitors sign in and out. These describe practical procedures; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection assessment above.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hawksley Avenue, Hillsborough, Sheffield, S6 2BG. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 0114 2348883.

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, with afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm; half-day and full-day bookings also form part of the charging structure. Term-time-only contracts offer another arrangement for families whose childcare needs follow that calendar.

Little Imp opens for 51 weeks each year, closing on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. This makes the annual closure pattern relevant even for families choosing attendance across the year. Changes to a child's sessions require four weeks' notice, so a different work pattern cannot necessarily be reflected immediately in the booking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded Early Learning includes the 15-hour entitlement for children over three, the additional extended 15 hours described as 30 hour FEL, and two-year-old free early learning. Participation does not itself establish a child's eligibility. Funded hours cover 38 weeks each year, with attendance outside the funded weeks charged privately; term-time contracts provide a separate option.

An additional consumables charge applies to funded sessions. This is separate from the funded childcare hours and needs to be included when comparing the overall cost of different attendance patterns. Fees are calculated at the beginning of each term and spread across equal monthly payments, which separates the payment schedule from the individual days attended.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page sets out the attendance and funding structure, while the curriculum page explains the learning approach.

• Settling after separation. In January 2023, some children became upset when parents did not remain during settling visits as intended. At a visit, ask how parent-supported settling is organised now and how the plan changes for a child who needs more time.
• Books and adult guidance. Communication is central to the current curriculum, while January 2023 brought recommendations on storytelling and clearer learning purposes. Ask for an example of how a core book becomes an activity suited to your child's stage.
• The funded-session bill. Funded attendance carries a separate consumables charge and covers 38 weeks. What does the current quotation include for meals and non-food items, and how does the cost change between term-time and attendance across the year?

Little Imp suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those considering full-day attendance or term-time contracts. Its strongest practical attractions are the different room arrangements: protected soft and messy areas for babies, independence-building routines for toddlers, and garden access with daily early-literacy activity for preschool children.

The communication curriculum and Tapestry journal provide a clear connection between children's experiences and family involvement. The January 2023 Good judgement is encouraging, but the associated recommendations give parents specific matters to explore.