Little Steps Pre-school

A village hall, daily garden play and shared activities with North Newton Community Primary School give Little Steps Pre-school a recognisable village character. Children can choose between activities indoors and outside, while a smaller adjoining room provides space for quieter individual work. The appeal is practical: room to explore, with somewhere to step away from the larger group.

At its 18 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That assessment also came with two concrete improvements: a more inviting indoor reading space and better use of everyday routines to extend learning.

Little Steps operates from North Newton Village Hall on Church Road, Somerset, TA7 0BG, and children can start from age two. It has capacity for 26 children overall; separately, its session limit is 24. Those figures describe different limits, rather than the number a child will necessarily share a session with.

Attendance options include a morning ending at noon, a longer booking ending at 1pm and a day ending at 3pm, alongside flexible hours.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, with activities supporting children's communication, physical skills and social development. At Little Steps, half-termly themes add fresh subject matter, while children have choices about which activities to join. Participation is encouraged rather than forced. That gives children a say in their day, alongside activities led by adults.

The room arrangement supports movement between activity areas and outdoor play. Construction materials, dough and scissors give children ways to practise hand control; dressing up and role play create reasons to talk, negotiate and imagine. Regular circle time gives children opportunities to share news or bring something from home into the conversation. These are concrete routes into learning, rather than a day built solely around adult instructions.

In July 2023, a craft activity developed into a search for actual insects: children took a box outside, examined a spider with magnifiers and returned to work out how to attach legs to their own creations. The sequence connected observation, mathematical vocabulary and practical problem-solving. Another example involved children finding a way to balance on stilts with support from a table. Both illustrate the learning taking place at that visit, rather than a fixed activity timetable.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed outdoor area has an all-weather surface, and the garden is used daily across different weather conditions. Outdoor play therefore forms part of the usual routine. The smaller adjoining room offers a contrasting space for quieter one-to-one activities, useful where a child needs a more individual interaction.

Little Steps describes its relationship with North Newton Community Primary School through regular visits to the playground and shared resources, including activities involving visiting artists or a theatre company. Church festivals and school events also feature in its community involvement, alongside trips organised by the pre-school. These connections extend children's experiences beyond the village hall. Attendance does not guarantee a school place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

Stay & Play is a separate Wednesday group in the village hall, with equipment intended for younger children as well as paint, clay and water activities. It runs from 9:15am to 10:30am and from 10:45am to midday, and parents are advised to book ahead. This gives families another way to take part in Little Steps activities, distinct from booking preschool care.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a keyworker when they begin. That practitioner follows the child's care and development during sessions, records observations and shares them through a pathway booklet. Individual next steps give those observations a purpose: they inform what staff plan for the child, rather than simply documenting what has happened.

Parents receive feedback after sessions, can arrange conversations about development and have an annual parents evening. A home communication book may also be used. This combination gives families both everyday contact and a longer discussion of progress, without making one meeting carry the whole relationship. Two free introductory sessions are offered before a child starts properly, providing a defined settling opportunity.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The manager also holds the SENCO role. Support planning brings together parents, the keyworker and the SENCO, with an Area SENCO involved where concerns warrant further observation and parents agree. Children with special educational needs have an Individual Education Plan, and referrals to outside professionals follow parental consent and discussions. The arrangements make the steps from an initial concern to additional help clear.

Somerset Total Communication (STC) adds signing to everyday activities, supported by visible signing symbols on photographs and signs. ECAT forms monitor communication development, while a Unique Child sheet records individual learning and planned next steps. These tools give staff several ways to understand a child's communication and development, rather than relying on spoken contributions alone.

Personal care and medicine plans can be created where needed, with training needs considered alongside the family. The village hall has wheelchair access and accessible toilet facilities. Staff hold current first-aid qualifications. These are practical arrangements to consider alongside a child's particular care needs.

For moves to another setting, development documents are passed on and the keyworker liaises with the receiving staff. Before school, teacher visits and, where appropriate, a school entry plan help share information about the child. This is preparation for the change of setting, with the child's needs carried forward.

Sessions and Attendance

Care operates during term time. Opening hours are 7.30am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday. The enquiry form offers bookings from 9am to noon, 9am to 1pm and 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; it also allows requests for flexible hours within the 7.30am to 3pm window. The differing day patterns need resolving before a family settles on a weekly arrangement.

A shorter morning and a day lasting until mid-afternoon are meaningfully different options. The intermediate 1pm finish provides another choice, while flexible hours allow families to specify the time they require. These are booking patterns, separate from the overall opening window.

Initial enquiries use the Register Interest form, which asks for the intended start date and requested attendance. Visits can be arranged with the manager. The setting's address is North Newton Village Hall, Church Road, North Newton, Somerset, TA7 0BG.

Funding and Paid Extras

Nursery Education Funding is offered from the term after a child's third birthday, with funding for some two-year-olds depending on their circumstances. Eligibility is conditional. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Fresh snacks are provided, and a hot lunch can be obtained through the School Meals service if required. The choice of lunch is therefore part of planning the child's day as well as the attendance pattern.

• Weekly attendance. Opening hours cover Monday to Thursday, while the session choices also include Friday. Which days and booking combinations apply to your proposed attendance?
• Reading and routine learning. In July 2023, the indoor book space needed a quieter, more appealing arrangement, and staff needed to make learning during snacks more consistent. Ask to see how these two aspects now work in practice.
• Settling and individual support. Two free introductory sessions and an allocated keyworker provide a starting structure. Use a visit to discuss how those sessions, communication tools and any care plan would work for your child.
• The complete cost. Funded attendance and the choice of a School Meals lunch make the charge structure relevant. What does the written quotation include for funded hours, additional care, food and consumables?

Little Steps suits families seeking term-time preschool with either a shorter morning or a day extending into the afternoon, with an intermediate finish and flexible-hour requests also part of the booking model. Daily outdoor use, individual development records and regular contact with parents give that practical offer substance.

The village-school connection adds shared experiences, while the smaller adjoining room and communication tools make individual support a concrete part of the provision. The July 2023 improvement points remain useful questions about everyday practice. Families whose preferred week depends on Friday attendance should resolve the day pattern before making their choice.