Little Bears Pre-School

Nearly half an acre of gardens, a nature reserve and purpose-built premises give Little Bears Pre-School a substantial outdoor setting within the grounds of Stadhampton Primary School. This is a village pre-school with space for children to move, explore and play, alongside a clear emphasis on preparing them for school. Its total capacity is 24 children.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, with children developing close relationships with staff and confidence in familiar routines. That judgement sits alongside specific improvements: broader community experiences, better staff coaching and the submission of committee suitability information. Those qualifications matter when weighing the overall grade.

Children can join from the term after their second birthday and stay until they begin primary school. Morning and afternoon sessions can be combined, with minimum attendance requirements that change when children receive funding.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) gives the day its framework: children learn through play, develop communication and physical skills, and practise managing feelings and relationships. Little Bears also uses Development Matters, non-statutory guidance that helps practitioners assess development and decide what to work on next. The practical emphasis is on independence, conversation and getting ready for school.

Books have several roles here. Interactive reading, storytelling and role play provide opportunities to build vocabulary, while a comfortable book area gives children access to reading material themselves. The home library lets children borrow books to share with their families. This extends reading beyond the session and gives parents a concrete way to join in.

A maths station makes resources accessible for children to choose, with activities covering patterns, size, counting, shape and measurement. Elsewhere, the home corner supports pretend play, and the mark making station keeps drawing and writing tools within reach.

In September 2023, children concentrated on arranging coloured pegs into patterns and sequences. The same activity exercised small hand movements and mathematical thinking. Staff also used children's interests and experiences at home to shape activities, making family conversations part of planning.

Big Club runs daily for children due to start school the following September. Its small-group games, books and shared activities practise skills for the move to school. The programme gives that final pre-school year a recognisable purpose, while keeping preparation rooted in play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Large covered patios accompany the gardens, and children play outdoors daily when the weather allows. A mud kitchen provides another setting for imaginative play, with children following recipes and inventing meals. The nature reserve adds a further outdoor feature to the grounds.

In September 2023, children tackled garden obstacles and practised balancing using tyres and planks. Physical challenge was part of play, with opportunities to test coordination and judge what they could manage. Community experiences were less developed: outings beyond the pre-school had not resumed after the pandemic, and broadening children's experience of the world remained an improvement priority.

An end-of-year sports event includes families and carers. Physical activity also features in fundraising through spring walks, wellie walks and pedal push. Forest School, an outdoor learning approach, is currently suspended because of staff shortages. Families choosing Little Bears for outdoor provision should distinguish its gardens and daily outdoor play from that suspended programme.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, giving families an individual member of staff to approach about their child's time at Little Bears. Settling sessions are arranged after a place has been confirmed, and the supervisor discusses individual needs. This makes the start of attendance something that can be planned around the child.

In September 2023, staff gathered detailed information about children's preferences and needs, and communication covered both care and ways to extend learning at home. Children approached adults comfortably for help. Everyday independence also had a practical place: children helped prepare the snack table, served fruit and poured drinks for themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO Officer provides a designated special educational needs coordination role, alongside a Language Lead and safeguarding lead and deputy. These roles give families identifiable responsibilities to discuss when a child needs additional support. Staff have paediatric first aid training, and safeguarding training forms part of the team's arrangements.

In September 2023, Ofsted identified that coaching needed to help staff make fuller use of activities, including opportunities for children to predict and contribute their own ideas, and required missing committee suitability information while recording that the omission had no impact on children's welfare. The committee members concerned had completed background checks, had no contact with children and were outside sensitive information and decision making. The administrative requirement should therefore be read with its recorded limits, rather than treated as a finding about unsafe daily care.

An elected parent committee manages the pre-school's business and usually meets once each term. For parents interested in contributing beyond their child's sessions, this provides a direct role in decisions about the setting.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Bears is at Cratlands Close, Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, OX44 7XL, within the grounds of Stadhampton Primary School. Its entry point is the beginning of the term after a child turns two, with attendance continuing until primary school starts.

Sessions run Monday to Friday: mornings from 9am to 12pm and afternoons from 12pm to 3pm. Families may combine sessions, subject to availability. The minimum is two sessions each week before funding entitlement and five sessions once entitled to funding. That change is significant for a family planning a gradual or light attendance pattern.

Early registration is encouraged. Enquiries and waiting-list requests go to 01865 400 033 or hello@little-bears.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, working-parent funding of 30 hours for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds, and support-based funding for eligible two-year-olds. Working-parent codes must be supplied before the term begins and renewed every three months. Eligibility conditions still apply; the different routes should not be read as an entitlement for every family.

Private sessions are also offered, with invoices issued in advance each term; current prices should form part of the nursery's written quotation. Snacks attract a separate contribution, while children attending an afternoon or staying all day bring a packed lunch from home.

Moving on to School

Little Bears describes its relationship with Stadhampton Primary School as an Early Years Partnership. Children may join assemblies and events when appropriate, including Harvest Festival and Christmas productions, and staff liaise with other local primary schools too. This provides contact with school life, but attending the pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Attendance changes with funding. The minimum rises from two sessions a week to five once a child is entitled to funding. Discuss how the chosen mornings and afternoons will fit family routines before committing to a pattern.
• Outdoor provision and Forest School. The gardens, covered patios and nature reserve remain central physical features, but Forest School is suspended because of staff shortages. At a visit, ask how the current outdoor programme uses those spaces and whether the suspended sessions are restarting.
• September 2023 improvement requirements. Committee suitability information was required, alongside improvements to coaching and community experiences. Ask what action followed, keeping the recorded absence of an impact on children's welfare in view.
• Food and additional support. Afternoon attendance requires a home-packed lunch and snacks carry a separate contribution. If your child has dietary or additional needs, use the settling discussion to agree arrangements with the key person and SENCO Officer.

Little Bears suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or a combination, with a play-based curriculum and substantial outdoor space. The home library, accessible learning stations and daily Big Club give the offer practical shape, while the parent committee provides a route into the running of the pre-school.

The September 2023 Good judgement is useful context, with its improvement requirements kept in view. The clearest decision points are the increased attendance minimum when funding begins and the suspension of Forest School. Families comfortable with those conditions have a village pre-school whose school preparation is expressed through books, play, independence and relationships.