Little Fishes Pre-School

A gymnasium for energetic play, a Cosy Corner for stories and beach school explorations give Little Fishes Pre-School a character that extends well beyond table-top activities. Based at Shoeburyness & Thorpe Bay Baptist Church in Shoeburyness, it combines physical space with practical opportunities for children to become more independent. Putting on a coat, choosing a snack and borrowing a story resource all have a place here.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged curriculum and teaching and inclusion to be at Strong standard, with safeguarding standards met. Those are separate judgements, rather than an overall grade. The detail behind them matters: language screening, resources for physical development and activities connected to children's interests featured in the daily experience.

Children can join from two years old, with September, January and April intakes. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions run during a 38-week year. This is a preschool with a term-time rhythm, rather than a year-round attendance calendar.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the shared framework for early-years learning: communication, physical skills, relationships, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creativity. Children explore these through talking, making things, movement, reading and everyday tasks.

The Little Fishes story sack library lends resources that bring stories to life at home, extending reading beyond sessions. The golden rules turn expectations into everyday actions: listening, helping and treating others kindly and gently.

In January 2026, children experimented with paint combinations, used scissors and heard comparisons of length while cutting paper. Books were shared with adults and friends, while learning activities were adjusted around children's interests and development. These examples connect language and mathematics to things children actually do, rather than treating them as separate lessons.

A Christian ethos sits alongside exploration of other countries, celebrations and traditions. This gives families a clear indication of the setting's outlook. Cooking activities also form part of learning, with children eating what they make alongside their snack or taking it home.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large classroom and gymnasium provide space for indoor activity; the Cosy Corner offers a quieter storytelling space. Children have room for movement and concentrated reading.

Outside, the patio is used throughout the year. A mud kitchen, water-play equipment and chalk boards give children different materials to investigate, while a builders set and large games add opportunities for shared play. There is also access to a grassed area, with children moving between spaces during much of spring, summer and autumn. The outdoor space is shared with the church community.

Children tend flowers and grow produce for snacks, connecting the garden with the snack table. Growing food gives their learning a practical outcome.

In January 2026, beach school sessions took children to investigate the sea and shoreline, and collected objects were brought back into activities. Indoors, hanging bars, spinning chairs and a dedicated running lane supported different kinds of movement. The combination matters: physical activity could happen inside as well as through outdoor exploration.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2026, new children built relationships with a key person, with staff remaining nearby to offer comfort as they settled. Staff recognised individual personalities and responded accordingly. Settling was supported through familiar relationships, rather than expecting every child to adjust in the same way.

Emotional language was another practical part of the day that January. Children learnt words for feelings, and staff used strategies to help them manage their responses. Taking turns as a helper, including signalling that play was nearly finished, gave children responsibility within a predictable routine. These are useful bridges between doing something independently and participating in a group.

Regular review meetings in January 2026 gave parents opportunities to discuss assessment and development. Communication and language screening helped staff identify children who might need additional help. For families, the useful combination is discussion about progress alongside a method for spotting difficulties early.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Better Start Southend has worked with Little Fishes since 2017, supporting specialist help with children's language and communication and support for families. The preschool also has a SENCO who works with outside professionals and meets regularly with the Local Authority's Early Years Advisor. These are concrete routes for coordinating support.

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children facing learning barriers made sustained progress through targeted support, while setting a next step to extend that work's impact on achievement and wellbeing. The positive inclusion judgement therefore sits alongside an expectation of further development. Families whose children need extra help should give this aspect of the provision close attention.

Regular bank staff support the permanent team. Staff have safeguarding and first aid training, plus enhanced DBS checks using the updating service.

Snacks include fruit, raw vegetables and savoury choices, with water accessible during sessions and special diets catered for. The snack bar encourages children to choose when to eat, wash their hands, serve themselves and clear away afterwards; children attending only a morning or afternoon session who add the 12:00 to 12:30 lunch period bring their own packed lunch.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Shoeburyness & Thorpe Bay Baptist Church, 90 Thorpedene Gardens, Shoeburyness, SS3 9JD. Applications use a form that can be downloaded or collected from the preschool, and the intake points are September, January and April.

Monday to Friday, morning sessions run from 09:00 to 12:00, afternoon sessions from 12:30 to 15:00, and Full-Day Provision from 09:00 to 15:00.

Children attending only a morning or afternoon session bring their own packed lunch if they stay from 12:00 to 12:30. An additional attendance charge applies to this lunch-time extension. A late-collection charge also applies. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

Term breaks and training closures need to fit the family's wider childcare arrangements. In the current calendar, 16 November 2026 is a full-day training closure; on 15 January, 15 March and 14 June 2027, only the morning session operates and lunch provision closes.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday, with working parents potentially eligible for up to 30 hours. Eligible working parents of two-year-olds may also access up to 30 hours, and two-year-olds in families receiving certain benefits may qualify for funded childcare. Eligibility depends on the applicable scheme.

Provision follows the 38-week term-time year. Paid sessions cover children without funding entitlement and additional sessions beyond funded provision. Families can use the sessions and charges page to understand how the attendance options fit together before obtaining a current written quotation.

School preparation includes practical experiences rather than an admissions promise. In summer 2024, children practised managing school uniform and discussed what their new schools might be like, including worries about the change. The emphasis was on helping children handle the transition themselves.

• Term-time cover. Attendance follows a 38-week calendar, with additional training closures. Match the morning, afternoon or full-day pattern against the weeks and dates when your family needs care.
• Language and inclusion support. A Better Start Southend and the SENCO provide routes for coordinated help, while the January 2026 next step concerned extending the impact of support. On a visit, discuss how that work would translate into goals and communication for your child.
• Lunch and personal supplies. Morning-only or afternoon-only attendees who add the 12:00 to 12:30 lunch period bring their own packed lunch and pay an additional attendance charge. Ask how snacks and personal consumables are treated within your proposed funded or paid arrangement.
• Clothes for independent play. Uniform is optional; easily managed clothes that can get dirty are recommended, along with a coat each day. The mud kitchen and year-round patio use make practical clothing a sensible choice.

Little Fishes suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those choosing its full-day pattern within a term-time year. The gymnasium, outdoor resources and home-borrowing story sack library give the offer substance, while the language-support partnership adds a clear route for families needing that help.

The January 2026 findings provide a positive inspection position, alongside a specific next step for inclusion work. The decision is practical as well as educational: the session lengths, packed-lunch arrangement and closure calendar need to work for the household.