Little Chums Pre School, Dormansland

Dinosaur investigations, woodland adventures and helping stock a community fridge give Little Chums Pre School, Dormansland its character. In January 2024, these experiences connected children's interests with books, exercise and consideration for other people. Learning had practical purpose.

At its 23 January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support. Based at Parish Room, The Platt, Dormansland, it has 26 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months.

In January 2024, children's enthusiasm for dinosaurs led staff to introduce an encyclopaedia, turning an interest into a reason to explore a book. Mixing ingredients brought another opportunity for learning: staff introduced vocabulary about reactions, herbs and spices. These were concrete ways to connect conversation with something children wanted to investigate.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the January 2024 examples included stories, rhymes, physical activity and discovering how other people live. Maps supported conversations about people's origins, while children learned greetings in different languages to welcome friends.

Forest school, learning through outdoor exploration, featured in January 2024 alongside walks to local shops. Children discussed how their bodies responded to exercise after walking to the forest. Helping stock a local community fridge also gave them a practical introduction to food waste and helping others.

Those January 2024 activities connected different parts of learning. The dinosaur encyclopaedia brought reading into an existing interest; the ingredient investigations gave children words for what they were exploring. Books and conversation served a purpose within the activity. The walks similarly linked movement with discussion about health, as children talked about their heart rates afterwards.

The social examples were equally concrete. Learning greetings in friends' languages gave children a way to welcome one another, while maps helped them explore where people came from. Stocking the community fridge put helping others into action. For parents, these examples show what the inspection's account of learning looked like in practice.

In January 2024, staff comforted children with cuddles and talked with parents to help them settle. Independence developed through small tasks: children received patient help to open their snacks themselves. For a young child, that makes an ordinary lunchtime an opportunity to practise doing something unaided.

Mirrors supported conversations about what made each child special. Staff also encouraged children to notice similarities and differences, and praised kindness towards friends. Children helped with backpacks and responded when another child fell. These examples put relationships alongside learning rather than treating them as a separate part of the day.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used additional funding to meet individual needs, including extra sessions to give children continuity, and that children made good progress from their starting points. The practical detail matters: support included adjustments to attendance as well as what happened during activities.

Staff also had daily opportunities to discuss children in January 2024. These conversations gave practitioners a regular occasion to share information about the children they cared for. Alongside patient help with snacks and comfort during settling, this adds detail to the inspection-era picture of everyday care.

The address is Parish Room, The Platt, Dormansland, Lingfield, RH7 6RA. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Families arranging care around work need to account for both the afternoon finish and the term-time calendar.

In January 2024, the setting received early education funding for children aged three and four. That dated participation should be kept separate from a family's current funding arrangements.

• Encouraging quieter children. In January 2024, staff sometimes missed opportunities to draw children into discussions and extend their speech. Families whose children need encouragement to speak should explore how practitioners now support this during activities.
• Term-time timetable. The 9am to 3pm opening window suits a daytime routine, but families needing care during school holidays must plan around the term-time calendar.
• Settling and practical care. Patient comfort and support with independence featured in January 2024. At a visit, ask how settling, food arrangements and any consumables would work for your child, including the charge structure.

Little Chums suits families seeking term-time preschool care within a 9am to 3pm opening window. Its January 2024 picture combines interest-led learning, outdoor exploration and everyday independence. The speech-development improvement point deserves attention alongside those strengths, especially for a child who needs help joining conversations.