Little Fingers Pre-School

A mud kitchen, forest walks and visiting animals give Little Fingers Pre-School a recognisable village character. Based at The Gospel Hall in Vernham Dean, this committee-led setting combines play chosen by children with activities guided by adults. Its appeal lies in concrete experiences: gardening, cooking and watching caterpillars become butterflies.

Ofsted rated Little Fingers Good on 27 January 2023. That judgement came with two practical priorities: clearer, more consistent expectations for behaviour and better use of settling strategies for children who were new. Both matter when choosing a first experience of childcare, especially for a child who needs help understanding routines or joining activities.

The pre-school has 37 places in total and accepts children from age 2 to school age. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered during term time. A key carer links each child's interests and needs with the planning of their learning, giving families a particular person with whom to build a relationship.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, exploration, movement and creative thinking. At Little Fingers, planning connects children's communication, physical and emotional development with experiences involving books, numbers, the world around them and creative expression. This is the shared early-years foundation; the practical activities give it its local character.

Children can select an activity and work through it, while adult-led groups introduce experiences and opportunities to cooperate. Singing, painting, dancing games and cooking feature in the day. That balance matters: children have scope to make decisions, but also practise taking part in something organised with others. The key carer can adapt planning around a child's interests rather than treating every child as ready for the same task.

In January 2023, books were used as tools for investigation. Children searched for insects in an outdoor bug corner and compared what they found with book illustrations. The useful connection was between an experience and a way of finding out more, rather than books being reserved for story time. Conversations accompanied the activity, linking curiosity with language.

Other January 2023 examples included measuring ingredients during pretend domestic play, climbing and finger painting. These brought measurement, physical coordination and imagination into ordinary activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The mud kitchen makes outdoor play more than a break between indoor activities. Gardening and obstacle courses sit alongside forest walks and visits to the village playground. Children can choose outdoor activities as well as join ones led by adults, extending the same balance of independence and guidance beyond the building.

Visits from sheep, pigs and owls, together with caring for caterpillars as they develop into butterflies, give children direct experiences of living things.

In January 2023, the outdoor area was enclosed. Imaginative games drew on situations children recognised from home, with staff helping them cooperate.

Relationships and Communication

Settling-in sessions are part of joining Little Fingers, with the transition shaped around the individual child. Families are encouraged to share interests, needs and concerns with staff. This gives the key carer information to use in planning and a starting point for understanding what helps a child feel comfortable.

Key-carer groups include Red Squirrels and Green Frogs. The manager also holds the SENCO role, coordinating support for special educational needs and disabilities.

An All About Me form gathers information about a child's home life, language, interests and development. Learning Journey journals bring together observations, photographs and examples of work, helping parents understand what their child has been doing and how learning is progressing. The emphasis is on connecting home and pre-school, rather than limiting communication to practical messages.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and SEND support effective, including the use of signing, but called for more successful application of strategies to help newcomers settle and participate, alongside more consistent reinforcement of behaviour expectations. The distinction is useful: positive findings about established relationships did not remove the need to improve support at the beginning of a child's attendance.

The SEND policy sets out an assess, plan, do and review cycle. Parents, the key carer and the SENCO contribute to identifying needs, agreeing support and considering its effect. Specialist advice can be sought with parental agreement. This gives families a mechanism for discussing adjustments and reviewing whether they are helping, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

School transition includes invitations for Reception teachers to meet children and read stories, together with opportunities to visit receiving schools. For children needing additional support, meetings can involve the family, key person, SENCO and other professionals. The practical value is continuity: information about the child can inform the next stage of their education.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Fingers operates at The Gospel Hall, Vernham Dean, Andover, SP11 0LD. Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Families can choose morning attendance, afternoon attendance or a full day; those opening hours should not be treated as the stated start and finish of each session.

Registration begins with a form requested from staff, by telephone on 01264 737735 or through adminoffice.lfpreschool@btinternet.com. A contract and registration form are completed before attendance, and sessions and the start date are agreed with parents. The admissions policy allows full-time attendance to take preference over part-time attendance, depending on work commitments, occupancy and room availability.

A Little Fingers polo shirt is required. A shirt is supplied following acceptance and payment of the registration fee; additional branded clothing can be purchased. Easy-to-wash clothes are recommended for messy activities, which fits the practical emphasis on painting, cooking and outdoor exploration.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are both offered. Funding through Hampshire County Council includes 15 hours per week for all 3 and 4 year olds, up to 30 hours per week for eligible working families, and funded places for eligible 2 year olds. Eligibility applies separately from the pre-school's acceptance of children from age 2.

Funded hours are arranged during term time across 38 weeks, with the precise arrangement potentially varying by sessions. Families may use funded hours alone or purchase additional childcare. Funded attendance must be agreed beforehand and entered on the Parent Declaration Form; an eligibility code is required where applicable.

A separate voluntary consumables contribution helps cover the cost of snacks and food experiences. The same contribution supports non-food items such as wipes, sun cream and creative materials; declining it does not prevent a child from accessing funded hours.

Optional extras such as trips and special activities may carry additional charges, communicated in advance. There are no compulsory top-up charges for the funded hours themselves. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the distinction between additional hours and the voluntary contribution.

Invoices are issued at the start of each term, with payment due on the date they specify.

• Settling and everyday boundaries. The January 2023 priorities concerned support for newcomers and consistent behaviour expectations. During a visit, ask how staff now help a hesitant child join activities and how they explain routines such as tidying up.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-day patterns sit within a term-time opening schedule. Consider how that matches your working week, and discuss the full-time preference rule when choosing an attendance pattern.
• Food and contributions. Snacks and food experiences sit within a voluntary contribution, while lunch takes place at midday. Ask what your child should bring for lunch and how any dietary or allergy needs will be handled.
• Parent involvement. A voluntary committee of current and former parents and community members helps run the pre-school, including its finances, policies and fundraising. Families who would like a role beyond their own child's attendance can contribute through events or committee membership.

Little Fingers suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those choosing full-day attendance. Its strongest practical attractions are the combination of outdoor exploration, hands-on activities and a key-carer relationship, with parent involvement extending into the running of the setting.

The January 2023 Good judgement sits alongside improvement priorities for settling and behaviour routines. Families drawn to messy play and an active role in their pre-school community have clear attractions to weigh against those priorities.