Little Stars Pre-School, Larkfield

A double mobile classroom, a mud kitchen and outdoor play throughout sessions give Little Stars Pre-School, Larkfield a practical, play-led character. Based in The Hut on Swallow Road, within the Brookfield School and Lunsford Infant School site, it serves children aged two to four and has capacity for 30 children. This is preschool provision organised around term time.

At its January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive parent partnerships and teaching that generally supported children's learning well. The qualifications matter: staff needed to make more of unexpected opportunities to stretch children's thinking and give children greater independence with personal tasks.

Morning, afternoon and day sessions sit alongside Breakfast Club, introduced from September 2026. The choice between Basic and Enhanced day packages affects both the finishing time and what families supply or pay for, making the attendance pattern an important part of the decision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, conversation and activities that develop communication, physical skills, relationships and early understanding of the world. It is the shared framework for early years provision; Little Stars combines children's own interests with activities organised by practitioners. A key person observes development and uses that understanding to plan the next steps.

There is room for children to get thoroughly messy. The mud kitchen and sandpit sit alongside painting, water play and gloop, with older clothes recommended because aprons cannot prevent every mark. These are hands-on experiences rather than a day built around keeping children clean. Clothing that children can manage themselves also supports bathroom independence.

In January 2022, stories involved questions followed by time for children to respond. Pretend cooking prompted conversation about food at home, while bubble play gave children opportunities to explain their intentions. These examples show how everyday play could become a conversation, rather than simply an activity to complete.

The same January 2022 observations identified a teaching limitation: a child's comment about cucumber being healthy received agreement rather than a question that developed the idea. Resources need skilled conversation to extend learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can use the secure outdoor space during sessions, so outdoor play forms part of the nursery day rather than relying solely on a separate outing. In January 2022, children used outdoor balancing apparatus under staff supervision, practising physical challenges with adults nearby.

Local outings are covered by the parent agreement, with separate consent required for major excursions. This establishes a clear difference between short trips from preschool and bigger visits. The grounds shared with Brookfield School and Lunsford Infant School give the setting a recognisable location, but should not be confused with an admissions advantage.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts and can be met beforehand. That practitioner becomes the family's first contact for care, learning and concerns; a buddy takes over the role during an absence. Continuity is built into the arrangement, rather than depending entirely on one adult being present.

Settling is adjusted to the child. Initial attendance can involve part sessions, parents can stay for a while, and comforters are permitted. Parents are asked to say goodbye rather than leave unnoticed. These are concrete ways of supporting the change from home to preschool, with the pace agreed around the individual child.

Tapestry provides an online learning journal containing observations and photographs of children's activities and development. Assessments are brought together three times a year, and children aged two receive a progress check. For families, this creates both a record of everyday experiences and scheduled points at which development is considered more broadly.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO role and designated safeguarding lead roles. Staff undertake continuing professional development and have training in safeguarding, child protection, food handling and paediatric first aid. These are arrangements parents can understand separately from the dated safeguarding judgement.

In January 2022, staff worked with parents and other professionals, including sharing behaviour strategies for use at home and preschool. Children also explored cultural differences through books and activities, including using chopsticks with coloured rice. The examples concern practical cooperation and shared experiences, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

Independence was a mixed picture in January 2022. Children practised handwashing, toileting and cutting fruit, but adults sometimes stepped in too readily when coats needed putting on. The improvement point was to allow children more opportunity to attempt these tasks themselves.

Fruit, toast, crackers, yoghurt and cheese feature among snacks, with milk or water offered and drinking water accessible through the day. Breakfast Club offers choices including cereals and crumpets; the cost of snacks during other attendance patterns depends on the package chosen.

Health rules have practical consequences for working families. Children must stay away for 48 hours after sickness or an upset tummy, and medication is restricted to prescribed or emergency treatments. If a child becomes unwell during a session, parents are contacted to collect them.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Stars operates Monday to Friday during term time, across 38 weeks each year. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am. Afternoon sessions begin at 12.15pm and finish at either 3.15pm or 3.30pm, depending on the option chosen.

The Basic day runs from 8.45am to 2.45pm and can be taken using funded hours. The Enhanced day extends to 3.15pm and includes an additional half-hour beyond the funding entitlement, alongside its package of snacks, consumables and activities. Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 8.45am. These are different booking choices, rather than a single opening window that every child must attend.

Enquiries and registration are handled by email or telephone. Fees can be paid weekly or termly in advance, or on a pay-as-you-go basis, with invoices issued by term. For non-funded children, ending a place requires at least one month's notice; the notice condition does not apply to funded sessions.

Getting There

The address is The Hut, Brookfield School Complex, Swallow Road, Larkfield, Aylesford, Kent ME20 6PY. Although Little Stars occupies school grounds, attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still need to use the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through term-time attendance, including fifteen- and thirty-hour entitlement arrangements, Working Parents Funding and Free For Two government funding for eligible two-year-olds whose families are entitled to certain benefits. Eligibility for other funding depends on family circumstances, and participation in a scheme does not guarantee that a particular funded attendance pattern can be accommodated. Private sessions are also offered. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

With the Enhanced package, its separate daily charge covers the extra half-hour, two snacks, wipes, tissues, suncream and other consumables, alongside special crafts and experiences such as hatching projects. The Basic package instead requires families to provide snacks and consumables, with an option to pay for preschool-supplied snacks. Those taking only a morning or afternoon session are asked for a voluntary contribution towards snacks and special crafts.

• Independence and teaching. The January 2022 improvement points concerned extending spontaneous conversations and letting children attempt personal tasks. On a visit, ask how practitioners now develop a child's unexpected idea and support children to manage their own coats.
• Package choice. Basic finishes at 2.45pm and requires parent-supplied snacks and consumables; Enhanced finishes at 3.15pm with separately charged inclusions. Choose around both the collection time and the supplies you are willing to organise.
• School grounds. The Brookfield School and Lunsford Infant School location does not secure a Reception place. Treat preschool enrolment and a school application as separate decisions.
• Term-time cover. Attendance runs across 38 weeks, and the sickness rule requires 48 hours away after sickness or an upset tummy. Families needing continuous working-week childcare will need arrangements for those interruptions.

Little Stars suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those who prefer a term-time day with a choice of finishing times. The outdoor access, messy play, key-person buddy arrangement and Tapestry journal give that offer substance. Breakfast Club adds an earlier start.

The January 2022 Good judgement included improvement points on extending learning and self-care independence. The strongest practical fit is for families comfortable with term-time provision who want to choose deliberately between parent-supplied essentials and an Enhanced package covering additional items.