Little Oak Pre-School, Witney

Play with a practical purpose gives Little Oak its character: making models, experimenting with water and learning to manage coats and drinks sit alongside stories and songs. This is a charitable, non-profit pre-school in Witney, with capacity for 27 children in total. Its income from fees, grants and fundraising goes towards running the setting.

At its 10 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Little Oak Good and found safeguarding effective, with individual learning plans supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), but asked for sharper recognition of children needing help and better organisation of popular activities. Those improvement points matter alongside the positive judgement.

Little Oak caters for children aged two to four and operates during term time, across 38 weeks of the year. Morning, afternoon and all-day attendance give families different ways to use the provision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning and care: here, children learn through play, with staff observing their interests and using those observations to plan what comes next. Planning can change to accommodate children's ideas. That gives their choices a place in the day rather than treating play simply as a break between adult-led activities.

Morning and afternoon routines each include indoor and outdoor play, followed later by stories and singing. These recurring points give the sessions a recognisable shape while leaving space for children to choose activities. For a child attending only one part of the day, books and songs are still part of the routine.

In March 2025, children explored water using containers of different sizes and made models from reused materials. Dough play and watering flowers with spray bottles gave them opportunities to strengthen their hands before writing. Staff also used conversation during play to develop language, making everyday activities opportunities to practise speaking and listening.

The same March 2025 observations reveal the limit to that approach: children sometimes struggled with tools such as scissors without staff helping them take the next step. Popular activities also needed more thoughtful organisation so that staff could interact effectively with the children taking part. The question is how well adults extend play once a child needs more than an invitation to join in.

Outdoor and Community Life

A canopy provides a covered outdoor area. Outdoor play continues in cold weather when conditions permit, with decisions about slippery surfaces and extreme heat made through risk assessments. Suitable clothes and footwear therefore have a practical role in participation.

In March 2025, additional funding had helped develop the garden with equipment supporting social interaction and had enabled outings to explore woodland. Staff were also learning Makaton and teaching children to use it. These were examples of how resources and staff development were being brought into children's experiences at that time.

Relationships and Communication

The key person system gives families a practitioner who works closely with them and their child. The emphasis is on building a relationship that helps children feel secure enough to attempt something new. Parents' knowledge of their child is part of that partnership, rather than a separate concern from learning.

In March 2025, everyday independence received practical attention. A sequence of pictures in the bathroom helped children manage personal care, while putting on coats and pouring drinks offered further opportunities to do things for themselves. Books, mirrors and pictures were used to explore feelings; a sand timer helped children take turns. These are concrete ways of making expectations understandable to young children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support includes working with EYSENIT, the Early Years Special Education Needs Inclusive Teacher, and SALT, the Speech and Language Team. Staff observe children during play and adapt planning to individual needs and interests, with families and other professionals involved in support.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used small-group work to develop listening, word understanding and confidence in speaking, drew on professional advice for SEND support and worked closely with parents, while identifying occasions when children needing further help were overlooked. Individual plans and professional involvement are useful mechanisms; the improvement point concerns how consistently help reaches a child during an activity.

In hot weather, parents apply sun cream before attendance, and staff reapply it at lunchtime for children staying all day. This arrangement makes sun protection a shared responsibility between home and pre-school.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am; afternoons run from noon to 3pm. Lunch club bridges the two, from 11.30am to noon, and sessions can be combined with lunch. All-day attendance is also offered. The pre-school operates for 38 weeks each year during term time, so the attendance pattern needs to fit both the working day and school holidays.

Uniform is optional. Older, practical clothing is encouraged because activities can be messy, and clothes children can manage themselves support independence with toileting and outdoor dressing.

Getting There

The contact address is 50A Holford Road, Witney, OX28 5NG; enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. Parents are asked to avoid parking on Holford Road and to use the car park in front of the shops if walking is impractical.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision includes 15 hours per week for two-year-olds who qualify, 15 hours for three-year-olds, and 30 Hours funding subject to qualification, delivered over 38 weeks. Additional hours are charged privately, with invoicing at the start of each term and costs varying with the term's length.

Children attending lunch club bring a healthy packed lunch from home, and lunch club has a separate charge. Current prices come in the pre-school's written quotation; the session and fees page sets out the attendance and funding structure.

Moving on to School

Little Oak welcomes visits from teachers at Witney primary schools and allows key persons to visit an individual school when appropriate, with permission from parents and teachers. This gives transition work a practical form: adults can share familiarity with a child's needs before the next setting begins.

• Location for a visit. In March 2025, Little Oak occupied a self-contained building within Queen Emma's Primary School grounds on Burwell Drive, OX28 5LP; its contact address is 50A Holford Road, OX28 5NG. Confirm the attendance and visit location before travelling.
• Help during busy activities. The March 2025 improvement points concerned noticing children who needed further support and organising popular activities. A visit is an opportunity to ask how staff now identify a child struggling with tools or waiting for adult help.
• Term-time attendance. Morning and afternoon sessions can be combined with lunch, but provision runs for 38 weeks. Families need an arrangement for the remaining holidays as well as a suitable daily pattern.

Little Oak suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon attendance or an all-day combination during term time. Learning through play, a key person relationship and practical school-transition work give its offer a clear shape.

The March 2025 Good judgement comes with useful detail and specific improvement priorities. Its appeal lies in everyday learning and independence; the decision should also weigh how consistently staff extend children's play and the term-time calendar's fit with family life.