Little Acorns, Colleton Pre-school

A wooden log cabin, a woodwork table and stories that children help invent give Little Acorns, Colleton Pre-school its character. Based within the grounds of The Colleton Primary School in Twyford, it combines play directed by children's interests with practical opportunities to build, talk, experiment and become more independent. The setting has 36 places in total.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding on 15 December 2022 across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Today, a book lending library connects reading with home, while Famly learning journeys record achievements with parents' contributions.

Children can start at two, and the nursery caters for children up to five. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside term-time funded attendance and extended-hours clubs. Its position on a primary-school site also brings opportunities to use the school grounds and visit the school, although nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, including communication, physical development and learning to manage feelings. Here, that means conversation, movement, stories and play are part of the learning day rather than separate from it. Little Acorns adds its own values and methods to that shared framework.

Introduced when children begin, RICKIE helps them discuss kindness, communication and independence. Zones of Regulation teaches that feelings are normal and encourages children to consider their responses. The Kindness Bucket method links kindness at nursery with home.

Planning in the Moment means practitioners follow children's interests rather than planning set activities ahead. Adults also introduce materials, experiences and skills, giving children opportunities to extend their own ideas.

Books have a substantial role. A collection of 15 core texts includes Oi Frog and My Family, with repeated reading and discussion helping children become familiar with language and story structure. Phase 1 activities from Letters and Sounds sit alongside a singing phonics programme. Children also have writing materials throughout the pre-school and a small role-play office where they can imitate the work they see adults doing.

In December 2022, children invented stories using objects from a basket while an adult wrote down their ideas and performed the resulting story. Another activity involved wrapping parcels, with children deciding how to use scissors, tape and paper and working out a solution when a piece was too small. Those examples show the practical connection between imaginative play, language and problem-solving at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside, children can construct dens and obstacle courses, giving physical activity a purpose beyond running about. The woodwork table extends that hands-on approach: children plan a design and make it. Yoga movements connect physical activity with wellbeing, while materials for creating costumes leave children room to decide who or what they want to become.

In December 2022, staff repositioned a mud kitchen resource when children carried soil to a role-play kitchen, adapting the space to support their idea.

Community experiences include trips to the local park and post box, plus an annual larger outing to a farm or activity centre. Teachers and a librarian are among the regular visitors, and a past Zoo Lab visit responded to children's interest in reptiles. School visits and use of the school grounds bring the neighbouring primary setting into children's experience, while planting, pond dipping and observing caterpillars introduce changes in the natural world.

Relationships and Communication

A child's key person gathers information with the family about interests, needs and achievements. Famly learning journeys and termly focus periods bring home experiences into discussions about development.

For younger children, the key person completes the development check between 24 and 36 months, drawing on everyday observations and contributions from parents and other professionals. Newsletters also reach parents through Famly. The combination gives families both individual information about their child and updates about nursery life.

In December 2022, staff collected detailed information from families when children first started, including what they could already do. Children sought comfort from familiar adults and practised everyday independence through managing lunch bags and putting on coats. These are useful examples of the relationship between knowing a child well and allowing them to attempt tasks for themselves during that period.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with SEND made progress through support adapted to their needs, with staff using autism training to inform experiences and resources. Those findings belong to that inspection, rather than serving as a present-day guarantee for an individual child.

Current SEND arrangements include a coordinator and plans revised with families as needs change. Support covers speech and language, emotions, equipment and additional challenge.

Children learn about teeth through oral-health activities, play resources and conversations at snack and lunch times. The nursery also explains basic online rules when children use digital equipment, including having an adult present, keeping personal information safe and telling an adult when something causes distress.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is ABC Building, Colleton Drive, Twyford, RG10 0AX, within The Colleton Primary School grounds. The nursery day runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm on weekdays. Funded sessions operate during term time over 38 weeks of the year, so this attendance pattern needs to fit around school holidays.

Morning Session runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, with Afternoon Session from 12.45pm to 3.15pm. Lunch Club connects them from 11.45am to 12.45pm, allowing shorter or combined attendance.

Early Drop Off Club runs from 8am to 8.45am at The Colleton Primary School, with a preschool practitioner present and children subsequently walked over to Little Acorns. It is a free-play session and excludes breakfast. After School Club runs from 3.15pm to 5.45pm, Monday to Thursday; it does not run on Fridays. That weekday restriction matters for families planning a consistent working-week arrangement.

Children may be registered from six months for a start at two, and September is the main intake. Applications involve reading the admissions policy and contacting the nursery for a form. Once an offer is made, families have one week to accept it. Enquiries go to office@littleacorns-twyford.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision includes 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, with 30-hour funding and funding for eligible two-year-olds also covered by the nursery's arrangements. Delivery is term-time, and privately paid hours can cover attendance beyond a child's funded entitlement or attendance where the child is not eligible. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page explains the charge structure.

Families provide a packed lunch for Lunch Club, while snacks are covered by a separate voluntary termly consumables contribution that also covers non-food consumables and non-curriculum items, including for funded attendance. After School Club provides tea at 4.15pm, follows a four-week menu rotation and involves children in some snack preparation; the terms caution that individual dietary needs may not all be accommodated.

Reducing hours or ending attendance requires at least half a term's notice. With insufficient notice, full fees remain payable for six weeks. Nursery attendance does not guarantee entry to The Colleton Primary School: families still need to use the local authority's Reception admissions process.

• A four-day after-school pattern. After School Club operates Monday to Thursday, while the funded nursery offer is term-time. At a visit, discuss how morning or afternoon attendance and the clubs would fit your family's actual week.
• Interest-led learning. Planning in the Moment follows children's interests, with adults introducing new experiences too. Ask to see how an interest becomes a learning opportunity and how its development is shared through Famly.
• Food and individual needs. Lunch Club requires food from home, and the terms allow for limits on catering for individual dietary needs. Families managing allergies should confirm current food handling and the arrangements for after-school tea.
• Afternoon collection and notice. The fees information gives an afternoon finish of 3.15pm, while the session information gives 3.13pm. Confirm the collection time before agreeing attendance; half a term's notice applies to reducing hours or leaving.

Little Acorns suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, including those adding early drop-off or Monday-to-Thursday after-school care. The woodwork table, book lending library and Famly learning journeys connect practical play with home. Its December 2022 Outstanding judgement supports that appeal; term-time attendance and the four-day after-school pattern shape its practical fit.