Little Learners Nursery

Five rooms opening directly onto outdoor play give Little Learners Nursery its clearest physical character. Based on the University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus, this purpose-built setting combines an indoor and outdoor free-flow arrangement with practical support for children whose home language is not English. The campus connection reaches beyond the address: the kitchen works with the Food Sciences department, while university students receive admissions priority where possible.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest practical features today are the gradual settling arrangements, named key people and the use of visual routines and home-language information. These give families concrete ways to explain their child’s needs before nursery life becomes familiar.

Little Learners has capacity for 106 children, accepting ages from three months to five years. Daisies, Bluebells and Buttercups organise the nursery into age-related units, with some flexibility around their boundaries. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance sit alongside term-time and full-year contracts, so the offer serves more than one working or studying pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Daisies caters for children from three months to two years, Bluebells for those aged two to three, and Buttercups for children from three until they move to school. These are three units across five rooms, rather than three rooms. Each room has direct access to the outdoor area, allowing indoor play and outdoor exploration to form connected parts of the day.

The rooms are adapted around children’s changing needs: settling receives attention in autumn, while developing friendships may shape the summer arrangement. This makes the organisation responsive to the children using it. Bluebells and Buttercups also have straightforward bathroom access, with children able to use the facilities under supervision as independence develops.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care. Here, learning through play is combined with observations of children’s interests and achievements, which key people use to plan the next experiences. It is the everyday educational foundation, rather than a separate enrichment programme.

In March 2023, preschool children experimented with shampoo and water, stirring mixtures and watching bubbles develop; transferring water with pipettes gave their hands and fingers practice relevant to later writing. Mathematical language came through comparing constructions and describing water quantities. These examples show how an ordinary play activity can carry several learning purposes, rather than requiring children to move between formal lessons.

Storytelling, singing and conversation feature in the nursery’s approach to language. Dual-language books and flashcards add practical resources for children learning English alongside another language. Bookstart, a national programme encouraging families to share books from an early age, also forms part of the nursery’s information for families. Its dual-language reading materials connect nursery experiences with reading at home.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow access is a useful feature for children who want to move between different kinds of play. In March 2023, babies used see-saws, older children dug in sand and jumped in puddles, and covered outdoor spaces offered quieter activities with staff. The combination matters: outdoor time included both energetic movement and opportunities to pause.

Sun protection needs active planning here. The garden is relatively open, with limited shade, and staff arrange additional shade cover during summer. Children need suitable hats; during very hot summer conditions, outdoor access stops between 11am and 3pm. For a setting with direct outdoor access from its rooms, that seasonal adjustment is a meaningful part of the day.

Relationships and Communication

Every child receives a key person before settling begins, with a backup identified where possible. That practitioner is the family’s first contact, maintains development records and spends time with their key children each day. The arrangement creates a clear route for passing on changes at home and discussing progress, rather than leaving parents to find a different contact for each concern.

Settling usually involves three to five free pre-visits over a week, extended when an individual child needs more time. Parents initially stay, then gradually reduce their presence as the child becomes familiar with their key people. Later visits build towards time apart. The important detail is the flexibility to lengthen the process, rather than treating separation as something every child must manage on the same timetable.

Watch me Grow appointments bring parents and practitioners together to discuss development both at nursery and at home. For children using another language at home, a home-language tracker can help parents contribute information that nursery observations alone would miss. A Bilingualism form supplies useful words for the key person, while visual routines explain the daily sequence without depending entirely on spoken English.

On 24 October 2023, Ofsted’s regulatory telephone call found that requirements concerning communication with parents and information collected before children started nursery had not been met, but appropriate corrective action had been taken. The nursery had changed both arrangements. Parent communication was therefore raised again after the March 2023 inspection concern.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

An appointed Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) organises work with outside professionals, including speech and language therapists and educational psychologists. The nursery’s support policy uses a cycle of assessment, planning, action and review, with parents involved in decisions. This gives families a defined mechanism for discussing concerns and adjusting support.

Behaviour support begins with calm adult help: staff acknowledge feelings, establish what happened and help children work towards a solution. When difficulties persist, the key person and behaviour lead work with parents on a Behaviour Management Plan, reviewing the agreed actions. The emphasis is on understanding triggers and teaching children how to respond.

The Transition Program covers starting nursery, moving between age groups and leaving for school. Familiar staff can help a child settle into a new room, and information passes to the new key person. For school moves, staff engage with teacher visits or telephone discussions and transfer the child’s Learning Journey, helping the receiving teacher understand their development.

A full-time cook prepares meals in the nursery kitchen, with meat or fish and vegetarian choices, input from the campus Food Sciences department and individual plans for dietary requirements. The food policy aims to avoid nuts and nut products, and uses each child’s recorded dietary information to guide meals.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Whiteknights Campus, Pepper Lane, Reading, RG6 6EH. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year except public holidays and University and Union shutdown days. On-site parking and a designated drop-off area support the campus location.

The AM Session runs from 8am to 1pm, full days from 8am to 6pm, and the PM Session is listed from 1.30pm to 6pm. Full-week bookings cover Monday to Friday. Variable day and variable session options are also offered, alongside Early Bird periods of 7am to 8am or 7.30am to 8am.

Funded attendance has additional patterns: a funded morning from 9am to noon, a funded afternoon from 1pm to 4pm, and a funded-only offer from noon to 6pm associated with 30 hours funding. Paid breakfast, lunch and tea periods can surround funded sessions. Term-time contracts and full-year contracts follow different calendar periods, so the distinction affects attendance as well as billing.

Applications begin with a Register of Interest Form. University students receive priority where possible, while the general public can also apply; assessment considers the child’s age, requested sessions, staff or student status and siblings already attending. Requests that cannot be accommodated can join the waiting list.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15-hour and 30-hour arrangements. The funded period covers between 36 and 38 weeks, with private rates applying outside those dates. Private full-day fees include meals; morning fees include breakfast and lunch, and afternoon fees include tea. During funded hours, food and nappies and wipes carry separate charges, with parents able to supply their own under the funded-only offer.

Parents provide formula milk. Nappy creams can also come from home, while sun cream is supplied by the nursery. These are separate arrangements, so families should distinguish food charges, nappies and wipes, and the supplies they bring themselves when budgeting. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, with the charge structure explained on its parent information and fees page.

Accepting a place requires a signed contract, a deposit and a non-refundable administration charge within 10 working days of the offer letter; the deposit exemption applies to children attending free education sessions only. Deposit return depends on giving the required notice and clearing the account. Family holidays and illness absences do not reduce fees.

• Afternoon timing. The PM Session begins at 1.30pm in the session timetable, while the fee schedules use 1pm. Establish the contracted start time before arranging work or study around an afternoon booking.
• Language teaching and progress updates. In March 2023, staff did not consistently extend younger children’s vocabulary, and some parents lacked precise guidance about the next learning steps. On a tour, ask how practitioners develop conversation during play and how Watch me Grow discussions translate into ideas for home.
• Settling and room changes. Free pre-visits can be extended, and a familiar practitioner can support a move between units. Discuss how the plan would accommodate your child’s separation needs and the attendance pattern you intend to use.
• Dietary needs and outdoor conditions. Individual dietary plans sit alongside a policy of avoiding nuts, while the open garden has limited shade. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food practice, and a tour can show how shaded play is arranged.

Little Learners suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, with term-time and full-year contracts giving another practical choice. The campus setting, direct outdoor access and home-language support are its most recognisable strengths. Key-person continuity and gradual settling give those features a useful care structure.

The March 2023 teaching concern and repeated parent communication issue deserve a focused conversation, while the October 2023 regulatory outcome recorded appropriate corrective action on communication and pre-start information. For parents who value outdoor movement, clear contacts and support connecting home and nursery language, there is plenty here to assess beyond the convenience of the address.