Little acorns Logo
 Little Acorns Pre-School
'Children make excellent progress and thrive in this inclusive environment because the highly motivated staff team focus their attention upon their unique and individual needs.’
(Ofsted Inspection Report Nov 2010)
 

Background and Location

Established in 1999 and situated within St Peter's C of E School, Little Acorns Pre-School has grown over the years into a highly regarded and well-attended setting, serving Mawdesley and the surrounding area. As a registered charity, run by management committee, we raise our own funds, claiming grants wherever possible. Little Acorns is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and also benefits from strong links with other Early Years professionals and specialists via the LEA.

Our attractive learning environment welcomes the children, and our trained staff help to settle them in, encouraging early socialisation skills as well as independence. Early learning and development is stimulated through the provision of carefully selected resources and activities thus promoting our ethos of learning through play.

Ofsted say: "They provide a wide range of well resourced areas of continuous play both indoors and outside. Activities provided clearly link into the early learning goals and capture children's imagination and interest. Staff make sensitive observations of the children and use the information gathered to inform the planning of future activities."
 

Curriculum and Resources

At Little Acorns we use the Government's 'Early Years Foundation Stage' document to plan, observe and assess through the following areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; physical development; communication & language; literacy; mathematics; understanding the world and expressive arts and design. In addition to our daily 'focused activities' involving small groups of children or individuals, we also offer at least ten play areas of 'continuous provision' for the children to select independently and access freely throughout the session. We have carefully designed these areas to include many open-ended play and learning opportunities and they are regularly enhanced and developed according to the children's current interests. 

Ofsted say: “Children are enthusiastic, active, curious and inquisitive learners who thoroughly enjoy their time in the setting. They make excellent progress in all areas of their development because staff follow their interests and extend their learning. Children are developing a broad range of skills for the future. They are confident communicators who show concern for others, have excellent self-help skills and are competent in using the computer. ”
 

Session Details and Tariff

Our sessions run Monday to Friday every afternoon, from 12.30pm to 3.30pm and Wednesday morning from 9.00 am to 12pm. Each session involves a wide range of activities, as previously detailed and also includes a healthy snack of fresh fruit, accompanied by milk, water or fresh fruit juice. We also offer a 'wraparound care' scheme - offering a lunch-time session from 12pm to 12.30pm Monday to Friday - with trained staff collecting the children from Mawdesley Pre-School Playgroup at the village hall if required (excepting Wednesdays because we are open all day ourselves). We are an eligible provider for the Government's Free Early Education schemes and can help you determine if your child is eligible but otherwise the current session fees are detailed below:

9am to 12 noon Wednesdays only (morning session inc. snack) £13.50
12.30pm to 3.30pm Mon to Fri (afternoon session inc snack) £13.50
12 noon to 12.30pm Mon to Fri (bring own packed lunch)
£2.25

If you wish to find out more or want to enquire about reserving a place for your child, please feel free to contact us for further information, and remember…


Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns grow…!