The Little School at Pooh Corner

About this day nursery

The Little School Nurseries, with 35 years of experience, is dedicated to providing exceptional care and education during a child's foundational years. Their mission is to nurture, guide, and inspire each child through a flexible, child-centred approach that embraces individual interests.

They blend methodologies like Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia to offer a balanced and enriching experience. Beyond the Early Years Foundation Stage, the nursery offers a comprehensive education that focuses on the whole child, incorporating Forest School activities, music, drama, dance, healthy eating initiatives where children grow their own vegetables, daily physical education, and a "Happy Minds" programme to promote resilience and well-being.

The nurseries have received several accolades, including the Platinum Award – Quality Counts from the National Day Nurseries Association, a Start Life Well Gold Award for excellence in physical activity, healthy eating, and emotional well-being, and the Millie’s Mark for exceeding safety requirements. They also hold the Maths Champions Award, recognising their practitioners' skills in early maths development.

Our ethos

We aim to prioritise the health, nutrition and well being of all our children. We do this by: Spending lots of time outside in our Forest School and gardens, having plenty of exercise, practising good hygiene and looking after our wellbeing. Growing our own fruit and vegetables, learning about different foods and a healthy diet. Learning about our emotions through our Happy Minds practice so that children are better equipped to succeed in life. Our priorities in delivering our curriculum are: Tolerance of each other, our differences, values and heritage. Resilience, instilling it into every child to keep going, having high expectations. Unique - recognising that every child is an individual with their own interests and desires. Creative - delivering a curriculum rich in music, art, awe and wonder. Knowledgeable - providing experiences that give children the information they need to build future success Engaged - children show strong engagement and are supported to make good progress across all areas of learning. Relationships - children learn to make strong relationships, collaborating, learning to resolve conflict and showing respect to teachers and peers.

What it's like

The staff are happy and enthusiastic when they greet children as they arrive at nursery, making them feel welcome and giving them a sense of belonging. Staff understand the importance of building strong relationships and attachments to help children feel safe and secure, allowing them to confidently explore their environment.

Pricing & funding

Fees are charged on an hourly basis with different rates for children aged under and over three. Parents can book hours between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm in half-hour increments. Funded hours are available term-time or stretched over the year, with optional supplementary charges applying only to children over three.