URN 2772631 · Inspected 2026-06-12 · Published 2026-09-16 · Inspector: Sam Rogers
Little Stones Pre-School LTD T/A PrimroseCottage Unique reference number (URN): 2772631 Address: Chalcroft Nurseries & Garden Centre, Chalcraft Lane, Bognor Regis, PO21 5TS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/01/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Little Stones Pre-School Limited Inspection report: 12 June 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Strong standard Safeguarding standards met The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders implement well-established routines and expectations for behaviour across the nursery. This is fostered by practitioners who act as positive role models for children. In turn, children mirror these behaviours, engage positively in learning and demonstrate a clear understanding of what is expected of them. For example, when a child's tower collapsed, a peer checked they were okay and offered to help rebuild it. Leaders have recently made improvements to enhance behaviour and routines further. This includes the introductions of cooked meals, which they report has had a noticeable difference. They have also implemented a more structured routine following lunch. This ensures that this remains a calm time and children can transition more smoothly back into their chosen activities. Children play collaboratively together, share ideas and develop positive friendships. For example, when creating junk models, 2 children discussed where one of them was going to put their bug house once they had taken it home, with questions and ideas shared between them as to how this would be possible. Leaders place a high priority on promoting regular attendance, working in partnership with parents. They use their knowledge of individual circumstances and professional curiosity to recognise and address barriers that may arise. Leaders provide additional support as appropriate, which in turn increases attendance. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders and practitioners create a warm, welcoming and safe environment for all children. Children's welfare and wellbeing is evidently high, with children typically forming secure Expected standard attachments with practitioners. They remain happy throughout the day, with emotional support sought from familiar practitioners when needed. Leaders and practitioners have an extensive understanding of each child and their individual circumstances, enabling them and their families to receive appropriate support, which meets their varying and changing needs. Partnership working with parents and external professionals is in place to ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing remain at the forefront of practice. Children engage enthusiastically in their play and learning, while accessing a well-designed indoor and outdoor space. Children are confident to explore the environment, with younger children using practitioners for reassurance when required. Older children engage appropriately with practitioners, sharing discoveries and ideas excitedly. Children's awareness and emerging knowledge of healthy habits are facilitated through consistent routines regarding self-care, physical-play opportunities and their own wellbeing. For example, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story was brought to life, with children exploring knitted food items and identifying which are healthy choices and those less so. As a result, children related this knowledge to their own experiences, such as having eaten watermelon at snack time. Achievement Expected standard Typically, children, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, make progress from their starting points across all areas of learning and development. Younger children develop their physical skills while playing on soft-play blocks by crawling, climbing and sliding. They engage in messy play and sensory activities alongside their peers and are introduced to appropriate language. Older children show curiosity when engaging with a potions tray, filling and emptying containers while copying newly introduced vocabulary. They seek out peers to share experiences and ideas with, often working together to solve problems and offer each other help when required. Children confidently follow their own interests and ideas, making choices about their learning and sustaining high levels of interest and engagement in activities for extended periods of time. This is reflected in parents' views, who unanimously report improvement in their children's confidence and independence since attending the setting. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed a curriculum which places a strong emphasis on developing children's confidence, independence and preparing them for their next stage of learning. Practitioners share this vision, with the youngest children supported with skills, such as walking and early communication, while school leavers are encouraged to carry out self- care routines confidently and independently throughout the daily routine. Children benefit from accessing extra-curricular activities across the week, including forest school. Children spoke excitedly of these sessions, discussing what was involved and recalling their experiences. Through these activities, children have the opportunity to develop their physical skills, confidence and coordination, as well as explore and learn about the natural environment. Leaders and practitioners have a secure knowledge of children's starting points, the progress they have made and their next steps in learning. This knowledge informs daily interactions, teaching and learning opportunities across the curriculum. Practitioners build on what children already know and can do through responsive interactions and purposeful teaching. For example, when a child showed an interest in the addition and subtraction symbols on a puzzle, a practitioner recognised this as an opportunity to extend their mathematical knowledge and skills. They supported the child to identify what the symbols were used for, before encouraging them to apply this knowledge by completing simple sums. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same curriculum as their peers. There is potential for leaders to build further on the support already in place, by embedding targeted teaching and support for individual children more consistently throughout the daily routine. This would help children to consolidate prior learning and gain greater developmental benefit from activities they revisit regularly. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders show passion and commitment to ensuring children's needs are identified promptly and support is received at the earliest opportunity. Where required, they work in close partnership with parents as well as external professionals, including health visitors and the local authority to gain additional guidance and advice while maintaining a collaborative approach. The setting's special educational needs coordinator has received necessary training to implement their role effectively and continuously seeks further training opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills. Some of this information is passed onto the staff team. However, leaders have not ensured that practitioners who work the closest to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have the specific skills and knowledge required to consistently embed tailored support, to encourage well-rounded progress while awaiting specialist assessment or professional input. Leaders and practitioners have a good understanding of children's needs and decisively ensure that additional funding is used to help enhance children's opportunities and experiences, including providing cooked meals and access to extra-curricular activities. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders prioritise improvement and have a clear overview of the setting. They understand the provision's strengths and areas of development and demonstrate a commitment to continual improvement. Leaders actively seek and consider the views of children, parents and practitioners when making decisions. Most recently, leaders identified the garden as a priority. They have introduced new equipment and resources, and leaders have considered the accessibility of the space for non-mobile children by introducing soft-flooring mats. Leaders typically provide regular supervision for practitioners. They express that they feel supported by leaders and are confident to approach them with any concerns or issues. Leaders place an importance on practitioner wellbeing and ensure that unnecessary time away from their roles is avoided. As a result, practitioners report that their workloads are manageable. Leaders promote a positive culture of professional development. They encourage practitioners to engage in a range of training opportunities, including areas of individual interest, such as additional languages. This helps practitioners to develop their knowledge and skills and broaden the experiences they can offer to children. Leaders could strengthen this further by ensuring that professional development is more consistently matched to the specific needs of the nursery and the children attending. Leaders place importance on developing positive relationships with parents and keeping them informed about their children's experiences and progress. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children's time at the nursery, including a photo update sharing app and parent-information evenings and events across the year. Leaders also maintain links with external professional where appropriate, such as teachers from local schools. This helps school-leavers to experience a supported transition and prepares them for their next stage of learning. What it's like to be a child at this setting Leaders and practitioners ensure that all children are nurtured and supported, enabling them to feel secure, participate fully in the setting and develop from their individual starting points. Leaders show passion and commitment to ensuring that children's needs are identified promptly, and support is received at the earliest opportunity. Leaders and practitioners work in collaboration and in close partnership with parents, remaining aware of any emerging and changing needs for individual children. They gain additional guidance and advice from Inspector: Sam Rogers About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2772631 Address: Chalcroft Nurseries & Garden Centre Chalcraft Lane professionals in the local authority. This promotes the learning and development for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have undergone and implemented specific training to support children with SEND, with further training opportunities continuously being sought to enhance their knowledge and skills as the needs of the children change. Information and strategies are shared with practitioners regularly. As leaders continue to develop provision, there is scope to strengthen practitioners' understanding of the targeted support in place for individual children, helping to further promote well-rounded progress. Leaders and practitioners know children well and decisively ensure that additional funding is used to help enhance children's opportunities and experiences. This is monitored and reviewed frequently, ensuring that leaders consider how this is best used. Next steps Leaders should strengthen the professional development for practitioners who work the most closely to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that children receive consistently effective support for their learning and development. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated leads for safeguarding during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Bognor Regis PO21 5TS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 17/01/2024 Registered person: Little Stones Pre-School Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:30 Local authority: West Sussex Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 12 June 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 21 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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