Little Barn Owls Pre-School Ltd
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Northampton for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2019, with 16 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in West Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Northamptonshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
NN3 8JRWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 14 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show confidence, a sense of belonging and well-being at this pre-school.
They choose the activities they want to do and become fully engaged in their play.
For example, children explore real vegetables. They cut up courgettes, use toy tills and price labels on the vegetables to play shops and practise their counting. Staff work closely with all parents, including those whose children have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They successfully adapt activities, so all children can take part and take care to meet children's specific needs. Staff are caring and spend time with children, which helps children build positive relationships with them.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's teaching of communication and language to support and encourage children's conversational skills further n improve the organisation of larger group activities to ensure they have a clear purpose and meet each child's needs.
- 14 June 2023Good
- 22 June 2022Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Barn Owls Pre-School Ltd
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.