Little Explorers Pre-school
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Walsall for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2024. Open since 2016, with 17 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 Staffordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Staffordshire 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
WS6 7DYWhat 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, 18 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the setting with huge smiles on their faces. They leave their parents happily at the door and are greeted by staff. Children regularly reach out to staff for cuddles throughout the day. This demonstrates how safe and secure they feel. The curriculum is varied. Children enjoy sensory experiences, such as sand play. The staff talk to the children about size and children enjoy filling and emptying the containers. Children also enjoy planting a range of seeds. Staff scaffold children's learning well as they talk to the children about what the seeds need to grow. All children make good progress in their learning.
Staff are kind and nurturing towards the children. This helps children to build lasting relationships with the staff who care for them. Children use their imagination as they feed, change, and dress the babies in the home corner. They have lots of opportunities to practise a range of physical skills. This includes learning how to catch a ball and climbing up the different play equipment. Staff place a focus on supporting children to learn how they can self-regulate. They actively talk to the children about their emotions and feelings. Staff remind children of the rules. Children generally behave well.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- organise large-group times better, with an aim to support children to develop high levels of engagement and maximise all children's learning n support staff to consistently model language to children as they play, with an aim to enhance children's speech.
- 18 March 2024Good
- 25 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Explorers Pre-school
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.