Little Lambs Preschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Basingstoke for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 14:45, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2023. Open since 2000, with 26 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 Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire 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
RG23 8BUWhat 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 September 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. Staff place a strong focus on building children's personal, social and emotional well-being. Children benefit from the trusting and respectful relationships they develop with staff and their friends.
Younger children and those who are new settle happily as staff offer a warm welcome to them. This helps children to feel safe, happy and well cared for. Staff support children to behave well. Where children need extra help with regulating their feelings and emotions, staff sensitively help them. Children listen to staff and respond well to them as they learn to wait patiently and take turns with toys and resources.
The curriculum is varied and enables all children to make good progress from their starting points. Staff create activities which ignite children's curiosity. For instance, children make mud pies. As they mix mud with water and add leaves, they become fully immersed in their imaginative play. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to be physically active. For example, older children push themselves along on their ride-on motorbike and carefully cross the coloured balance beams. Staff recognise how physical play benefits children's understanding of healthy lifestyles and support this area of learning well.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- target future professional development opportunities in order to help to refine and enhance staff teaching skills more precisely n support all staff to extend and challenge children's learning as they join them at activities.
- 14 September 2023Good
- 10 September 2018Good
- 5 May 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Lambs Preschool
- 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.