Review 2014: Airkix in Basingstoke

Warning: These are the only photo’s that you will ever see of me on NHM :-D. 

I committed to myself at the beginning of the year, that this would be MY year. (and it REALLY has been. 2014 has been an amazing year for me!!)

As part of this I made a decision early on this year, that I would do a Sky Dive for charity in 2015. (A few people have been very critical of this as I’m a parent, but life’s too short not to take the odd risk now and then, whether you are a parent or not!!)

Next year is a “big” birthday for me (21 again!!!) and I would love it if my family and friends donated money for me to Sky Dive to raise funds for Sebastian’s Action Trust, instead of buying me a birthday present.

I wanted to try Airkix first, to see if I could *hack* a Sky Dive.

So, Mr NHM bought me an awesome birthday present, which I cashed in on Sunday.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and was a little terrified.

But…it was SOOOOOO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so amazing that I have booked my Sky Dive, two days after Airkix! lol.

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Play

Once you have brought your Airkix ticket you need to book your slot online. During school holidays and weekends it can get very busy, so I booked at least a month in advance and then promptly forgot about it. DON’T DO THIS! Make sure you read the paperwork that gets sent to you at least a few days in advance.

When you arrive, you will need to complete a “Statement of Risk” disclaimer on the computer terminals. You are supposed to complete this at home, in advance, but I completely missed this bit. (Sorry Airkix!!!) It takes a bit longer than you would think because the keyboard has clearly been used many times before.

If you’ve had shoulder problems, you also need to confirm that you are ok to jump.

Once everyone arrives (I was dying of embarrassment that we were late), you then get taken upstairs to a room with a video and asked to watch the 5 minute video which explains everything you need to know and remember.

I was very pleased to see that I wasn’t the oldest person in the room. However, it was a little misleading as a few parents were sitting with their children and the parents didn’t actually jump. Sneaky!!!

The video covers quite a bit and I’m sure if you are younger and not so stressed about being late, you would take in a lot more. I tried to concentrate on the hand movements that you need to watch for, as you can’t hear or talk in the wind tunnel.

Luckily, I didn’t really have any time to become nervous. Once the video has finished, you then suit up.

You are given a lovely jump suit and helmet, goggles and then you can also have ear plugs. I wore these as I’m partially deaf anyway, so really couldn’t hear anything! lol.

Then, it’s time to go. You are taken into the ar-locked area of the wind tunnel and you sit on the bench. The other side of the wind tunnel are the spectators. I think this was the worst bit! Knowing that people were watching you!?!?!?!

I was 5th in the queue. It was fab watching everyone else, but this was the point where I started to get nervous.

When it was my turn, I could literally feel all of the spectator’s eyes on me. I was by far the oldest “girl” and I think they were expecting me to freak out of flake out. (I didn’t, I loved it and am REALLY proud of that fact! lol.)

Then, before you know it, it’s your turn….

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I didn’t realise how much you needed to concentrate. I think I just expected it to “happen”. It did happen but you need to make sure you were paying attention to the hand signals. It actually takes a lot of control.

I had two jumps of two minutes each. About 1.40 seconds into the first jump I had to get out. My back was KILLING ME! It’s not used to being arched in such a direction, so the instructor did two, one minute sessions next for me, rather than two minutes in one hit. This was much better.

I managed to do a 360 degree turn in both directions, went sideways and up and down. It was amazing how little movement was needed to move around.

In my last “jump” I was taken up and down the wind tunnel by the instructor. This was AMAZING and, despite grinning like an idiot and trying not too dribble everywhere, it was a real highlight. This is the bit that secured the Sky Dive booking for me :-D.

After everyone has done their jump and the photo’s have been taken, you then take off your gear and are given your certificates. I’m very proud of my certificate and it’s displayed next to the award I won for NHM earlier in the year.

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The instructor said I was a natural, which I’m sure is what helped my enjoyment, plus not having the time to get nervous in advance.

When you have finished you check out downstairs and have the option to buy repeat jumps at a reduced price.

Guess who knows what she’s getting for Christmas :-D.

Tips

Check your paperwork BEFORE the day of your jump. DO NOT do what I did and check it the morning of your jump, only to realise that you have to be there AT LEAST an hour before your scheduled time. We left the house in 7 minutes. This was the fastest time we have EVER left the house! lol.

(Thankfully, I was only 20 minutes late and the staff were lovely about it. We were THAT family though! I think if we had been 25 mins late, I would have lost my slot.)

Breath. I didn’t realise until after my first jump that I had been holding my breath. Nearly two minutes of holding ones breath is a long time. Make sure you breath!!!!

You will dribble. Not just at the “easy on the eye” Instructors ;-).

You will also ache the following day. Three days on and my stomach muscles haven’t quite forgiven me. So worth it though!!!!!

Leave your jewellery at home. It’s not recommended to wear it in the wind tunnel.

Non-participating children cannot be left alone, so make sure you bring someone along with you to watch them.

If you have long hair, tie your hair back as you don’t want it whipping around you in the wind tunnel.

Food

n/a

Facilities

Are excellent as it’s a very new facility. To be fair though, we didn’t do much exploring. Did I mention we were late? <blush>.

Baby Facilities

Not really sure, I was too excited to check these out.

Parking

Is free in Basingstoke Leisure Park

Prices

Are actually very reasonable for what you get.

There are also a few special offers that you can book on the day, for your next Airkix flight, which I may or may not have booked on the day because I loved it so much :-D.

Rating out of 5

10 out of 5. If only to prove to yourself that you aren’t JUST a Mum. 😉

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Christmas Food Boxes for Basingstoke 2014

I am SOOOOOO excited about this morning’s post.

I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while but had no idea where to start so I was DELIGHTED when Natascha, from Basingstoke Voluntary Action, contacted me asking if I could publicise their Food Box collection.

The drop off point is in town, opposite the Police Station and behind the White Hart Pub, so it’s fairly easy to get too.

When you make your delivery, please mention that you are a NHM Reader.

Natascha is happy to keep a record of all of the collections from the NHM Community.

Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if the NHM Community, a group of AMAZING Mum’s and Dad’s (and you are!!!), could provide such great practical support for those who are struggling this Christmas, directly in our community????!?!?!

THIS is why I write NHM. To help others!!!

For those of you coming to the NHM Christmas Expo on Friday, why not bring a few tins, or any other items on the lists below, along? I’m happy to take collection and will drop them off on Friday after the event.    

Now, does anyone have any suggestions of where to get photocopying paper boxes in bulk from? 😉                                                          

Christmas Food Boxes for Basingstoke 2014

Last year Basingstoke Voluntary Action appealed to individuals and organisations to join us in providing Christmas Food Boxes to those less fortunate than ourselves, and who would benefit enormously from a little extra at Christmas time. The response was huge, and through your generosity we were able to supply refuges, families and homeless centres in Basingstoke and Deane with Food Boxes filled with Christmas goodies.

We want to do a similar appeal this Christmas, and ask you to consider if your group or organisation could donate any food, food boxes (a box between your group would be amazing!), or additional items to help a homeless person. Last year we were able to distribute 150 boxes and 46 rough sleeper packs to people for whom this time of year really is a struggle – this is a fantastic way of making a huge difference to the wider community!

Why not make it a team challenge? – Last year local companies competed internally to fill the most boxes and a local school was motivated by friendly competition between year groups.

If any of you are interested in joining in, here’s what we recommend:

Option 1 – Christmas Food Box for refuges, hostels and underprivileged families

  1. Take a photocopying paper box and lid:
  2. Picture 1Wrap box and lid separately in Christmas wrapping paper:
  3. Picture 4Fill it up with food for Christmas, selecting from the following suggested items:
  • Tins of salmon, ham or chicken breast
  • Tins of new potatoes, carrots, garden peas
  • Tin or pouch of long life quality casserole meal
  • Christmas pudding, custard, mince pies, Christmas cake
  • Luxury biscuits, chocolates/selection box
  • Jar of coffee
  • Snacks such as crackers, twiglets, savoury twists, nibbles
  • For family boxes a small toy, family game or book

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  1. Box all food up
  2. Please list the contents of your box and pop it in so we can ensure everyone receives the right items.
  3. Call us to arrange a collection or delivery to The Orchard
  4. We will donate them to the worthy causes and centres in the Basingstoke and Deane area
  5. Total anticipated costs £25 – £30 per box. 

Option 2 – Donations of food to be distributed to homeless centres and hostels, can be from the list above or any of these:

  • Packs of pasta/rice
  • Pouches of pasta sauces
  • Tea and coffee
  • Long life milk
  • Biscuits
  • Sugar
  • Cereals
  • Cup soups, noodles

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Option 3 – For someone who will be homeless this Christmas without fridge or cooker facilities

Many food outlets in the town centre provide hot water for rough sleepers, so we would like to ask you to consider:

  • Food items such as:
    • cup soups/noodles
    • tea bags
    • coffee (any food bags you can add hot water to)
    • ring-pull tins of hot dogs
    • ravioli
    • stews
    • rice puddings
    • high energy protein/cereal bars
    • chocolate biscuits/sweets/small selection boxes
    • multipack crisp/snacks
  • Equipment such as:
    • warm hats
    • scarves
    • gloves
    • socks
    • jumpers
    • coats
    • unwanted rucksacks or draw string bags
    • wind-up torches
    • sleeping bags
    • thermos flasks/cups
    • sturdy boots/shoes
    • toiletries

Finally, many companies in previous years have donated money to help with winter food box appeals.

If you would like to do this please contact Admin@BVAction.org.uk or make cheques payable to Basingstoke Voluntary Action and clearly write on the back Christmas Appeal

Please note we cannot accept any donations of alcohol or food containing alcohol

Dates for Donations

We will gratefully accept donations from Monday 3rd November.

Please deliver any food or items by Friday 5th December to Basingstoke Voluntary Action, The Orchard, White Hart Lane, Basingstoke RG21 4AF, or call us to arrange a collection.

All queries, please contact Natascha Shepherd on 01256 423816 or email Admin@BVAction.org.uk

Many thanks from all of us at BVA!!

If you would like a copy of a pdf to pass around at work or friends, please visit our website: https://www.bvaction.org.uk/

Review 2014: Wagamama’s Basingstoke

I’m a massive fan of Wagamama so I was REALLY pleased when Festival Place asked me to review the Basingstoke Wagamama restaurant.

You can keep up with the latest activities at Festival Place via Facebook, Twitter and their website.

Wagamama Basingstoke

Wagamama

We’ve been very lucky that we’ve eaten in Wagamama’s several times since it opened in Festival Place.

Miss NHM started using chopsticks when she was a year old at Wagamama’s. I have video footage of it because I was gob smacked that she could use the chopsticks at all, let alone to get food in her mouth when she was weaning! lol.

When we arrived we were greeted by Charlotte who looked after us so well and was really good with Miss NHM.

We were given an activity colouring mat for Miss NHM and some crayons which kept Miss NHM quiet whilst we looked through the menu:

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Food

As we eat in Wagamama’s quite a bit we decided that we would try something different this time.

For starters we had chilli squid which was YUMMY and not too spicy at all:

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Mr NHM chose grilled pork bulgogi wraps which were not what I expected but very tasty:

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I couldn’t not order my beloved peach iced tea. I’ve tried the fruit juices before and they are yummy too but I was in a peach iced tea mood! lol:

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For our main courses Mr NHM tried something new, Teriyaki chicken donburi with a side of kimchee:

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However, although I wanted to try something new I couldn’t stop my self from having my usual dish, prawn kare lomen.

This is only because it was off the menu for a couple of years so I’ve got to maximise it before they take it off the menu again! lol. It was YUMMY as always:

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Miss NHM had the mini chicken yaki soba which she loved and ate most of using chopsticks

(I didn’t get a chance to take a photo when the dish arrived because Miss NHM tucked in straight away! lol):

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For pudding Miss NHM chose the raspberry natural ice fruit lolly which she demolished in record time! lol

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For pudding I had coconut reika which was sooooo yummy:

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and Mr NHM had the chocolate fudge cake which I wasn’t allowed to try as I had tasted his starters and main 😀

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The food was so yummy as it always is and I was pleased to see that there was no difference between when we normally eat here and aren’t doing a review.

Tips

The food comes out when it’s ready although the children’s meal nearly always comes out first so sometimes your “starters” come out at the same time as your main meal.

There is a children’s menu:

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Wagamama also provide chop sticks for little ones but Miss NHM won’t use them because we don’t use them.

There is a shelf under the table for your personal items and hooks on the walls for your coats.

You can also ask for adult “bibs” if you think your dinner is going to get messy as it can with some of the Ramen dishes.

Play/Ambience

Wagamama Basingstoke is always really busy and has a really good buzz.

There are always lots of families eating in there and they really do cater for everyone.

All of the children get their own activity mat and colouring pencils which helps to distract them whilst waiting for food.

It’s a great place to eat if you are on your own with a little one. On the odd occasion we had enough money I would take Miss NHM on my own when Mr NHM was working shift on the weekend.

Facilities

There are lots of condiments available if you would like them and the staff are very amenable to helping out

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The floor is wipeable! So not too much guilt when food ends up all over the floor.

Be careful with the benches. They can be very slippery for a wiggly toddler/ pre-schooler.

Also, the place mats can be a bit of a pain with a wriggly toddler as we discovered when Miss NHM knocked her milk over. It can’t be helped, just be aware of this.

Baby Facilities

There are special high chairs that fit on the side of the table. Miss NHM always used to sit in these when she was tiny.

There is also space for pushchairs at one end of the restaurant.

The baby changing facilities are in the disabled toilets:

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Parking

Is in Festival place and is the standard rate for parking.

Prices

Are very reasonable when you consider what you are getting for your money.

Rating out of 5

I’ve given Wagamama in Basingstoke 5 out of 5 and not just for the way we were treated on our visit this time.

Every time I’ve eaten in Wagamama in Basingstoke I have been impressed with the staff and the food.

Thank you very much to the team who made our visit so enjoyable!

Thank you also to Festival Place for arranging this opportunity for us.

Disclaimer: This post is a review of Wagamama Basingstoke in conjunction with Festival Place.Our meal was supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.

8 things to do in Basingstoke when it’s sunny

I realise the irony of this post, but I wrote it and scheduled it when it was sunny and looked like it would stay sunny!

Just in case it is raining today, please see this previous post which has some ideas of how to keep your Little One’s occupied when it’s raining: 8 Cheap or Free Rainy Day Activities in Basingstoke

1. Climb some trees. Try Basing Wood/Carpenters Down behind Popley and next to Chineham Business Park.

2. Go to the Beach! The Nearest “Beaches” to Basingstoke are Fleet Pond on the way to Fleet and Frensham Pond, just past Farnham.

3. Play Poo Sticks on the bridge at the far end of Eastrop Park

4. Fly a Kite on Crabtree Plantation Hill

5. Visit Manydown’s Maize.

6. Pick your Own Fruit at some of the following Farms. I haven’t been to any but when the weather picks up we are planning to go to one. I recommend ringing in advance to ensure that they have crops available and haven’t all been picked the day before! See a previous post about PYO farms in the area HERE.

7. Have a picnic dinner at Basing Lime Pits

8. Paddle in the Paddling Pool at Eastrop Park.

18 Places that will host a Children’s Birthday Party

I’ve only hosted one birthday party for my little one, so clearly I haven’t been exposed to how these experiences can “escalate”. So, as I’m still green behind the gills with regards to parties (Goody bags? Have I not spent enough already?!?!?!) I’ve put together a post with a list of places that will host a birthday party for your little one.

I will be publishing a post next week that will look at cheaper ways to host a children’s birthday party. So if you are looking for birthday party inspiration, check out next weeks posts.

If you are planning a children’s party any time soon…Good Luck! 😀

1. Lymington Sea Water Baths – Pool available to hire for children’s birthday parties. (probably better for a summer party 😉)

2. Little Nellies Diner (was Nelsons Diner) – on the way to Newbury. (They do AWESOME milkshakes!). Minimum £8.95 per child but they can tailor depending on your budget.

3. ActiveTots – Bramley. Minimum £8.50 per child.

4. Intech Science Centre – Winchester (How cool would it be to have a birthday party in a Planetarium!)

5. Play Days – Basingstoke

6. Fun House Basingstoke – Soft Play

7. Basingstoke Sports Centre  (Is it sad that I remember going to a birthday party was at the Sports Centre some 30 odd years ago. Wow. How ancient am I? It was a wicked party though! lol) 

8. Finkley Down Farm – Andover

9. Queen Mary’s College: Our swimming pool is available for hire, and for children’s parties, throughout the year.

10. Bowling Alley, Leisure Park

11. Pizza Hut Parties, Festival Place or the same Business Park as ToysRUs.

12. Pots2 Paint, Viables.

13. Beale Park, Pangbourne, Reading

14. Jakes Indoor Softplay and mini farm, Sandhurst.

15. Birdworld, Farnham

16. The Hawk Conservancy, Andover

17. Atmosphere Trampoline Park

17. Any suggestions as I ran out of ideas!!! (Check out the post below with a list of 6 ‘extra’ places to host a children’s birthday party)

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Facebook PageFacebook ProfileLinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there! 

9 Foody Places to go as a group of Mums with babies/toddlers

Are you looking for somewhere to meet up with several of your friends, their babies and pushchairs/buggys?

The list below are some of the foody places you could visit that welcome large groups of Mum’s and babies:

1. Queens College Arms – Tadley road

Recommend booking in advance and asking for the “big” table. They have baby changing facilities onsite and bottle warming facilities. Very friendly and welcoming of Mum’s and babies. For bigger children, there is a climbing frame in the pub garden.

2. Little Roses Tea Shop – Elm Tree Garden centre, just up from the Queens College Arms

They have excellent baby changing facilities and even provide free baby wipes and nappy bags! There is a changing station and several highchairs upstairs if you don’t want to take your pushchair in. Recommend looking in the Chests/tables as there is a treasure trove of toys that will keep children amused for a while. Very welcoming of Mums and babies.

3. Dayers – Chineham Business Park

This place is normally empty in the mornings. They do good breakfasts and cake. Gets busy at lunchtime, so maybe not the best place to go for lunch.

Unfortunately they don’t have baby changing facilities (they used too!) but they do have large toilets so if you don’t mind doing emergency nappy changes on your changing mat on the floor, you should be ok.

4. Dobbies Garden Centre – Tilehurst (25 mins from central Basingstoke)

If you fancy going a bit further afield or live near Reading, it’s worth checking out the restaurant of this Garden Centre. They have a large restaurant with a big outside eating area. Seems to be quiet because it’s outside of central Reading.

5. Wyevale Garden Centre – Sherfield on Loddon

They have a large restaurant and outside area. The baby changing facilities are good, but are in the ladies toilets. I recommend signing up for the Gardening Club as you rack up the points quite quickly which give you discounts in the store and restaurant.

6. The Cafe Project, The Dome, behind Asda in Brighton Hill

Open Tuesday to Friday’s from 9.30am.

7. Portsmouth Arms – Hatch Warren

8. Costa Coffee – Hampshire Centrecourt Hotel (Behind the large Tesco’s)

The Service is slow but you can sit indoors or outdoors and there are baby changing facilities

9. Conkers Garden Centre

Related Posts

9 things to do in Basingstoke with a newborn

8 Cheap Restaurants in Basingstoke

11 Places to Breakfast with children in North Hampshire

8 Reasonably Priced Restaurants in Basingstoke (Meal for 2 for under £15)

Sometimes I really miss the lifestyle I had before having a family. Specifically the spontaneity of being able to eat out. We still try to eat out when we can justify the cost, which is why I’m always looking for cheaper places to eat that don’t mind children and won’t break the bank. Let me know if there is a restaurant or cafe that I’ve missed!

1. Debenhams Restaurant

There is a baby room next to the Restaurant. They also offer a special children’s menu and provide baby food and bottle warming facilities, free bibs and wipes.

The restaurant is open until 8pm most week days

2. Olivers Fish and Chips

They have an early Bird Deal at the moment.

The restaurant is open every day until 10.30pm, but check the website to confirm this.

They do have baby changing facilities and colouring and crayons for bigger children. Maybe a place to visit if you are lucky enough to have a night out alone with your partner/husband.

3. The Trawlerman, Chineham Shopping Centre

(Couldn’t find a website)

4. Marks and Spencers Cafe – Chineham

Please see a previous post HERE for details about the cafe at M&S in Chineham.

5. Sainsburys Cafe at Hatchwarren

The restaurant is open until 8pm every day except Sunday. However, I think they stop serving hot meals at 7pm.

6. Festival Plaice

I haven’t eaten here and I’m not sure if they have baby changing facilities or are very children friendly.

7. Nando’s

Open until 11pm most nights and has baby changing facilities.

8. Pizza Hut

There are two Pizza Hut restaurants in Basingstoke, one in Festival Place and one near Toys R Us. They seem to have a pretty good set up for children although I wonder how healthy the meals are.

Ballet/Dance classes for 2 year olds (Nov 2011)

Baby & Toddler Dance classes in North Hampshire Vicky asked the question on NorthHants Mum on Facebook: can anyone recommend ballet/dance classes for 2yr olds? I’m not able to recommend any specific classes but I’ve done some research about what is available at the moment. Details are below. If you have any recommendations, please don’t hesitate to add them. Vicky – thanks for your question, hope this is what you were looking for.

Ballet Classes

Basingstoke Academy of Dancing One of the more professional dance schools in Basingstoke.  They hold Mother and Toddler Classes – 18 mnths – 3yrs, Monday morning 9.30am to 10.30am

J.L.D. School of Dancing

They say: Being easily accessed from anywhere in Basingstoke & Deane, J.L.D. School of Dancing has 50 scheduled classes per week and offers dancing lessons for boys and girls from 2 – 18 years of age. Dance classes for children aged 2 – 5 years are lively and fun, exploring music, movement and mime.

Lynden School of Dance

I couldn’t find the timetable online for this dance school but I know they do Ka Motion classes at Basingstoke Sports Centre for little people and I’m sure they will have classes for under four’s. To find details you can contact them through their website.

Chandelle Stage School

I don’t have any further details about this apart from that it’s based in the Sycamore centre in Winklebury.

Stage School’s

There is also a stage school in Basingstoke: http://www.basingstokestageschool.co.uk/ Please add a comment if you know of more dance classes for toddlers in or near Basingstoke. Thanks!  

School catchment finder, Report on school admissions and Ofsted Reports in North Hampshire

Following on from the Education posts there are some very interesting links below (Thanks Su for forwarding them on!).  

I don’t want to scare anyone but you may be intrigued to see where your little one falls in the catchment lottery for when they start Infants school  in North Hampshire and where they will be allotted for Junior’s and Senior schools: School catchment finder

The report on School Admissions is a really interesting read, particularly at the end of the report where it is listed the number of children that have been accepted into the school and whether brothers and sisters have also been accepted: Report on school admissions

If you have a little one starting nursery soon you may also find the following website useful as you should be able to check up on the Nursery’s latest Ofsted report.

You can also find Infants, Juniors and Senior schools Ofsted reports from this linky: Ofsted Early years and Childcare

Sorry if I’ve scared anyone but I hope you find the above useful. It would be great to hear your feedback…

Related Posts

Montessori Education

Waldorf Steiner Education

Bookstart

Bookstart is a national programme that encourages parents and carers to enjoy books with children from as early an age as possible. Bookstart gives the gift of free books to children at three stages in their early life, along with guidance materials for parents and carers. The scheme enjoys sponsorship from around 25 children’s publishers, Red House Books and government funding via the Sure Start Unit.

Rhymetimes Fun and free Rhymetimes for babies, toddlers and their parents or carers are organised in many libraries around the county.  They aim to encourage parents and carers to share action songs and rhymes with babies from birth onwards.