Little Explorers Ltd.

Name

Little Explorers Ltd.

Legal name

Little Explorers Nursery and Forest School

Website

https://littleexplorers-nursery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Years Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursery School Readiness & Transition Programs (EDACACAL), Half-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAC)

Keywords

• Early years childcare
• Nursery education services
• Forest school programme
• EYFS curriculum delivery
• SEND support nursery

Headquarters

HQ city

Thornton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Childcare Fees: Session-based childcare fees for morning (8am-1pm), afternoon (1pm-6pm), and full day (8am-6pm) sessions. Accepts government funding for eligible 2 and 3 year olds and all childcare vouchers.
2. Government Funding: Accepts government-funded places for 2 year old and 3 year old free childcare grants. Additional specialist funding from Lancashire County Council for children with SEND needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Little Explorers Ltd. provides early years nursery care and education for children from birth to 5 years of age across converted home-from-home settings in Thornton, Carleton, and Cleveleys (with a fourth Normoss location planned). The core service combines full-day, morning, and afternoon childcare sessions with the UK government's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum and a Forest School outdoor education programme, supplemented by SEND support and a parent-facing Home Learning programme.

Product overview

Little Explorers Nursery and Forest School operates as a unified early years childcare service with three settings in Thornton, Cleveleys, and Carleton. The core offering combines traditional EYFS nursery care with an integrated Forest School outdoor education program. Additional services include a Home Learning Program supporting parental engagement through Tapestry and Facebook, and dedicated SEND Support Services. All settings share identical offerings enabling children to reach their full potential through a combination of indoor and outdoor learning experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forest School: Forest School is an inspirational process that offers children opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a Woodland environment. The approach is recognized as 'outstanding' by Ofsted.

Products and services

• Early Years Nursery Care Full-time and part-time nursery care for children from birth to 5 years, operating Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, 51 weeks per year, across the Thornton, Cleveleys, and Carleton settings. Accepts government funding for eligible 2- and 3-year-olds and all childcare vouchers.
• Forest School Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• OUTSTANDING Ofsted ratings at Thornton, Carleton, and Cleveleys locations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lancashire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLancashire County Council provides government funding for eligible 2 and 3 year olds. The nursery can apply for additional funding from Lancashire County Council to employ additional staff for children with SEND needs or apply for specialist grants for equipment.
• Area SENDCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular contact with Area SENDCO for support with children with special educational needs and disabilities. The SENDCO can contact the area SENDCO with parental consent for further support.
• Local Children's CentresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork alongside local children's centres that can provide further support for families if required.
• Speech and Language TherapistminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWith parental permission, the nursery can make referrals to Speech and Language therapists and other professionals as required.
• BBC Tiny Happy PeopleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHome learning resource partner providing ideas to develop children's language skills, shared with parents via the nursery's home learning resources.
• NHS Hungry Little MindsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCampaign by Department for Education providing simple, fun activities to boost children's communication and language, shared with parents via nursery home learning resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Storal Learning: Multi-site UK nursery group focused on acquiring and improving independent nurseries under a shared brand. Closest comparable on the buy-and-improve rollout playbook that Little Explorers demonstrated with Beehive Nursery.
• Kidsunlimited / Kids Unlimited Nurseries: UK chain of full-day nurseries with strong curriculum focus and SEND support capability. Direct comparable on full-day birth-to-5 nursery care and structured EYFS delivery.
• Fennies Day Nurseries: Multi-site independent nursery operator in the South East offering full-day early years care and Forest School-style outdoor learning. Closest comparable on multi-site premium independent nursery positioning.
• Childbase Partnership: Employee-owned UK nursery group operating a chain of full-day early years settings. Comparable on multi-site nursery chain operating model with shared quality standards across locations.
• N Family Club: Premium UK nursery group operating full-day early years settings across London and the South East, with strong brand focus and EYFS-led curriculum. Direct peer on multi-site premium nursery model, though primarily London-weighted.

Broad incumbents

• Busy Bees Nurseries: UK's largest nursery chain with 350+ settings offering full-day nursery care and EYFS delivery to birth-to-5 age groups. Highly comparable on core offering but vastly larger and broader portfolio than Little Explorers' 3-site Fylde Coast operation.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: International nursery and early years provider with significant UK footprint, delivering full-day nursery care, EYFS curriculum and employer-sponsored childcare. Comparable core product but corporate-scale operator rather than regional boutique.

Regional players

• Tops Day Nurseries: Independent multi-site nursery group primarily operating across the South of England. Comparable on independent multi-site nursery chain model, though geographically distant from Little Explorers' Lancashire base.
• Mama Bear's Day Nursery: Midlands-focused chain of independent nurseries offering full-day EYFS care. Comparable independent multi-site model but serving a different UK region than Little Explorers.

Others

• Forestry England Forest School programmes: National provider of Forest School outdoor learning experiences in woodland settings. Comparable on the Forest School curriculum and methodology that differentiates Little Explorers, though not a direct nursery competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LittleExplorersNurseryThornton/?ref=hl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Little Explorers Ltd.