Bo-Peeps Day Nursery

An upstairs baby unit and gardens bordered by fields give Bo-Peeps Day Nursery a clear identity. Its converted listed building sits within a conservation area on the edge of Tadley, while the outdoor spaces give children room for messy play, climbing and running. This is a setting where the building and garden shape the nursery day.

Children can attend from 3 months to 5 years. At its 31 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. That dated assessment sits alongside a current offer built around individual baby routines, outdoor learning and increasing independence as children approach school age.

Grow Active combines movement, music and healthy-eating activities; preschool Spanish uses games and music. These additions give the week recognisable variety. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have an upstairs room that can be divided for different activities, with capacity for twelve babies, adaptable routines and daily craft or messy play using materials such as sand, water and playdough. Their outdoor time takes place on the patio or a grassed area of their own, weather permitting. Some days also include local buggy walks. The room's capacity is a useful starting point for parents considering the scale of their baby's care.

Toddlers concentrate on communication, choosing activities and creative play, with a more structured but still adaptable routine and access to the garden and patio. Independence starts with small decisions: children share their interests and make choices during the day. A mud kitchen adds opportunities to experiment with materials and imaginative play.

Preschool places greater emphasis on independence and self-help, combining largely child-led activities with daily key-worker gatherings and outdoor access to climbing frames, a pirate ship and a sandpit. Self-help skills and independence are emphasised in preparation for the move to school.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) provides the framework for daily learning, covering language, early mathematics, physical development, creativity and understanding the world alongside social development and literacy. In parent terms, play and everyday routines support several kinds of learning together. The additional sessions sit alongside that framework.

Tuesday brings Grow Active for toddlers and preschool children. Its mix of music, movement and healthy-eating themes connects physical activity with learning about food. On Friday afternoons, both groups have Yoga sessions led by a trained staff member; the toddler classes carry no additional charge. Preschool children can also join Spanish on Thursday afternoons, learning through music and games.

Preschool planning draws on observations, children's previous experiences and their interests. Friday slips invite families to share weekend activities, giving staff something specific to build on during the following week. That creates a useful connection between home interests and nursery learning.

In March 2022, older children explored seasonal change and animal life cycles, practised ordering numbers and used positional language. Toddlers examined insects with magnifying glasses. Their learning was sometimes interrupted by activities that did not extend what they already understood, and some lost interest. The resulting improvement action concerned more precise planning and support for staff working with younger children.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fully fenced garden and patio are used for outdoor learning, with horses in the neighbouring field. Younger children have opportunities for creative exploration, while preschool equipment supports climbing and running games. These are concrete differences between the outdoor experiences offered to each stage.

Daily outdoor play is encouraged across the nursery. For babies, the separate grassed space provides an alternative to the patio, while occasional buggy walks take their experiences beyond the nursery grounds.

A key person is allocated to each baby, taking responsibility for settling and documenting development. Individual routines can shape the baby day rather than every child following an identical timetable. At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person approach helped children settle and that staff secured additional learning support, including speech and language groups that benefited communication.

Settling visits are free and adjusted to the child's needs. They are usually arranged two weeks before the start date, allowing further visits if needed. Parents stay for the first visit, normally an hour, to discuss routines and care with staff; a second visit is about an hour independently, followed by a two-hour visit that usually includes a meal. If distress cannot be eased, parents are contacted and another shorter visit is arranged.

In March 2022, babies were offered movement, shared stories and exploratory resources, but changes around lunch preparation and nappy care sometimes broke their engagement and left some unsettled. Improving those transitions was a specific action. Babies and toddlers slept according to their individual needs at that time, making the handling of care routines as important as the activities themselves.

Staff training in March 2022 included phonics and outdoor play. Those subjects connect directly with the nursery day, although the older assessment should be read as an account of practice at that time.

Families provide lunch; the nursery supplies breakfast and snacks, with breakfast offered to children arriving before 8.15am downstairs or before 8.30am in the baby unit. Its food policy asks families to avoid sending nuts or eggs and includes displaying children's allergy or intolerance information in their care area.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 6pm and operates for 51 weeks annually. Bank holidays are closures, and the Christmas break begins at 4pm on Christmas Eve and lasts until the first working day after New Year. This calendar matters for families arranging cover around seasonal holidays.

The joining sequence begins with a nursery tour, followed by an application pack requested by telephone or in person. Families can apply to join or go on the waiting list. A non-refundable registration charge accompanies the returned forms, and settling visits are arranged once a start date has been confirmed. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The address is The Old Coach House, Church Road, Tadley, Hampshire RG26 3AU. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or on 0118 981 0805.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with funding beginning in the term after a child reaches the applicable age of 9 months, 2 years or 3 years. A birthday during a funding term does not change that child's funding until the following term. The funding calendar follows periods set by Hampshire County Council rather than matching school terms exactly.

The Early Years Pupil Premium is additional funding for eligible children from 9 months until school age, intended to support their learning and development. It is separate from the nursery's registration charge and the family's provision of lunch.

• The upstairs baby unit. The baby room can accommodate twelve babies and uses separate outdoor spaces. During a visit, ask how movement between the upstairs room, patio and grassed area fits your baby's routine.
• Younger children's learning and transitions. In March 2022, improvement actions concerned extending younger children's learning and reducing interruptions for babies around care routines. Ask how planning and lunch or nappy transitions now address those points.
• Lunch and allergy arrangements. Families provide lunch, and the food policy asks them to avoid nuts and eggs. Discuss your child's dietary needs and confirm current handling arrangements before starting.
• Funding and attendance together. Opening hours span the working day, while funding changes follow term boundaries. Ask how your intended attendance pattern, funded hours and any meals or consumables charges fit together in a written quotation.

Bo-Peeps suits families seeking year-round care from babyhood through preschool, with outdoor play and a gradual emphasis on independence. The upstairs baby unit, separate baby outdoor space and preschool garden equipment give each stage a different daily experience. Grow Active and Spanish add substance to the activity timetable.

The Good judgement from March 2022 provides a dated quality assessment, with specific questions still useful for parents of younger children about learning and care transitions. The most persuasive fit is for families who value adaptable baby routines, practical school preparation and a settling process that can be extended to suit their child.