First Friends Nursery School, Basingstoke

Small acts of independence give First Friends its clearest character: children helping with food preparation, serving themselves and learning to make choices. The Scout Building in Chineham houses a nursery for children from 12 months to five years, with a Toddler Room and a Pre-School Room. Its combination of guided activities and time for children to explore their own interests gives families a practical picture of the day.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 5 July 2024. The useful detail beneath that judgement includes children pouring drinks, choosing activities and learning to share, alongside two clear improvements: more teaching attention for quieter children and better outdoor resources for older ones.

Attendance follows the school terms, with morning, afternoon and full-day sessions. That makes the nursery's calendar as important to the decision as its learning offer.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, guided play and independent exploration give children opportunities to practise skills and follow their interests. First Friends also offers its group-wide Premium Package, a separately charged combination of activities and everyday supplies. It sits alongside the EYFS; the package name alone should not be read as a judgement about educational quality.

At Basingstoke, the package includes weekly Earth Explorers and Movement & Mindfulness sessions, weekly Makaton and bi-weekly Thoughtful Food sessions. Earth Explorers and Movement & Mindfulness are scheduled additions to the nursery day. Makaton supports communication through signing; in July 2024, staff used it alongside picture cards when helping children communicate. Food learning has a concrete expression here too: children participate in preparation and serve themselves, making mealtimes opportunities to practise independence.

For government-funded families, the Premium Package is optional. Opting out can mean that a child does not participate in its enhanced activities, so the choice affects the experience as well as the bill. The distinction between the core nursery day and the package matters more than the promotional language around it.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2024, older children enjoyed the mud kitchen, although the equipment around it offered too little variety to develop their play further. This was a specific resource issue, rather than a reason to dismiss outdoor play altogether. It remains a useful point to explore on a tour: what can an older child choose, combine and investigate outside?

Other observations from July 2024 show how ordinary games carried learning. Younger children played lotto together, taking turns and listening to one another; games of catch gave children a reason to interact. These are small-scale experiences with a clear purpose: learning to participate, wait and make decisions with other children.

Family involvement also has a named place in nursery life. The Annual Family Carnival brings families into a shared event, extending the relationship beyond daily care arrangements. It gives the setting a social point of connection alongside its classroom activities.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins before the regular booking starts. Each child is offered at least three introductory sessions, beginning roughly a month before their start date, and families meet the key person who will get to know their child. That gives both sides time to build familiarity before attendance becomes routine.

The Basingstoke family arrangements include direct email and telephone contact with the manager, a newsletter sign-up and a route for contacting the area manager about concerns. Those separate channels matter: everyday questions and concerns that need another person do not have to follow the same route. The branch also offers home-learning activities, giving families something practical to do together beyond nursery hours.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described well-coordinated support for children with additional needs, involving parents, other professionals and the special educational needs coordinator. Small-group and individual language activities, communication pictures and signing were among the approaches used. For families considering support needs, those are useful mechanisms to discuss in relation to their own child, rather than a blanket promise about every possible need.

In July 2024, staff also used books and conversations to help younger children recognise feelings. Dual-language books and children's home languages formed part of the day, while information gathered from families helped staff understand individual backgrounds. Health learning included handwashing, using the toilet independently and looking after teeth. Care and learning were closely connected in these everyday routines.

Meals are home-cooked and follow a three-week menu cycle, with different menus for the warmer and colder seasons; the day includes breakfast, snacks and a two-course lunch. The nursery has a policy against packed lunches because of allergy considerations, so families managing food allergies should establish the current arrangements before choosing a booking pattern.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3pm, for 38 weeks during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and full-day sessions from 9am to 3pm. Breakfast club covers 8.30am to 9am and can be booked regularly or on an ad hoc basis.

The minimum weekly booking is six hours, taken as either two half days or one full day. This gives families a choice between shorter visits and a single longer day, rather than requiring the same pattern for everyone. Bank Holidays and the annual summer staff conference are closure days. Families needing care through school holidays will therefore need a separate arrangement for that part of the year.

Breakfast club serves cereals, fruit, vegetables, milk and water. Occasional breakfast bookings do not change the regular attendance pattern. The Basingstoke family arrangements also provide a form for requesting extra nursery sessions, keeping additional requests separate from the standing booking.

Getting There

The address is The Scout Building, Hanmore Road, Chineham, RG24 8PJ. There is a car park, and the nursery's proximity to local schools can make combining nursery attendance with an older sibling's school day convenient.

Enquiries and tour bookings have their own routes. Families can also contact the Basingstoke manager directly by telephone or email once they need to discuss branch arrangements.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private childcare and government-funded hours are offered, with 15-hour and 30-hour funding arrangements delivered term time. Eligibility determines entitlement; the nursery's attendance patterns and additional charges remain separate decisions. Families should obtain a current written quotation using their intended sessions, funding and package choice.

Food is charged separately for private and funded attendance: the morning charge covers a snack, the afternoon charge covers lunch, and the full-day charge covers snack and lunch. Nappies and wipes are optional additional charges. Other everyday items, including sun cream and a toothbrush, are supplied within the separately charged Premium Package rather than treated as free extras.

An enrolment fee and/or deposit applies according to how the place is funded; the deposit is refundable when the child starts, subject to the terms. The Basingstoke leaving arrangements require eight weeks' notice. The Basingstoke fees page sets out the charge structure, helping families distinguish funded learning hours from the rest of the invoice.

• Quieter children. In July 2024, children who were content playing alone did not always receive enough help to develop their learning. On a tour, ask how practitioners now extend these children's play while respecting their preferences.
• Older children's outdoor choices. The July 2024 improvement work included increasing outdoor resources. Look at what is now provided around the mud kitchen and how older children can develop an activity beyond its starting point.
• The term-time calendar. Attendance covers 38 weeks, with Bank Holiday and staff-conference closures. Compare this calendar and the 3pm finish with your family's working hours and holiday care needs.
• Package and food choices. Funded families can opt out of the Premium Package, while meals carry separate charges and packed lunches are excluded under the allergy policy. Discuss the resulting day and current allergy arrangements before agreeing your sessions.

First Friends suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a full nursery day ending at 3pm. Breakfast club adds an earlier start, while the minimum booking allows either shorter visits or one full day each week.

The appeal lies in its concrete arrangements: advance settling sessions, a named key person, practical food participation and communication support. The July 2024 improvements deserve equal weight, especially for a quieter child or an older child who thrives outdoors. For families comfortable with the calendar and clear about the package and food charges, this is a nursery with a useful balance of structured activities and independent play.