Milly's Nursery School

Twenty places, a garden equipped for changeable weather and learning shaped around children's interests give Milly's Nursery School a clear identity. This Basingstoke setting concentrates on the years from age two to school age, with play indoors and outside. Its small overall capacity is useful context for families seeking a compact setting, although it is not a measure of the number of children in any particular activity.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Milly's Good overall, judged behaviour and attitudes Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The practical character behind those judgements matters: children collaborated on an obstacle course, experimented with water and used resources to manage disagreements. Social confidence was part of the learning itself.

Term-time and year-round contracts sit alongside full-day and flexible part-day attendance. That choice gives families more than one way to use the setting, within its weekday opening hours.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and development, with play, exploration and relationships forming the everyday route into learning. Activities at Milly's respond to children's interests and developmental stages. Children choose play equipment and snacks, giving them practical opportunities to make decisions and become more independent, while practitioners adapt activities to individual needs.

In June 2024, water play involved pouring through guttering and exploring how the flow changed. It brought experimentation and language together: children could connect what they were doing with words about speed. Planting offered another route into conversation, with fruit and herbs prompting children to describe smells and textures. These were concrete experiences with something to handle, change and discuss.

Mathematics was the area needing further development. In June 2024, staff introduced number and size through play, but some needed more coaching to extend older children's understanding of other mathematical ideas. That distinction matters for families approaching school age: counting in an activity is a starting point, while extending the child's thinking requires deliberate follow-through.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is a substantial part of the nursery day. Children can move between indoor and outdoor play, and all-weather clothing, spare wellingtons and hats help support outdoor activity through changing conditions. For a child who enjoys learning through movement and exploration, outside space is part of the routine rather than an occasional extra.

In June 2024, children gathered natural materials to construct an obstacle course together. They also drew a route in chalk for ride-on toys, learning through play that agreeing a direction helped them avoid collisions. Both examples combined physical activity with negotiation and shared decisions.

Beyond the setting, June 2024 activities included visits to local parks and residents of sheltered housing, alongside fundraising. These experiences gave children opportunities to meet people beyond their immediate nursery group and encounter other people's needs. They broadened the social side of the day without depending on a formal lesson.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is assigned to each child and family, with responsibility for adapting activities to that child's needs. Settling continues until the child is comfortable staying to play and the parent feels ready to leave. Parents can stay and play, so building familiarity is part of the arrangement rather than a single handover.

Tapestry, the secure online learning journal, lets families follow their child's development and contribute photographs and observations themselves. Meetings, email and text provide other ways to communicate. The useful feature is the exchange: home observations can help staff understand a child's interests, while nursery observations give parents a fuller picture of their learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that information exchanged with families, initial assessments and collaboration with other professionals helped children, including those with SEND, receive support tailored to their needs. Current support arrangements include adaptable facilities and work with Portage, Community Nurses and the Inclusion team. These are concrete mechanisms for coordinating care around an individual child.

In June 2024, a comfortable quiet area gave children space to settle their emotions before rejoining play. Sand timers helped them deal with small disagreements, and children made room for non-verbal peers to contribute ideas. The emphasis was on helping children participate and handle social situations, with practical resources close to their play.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Milly's offers full days and flexible part days, with a choice between term-time contracts and year-round attendance across 50 weeks. The year-round arrangement includes a Christmas holiday closure, so families using it still need to plan for that break.

The contact route accepts enquiries and registrations of interest by telephone or email. Families can give their child's age, preferred weekly hours, intended start and choice of term-time or full-year attendance, together with specific requirements. That makes the initial enquiry about the pattern of care needed, rather than simply requesting a place.

Getting There

The address is Brighton Hill Community Association, Gershwin Court, Basingstoke, RG22 4NN. Milly's occupies a separate unit in the community association building, with its own facilities and entrance; a large car park supports travel by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years funded children and Working Families funding are accepted. Funded hours can be spread across 38 weeks or 50 weeks, allowing the entitlement to fit term-time or year-round attendance. Families using only funded hours incur no additional costs, and Milly's makes no consumables charge.

Hours beyond the funded allocation are charged privately. Families should request a current written quotation for any additional hours, so the distinction to keep clear is between the funded allocation and any extra hours chosen. The attendance contract and the way funding is spread need to work together for the family's intended weekly pattern.

• Extending older children's mathematics. The June 2024 improvement point concerned staff strategies for taking mathematical learning further. During a visit, ask how activities now extend older children's thinking beyond number and size.
• Care within the opening day. Flexible part days and full days are offered, but the nursery closes at 4pm. Families whose working day finishes later need an arrangement that fits that endpoint.
• Individual support. Milly's works with Portage, Community Nurses and the Inclusion team and can adapt facilities. Families needing additional support should use a visit to discuss how those arrangements would apply to their child.

Milly's suits families seeking a small setting where outdoor play, children's interests and relationships shape the day. Full-day attendance and flexible part days serve different needs, while term-time and year-round contracts give another useful choice. Tapestry brings parents into the learning conversation, and named support links make the inclusion arrangements concrete. The June 2024 mathematics improvement point deserves attention for older children; the 4pm closing time is the clearest practical boundary.