The Village Pre-School, Upham

Village-hall life gives this pre-school a practical character of its own: children play, learn and rest in a community building that also serves as a polling station. The Village Pre-School, Upham operates from The New Millennium Village Hall on Mortimers Lane. Its ethos, The Village Way, puts relationships first and calls for open, respectful communication with families.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found that learning was planned around individual children, with activities encouraging communication and cooperation. That judgement comes with two useful qualifications: younger children needed better involvement in group activities, and support for independent self-care needed greater consistency. Both matter when choosing care for a young child.

Children can start from three months and attend until five years old; there are 40 places in total. Attendance is term-time only, with hours arranged within the opening day rather than restricted to a single fixed session. The combination suits families whose childcare needs follow the school calendar, while the village hall's other uses require some additional closure planning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets out areas of learning covering communication, physical development and relationships, alongside early reading, maths, understanding the world and creative expression. Upham uses Development Matters, government guidance that helps providers shape their curriculum within that framework. It is guidance for planning learning, rather than a separate inspection standard or a promise of better outcomes.

The current day combines children's own play with adult-guided activities shaped by their interests. Outdoor time features except in the most severe weather, with space to rest too.

In January 2023, younger children explored everyday objects with different smells and textures, including lavender and metal whisks. Other children planned pretend shopping, wrote a list and used it in their cooking play. Those examples connect sensory exploration, conversation and early writing to something children wanted to do, rather than treating each skill as an isolated exercise.

Stories also prompted discussion about children's own experiences in January 2023. Children joined in familiar actions and words, but some younger children became restless during the shared activity. Adapting group activities for younger children was an improvement priority.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2023, the garden supported vegetable growing and experiments with water, mud and sand. A climbing frame gave children opportunities to practise balance, with friends helping each other. The outdoor space supported both movement and investigation.

Occasional outings take children to local shops or the library, provided staffing can support both the trip and the children staying behind. These occasional visits extend children's experiences beyond the hall.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions are offered for every child. Regular meetings with a key person sit alongside a yearly developmental report and fortnightly updates through Nursery in a Box, the system used for children's learning records and nursery administration. Parents can add experiences from home to the developmental record, giving staff another view of what interests their child.

The same system brings together attendance, medical and contact information, invoices and absence reporting. Families can also view learning journeys and care diaries. This makes communication more than a collection of photographs: everyday care information and developmental updates have a shared home, with opportunities for parents to contribute as well as read.

The staff structure includes room leader roles for under-twos and children aged two and above, alongside early years educators and a snack and lunchtime supervisor. That separates responsibilities for different ages and mealtimes.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found that staff collaborated with other professionals to support children, including those learning English as an additional language. Current arrangements include a designated safeguarding lead and a deputy, with a confidential contact route for safeguarding concerns.

Weekly LEGO® based therapy sessions take place at Upham, and support can include intervention for children who need additional help.

Health information is required before a child attends, and families must keep medical details current. Accident reports are sent through the nursery management system and shared with the adult collecting the child. The contract also explains that some medical conditions may require additional staff training, making an early discussion of an individual child's needs a practical part of planning their care.

For the move to school, children's information can be shared with their next setting or primary school, usually with parental consent. In January 2023, staff were communicating with teachers about children preparing to leave. This is transition support: it helps the next adults understand the child, rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The New Millennium Village Hall, Mortimers Lane, Southampton, SO32 1HF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The operating year covers 38 weeks, with closures for school holidays, bank holidays and staff training; village-hall use for elections can bring additional closure days.

Sessions can be arranged with start and finish times inside that opening window. Changing attendance for shift work can be accommodated subject to the requested sessions being available. This is a flexible-hours arrangement, so the useful distinction is between the hours a family books and the full period the pre-school is open.

Written offers require families to confirm the proposed days and times within seven calendar days. Reducing privately paid attendance or leaving requires four weeks' written notice, or payment for that period; this notice requirement does not apply to government-funded hours. Privately paid absences remain chargeable, while missed funded hours cannot be made up elsewhere. These terms matter when weighing a changing work schedule against a regular booking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Upham accepts two-year-old funding, universal 15-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds, and 30-hour extended entitlement funding subject to eligibility. Funding is used during the term-time operating year. Additional time beyond the child's entitlement is privately paid, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Snacks are included for funded and privately paid attendance, while children staying for lunch bring food from home; the lunch policy excludes nut products and requires an ice pack in the lunchbox.

Nappies and wipes are supplied without a separate sundries charge, including during funded hours. Parents supply nappy cream and any preferred brand of nappies or wipes. Bringing those items does not reduce private fees, so the distinction is between the setting's usual supplies and a family's individual preferences.

There is no routine administration or registration charge, and visitors and experiences do not attract voluntary charges. Payment can be made by bank transfer or Tax Free Childcare. The fees page explains the inclusion policy; the contract also sets out charges associated with late collection and certain payment problems, which families should distinguish from ordinary childcare costs.

• The hall calendar. Term-time attendance comes with additional closures when the hall is needed for elections. Compare the closure calendar with your working commitments before choosing this arrangement.
• Younger children's participation. In January 2023, group activities did not consistently hold younger children's attention, and self-care support needed improvement. During a booked visit, ask how activities and everyday independence are now adapted for the youngest children.
• Individual support. Weekly LEGO® based therapy and under-two provision deserve a concrete discussion. Ask what the sessions involve, how support is selected, and how daily groups are arranged. Allergy-affected families should also confirm current food restrictions and care arrangements.
• Booking commitments. Private hours carry a four-week notice requirement, and ordinary absences remain chargeable. Consider how comfortably that fits a work pattern that may change at short notice.

Upham suits families seeking flexible booked hours during term time, including those fitting attendance around shift work where the requested sessions can be accommodated. Its practical strengths are the regular developmental updates, opportunities for parents to contribute, and clear separation between included snacks and supplies and items brought from home.

The January 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark. Its qualifications matter most for younger children: participation in group activities and support for self-care. For parents comfortable with the hall's closure calendar and the booking terms, this is a village-based option with a clear daily rhythm and substantial communication built into the arrangement.