Growing Places, Oak Meadow

Drawing on misted windows and retelling The Gruffalo give a clear flavour of Oak Meadow's inspection-era learning: children followed their curiosity, with staff turning discoveries into conversation. This Fareham nursery accepts children from six months to five years.

At its 21 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That dated judgement provides the quality picture; the practical offer includes weekday opening from 8am to 6pm.

In November 2022, children explored condensation by making pictures on windows and discussing why the marks vanished. Staff introduced vocabulary through something children had noticed themselves. Familiar stories also became shared activities: children retold The Gruffalo to one another, practising listening and taking turns.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the November 2022 examples show how play, conversation and practical tasks brought those aims into the day, rather than separating learning from children's interests.

The Physical Project, running in November 2022, paired energetic outdoor games with an activity requiring concentration indoors. Children moved from playing traffic lights to building with small bricks, with the concentration period lengthened as their attention developed. It gave movement a specific purpose in the learning programme.

In November 2022, children were settled and closely attached to staff. Practitioners used their knowledge of individual children to plan learning, with social interaction, language and self-care receiving attention following the pandemic.

A community pantry was also operating that November, using food from local supermarkets to support families. Children prepared fruit for snacks and discussed healthy eating, although guidance on hygiene when coughing or sneezing was inconsistent. The distinction matters: talking about health and helping children practise it are separate tasks.

Staff positioning sometimes left children's learning insufficiently supported because adults concentrated too heavily on one activity. Necessary director suitability checks were also incomplete in November 2022; directors had no unsupervised contact with children, and the notification process had already been changed. The required action was to supply the information needed for those checks.

Tewkesbury Avenue, Fareham, PO15 6LL is the nursery's address. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures for bank holidays, a week at Christmas and a week in summer. Those breaks matter when arranging cover across the year.

In November 2022, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. Breakfast and after-school clubs and a holiday playscheme also operated from the site at that time.

• Support across activities. Staff deployment needed attention in November 2022. On a visit, ask how adults now support children across simultaneous activities.
• Health and suitability actions. November 2022 brought an improvement point on children's personal hygiene and a requirement concerning director checks. Ask what changes followed these findings.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window and Christmas and summer closures shape family planning. What booking patterns, funded-hour arrangements and meal or consumable charges would apply to your child?

Oak Meadow suits families who value learning built around children's interests, with the November 2022 Physical Project offering a concrete example of purposeful outdoor activity. The Good judgement sits alongside specific improvement points on staff deployment, hygiene and director checks. For parents, both parts of that dated picture deserve weight.