Hopscotch Day Nursery Fareham

Indoor climbing gives Hopscotch Day Nursery Fareham a character that starts with its building. A former soft play centre, it retains spaces for physical challenge, while windows along a central corridor let children see the rooms they will move into as they grow. Movement and familiarity are built into the layout.

At its 8 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. That is a dated judgement. The current setting accepts children from 3 months to 60 months and has 92 places in total.

Care takes place across Under 2s, Toddlers and Preschool. Morning, afternoon, school day and full day bookings serve different family routines, with care offered throughout the year.

Rooms and Ages

Under 2s, Toddlers and Preschool divide the nursery by developmental stage. The open-plan layout and internal windows make the next room visible before a child moves into it; transition rooms also help children become familiar with the next stage. For families weighing a move between rooms, that gradual familiarity is a useful part of the building's design.

Retained climbing areas give physical play a substantial indoor setting. In June 2022, toddlers practised climbing onto platforms and jumping into ball pits, while older children rode small bikes and moved blocks to construct shelters. These were practical opportunities to test balance, coordination and strength.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday routines are opportunities to develop skills. It is the baseline for nursery education here, rather than an extra programme.

In June 2022, babies explored sensory activities while adults introduced vocabulary; older children tested objects in water and predicted whether they would sink or float. Another activity combined using tweezers with counting and matching quantities. The examples connect several kinds of learning: handling a tool, making a prediction or connecting a number with objects gives children something concrete to work out.

Outdoor play also featured in June 2022, including toddlers mixing paint into rainwater puddles. However, opportunities to extend older children's reading and writing outside needed attention, as did learning about cultures and people beyond children's familiar surroundings. Those points matter alongside the enjoyable physical experiences: a busy day needs intellectual challenge as well as movement.

A key person approach and communication through Famly, the nursery's app for parent updates, connect home with nursery life. These give families a familiar relationship and a way to follow their child's day. Transition rooms add a practical mechanism for making changes between stages less abrupt.

In June 2022, parents received spoken feedback at collection and written updates online, with some contributing to their children's assessments. Staff knew what their key children were working towards. For parents, that combination linked accounts of the day's activities with the next steps in learning.

A SENDCO role supports children with additional needs, alongside support from area managers and head office. Families needing individual adjustments have a defined role to discuss them with; this is more useful than a broad promise of inclusion.

Fareham employs a dedicated nursery cook, with arrangements for individual diets and allergies. In June 2022, everyday independence included babies practising feeding themselves, toddlers attempting coat fastenings and older children pouring drinks and serving snacks, giving children opportunities to manage ordinary tasks at their own pace.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 9 Fielder Drive, Fareham, PO14 1JE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on-site parking is provided. Families can enquire through the branch's enquiry form, by email at Farehamadmin@hdn.co.uk or by telephone on 01329 750700.

Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, Morning from 8am to 1pm and Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. School Day options run from 8am to 3pm, 8.30am to 3.30pm or 9am to 4pm; Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 8am. Breakfast Club and the School Day options starting at 8.30am and 9am are excluded from the Basic Funded Offer.

These patterns provide a meaningful choice between shorter sessions and a longer booking. Funding package restrictions also shape how those sessions can be used, so the timetable and charging model need to be considered together.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare has two models: the Basic Funded Offer restricts funded bookings, while the Premium Flex Offer allows funding across different session combinations, up to 10 hours daily. The Basic model allows one funded morning or afternoon block per day. Its weekly minimum bookings are two Full Days, three School Days, three morning or afternoon sessions, or at least 15 hours for mixed bookings. At least one session must fall on a Monday or Friday.

Basic families can choose voluntary contributions for catered meals and snacks and for non-food consumables. If they decline the food contribution, the nursery supplies a standard cold lunch and snacks; declining consumables means bringing items such as wipes, nappies and sunscreen each day. Packed lunches and snacks from home are prohibited.

Premium Flex carries an additional charge covering both meals and snacks and non-food consumables, with families opting into both categories. Under the Basic model, children receiving disadvantaged funding receive catered food and non-food consumables without charge and have a minimum of two sessions. Food and consumables costs therefore vary with the package and funding circumstances.

Famly access also differs: Basic includes core digital information and assessment, while enhanced learning journals, photographs and video updates depend on opting into the non-food consumables contribution. Premium includes enhanced access. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Basic session changes require two months' notice and take effect from the next funded term; Premium permits changes during a funded term with one month's notice, subject to space. That difference matters for families whose working pattern changes.

• Indoor movement. Retained climbing areas are a substantial part of Fareham's offer. On a visit, ask how your child's room uses them and balances physical play with quieter activities.
• Learning beyond familiar experiences. In June 2022, cultural learning and outdoor literacy needed development. Ask for current examples of how older children encounter books, writing and unfamiliar cultures through play.
• Funding package choice. Basic limits funded session blocks and changes, while Premium adds charges and flexibility. Compare a written quotation for your actual weekly pattern, including food, consumables and app access.

Fareham suits families drawn to substantial indoor physical play and a building that helps children become familiar with their next room. Its morning and afternoon sessions, school day choices and full day bookings cater for different routines. The key decision is how those routines fit the Basic or Premium funding model: flexibility, food, consumables and communication access have practical consequences alongside the nursery's educational offer.