Turtles Day Nursery

Ducklings, garden planting and a dedicated sleep room give Turtles Day Nursery a recognisable character beyond its West Street address. This Fareham nursery accepts children from 3 months to 5 years, combining play outdoors with practical steps towards independence indoors. There is room for quieter routines too: younger babies keep their own feeding and sleeping patterns.

At its 1 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive relationships and a curriculum that balanced children's choices with activities guided by adults. That judgement belongs to that visit. A later action concerning training for the special educational needs coordinator also matters to families considering support, and is addressed below.

Full Days, Short Days and Half Days give families different ways to arrange attendance. The nursery operates throughout the year, with public holidays and Christmas Eve excluded.

Rooms and Ages

Babies up to 2 years combine chosen play with planned painting, cooking and movement activities, plus sand and water play in the garden. Younger babies retain familiar feeding and sleep routines; older babies follow the nursery timetable.

Toddlers, aged 2 to 3 years, work towards dressing themselves, using cutlery and managing toileting when ready, with garden access on each nursery day. A daily toddler-room cap gives families a useful sense of the setting's size.

Pre-School places greater emphasis on doing things independently: children choose equipment, use their own trays, pour milk and prepare their snack. These are small, repeated opportunities to practise looking after themselves. The more structured day still includes time for play children choose, garden activities and sessions organised by staff.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, including communication, physical development, relationships, early reading and writing, and mathematical understanding. At Turtles, the practical examples include cooking, creative activities and choosing resources. The framework is the shared early-years foundation; the nursery's particular activities give it everyday shape.

Zoo Lab is among the experiences included without an additional charge, while Incredible eggs introduces ducklings. These give children encounters beyond their usual room resources. They sit alongside familiar experiences such as dancing, messy play and seasonal activities, rather than replacing the daily work of learning to communicate and become independent.

In December 2022, children used signs during games with picture cards, while babies explored books close to staff and toddlers played instruments alongside familiar songs. These examples show the different forms communication and participation took across age groups at that time. Children could choose songs and toys, with adults also organising activities.

Two improvements were identified in December 2022: professional development needed to respond more closely to individual staff needs, and children needed longer to consider questions before answering. The latter is a practical point about the pace of conversation. Asking a question only helps children develop their own ideas if they have time to formulate a response.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden contains a sandpit, water-play equipment, bikes, trikes and sports resources. Children also plant vegetables and seeds, then help care for them through daily watering. That brings an ongoing task into outdoor play: growing something requires attention after the initial planting activity.

Longer summer garden sessions sometimes include snacks outside. Day trips to a park, farm and aquarium broaden children's experiences beyond the nursery.

Relationships and Communication

For babies, a keyworker relationship sits alongside daily diaries covering food, nappies, sleep and activities. Toddlers also have daily diaries. This gives parents information about both care routines and what their child enjoyed, helping the handover cover more than whether the day went smoothly.

The sleep room has cots and small beds, with bedding allocated to each child and washed weekly. Books, small teddies and cloud lights help distinguish this quieter space from the activity rooms; staff check sleeping children at 10-minute intervals. For families whose child still naps, a dedicated place to sleep is a substantial practical feature.

Child-sized bathroom facilities include 3 toilets and 3 basins. Alongside the toddler emphasis on toileting and the preschool emphasis on self-care, these make everyday routines physically accessible to young children. Parents supply spare clothing, slippers and seasonal items such as hats and wellies.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

On 12 October 2023, Ofsted found a requirement unmet and set an action for the special educational needs coordinator to access training needed to support children with SEND effectively, with completion required by 26 October 2023. The published position was that the response would be monitored. This is a dated action, rather than a conclusion about whether it has been completed today.

In December 2022, children moving between nursery age groups spent time becoming familiar with the next room and its staff. Information was also shared with local schools. These are useful transition mechanisms: preparation involves familiarity and communication, alongside practising independence.

Breakfast, snacks and milk are included, while families pack lunch and tea; the nursery's food policy excludes nuts. Packed food can be refrigerated and reheated, so parents have a practical role in planning meals as well as following the food policy.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 207 West Street, Fareham, PO16 0EN. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks with public holidays and Christmas Eve excluded. This is an all-year nursery, although funded hours are delivered termly.

Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, Short Day from 9am to 4pm, and Half Day can be booked from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm. All Week – Full Time covers Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Early Bird options run from 8am to 8.30am, 8.30am to 9am, or 8am to 9am.

Collection is expected at least 5 minutes before a session ends for handover, which families need to allow for.

The joining terms specify a minimum of 15 hours and give separate examples for non-funded children. Turtles also declines arrangements intended to last only a few weeks or months. Its model is therefore continuing nursery attendance rather than brief creche care.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government funding is offered from 9 months, subject to terms and conditions. It is delivered termly and is not stretched across the year. Families combining funded attendance with care throughout the year need to account for that distinction when planning their pattern.

Private childcare is also offered, with the same fee applying across ages. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and sessions page sets out the attendance options and included items.

Nappies and wipes are supplied free, while parents provide sun cream and any needed nappy cream. That separates everyday supplied items from products families still need to send in. Included experiences and activities encompass Zoo Lab and Incredible eggs.

• SEND training action. The action following the 12 October 2023 visit concerned training for the special educational needs coordinator. Families whose child needs additional support should ask about completion and how that training informs their child's support.
• Minimum attendance. The joining terms specify 15 hours but give non-funded booking examples that do not consistently match that threshold. Before agreeing a pattern, ask how the minimum applies to the combination you want.
• Packed meals and allergies. Parents supply lunch and tea, and the nursery excludes nuts under its food policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements for their child's food.
• A planned visit. Nursery tours require an appointment arranged in advance. Use the visit to discuss how your child's feeding and sleep routines would fit the baby-room day, particularly as older babies move towards the nursery routine.

Turtles suits families seeking continuing all-year attendance through Full Days, shorter daytime care through Short Days, or morning and afternoon Half Days. Its appeal lies in concrete arrangements: a dedicated sleep room, daily care diaries for younger children, a toddler-room cap and preschool routines that give children practical responsibility.

The December 2022 Good judgement is a useful dated assessment, alongside the identified improvements in staff development and conversational pacing. The later SEND training action is relevant for families needing additional support. Termly funding and parent-provided lunch and tea also belong in the decision, alongside the play, garden and care arrangements.