Alverbridge Nursery

Woodwork, sewing and cookery give Alverbridge Nursery a practical character: children handle materials, try tools and make things, alongside their developing language and physical skills. The Swan Room Woodwork Area gives that approach a physical home. This is childcare with plenty for small hands to do.

At its 27 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Alverbridge Nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 62 children, with a current age range of 6 to 60 months, at 80 South Street in Gosport.

Children are organised into the Cygnet Room for under-twos and the Swan Room for over-twos. Flexible hours and term-time-only attendance provide different ways to use the nursery; the practical detail matters as much as the activities.

Rooms and Ages

The Cygnet Room has an indoor area and its own outdoor environment, while the Swan Room includes creative and woodwork areas alongside outdoor space. A Sensory Garden adds another setting for exploration. These are useful distinctions between the spaces children use, rather than a single description applied to both age groups.

For younger children, the curriculum includes threading, posting, cookery, tool use, trips and activities that build core strength. Older children also encounter cooking, tools and outings, with sewing added to their learning. The progression gives practical tasks a place alongside language and early number work.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, experiences address communication, movement and relationships alongside literacy, maths, creativity and understanding the world. Alverbridge's own curriculum builds on those areas through goals chosen for its younger and older children. Plans take account of children's interests and development, so the starting point is the child rather than an identical task for everyone.

In May 2025, children practised handling tools safely and used different materials in woodwork. Preschool children explored numbers with toy cars, a wooden ramp and chalk markings, predicting where a car would finish. That turns an abstract idea into something children can test and discuss.

During the same month, younger children took part in singing and signing activities. Children also chose a weekly snack by voting with tokens. Everyday decisions therefore supplied opportunities to express preferences, while games involved sharing resources and waiting for a turn.

Outdoor and Community Life

Trips beyond the nursery feature in the curriculum for both age groups. They sit alongside the outdoor environments for the Cygnet Room and Swan Room, giving children experiences beyond indoor activities.

In May 2025, community connections included a library, a barber and a pet shop. Children were also invited to a dentist for a tooth check and to register with their parents. The value is practical: familiar local services become part of children's experience, with parents involved in the dental connection.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2025, staff used a nurture room for focused time with children needing emotional support. Families could borrow support bags covering subjects such as hearing aids, glasses and toileting. These resources connected nursery care with situations children might encounter at home, rather than leaving parents to explain an unfamiliar experience alone.

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff knew children exceptionally well, supported children with SEND through close work with parents, and kept families informed about learning and next steps. Information shared with parents included ways to continue learning at home, making communication useful beyond a progress update.

Staff mentoring and monthly training meetings provide a structure for developing practice. The team includes a SENCO role and an ELSA role, alongside a room leader for the Cygnet Room. These are identifiable support responsibilities, rather than a general promise of help.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The building is on one level, with a ramp connecting it to the garden and play area. Accessible toilet facilities and a designated disabled parking bay support families using the setting. The physical arrangements matter alongside the support roles: access to outdoor play is part of the environment, not a separate building to negotiate.

The curriculum also gives emotional development and relationships a place alongside communication and movement for the youngest children. Practical independence, including handling materials and making choices, runs through the activities described above.

Sessions and Attendance

Alverbridge Nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, and offers flexible childcare hours. It operates for 51 weeks of the year, with a one-week closure between Christmas and New Year; bank holidays are also closure days. Term-time-only places are another attendance option.

The address is 80 South Street, Gosport, PO12 1ES. Telephone and email are the contact routes. The virtual tour includes the two rooms, creative and woodwork spaces, outdoor environments and Sensory Garden, giving families concrete spaces to consider alongside the attendance model.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2025, the nursery received early education funding for children aged one, two, three and four. That is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise that a particular child's hours will be funded. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Uniform is optional. A polo shirt and sweatshirt can be bought, with samples to view before purchase. Families can therefore choose whether nursery clothing is useful for messy activities, rather than treating it as an attendance requirement.

• Hands-on activities. Tools, cookery and sewing are part of the curriculum, with a dedicated Swan Room Woodwork Area. At a visit, explore how these activities are adapted to your child's age and experience.
• Attendance across the year. Flexible hours and term-time-only attendance serve different family schedules, while Christmas and bank-holiday closures affect cover. Consider which pattern fits your working year.
• The complete cost. Optional uniform is separate from the childcare decision. Ask for one written breakdown covering your proposed funded and private hours, meals and non-food consumables.
• Access and support. The single-level building, outdoor ramp and disabled parking bay are useful practical provisions. Families with additional needs can use a visit to discuss how the SENCO role would support their child.

Alverbridge suits families seeking either flexible childcare across the year or term-time-only attendance, with practical making and exploration prominent in the nursery day. The woodwork space, age-specific curriculum goals and accessible outdoor connection give that offer substance.

The May 2025 Outstanding judgement is a strong dated endorsement. For a family choosing now, the most useful combination is that inspection position, the concrete learning activities and an attendance pattern that fits their own year.