Spoonbill Pre-School, Under 3's

Ten places and an emphasis on attachment give Spoonbill a clear identity: care for very young children, with a key person chosen around the relationship that develops. This Gosport setting has capacity for 10 children aged 0 to 24 months. Despite the Pre-School name, babies and the earliest stages of childhood are the practical starting point here.

Ofsted rated the setting Good at its 21 June 2023 inspection. The strongest current details are the flexible approach to key-person relationships, child-led play and encouragement to spend time outdoors. These give parents concrete things to weigh alongside the dated inspection judgement.

Opening hours run from 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with attendance during term time. For families planning around work, that opening window and the school-holiday closure are important practical boundaries.

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) frames children's learning and care through play and attention to their development. At Spoonbill, children can move freely between play opportunities, with resources kept accessible and adults adding activities. That puts children's choices alongside adult involvement rather than making the day a succession of directed tasks.

Loose parts and heuristic play are named approaches within this offer. They sit alongside resources intended to encourage imagination and exploration; the useful distinction for parents is how practitioners build learning around children's interests. Outdoor play is encouraged to develop larger movements before children work on smaller, more precise movements.

In June 2023, water play provided a concrete example of language woven into activity: staff introduced vocabulary about temperature and equipment as children experimented with pouring. Stories and block stacking also featured. These were everyday experiences, with conversation and encouragement attached to what children were doing.

Outside, in June 2023, stepping stones gave children opportunities to practise climbing, while singing involved marching and stamping. Regular outings included a local music group, extending experiences beyond the setting. Neither the outdoor activity nor the outings need an elaborate programme name to have practical value for a young child.

The June 2023 findings also exposed a weakness in extending learning. During painting, adults did not fully develop older children's understanding of colour mixing. At other times, opportunities for interaction were missed as children lost interest and moved away. Parents should weigh those examples alongside the activities themselves: resources matter, but the adult response determines how much children gain from them.

A key person is assigned before a child starts, but the arrangement can change when the child's preferred attachment becomes clear. That flexibility matters for a baby experiencing separation for the first time, and for children whose parents spend periods away on deployment. The relationship is treated as something to respond to, rather than a fixed allocation.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described responsive care, secure relationships and effective partnerships with parents. Practical examples included promptly helping tired babies settle to sleep and taking time over settling children into the setting.

In June 2023, independence was encouraged through small daily tasks: babies practised holding their drinks and feeding themselves, while older children tried personal-care tasks such as wiping their hands and faces. These examples help parents understand what independence means at this age. It is built into care routines, rather than reserved for a separate learning activity.

For additional needs, Spoonbill uses a graduated approach involving the child, family and others supporting them. The manager also holds the SENCO and designated safeguarding lead roles. Those are specific arrangements for coordinating support; families can explore how they work for their own child rather than relying on a broad promise about inclusion.

The address is 6 Shackleton Road, Gosport, PO13 9SG. Direct contact is through spoonbill@navalunderfives.org.uk or 07773154759. Keeping the branch contact separate from the wider organisation's office makes the enquiry route straightforward.

Sessions and Attendance

Spoonbill opens from 7am to 5pm on weekdays and operates during term time, closing for school holidays. These are opening hours. The term-time calendar is a substantial consideration for parents whose working year continues through the holidays, while the early opening may be useful when planning the start of a working day.

• Adult involvement in play. The June 2023 improvement points concerned extending each child's learning and organising staff so children received support across activities. On a visit, ask how practitioners now recognise when to join play and how they develop a child's next step.
• Attachment and separation. A child's key person can change to reflect the bond they form, including where parental deployment affects family life. Discuss how settling and handovers would work for your child.
• Term-time planning. The setting closes during school holidays. Consider how that calendar fits your household's childcare needs across the year.

Spoonbill suits families seeking care for babies and very young children who value responsive key-person relationships, child-led play and a term-time calendar. The small whole-setting capacity is useful context, though it should not be read as the number attending together or as a staffing ratio.

The balance is clear: attachment and everyday independence have concrete support, while the June 2023 findings make adult interaction and the extension of learning the most useful areas to explore. Families should judge the activities and the relationships together.