Bushy Tails Pre-School

Friendship, practical play and a school-site setting characterised Bushy Tails Pre-School in January 2024, but a later welfare notice is central to the decision for families. It has 26 places in total at Springwood Avenue, Waterlooville, PO7 8ED.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised an ambitious curriculum supporting children's progress, including communication support for children with SEND. Children attending at that time were aged two to four. That positive assessment needs to be read alongside the later regulatory action.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning and care: here, the January 2024 examples included learning mathematical ideas through objects and developing language through play. Children matched objects to outlines, compared shapes and counted circles. These were practical ways to connect new words and concepts with things they could handle.

In January 2024, children used picture instructions to construct a marble run, worked together and tried again when structures collapsed. Play dough and drawing with markers exercised hands ahead of writing, while movement songs developed coordination. In the garden, dinosaur play prompted descriptions of texture, linking outdoor activity with vocabulary.

The organisation of play needed attention. In January 2024, the marble run stood beside access to another play area, where passing activity disrupted concentration. Space mattered as much as the resource itself.

In January 2024, children copied the considerate behaviour of adults, sharing tools and checking on friends after minor knocks. Picture-based discussions about feelings helped children consider different responses and relate them to their own experiences. Simple signing gave children whose speech was still developing another means of expressing what they wanted.

Parents received progress updates and had regular conversations with their child's key person in January 2024. Staff also worked with other professionals, and feedback from local schools informed preparation for the next stage. Independence was less consistent: children chose activities and food, put on coats and helped tidy, but adults sometimes took over tasks such as fetching tissues and wiping noses.

Following a regulatory visit on 16 July 2026, Ofsted issued a welfare requirements notice requiring safer recruitment training, suitability checks and stronger staff supervision, with actions due by 18 September 2026. The published outcome confirms continued registration; it does not establish completion of those actions.

In January 2024, opening hours were 8.30am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. These describe the opening window at that date, rather than a choice of bookable sessions.

The setting received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four in January 2024. It was within the grounds of Springwood Infant School at that time. Attending the pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place.

• Recruitment and supervision. The July 2026 notice required changes by 18 September 2026. Ask to see the subsequent outcome and how the recruitment and supervision requirements have been addressed.
• Space and independence. January 2024 improvement points concerned interrupted play and adults completing manageable tasks for children. A visit is an opportunity to explore how activities are arranged and how children practise self-care.
• Attendance fit. The January 2024 pattern was term-time opening during the school day. What are the current accepted ages, booking options and funded-hours terms?

Bushy Tails offers an inspection-era picture of sociable, hands-on learning, with useful examples of mathematical play and communication support. Its January 2024 attendance pattern would suit families seeking term-time care within school-day hours. The July 2026 welfare notice is the decisive caution for families weighing this setting.