Growing Places, Mill Hill

A studio for each pod, a sensory room and a baby garden called the wonder garden give Growing Places, Mill Hill a recognisable character. Creative exploration has dedicated space here, while the gardens make room for both nature and active games. This is a nursery where the physical surroundings give children different ways to play.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its December 2023 inspection and judged safeguarding effective. The nursery cares for children from six months, alongside breakfast, after-school and holiday provision for older children. It occupies the former Mill Hill Children’s Centre building near Mill Hill Primary School in Waterlooville.

Full-day nursery care sits alongside wraparound provision. For families with children at different stages, that combination is a practical part of its appeal.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning and care: play supports language, physical development and learning how to get along with others. Alongside it, the group-wide Growing Places Approach emphasises children making choices, forming connections and communicating. At Mill Hill, the studios attached to the pods provide a concrete setting for creative exploration rather than leaving that approach as an abstract statement.

In December 2023, children’s interest in buildings prompted staff to expand their construction materials and explore London Bridge. Children tried making their own versions. That example gives parents a useful picture of learning led by an interest: an idea becomes something to investigate and build, with adults adding resources to take it further.

Making play dough provided another opportunity to talk through a process. Children explained which ingredients belonged in the mixture while taking part in making it. The activity brought conversation into practical play, giving children a reason to use words and share their thinking.

Babies’ experiences were adapted to their stage. In December 2023, staff paired books and familiar songs with gestures and clearly spoken words; sensory exploration included moving their hands through bubble mixture. These were opportunities for communication within play, rather than a separate lesson imposed on babies.

Outdoor and Community Life

The wonder garden gives babies their own outdoor space for sensory exploration. Elsewhere, natural garden areas sit alongside spaces for games, so outdoor play can involve investigating the surroundings as well as movement. The sensory room adds another physical resource within the building.

In December 2023, running, skipping and jumping featured in garden activities, and an indoor room supported physical play with smaller groups. Movement therefore had space inside as well as outside at that time. This matters for parents whose children enjoy learning through active participation.

Community experiences also formed part of the nursery day in December 2023. Children frequently spent time with residents at a local care home, encountering people of another generation and exploring similarities and differences between them. The frequency was described as frequent, rather than a fixed weekly timetable.

Relationships and Communication

In December 2023, babies turned to familiar practitioners for comfort and cuddles. Staff responded closely during activities, making relationships part of the experience of playing and exploring. For a parent choosing baby care, that interaction is more informative than a general promise of warmth.

Parents had good relationships with their child’s key worker and opportunities to hear about activities in December 2023. The improvement point was more specific: feedback about what children were ready to learn next needed to become consistent. Knowing what happened during the day and knowing how to build on it at home are different things. Families who want to participate in learning should pay attention to that distinction.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through collaboration with physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and family support workers, helping children achieve good outcomes. This was practical cooperation around children’s needs, with professionals contributing to future learning.

During that month, practitioners helped children manage disagreements by talking calmly about sharing turns and finding a way forward. Health conversations were woven into familiar routines too: children discussed toothbrushing, while mealtimes included talk about milk, teeth and bones. Everyday experiences became opportunities to practise social skills and discuss looking after themselves.

Meals are prepared daily by the nursery’s cook, and eating together is used as time for conversation and social interaction. Food is therefore part of the shared day as well as a practical care arrangement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Mill Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 7DB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with full-day nursery care and breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs. Those opening hours describe the operating window; they do not define the contracted full-day session.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, a week at Christmas and a week in summer. These breaks matter when arranging work and family childcare, especially where nursery attendance continues beyond school terms.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form by selecting Mill Hill, or by calling 02392 258 557. The nursery provision starts at six months; the broader childcare offer extends to children aged 11.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2023, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated funding position rather than a promise about a particular child’s entitlement or attendance arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Learning feedback. In December 2023, communication about children’s next learning steps was inconsistent. On a visit, ask how the key person now shares those steps and gives examples you can use at home.
• Baby care. The wonder garden and sensory room are useful resources to explore alongside the pod studios. Ask how settling visits, sleep and your baby’s familiar routines fit into their day.
• Your attendance costs. Full-day care and wraparound clubs serve different needs. Request a written quotation covering your proposed attendance, funded hours, meals and non-food consumables, with each charge or item supplied from home identified.
• Closure planning. Bank holidays and the Christmas and summer breaks interrupt year-round attendance. Build those closures into your childcare arrangements before agreeing a pattern.

Growing Places, Mill Hill suits families seeking full-day nursery care or wraparound clubs, with creative spaces and a dedicated baby garden as concrete reasons to consider it. Its December 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark; the detail beneath it includes responsive baby care, practical learning and cooperation with outside professionals.

The strongest decision point is whether the combination of pods, studios and outdoor exploration fits your child. Communication about next learning steps deserves equal attention. For parents who want to understand and extend their child’s learning, that is a meaningful part of choosing care.