Purbrook Day Nursery & Pre-school

A garden reserved for babies and a Cottage Garden with space to climb, cycle and make music give Purbrook a clear physical character. Inside, an art studio and construction spaces put making and experimenting alongside early literacy and maths. This is a nursery where the rooms offer different ways to play, rather than relying on one shared activity space.

Purbrook Day Nursery & Pre-school takes children from three months to five years at 7 London Road, Purbrook, Waterlooville. At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall, with the same grade across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The strongest practical attractions are the baby room's own outdoor space, older children's independent access to materials and an on-site SEND coordinator.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Snug, for three months to two years, combines furniture arranged for developing movement with sensory activities, stories and song bags; air conditioning, wide-opening doors and a garden reserved for babies give this youngest group its own environment. Staff follow each baby's routine. That matters for families whose child is still moving between floor play, crawling and taking early steps: the room is organised around those changing physical needs.

For two- to three-year-olds, The Toddler Den uses the main listed building, with an art studio for independently chosen creative materials, construction play in the Block Room and outdoor access to the Cottage Garden. Boxes, cardboard tubes and guttering are among the construction resources. These give children materials they can combine and repurpose, rather than a single finished toy with one intended use.

The Pre-school Study, for three- to five-year-olds, places extra emphasis on literacy and maths within open-ended play, with access to the art studio, The Den, Book Nook, Block Room and Cottage Garden. Its classroom-style setting introduces a different environment for the oldest children while retaining opportunities to build, paint and choose their play. The Den is the nursery's largest room, providing another space for learning materials beyond the preschool classroom.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play provides opportunities to practise language, movement, early maths and practical skills. Purbrook's child-led approach builds activities around familiar experiences, children's interests and what they can already do. The useful distinction is between having resources within reach and using a child's choice to take learning further.

In November 2023, children experimented with pipettes during water play, practising the squeeze-and-release movement with staff support. Early maths also involved cutting carrots, comparing their lengths and making estimates. These were concrete experiences of movement, measurement and problem-solving, rather than learning confined to spoken explanations.

There was an important qualification in November 2023: staff did not consistently pick up children's interests and use them to deepen thinking during play. The improvement priority was to make that practice more consistent across the team. For a nursery with a child-led ethos, this is a useful point to explore, because responsive adult interaction is what turns a freely chosen activity into a further learning opportunity.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Cottage Garden serves as both play space and an outdoor learning area. Its music wall, climbing frame, sandpit, bikes and wooden planters support different kinds of activity, from sound-making to physical play. Older children can move between indoor resources and the garden, giving outdoor play a place within their day rather than making it dependent on a single group outing.

In November 2023, older children also cut herbs grown at the nursery with scissors. That small practical task brought growing and hand control together. Babies had space to crawl and move along furniture, while older children used climbing and cycling opportunities outdoors.

Flexible settling sessions helped staff get to know families in November 2023. Communication included individual daily conversations, an online app, parents' evenings and home learning packs. A lending library of familiar books extended the connection between nursery and home: parents had something concrete to share with their child beyond an account of the day's activities.

Children's Marvellous me books contained photographs of themselves and people close to them in November 2023. They could look through these independently and share them with friends. Familiar family images gave children a personal reference point within the nursery day.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described SEND support involving tailored strategies, collaboration with parents and external professionals, and timely referrals that helped children progress from their starting points. The current nursery has an on-site Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator and resources for children learning English as an additional language. Those are practical support mechanisms, rather than a general promise about meeting every need.

In November 2023, older children practised independence by preparing fruit, pouring drinks and washing their snack crockery. Staff also helped children manage minor disagreements calmly. Healthy meals and snacks formed part of the day at that time, alongside hygiene routines and physical activity.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. For parents, the opening window and holiday closures are useful starting points when matching childcare to work commitments.

Purbrook's direct telephone number is 023 9225 0890, and visits can be booked. A written quotation from the nursery provides current prices.

Getting There

The address is 7 London Road, Purbrook, Waterlooville, PO7 5LQ. A large church car park is behind the nursery, a practical consideration for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2023, the nursery received funding for early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Families considering a funded booking should use a current written quotation to understand the proposed arrangement and its charges.

• Child-led learning. In November 2023, staff were asked to make their responses to children's interests more consistent. During a visit, ask for an example of how an adult develops a child's chosen activity into further learning.
• The youngest children's space. The Baby Snug has its own garden and follows babies' routines. Ask how settling and daily routines work when your baby moves between home and nursery.
• Your attendance and funding arrangement. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with holiday closures. Ask which booking patterns fit your required days and how funded hours, meals and consumables would be treated in your quotation.

Purbrook suits families who value a separate environment for babies and increasing freedom to choose materials as children grow. The Baby Snug's garden, the Block Room and the Cottage Garden give that progression tangible form. The November 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, while the improvement point about extending children's thinking deserves attention. The decision is strongest when the nursery's child-led approach and your child's daily routine fit together.