Little Shipmates, The Crescent

Making instruments, growing vegetables and building obstacle courses give Little Shipmates, The Crescent a practical, hands-on character. Creative work sits alongside outdoor exploration, while independence and understanding feelings shape the daily routines. This is a nursery where learning includes doing things for yourself.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. The main improvement point concerned consistency in developing children's speech: some interactions needed more time for children to answer and more help to expand their vocabulary. That is a useful distinction for parents weighing the overall judgement against everyday teaching.

The setting has capacity for 72 children aged two to five and occupies a building on the Waterside Primary School site, Southampton, SO45 6ET. Year-round and term-time attendance options give families different ways to fit childcare around their routines.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, learning happens through play and ordinary routines, with communication, physical development and growing independence woven into the day.

Alongside that framework, The Crescent's curriculum centres on three aspirations: independence, enthusiasm for learning and emotional wellbeing. At The Crescent, these translate into practising self-care, making decisions about routines, following children's interests and helping them understand their feelings. The practical value is clear: preparation for the next stage includes managing yourself and relating to others, as well as taking part in activities.

Musical instruments made by children, vegetable growing and obstacle-building add concrete experiences to that approach. These activities put creating, handling materials and physical challenge into the same nursery day. Purpose-built rooms contain resources for creative and sensory play, with a garden extending learning outdoors.

In November 2024, children mixed paint themselves and worked at outdoor easels. Another activity involved collecting garden leaves with litter pickers, exercising the hand movements used later to serve fruit with tongs. Small tasks linked outdoor play with practical independence. Children could choose between indoor and outdoor activities, giving them a role in deciding how to spend their time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School Activities form part of the offer, adding nature-based outdoor learning alongside garden play. The garden also supports physical challenges and exploration, so the outdoor provision has a place in learning as well as movement.

In November 2024, preschool children made regular visits to a local care home, where they played games and talked with residents. Those encounters brought contact with another generation into their experience of the community. The frequency was regular rather than tied to a stated weekly timetable.

Relationships and Communication

A named key worker gives each family a familiar point of contact. The curriculum also gives key persons a role in encouraging children to attempt things, persevere and develop confidence. For a parent, that connects the person responsible for knowing their child with the learning taking place around them.

Communication combines daily exchanges, online learning journals and a nursery newsletter. Parent evenings provide time to discuss development and agree next steps, rather than leaving every conversation to a brief handover. These different channels let families follow both the individual child's progress and wider nursery life.

Mother's and Father's Day celebrations and Teddy Bear Picnics take place among family events during the year. Parents can spend time in their children's rooms and join activities, making involvement more tangible than receiving updates alone. The events complement the individual conversations about development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that additional funding supported resources and experiences for children needing extra help, with parents and staff involved in decisions. This gives a concrete example of support being planned around a child's development rather than a general promise of inclusion.

In November 2024, staff used signs and pictures to help children communicate, including pictures of everyday items worn on lanyards. A sensory room offered a calmer space when children felt overwhelmed. Gentle conversations about feelings and access to that space provided different ways to respond to emotional needs.

Transition support was practical too. In November 2024, families received packs containing puppets and stories to help explain the next stage of learning. Such materials gave parents something to use with their child at home, connecting preparation across nursery and family life.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The Crescent opens for 51 weeks of the year and offers both year-round childcare and term-time attendance. Those are different arrangements: one supports routines continuing through school holidays, while the other follows a term-time pattern.

The address is Waterside Primary School, Southampton, SO45 6ET. The nursery occupies a purpose-built building in the school's grounds. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 02380 840971. This is the direct contact for The Crescent, rather than the separate Little Shipmates nursery elsewhere in Hythe.

Funding and Paid Extras

The Crescent accepts funding for two-, three- and four-year-olds, including 30-hour funding support where eligibility requirements are met. Funded entitlement and the family's attendance arrangement need to be considered together; funding should not be read as a guarantee of a particular booking pattern. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Conversation during play. In November 2024, opportunities to develop vocabulary and allow children time to respond were inconsistent across staff. During a visit, ask how the team now builds longer conversations into activities.
• Attendance across the year. Both term-time and year-round arrangements are offered, with opening hours of 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Discuss which arrangement fits your family's holiday routine before agreeing a booking.
• School-site expectations. The building is within Waterside Primary School's grounds, but nursery attendance does not guarantee Reception admission. Keep the childcare decision separate from the local authority school application.

The Crescent suits families choosing either term-time attendance or childcare across the year, especially those who value practical creative work, garden activities and regular involvement in nursery life. Online journals, parent evenings and family events give that involvement several forms.

The November 2024 Good judgement supports the overall picture, while the communication improvement point deserves attention. Independence and emotional wellbeing have concrete expressions here, from practising self-care routines to learning to recognise and manage feelings. The decision rests on how well that approach matches your child and the attendance arrangement your family needs.