Apple Tree Day Nursery

A sensory room and an entire upstairs floor for babies give Apple Tree Day Nursery a clear physical identity. This family-run Portsmouth setting cares for children from birth to five.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 12 September 2024, while identifying uneven teaching and a need for staff to give children more time to develop their answers in conversation. That balance matters: there were engaging activities and familiar routines, but the quality of interaction needed to become more consistent.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside flexible hours. The practical appeal extends beyond one attendance pattern, while the sensory room gives families a concrete feature to weigh against the teaching improvements.

Rooms and Ages

The Bumble Bee Room occupies the whole top floor and is intended for babies, with space for play in a bright, cosy setting. Its position is worth discussing during a visit, especially for families thinking through their baby's daily routine.

The sensory room is a separate space designed around stimuli that engage children's senses. It adds another kind of environment to the main play areas: somewhere to explore sensory changes rather than rely entirely on toys and outdoor equipment. The nursery's sensory room description explains its intended use for babies, children with additional needs and children feeling overwhelmed.

In September 2024, children used puzzles and resources whose colours could change in this room. Sensory changes also became starting points for conversation. These examples show how the physical space could support both hands-on exploration and opportunities to talk, rather than serving only as somewhere quiet.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play and activities used to build their skills. Here, the current offer includes educational toys and garden resources; the strongest detail about how learning worked comes from September 2024.

At that time, children followed caterpillars as they developed into butterflies, then helped release them. This made life cycles something children could observe rather than only hear about. During stories, they chose book characters for imagined adventures and explored what might happen next.

The same month's outdoor play included sending balls and vehicles down a slide and discussing which travelled faster or further. That turned a familiar piece of equipment into a starting point for comparison and conversation. However, some exchanges moved on before children had enough time to explain their thinking, which is an important limitation alongside these engaging examples.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bikes, a sand tray and tunnels are part of the garden offer. They give children different ways to move, explore materials and play outside, complementing the sensory room indoors.

In September 2024, garden areas were allocated according to age. Younger children pulled themselves upright using soft-play resources, while older children practised throwing hoops towards cones and catching. The emphasis changed with the children's stage of development, rather than expecting babies and older children to use the same activities in the same way.

Continuity is a clear part of the care model: children keep the same key worker through the academic year until they move to their next stage. That gives parents an ongoing point of contact and children a familiar adult during that period.

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, strong communication with parents and opportunities for children with SEND to learn in the calm sensory room. These are dated findings, rather than a guarantee about every child's experience today.

In September 2024, parents shared what their children already knew when they started, helping staff plan subsequent learning. Updates followed through daily communication and secure online platforms. Parents also received online-safety information, linking nursery communication with children's safety at home.

Everyday independence was part of the same month's practice. Older children fetched their lunch boxes and drinks, and younger children received help to feed themselves. Staff also introduced hand hygiene and oral-health habits. These were small, practical responsibilities woven into the day.

School preparation in September 2024 included role play using uniforms from the schools children were due to attend. This offered a way to explore the idea of school through play; it was preparation for change, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm, across 51 weeks, excluding bank holidays. It operates across the year rather than offering a term-time-only model.

Two full-day options run from 7.30am to 6pm and from 8am to 6pm. The earlier option includes breakfast; a Breakfast Club also runs from 7.30am to 8am. Morning and afternoon sessions each last four hours, and a full-week option uses 8am to 6pm days. Flexible hours and additional hours are also offered, giving families alternatives to a full-day booking.

An online enquiry form provides a contact route, and an application form can be returned by post or email. Visits can be booked.

Getting There

The address is 593 London Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, PO2 9SD.

Funding and Paid Extras

For eligible working parents of children aged nine months to four years, the nursery offers the 30-hour funded entitlement stretched across 51 weeks as 22.5 hours each week. It also offers the 15-hour entitlement for qualifying low-income families from the term after a child's second birthday, and the 15-hour entitlement for all children aged three and above, beginning after their third birthday.

Funded hours carry no charge, and entitlement is applied to the chosen sessions until it is used up. Additional private hours are charged separately. Breakfast is included with the earlier full-day option; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page sets out the attendance options and funding structure.

• Teaching and conversation. September 2024 brought requests for more consistent teaching and better opportunities for children to explain their ideas. During a visit, ask how staff now extend conversations and allow time for answers.
• The baby floor. The Bumble Bee Room occupies the entire upstairs floor. Ask how movement between this room, the garden and the sensory room fits into a baby's day.
• Your funded attendance pattern. The working-parent entitlement is stretched into 22.5 hours a week across 51 weeks. Compare that pattern with the hours your family needs and request a written breakdown covering additional hours, food and consumables.

Apple Tree suits families considering morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with flexible hours widening the choice. Its baby floor, sensory room and garden give the offer tangible substance, and key-worker continuity adds a useful relationship thread.

The September 2024 judgement was Good, with teaching consistency and conversational practice still requiring attention. Families weighing this nursery should give those everyday interactions as much weight as the physical facilities.