Leapfrog Neighbourhood Nursery, Merlin

A pirate ship, climbing trees and a builders yard give this Southsea nursery a character that extends well beyond its Victorian house. Leapfrog Neighbourhood Nursery, Merlin occupies Merlin House on Villiers Road, overlooking Clarendon Road Green, with high ceilings, generous windows and a mature garden that makes outdoor exploration a substantial part of its offer.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall. The setting has capacity for 80 children aged 11 to 60 months; that whole-nursery figure should not be mistaken for the size of an individual room. Three rooms occupy two floors, with spaces for art, sensory exploration and quieter moments.

The strongest current detail is the connection between stories and practical experiences. During spring 2026, preschool children encountered a harp through Portsmouth Music Hub, explored stories at Southsea Library and attended a performance at the New Theatre Royal. Books become something children sing, act out and investigate, rather than an activity confined to sitting together.

Rooms and Ages

Babies and Toddlers combines a ball pit, sensory and art areas with a restful sleep area and a wooden outdoor play space containing ramps and bridges, giving younger children opportunities to move and explore alongside somewhere to pause.

Two-Threes brings together creative materials, sensory play, stories and rhyme, with a sleep area and access to a garden designed for play, so energetic activity and rest both have a place in the day.

Pre-School uses routines and selected resources across its indoor and outdoor spaces to encourage initiative and confidence, with adults introducing activities that children can then develop themselves.

The rooms are stages rather than miniature classrooms. In May 2026, younger children explored transport through songs, textured books and toy vehicles, while the middle room used a nursery postbox and story props to develop imagined journeys and conversations. These are concrete ways to give emerging language a purpose.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation and practical tasks bring those strands together. The branch also participates in Go All In, the National Year of Reading campaign that encourages families and settings to make books, songs and storytelling part of ordinary life.

In January 2026, preschool children used recipe cards to prepare apple crumble. Following instructions, measuring ingredients and making something to share connected print with an understandable result. Younger children worked with familiar rhymes and actions, giving them repeated opportunities to listen, point and try sounds.

The May 2026 account gives an equally tangible example in Two-Threes: children matched socks for a story character, made marks on letters and posted them for another character to deliver. Storytelling crossed into handling objects and taking roles. That matters for children who engage most readily by doing something with a story.

Woodwork adds another practical strand. In May 2026, school leavers used screwdrivers, saws and hand drills at the woodwork bench, with attention to safe tool use and controlled movements. The attraction is the task itself: making an object requires children to coordinate their hands, follow a sequence and sustain their attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

The mature garden contains a mud kitchen, wild garden and pirate ship, alongside trees for climbing and a builders yard. These spaces give children different reasons to be outside, from imaginative play to exploring natural materials. The youngest children also have their own wooden play area rather than relying solely on the larger garden.

In spring 2026, Portsmouth Music Hub brought Melody Mermaid and a harp into preschool storytelling. A visit to Southsea Library introduced the Gruffalo, while a theatre outing took children to The Tales from Acorn Wood at the New Theatre Royal. These were specific experiences from that term, rather than a promise of a fixed trip schedule.

World Book Day also connects nursery and family life. The spring 2026 celebration paired a week of story activities with Stay and Play sessions, and children were invited to wear a favourite book-character costume. Families could join even when their child did not normally attend that day. The event returned in 2026 after taking place in 2025.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides a point of contact for discussing a child's progress. In autumn 2025, parent evenings offered appointments with that person; the May 2026 arrangements also distinguish a brief collection handover from a separately arranged, longer conversation. This gives everyday updates and more detailed discussions different spaces.

A School Leavers Workshop announced for May 2026 was designed to cover emotional readiness, early literacy and practical preparation for starting school. Its planned guidance connected preparation at home with the next stage of nursery learning.

For younger children, a Stay and Play session announced for July 2026 centred on heuristic play: exploring everyday objects with other children. The invitation linked that exploration with creativity, physical development and problem-solving, and welcomed families even if their child did not usually attend that day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported excellent progress for children, including those with SEND, with practitioners working alongside the SENCO and external services to identify developmental gaps and target support. Those are dated judgements, rather than assurances about today's staffing.

In June 2022, targeted staff training addressed speech and language delay, including allowing children time to express themselves. The practical point is the interaction: a child needs space to respond as well as an adult who introduces new language. That remains a useful subject for discussion when considering communication support.

Current collection procedures require advance notice of a different collecting adult, together with photographic identification and the child's password. The nursery's nut-free policy also prohibits families from bringing food containing nuts onto the premises; allergy-affected families should confirm current practice during their visit.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Merlin House, 19 Villiers Road, Southsea, PO5 2NR. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Half-day and full-day bookings form part of the Comprehensive All-Inclusive model, while Core EYFS uses afternoon attendance during term time; morning sessions begin at 8.45am.

Minimum attendance depends on the booking model. Comprehensive All-Inclusive requires either two half-day sessions or one full day each week; Core EYFS requires two afternoons, with one attendance on Monday or Friday. The models therefore serve different weekly routines, even before funding is considered.

Bank holidays and Christmas bring closures. There are also two staff-training closures per term from 4pm to 6pm, with four weeks' notice and full fees applying. Families who depend on late collection need to accommodate those shorter days.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and visits can be arranged through the contact form with Villiers Road selected. An enrolment form registers interest; a place becomes confirmed in writing. Permanently reducing a booking or ending a place requires at least one month's written notice, and bookings cannot be temporarily reduced or paused and then reinstated.

Getting There

On-street parking surrounds Clarendon Road Green, and the closest bus stop is at The Circle on Clarendon Road. The nursery overlooks the green, placing both those practical landmarks close to its Villiers Road address.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15- and 30-hour entitlements, with Comprehensive All-Inclusive bookings offering term-time or stretched funding, subject to availability. Additional private sessions can be booked within that model, while Core EYFS is restricted to funded term-time afternoons and excludes additional sessions and holiday bookings. Bookings are made one term at a time, subject to availability that can change between terms, and use at most five funded hours per day. For children starting school that September, the place ends in mid-July.

Food and non-food consumables vary by booking: they are included in the Comprehensive All-Inclusive stretched fee structure, covered on its funded term-time bookings when families choose to pay the session consumables fee, and supplied from home under Core EYFS. This distinction affects both the quotation and what families bring each day.

A non-refundable enrolment fee applies once a booking containing part-funded or non-funded sessions is confirmed; Term-Time Mix 15 and Term Time Mix 30 bookings do not incur it. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funding starts with the first attendance of the week, with remaining sessions charged as standard bookings after the allocated funded sessions have been used.

• Choosing the funding model. Core EYFS means term-time afternoons, parent-supplied food and consumables, and no additional-session bookings. Compare that routine with Comprehensive All-Inclusive before committing, since transfers between models cannot take place during a term.
• The youngest child's day. Babies and Toddlers has a sleep area and a wooden outdoor play space. During a visit, ask how settling visits, rest and outdoor time would be organised for your child.
• Late collection and training days. Two training closures per term end attendance at 4pm, with full fees applying. Build those shorter days into work and collection arrangements.
• Communication and allergies. Longer conversations are arranged separately from brief handovers, and the nursery's nut-free policy prohibits nut-containing food on the premises. Use the visit to discuss communication needs and confirm how any allergy plan would work with your chosen booking model.

Leapfrog's strongest appeal is the combination of substantial outdoor play space and learning that gives stories a practical life. A pirate ship and mud kitchen sit alongside woodwork, theatre experiences and family reading activities. The June 2022 Outstanding judgement provides a dated quality benchmark; the 2026 examples give a more recent picture of the nursery day.

It suits families seeking half-day or full-day attendance through Comprehensive All-Inclusive, as well as those whose routines fit funded term-time afternoons through Core EYFS. The choice between those models is consequential. Food, consumables, holiday attendance and the ability to add sessions all depend on it.