'Little Thinkers' at New Horizons Portsmouth

Trusted adults, practical independence and language-rich play give Little Thinkers at New Horizons its clearest character. This North End nursery has capacity for 84 children, with an outdoor play area used throughout the year and meals cooked on site. Its offer extends to children up to five years old.

At its June 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard to welfare and wellbeing and to leadership and governance, Expected standard to achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion, and confirmed that safeguarding standards were met. Those are separate judgements rather than an overall grade. The balance matters: care and leadership received the stronger assessments, while teaching and inclusion had specific next steps.

Attendance options include whole days, mornings, afternoons and a school-day pattern. That gives families several ways to organise childcare, rather than a single daily commitment.

Rooms and Ages

The Nest, The Cocoon, the Burrow, the Den and The Treehouse are the room names used here. The team includes room-leader roles for these spaces, giving the nursery a recognisable room structure.

In June 2026, babies explored ball pools and played peek-a-boo with familiar adults. Older children took part in circle-time conversations about the calendar and weather. These examples show different experiences for different developmental stages: physical exploration for the youngest children, and opportunities to speak and listen in a group for older ones.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play supports communication, physical skills and relationships as well as early reading and mathematics. Alongside this, the nursery calls its approach the wonder curriculum, linking it to preparation for primary school.

In June 2026, children played group games matching objects from a box to familiar stories. Children could also borrow books to share at home, including dual-language books. That connects nursery activities with family reading and allows stories to be shared across languages.

Movement was part of learning too. During June 2026, dancing and broad arm movements gave children practice in coordination, while squeezing and shaping play dough exercised the hands used for early writing. Parachute play brought together counting, colour and shape, with printed words connected to children's interest in superheroes.

There was a clear teaching limitation alongside these examples. In June 2026, mathematical ideas were introduced unevenly by different staff, so children's encounters with counting and shape depended partly on who was supporting their play. Extending mathematics across everyday activities was a next step.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor play area is used all year, making outdoor activity part of the continuing offer. In June 2026, children worked together to move and pour water and tested possible solutions when completing puzzles. These activities gave them practical opportunities to cooperate, persevere and solve problems.

Relationships and Communication

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children made progress across their development, that children with SEND received support tailored to their needs, and that leaders worked sensitively with families and other professionals. The practical mechanisms behind those findings are more useful than a general assurance.

In June 2026, key-person arrangements included support when a child's usual adult was absent and during moves between rooms. Familiarity therefore extended beyond one relationship. Leaders also helped families complete paperwork for external support and worked to remove obstacles to accessing additional funding.

Settling information needed greater consistency. In June 2026, staff did not always gather enough detail from settings children had previously attended. This limited how fully key persons understood earlier learning before a child started, making the information exchanged before joining an important decision point.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

During June 2026, staff used strategies supplied by other professionals, including speech and language support, and adapted parts of the day such as mealtimes to individual needs. However, some attention and listening interventions took place where movement through the space distracted participants. Choosing a more suitable setting for these sessions was another next step.

In June 2026, staff sought children's agreement during personal care and sleep routines, and familiar adults used lullabies to help the youngest children settle to sleep. Mealtimes also gave children chances to practise independence: younger children located their cups, while older children identified their names at the table.

Meals are cooked at the nursery, with menus planned weekly around government nutrition guidance. This makes food preparation part of the nursery's own operation.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Wymering Road, North End, Portsmouth, PO2 7HX. Opening hours run from 7.30am until 6pm on weekdays.

The whole-week pattern and individual day bookings both run from 7.30am to 6pm. Morning Session runs from 8am to 1pm, Afternoon Session from 1pm to 6pm, and School Day from 9am to 3pm, giving families several attendance patterns to compare with their working day.

For children using only the 15-hour funding for two- or three-year-olds, the short options are 8.45am to 11.45am or 12.30pm to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, with mornings and afternoons interchangeable. The longer funded options are three selected mornings from 8am to 1pm or three selected afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, again allowing a mixture. Another pattern combines two school sessions from 9am to 3pm with one short morning or afternoon. Funded attendance can be extended with paid hours.

Enquiries can be made through the branch's enquiry route. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

The branch offers the 15-hour funded options described above for eligible two- and three-year-olds, alongside paid childcare and paid extensions to funded sessions. The chosen pattern matters: short sessions, longer sessions and the school-session combination have different booking arrangements.

Little Thinkers is described in its contact information as being at New Horizons Primary School. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school application.

• Teaching consistency. In June 2026, mathematical learning varied between staff. During a visit, ask how counting, shape and other mathematical ideas now run through activities across the rooms.
• Space for individual support. June 2026 attention and listening sessions could be interrupted by movement nearby. Ask where these interventions take place and how distractions are managed for your child.
• Preparing to join. Information from previous settings was gathered inconsistently in June 2026. Discuss how your child's earlier learning, routines and support arrangements will reach their key person before the start.
• The cost of your attendance pattern. Funded-only bookings have specific session combinations, and extra hours are paid. Ask for a written breakdown that also explains the treatment of meals and non-food consumables for your chosen arrangement.

Little Thinkers at New Horizons suits families comparing whole-day care with morning, afternoon or school-day attendance, including those considering the branch's structured funded-only combinations. On-site cooking and year-round outdoor play give the practical offer substance.

The June 2026 picture combines stronger welfare and leadership judgements with concrete teaching and inclusion priorities. Familiar-adult arrangements and family support are reasons to consider it; consistency in mathematics, intervention spaces and information before joining remain the questions that should shape a visit.