North End Nursery

Stories with props, dinosaurs in soil and bicycles outdoors give North End Nursery’s March 2025 experience a clear character: play that brings conversation, movement and shared discovery together. At its 18 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in individual learning plans and opportunities for independence.

The Portsmouth setting accepts children aged 24 to 60 months and has 49 places in total. Those figures describe the whole nursery, rather than the size of a teaching group.

In March 2025, favourite books became shared activities through enthusiastic reading and props. Circle-time conversations covered birthdays, days and months, giving children opportunities to speak about familiar experiences. Counting games added a different emphasis, although activities sometimes needed closer matching to each child’s starting point.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the March 2025 examples included storytelling, counting and physical play: practical ways for children to develop language, early number skills and coordination.

Outdoor play in March 2025 included bicycles and throwing and catching balls. Dinosaurs placed in soil encouraged sensory exploration and turn-taking. Trips to aquariums and animal parks also brought encounters with the wider world into children’s learning; these were inspection-time experiences, rather than a current outings timetable.

In March 2025, staff comforted children who were settling with cuddles and reassurance. Children understood the daily rules, and adults reinforced boundaries through positive reminders. Handwashing before food was part of learning to manage personal care.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found strong relationships between parents and key persons, with progress updates and suggestions for learning games at home. This gave families ways to connect nursery activities with life outside the setting.

Staff described regular supervision and access to training in March 2025, including subjects linked to their interests and development needs. Independence was less consistent: adults sometimes carried out tasks children could manage themselves. For families, the important distinction is between receiving help and having time to practise.

The address is Parish Church Of Ascension, 118 Stubbington Avenue, Portsmouth, PO2 0JG. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

In March 2025, the setting offered government-funded early education for eligible children aged one to four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise of a funded place today.

• Individual learning. In March 2025, activities did not consistently build from each child’s existing skills. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how practitioners now adapt a shared activity for different stages of development.
• Doing things independently. Adults sometimes completed manageable tasks for children in March 2025. Look for how everyday routines give children time to try for themselves.

North End Nursery suits families seeking care for children aged 24 to 60 months in Portsmouth, with weekday opening across the year. Its March 2025 experience combined stories, conversation and active play. The decision points are clear: individual planning and everyday independence deserve as much attention as the activities themselves.