Top Tots Day Nursery MLC

Swimming at the Mountbatten Centre, soft play and shoreline walks give Top Tots Day Nursery MLC a character closely tied to its leisure-centre home. The setting sits inside the centre in Stamshaw, Portsmouth, giving children experiences beyond their nursery rooms. The swimming pool is a substantial part of that appeal.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has capacity for 69 children in total. At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, judged safeguarding effective and found that individual education plans and carefully chosen resources supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That is a dated judgement, rather than an assurance about practice today.

Babies, toddlers and preschoolers each have their own large room. Full days and two half-day patterns give families different ways to arrange attendance, while funded hours can be taken through term-time or stretched arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

Separate rooms for babies, toddlers and preschoolers organise the nursery around different stages of development, with resources selected for each age group. For parents, the useful distinction is between the nursery's overall capacity and the room their child will use: 69 places describes the whole setting, rather than a single group.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, it brings everyday play, communication, relationships and growing practical skills into the nursery day; the swimming and outings add experiences alongside that foundation.

In January 2023, group gatherings gave children opportunities to practise listening and talking, while other activities revisited ideas about numbers and size. Some toddlers were using increasingly varied language, including descriptive vocabulary. These examples show the kinds of learning taking place at that time, rather than a timetable for today's rooms.

There was also a clear limit to the consistency of adult support in January 2023. Some children moved between activities without a prompt response from staff, reducing their involvement in play. In January 2023, some staff also became occupied with other tasks instead of giving children their full attention, including while young children ate snacks. Room leaders needed to guide colleagues more effectively, and adults needed to give children more consistent opportunities to attempt everyday tasks themselves. Those points matter alongside the positive overall grade.

Outdoor and Community Life

Splash sessions involve time in the Mountbatten swimming pool. Children also use the soft play centre and take walks beside the shoreline, so the leisure-centre setting contributes both indoor movement and outdoor exploration. These are concrete experiences, rather than a programme name standing in for detail.

Swimming and local outings are voluntary additional activities offered without a separate charge. That makes them relevant to the attendance decision as well as to the nursery day: families can weigh the activities themselves alongside their preferred session pattern.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for planning learning experiences and overseeing their development. This gives families a particular practitioner with responsibility for their child's learning, rather than leaving that responsibility diffuse across the room.

In January 2023, settling visits helped staff begin relationships with children, and adults offered quiet reassurance when a newcomer needed it. Parents received updates about nursery life and met staff to discuss development and next steps. The practical value was a connection between what children were doing at nursery and what parents could support at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In January 2023, staff used picture prompts to help children understand the sequence of the day and worked with parents when developmental concerns arose. They also used exercises involving facial and tongue movements to support speech development. These are specific examples of the support used then, rather than a promise that every child receives the same intervention.

Quiet areas in the preschool room gave children somewhere to pause in January 2023. Adults explained how behaviour could affect friends, encouraged children and respected their choices. The improvement work included helping children do more for themselves consistently, so emotional reassurance and practical independence both deserve attention when choosing this setting.

School preparation also had practical elements in January 2023: teachers could meet children in familiar surroundings, and staff shared information to support the move to school. This was transition work, with the emphasis on helping the receiving teacher understand the child.

Ofsted's regulatory calls on 27 August and 3 November 2025 identified repeated safeguarding-related failures. The August call addressed safeguarding policies and whistleblowing concerns; improvements to policies and procedures and additional safeguarding training were recorded. The November call followed concerns about staff:child ratios and children's safety and welfare; corrective work addressed supervision. Corrective action was recorded through improved risk assessments and further training on keeping children within sight or hearing. These corrective outcomes matter, but so does the recurrence of concerns.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Mountbatten Centre, Alexandra Park, Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth PO2 9QA. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

A full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Half days run from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm, allowing families to choose a morning or afternoon pattern as well as the full day. The morning half day starts later than the full day, a useful distinction when matching childcare to work commitments.

Enquiries go directly to the Mountbatten Centre nursery on 023 9269 5265. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and additional paid sessions are offered. The options include 15 hours TTO and 30 hours TTO, meaning term-time arrangements, plus 20 hours stretched all year. A further option is labelled 30 hours stretched, with 25 hours per week across the academic year from September to July. These are different delivery patterns, so the weekly schedule matters as much as the entitlement label.

Breakfast and snacks are included without a separate charge, including under the funded-hours charge structure. Nappies, wipes, sun cream and toothbrushing consumables are also included without a separate charge; swimming and local outings are voluntary services supplied free. The branch's session and funding details bring those arrangements together.

• Pool and shoreline activities. Swimming, soft play and walks are central reasons to consider this branch. At a visit, ask how participation is arranged for your child's age and session pattern.
• Consistency of adult attention. In January 2023, staff did not always respond promptly when children lost engagement, and room leaders needed to guide colleagues more effectively. Ask how staff now support children between activities and during snacks.
• Everyday independence. January 2023 improvement points included more consistent encouragement for children to attempt self-care tasks. Look for how that works in the room your child would join.
• The funded weekly pattern. Term-time and stretched arrangements distribute attendance differently. Discuss the exact weekly booking that matches your chosen funding option.

Top Tots Day Nursery MLC suits families who value swimming, soft play and shoreline exploration alongside separate spaces for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Its attendance offer serves morning half days, afternoon half days and full days, rather than a single working-day pattern.

The January 2023 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, but the concerns about staff attention and consistent support for independence deserve equal weight. The strongest decision combines the leisure-centre opportunities and included consumables with a close look at everyday practice in the child's room.