WillowTree Nursery Portsmouth

Child-led dough making, sunflower planting and family-photo booklets give WillowTree Nursery Portsmouth a recognisable character: practical learning sits alongside attention to children’s language and relationships. These were features of daily life in June 2024. They give parents concrete examples to weigh alongside the overall judgement.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress with support from staff and outside agencies.

The nursery accepts children aged three months to five years. Its address is 22 Priory Crescent, Southsea, PO4 8RL.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care, bringing play and everyday routines into their education. In June 2024, staff identified children’s next learning steps and planned experiences around them. Children also helped choose activities, giving them a part in shaping their day.

Dough making became an exercise in cooperation and problem-solving: children mixed ingredients and considered which tools could clear spilled salt. Sunflower planting introduced new vocabulary while children filled pots and watered seeds. Older children practised daily affirmations about kindness, curiosity and being loved, adding an emotional dimension to the practical activities.

Group activities were less consistently successful. In June 2024, some children lost concentration in larger groups, and staff did not consistently help them develop the listening and participation skills they needed.

In June 2024, babies used staff members’ arms to help themselves stand, while other children sought cuddles. Toddlers used small steps to reach the room’s sink and washed their hands after fruit. Familiar routines gave children opportunities to practise caring for themselves.

Staff adapted activities using simple signs to make instructions easier to understand. For children learning English alongside another language, family-photo booklets and words supplied by parents connected nursery experiences with home.

Parents received practical suggestions about toileting and nutritious lunches. Staff training included emotional development, helping the team respond consistently to difficult behaviour. Individual meetings and team discussions also supported staff, with managers modelling friendly interactions with children. These observations all date to June 2024.

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year. Full-day attendance is offered, giving families a booking pattern that fits within that opening window.

In June 2024, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated account of its funded provision, rather than a statement of current entitlement terms.

• Participation in groups. The June 2024 improvement action concerned children’s listening and engagement during group activities. Families whose children find larger groups difficult should give this aspect of the day particular attention.
• Settling and home language. Family-photo booklets and parents’ home-language words were used in June 2024. At a visit, ask how those approaches now fit into settling for a younger child or one learning English.

WillowTree suits families seeking full-day attendance and interested in practical, child-led learning. The June 2024 examples give that approach substance: children made dough, planted seeds and brought their home languages into nursery life. The counterweight is equally specific. Support for sustained participation in group activities needed further work, making that a useful consideration alongside the dated Good judgement.