Playdays Nursery Farnborough

A separate building for babies, a Victorian house for older children and a preschool conservatory give Playdays Nursery Farnborough a recognisable shape. The Self-Contained Baby Centre has its own sleep room and sheltered garden, while preschool children can move straight from their ground-floor rooms into the main garden. These are practical differences: babies have space organised around their routines, and older children have direct access to outdoor play.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support through plans developed with parents, professionals and their key person. That assessment is dated. A later notification-related action in July 2025 is a material consideration for families and is addressed below.

The nursery has capacity for 90 children, with a current age range of three months to five years. Full-day care and flexible sessions give families different ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

The Self-Contained Baby Centre combines activities shaped around babies' interests and development with a separate sleep room, sensory room, three playrooms, air conditioning and a sheltered garden. A milk kitchen and changing facilities sit within the separate building behind the main house. This allows feeding, rest and play to take place in spaces designed for different purposes.

For 2 - 3 Year Olds, the emphasis is on communicating and doing more for themselves, including dressing, feeding and potty training, with a key carer working alongside parents. That makes the move towards independence part of everyday care rather than something reserved for a formal activity.

Preschool combines cookery, group discussion and music and movement with child-chosen play, using a large double room, conservatory and separate art room with direct garden access. The broader Victorian house also contains a soft play room, another sensory room, bathrooms, a dining room and a kitchen used for cooking activities. There is room for different kinds of experience, from active play to making and eating food.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out children's learning, development and care through learning through play: staff observe their development and use their interests and stage of learning to plan suitable activities. It is the common framework for early years provision. Here, painting, stories, songs, cooking and play with sand, water and mouldable materials provide concrete ways to put that planning into the day.

In November 2022, children used play dough to exercise their hands and fingers, made pretend phones from cups and pipe cleaners, and explored counting and length through their creations. These examples connect early writing and mathematical ideas to things children were already interested in making. Learning did not depend solely on sitting down for an adult-led task.

At the same visit, staff gathered information during settling sessions about children's existing skills and used it when planning activities. Observations and assessments were shared with parents. The practical value is continuity: a child's starting point comes from both home and nursery, rather than being treated as a blank slate on joining.

Outdoor and Community Life

A sheltered garden serves the baby accommodation, while preschool has free access to the main garden from its floor. Those arrangements give outdoor play a place within the room layout itself. The nursery also arranges trips so children can explore beyond its own grounds.

In November 2022, children played imaginatively with dolls and combined water and sand to make castles. Outdoor time and handwashing before meals were part of the day. Staff interactions did not consistently develop children's understanding of why fresh air and healthy eating mattered, however. The experience was there; explaining its significance was an area needing more attention.

Relationships and Communication

A separate sleep room enables babies' naps to follow their individual routines, with quiet rest away from play.

In November 2022, staff responded to babies needing food, sleep or comfort, and explained what would happen before moving them or changing a nappy. Newly joining babies received reassurance and settled into play. For families considering a baby's first experience of nursery, these observations offer a concrete picture of the care at that time, rather than a broad promise about settling.

During that visit, parents received information about development and ideas for learning at home. Staff also helped children name emotions and reminded them about sharing, taking turns and being considerate. These small interactions linked communication with the social demands of spending the day alongside other children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2022, support plans involved the child's key person, parents and outside professionals. This gives families a useful model for discussing individual needs: who works with the child, what the plan contains and how home and nursery contribute. It should be considered alongside the dated inspection judgement rather than treated as a guarantee about an individual child's experience today.

Dummy use was another improvement point in November 2022. Some younger children kept dummies in their mouths for longer than necessary, reducing opportunities to practise new language. The issue concerned when dummies were used, rather than whether children could have comfort objects at all. It is relevant to families balancing reassurance with opportunities to talk.

On 8 July 2025, Ofsted required the nursery to report notifications promptly to the appropriate statutory agencies, with an action deadline of 15 July 2025 and monitoring of the provider's response. This followed a notification about an accident or injury and a regulatory visit. The nursery remained registered at that point. The July 2025 document stated that the provider's response would be monitored; this action should be considered separately from the November 2022 grade.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-day care and flexible sessions are offered at the Farnborough nursery. The choice has practical value for families whose childcare needs do not fit one fixed attendance pattern. A parent-pack request form and the Farnborough telephone number, 01252 518 178, provide routes to discuss attendance.

In November 2022, opening hours were 7.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year.

Getting There

The address is 84 Alexandra Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6DD. Younger children use the separate building behind the main house, while children aged two to five use the Victorian accommodation.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2022, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged three and four. Families comparing funded and privately paid attendance should consider the hours and charge structure together. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Fees include breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks according to attendance, with food prepared by an on-site chef, seasonal menus and provision for weaning babies, allergies and religious preferences. Once a month, food from around the world introduces dishes from a different country across the day's meals, adding a concrete food experience to the routine.

• The July 2025 notification action. The action dated 8 July 2025 required prompt reporting to statutory agencies. Ask what procedures now govern notifications and how the nursery checks that they are followed.
• Baby routines and room changes. Babies have a separate building with dedicated sleeping and feeding facilities, while older children use the main house. During a visit, discuss how your child's routines would be handled and how the move between these spaces is prepared.
• Flexible attendance and funded charges. Full-day care and flexible sessions serve different needs. Ask for a written attendance proposal showing session times, funded hours and the treatment of meals and non-food consumables.
• Language and healthy habits. November 2022 improvement points concerned dummy use and explaining healthy lifestyles. Discuss how staff now balance comfort with opportunities to talk, and make the reasons for healthy routines understandable to children.

Playdays Nursery Farnborough suits families considering either full-day care or flexible sessions, especially those who value separate baby accommodation and preschool rooms with direct garden access.

The November 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, and the observations give useful detail about play, communication and relationships. Families should weigh that alongside the July 2025 notification action. A decision here should bring the room arrangements, the child's attendance pattern and the nursery's response to that action together.