Ladybirds Pre-school, Porchester Road

A Scout Hut, a shared playroom and direct access to a large garden give Ladybirds Pre-school, Porchester Road its character. This is a set-up-and-pack-away preschool in Woolston, Southampton, with capacity for 26 children. Wooden units divide the main room into smaller activity areas, while accessible boxes let children see and choose their resources. The layout puts choice within reach.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found safeguarding effective. That dated judgement sits alongside a current emphasis on emotional wellbeing: daily key-person groups, quieter spaces and Sunshine Circles, activities used through the week to develop attachments.

Children are accepted from two years and four months until they move on to school. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and preschool-day patterns rather than a single attendance option.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care, with play supporting communication, physical development and relationships. At Ladybirds, planned activities sit alongside children's own choices indoors and outside. The room is rearranged using furniture and soft furnishings, rather than divided into separate age-named rooms.

In March 2022, familiar stories spilled into imaginative play: children searched the garden for snail shells to recreate Norman the slug. Another game turned bean bags into pretend food packets, giving children a chance to practise the finger movements used at lunch. These examples show how a story or an everyday routine can become material for play, rather than a separate lesson.

Language also grew through conversation in March 2022. Practitioners repeated important words clearly during play and checked their understanding of children's ideas. Children chose the song for morning group time, giving them a practical say in a shared activity. Regular yoga provided another way to practise movement and calming down.

Outdoor and Community Life

Doors from the main room lead straight into the large garden, and children can choose outdoor play for much of their time. That direct connection matters for children who prefer moving between active play and quieter indoor exploration. Toilets are immediately beside the playroom, and the setting occupies a single level.

The Healthy Early Years Award is a health and wellbeing programme for young children; Ladybirds holds Silver awards for Healthy Food and Physical Activity, alongside its Mental Health and Wellbeing award. These sit beside practical routines: physical activity starts each session, and calmer areas throughout the setting give children somewhere quieter to pause. The health emphasis therefore extends beyond food to movement and feelings.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides the continuing relationship between each child, their family and the preschool. Settling includes home visits, allowing practitioners to get to know family circumstances before those relationships develop through attendance. Daily small-group time gives children a way to express how they feel, using pictures or words. A child who cannot readily explain a feeling still has another route into the conversation.

Sunshine Circles adds attachment-building activities during the week. The mental health policy also connects families with practical support through an information board and newsletters, including help relating to sleep, eating, behaviour and financial or housing worries. This gives the key-person relationship a wider purpose than passing on details of the day's play.

In March 2022, staff asked children before helping with personal care, including nappy changes. Children also practised managing their shoes and opening lunch packets themselves. These small routines made independence part of the day, while respecting children's involvement in what happened to them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined process: a designated co-ordinator, individual education plans, meetings with parents and reviews involving the key person. Support is planned, put into practice and reviewed; referrals to outside professionals require parents' prior written permission. Before a child moves to school, staff liaise with the school's SEND co-ordinator about strengths, needs and the professionals already involved. The purpose is continuity of support.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted recognised timely, detailed referrals for children with SEND but found that staff did not consistently apply strategies such as signing and targeted adult help. That inconsistency was the improvement priority. The current planning and review mechanisms explain how support is organised; they do not establish that the earlier concern has been resolved.

Behaviour support uses the High scope 6 step approach to conflict resolution: adults stop hurtful actions, acknowledge feelings and help children work towards a solution. The emphasis is on understanding the situation and helping children regain control. The policy rules out physical punishment and humiliating techniques.

Staff roles include a designated safeguarding lead, a mental health and wellbeing officer and a practitioner assigned to one-to-one SEN support. The team also includes foundation-degree qualifications in early years. These describe the team's structure and qualifications, rather than a particular staffing allocation for every child.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. A preschool day runs from 8.45am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday during school terms. Lunch Club bridges the sessions from 11.45am to 12.30pm.

Attendance can comprise five mornings, five afternoons or five sessions spread over two and a half days. A full week is an option for children entitled to 30 hours funding. These patterns give families a choice between shorter sessions and combined days, while keeping attendance within the term-time calendar.

Getting There

The address is The Scout Hut, Porchester Road, Southampton, SO19 2JB, in Woolston. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 023 80431226, by email to ladybirdspreschool@hotmail.co.uk or through contact form A for the Porchester setting. An application form is required, with help completing it offered where needed.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and additional paid hours are both offered. The funding terms describe Nursery Education Funding (NEF) providing 15 hours weekly, 30 hours funding for eligible families from the term after a child's third birthday, and disadvantaged NEF funding after the second birthday for families meeting the criteria. Attendance is term-time; entitlement depends on the relevant eligibility conditions.

Parents supply packed lunches, which cannot be refrigerated or heated, and the preschool's lunch policy prohibits nuts in lunch boxes. Lunch Club attendance is charged separately unless the child's funding covers it.

Paid sessions are invoiced monthly in advance, with weekly payments possible by prior agreement. Fees remain payable for booked sessions missed through sickness or term-time holidays. General preschool-session changes and leaving require four weeks' written notice, with fees due throughout that period. Lunch Club has separate leaving terms: one week's payment is deducted from prepaid fees and the remainder is refunded. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

• SEND strategies in everyday practice. In March 2022, signing and targeted adult support were applied inconsistently. During a visit, ask how the co-ordinator now checks that agreed strategies are used across the team, including in the shared room and garden.
• Term-time attendance and admissions priority. Morning, afternoon and combined-day patterns suit different routines, but attendance follows school terms. The admissions policy prioritises the next Reception-year cohort, then older children, and gives Southampton residents priority over families from other local authorities; application order alone does not decide every allocation.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Lunch Club requires food from home and prohibits nuts, with no refrigeration or reheating. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and discuss how their child's lunch will be managed.
• Seeing a working session. Families can visit during a session without arranging an appointment, with phones and recording devices left in the office or outside the setting. Use that opportunity to discuss settling and see how the shared playroom, quieter areas and garden work together for your child.

Ladybirds suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoons or combined preschool days, with a shared-room setting and frequent access to outdoor play. Its practical strengths are easy to identify: child-accessible resources, daily conversations about feelings and a structured process for reviewing additional support. The Good judgement dates to March 2022, and the concern about consistent SEND strategies deserves attention. For parents comfortable with packed lunches and the term-time calendar, the attendance choices and direct garden access make a coherent offer.