Paint Pots Pre-School and Nursery, Testwood Road

A church hall, an outdoor play house and a sensory room give Testwood Road a recognisable character. Paint Pots Pre-School and Nursery, Testwood Road occupies Freemantle Baptist Church in Southampton, with space for imaginative play inside and outside. The physical offer is straightforward: a spacious hall with different places for children to explore.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good overall and found safeguarding effective. Those strengths sit alongside a specific improvement point: staff needed to carry out their responsibilities more consistently, with lunchtime organisation an example of uneven practice.

The setting has capacity for 38 children aged 24 to 60 months. It operates during term time, with school-holiday closures, so the calendar matters as much as the daily hours when assessing whether it fits family life.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: play, conversation and practical experiences help children develop communication, physical and social skills. In July 2025, staff incorporated mathematical learning into play and helped children recall information and explain their ideas.

During that month, staff brought number and size into children's play, encouraging them to compare objects and match numbers. They also prompted children to remember information and explain their thinking. For parents, these examples give substance to the education judgement: the adult's conversation extended what a child was already doing.

Books were another deliberate part of the July 2025 environment. Staff selected titles to interest children and placed them where children could reach them throughout the setting. That gave children opportunities to return to books themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

The role play area, outdoor play house and sensory room give the church-hall setting several different kinds of play space. Pretend play has a clear physical home here, while the outdoor play house extends imaginative activity beyond the hall. For a child drawn to exploring spaces and inventing stories, these are useful features to weigh together.

In July 2025, additional funding had been used to develop the role play area. Children also took responsibility for practical jobs, including clearing sand and wiping tables. These were small tasks with a clear purpose: children could contribute to the shared space rather than leave its upkeep entirely to adults.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found exceptionally effective SEND support, with individual education plans, professional advice, visual communication cards and one-to-one help contributing to rapid progress. This is a substantial part of the setting's inspection picture, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

In July 2025, practitioners used their knowledge of individual children's interests and learning needs to shape activities. Close work with parents helped staff understand family circumstances from the start. For a family whose child needs additional support, the combination of an individual plan and guidance from other professionals is more useful than a broad statement that activities are accessible.

Communication also took more than one form that month. Staff taught Makaton to help children communicate with others and explained why they used it. Yoga sessions supported work on feelings and behaviour, while adults helped children recognise emotions and modelled considerate ways of interacting. Neither activity needs to be treated as a separate lesson to have a place in the day.

Snack preparation provided another practical experience in July 2025: children helped cut fruit with support to use knives safely. It combined a familiar care routine with an opportunity to practise concentration and independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.45am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The setting closes for school holidays. That makes it a practical option for families seeking attendance around the school calendar, while the afternoon finish needs to work with employment and collection arrangements.

The address is Freemantle Baptist Church, Testwood Road, Freemantle, Southampton, SO15 8RL. Families can contact the branch on 023 8000 0056 or use its enquiry form and Express interest route.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2025, the setting accepted government-funded childcare and received additional funding for disadvantaged children. The development of the role play area gives a concrete example of how additional funding was used within children's day.

• Lunchtime consistency. The July 2025 improvement point concerned how consistently staff carried out their roles, including lunchtime organisation. On a visit, ask how that routine now works and how leaders review staff practice.
• The term-time calendar. School-holiday closures and a 3.15pm finish need to fit the family's weekly and annual routine. These are substantial practical considerations for parents organising childcare around work.
• Funding and care costs. For a funded place at Testwood Road, ask for a written quotation explaining the attendance arrangement and how meals, snacks and non-food consumables are handled.

Testwood Road suits families seeking term-time early years provision in a church-hall setting, with imaginative indoor play, an outdoor play house and a sensory room. Its July 2025 strengths were clear: purposeful learning, children's engagement and individual support. The lunchtime improvement point deserves attention alongside those positives.

The strongest reason to consider it is the combination of concrete play spaces and thoughtful adult involvement in everyday activities. The practical decision turns on whether its term-time calendar and afternoon finish fit the household.