Tiny Toes Day Nursery, Lordshill

Safeguarding is the decisive issue at Tiny Toes Day Nursery, Lordshill. At its 12 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding standards not met, with urgent improvement required in welfare, inclusion and leadership, and achievement, behaviour and curriculum needing attention. That position carries more weight than the practical attractions of a spacious garden and childcare extending from early morning into the evening.

Based at Forest View Family Centre on Sutherland Road, Southampton, SO16 8GA, the nursery accepts children from 3 months to 5 years. Its outdoor space, age-specific rooms and choice of attendance patterns give families several practical options. The central decision, however, concerns the safety and consistency of care, especially for babies and children needing additional support.

Rooms and Ages

Babies, for children aged 3 to 18 months, combines indoor and outdoor activities with a flexible routine and an allocated key carer. Toddlers, from 18 months to 2½ years, has an outdoor roof terrace garden alongside spaces for construction, creative work, pretend play and quiet reading. These are different physical arrangements, so outdoor access is worth considering room by room rather than treating the garden as a single shared feature.

Rising 3’s, from 2½ to 3+ years, has large windows and doors leading towards the garden, with water, mud and sand activities, early reading games and opportunities to serve food independently. Preschool, for children aged 3.5 to 5 years, concentrates on children starting school the following September, with a graduation ceremony marking the end of the preschool year. The intended emphasis moves from exploration towards independence and preparation for Reception. In March 2026, however, inconsistent interactions and support hindered babies’ and children’s development, including those with SEND, and left them insufficiently prepared for their next stage of learning.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, movement, relationships and early understanding through play and everyday experiences. Here, books, songs, number activities and outdoor play are part of that account. The framework itself is the baseline, rather than an extra programme unique to Tiny Toes.

In March 2026, older children discussed animals, used remembered signs and practised counting during activities. Stories gave staff opportunities to introduce vocabulary and encourage children to talk about pictures. Those examples show what useful adult interaction looked like, but the same visit also exposed uneven practice: some staff were unclear about the skills an activity was meant to develop, while routine tasks drew attention away from babies. In March 2026, staff also inconsistently addressed disruptive or unkind behaviour and explained expectations, leaving children uncertain about boundaries and how their behaviour affected safety.

Outdoor and Community Life

A spacious garden is a substantial part of the Lordshill setting. In March 2026, children used sand and containers for digging, filling and pouring, and took turns on a balancing beam. Older children also practised balance and coordination through outdoor activities. This gives a concrete picture of the space in use, rather than relying on its size alone.

The outdoor offer needs to be weighed alongside environmental safety. In March 2026, daily risk checks missed damaged flooring that created a tripping hazard, and leaders took no action when it was raised during the visit. Space for active play matters; identifying and removing hazards matters just as much.

Relationships and Communication

At the March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person approach did not reliably meet babies’ individual needs, that support for children with SEND was inconsistent, and that these weaknesses affected wellbeing and learning. Those findings directly concern families seeking close, dependable care or support tailored to an additional need.

In March 2026, staff sometimes struggled to understand why babies were upset or how to comfort them. Sleep arrangements were confused after lunch, including uncertainty about where individual babies should rest. Staff deployment also meant that some adults caring for babies did not know them well enough. These are practical problems with relationships and routines, rather than simply differences in teaching style.

Parents receive daily written feedback and can access an online learning journal; individual parents’ evenings provide another opportunity to discuss development. In March 2026, nappy changes were also logged and shared through an app. Communication offers a useful route into a child’s day, but updates alone do not establish whether care is consistent.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2026, staff worked with speech and language therapists and physiotherapists to agree learning targets for some children. Some children receiving additional funding had targeted support, but agreed strategies were not used consistently by all staff. Noise levels were another difficulty: the environment did not adequately account for children whose engagement and wellbeing were affected by sound.

Safeguarding concerns extended beyond training attendance. In March 2026, leaders were uncertain about referral procedures and delayed reporting concerns about children, while staff understanding of whistleblowing was insecure. Food left on floors after meals also exposed babies to choking and allergen risks. The required actions covered leadership oversight, reporting concerns promptly, hazard recognition and an effective key-person approach, including sleep and food safety, with a completion date of 13 April 2026.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Attendance can run across 51 weeks, with closure on bank holidays and for a week over Christmas and New Year; term-time attendance is also offered.

Full Day runs from 7am to 6.30pm, while School Day runs from 8am to 4.30pm. Morning attendance is 7am to 12.30pm and Afternoon attendance is 1.30pm to 6.30pm. Sessional Preschool has separate morning and afternoon patterns, from 9am to noon and noon to 3pm respectively. The shorter preschool sessions therefore serve a different timetable from the nursery’s longer morning and afternoon bookings.

Getting There

The address is Forest View Family Centre, Sutherland Road, Southampton, SO16 8GA, at the junction with Rownhams Rd North, near Oaklands swimming pool and Sainsburys. Parking is provided for collecting and bringing children.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged 3 and 4 and eligible children aged 2, with funded attendance spanning term-time and stretched arrangements. Private childcare is also offered, and families should obtain current prices in a written quotation.

For the main nursery sessions, snacks, wipes and nappies are included; Full Day and School Day include hot lunch, and Full Day includes tea. Morning and Afternoon bookings exclude lunch, which can be added for a separate charge; Sessional Preschool includes a snack but excludes lunch, and parents supply nappies and wipes for that pattern.

Lordshill offers chef-prepared food and accommodation of dietary requirements. Allergy-affected families should treat the March 2026 food-safety findings as material to their decision.

Fees are paid monthly in advance. A registration charge applies when a child joins, with an exemption for nursery-funded children.

• Safeguarding and leadership. The March 2026 findings included delayed referrals and weak oversight, with actions due on 13 April 2026. Before joining, ask for a clear account of the changes made and the latest regulatory position.
• Baby care and SEND. Confused sleep routines, unfamiliar carers and inconsistent use of support strategies were material concerns in March 2026. A visit should explore who provides day-to-day care and how agreed routines and individual strategies are maintained across staff.
• Funded-place charges. Funding terms contain conflicting statements about lunch and consumable charges. Request written terms for the exact funded attendance pattern, separating food, nappies and wipes from any private hours.
• Attendance and supplies. Sessional Preschool has shorter hours than the main nursery sessions and requires parents to supply nappies and wipes. Compare the actual session pattern and included items against your working day.

Tiny Toes’ attendance options suit families needing Full Day or School Day attendance, morning or afternoon care, or shorter Sessional Preschool patterns. Its garden and age-specific spaces provide practical attractions. The March 2026 safeguarding, baby-care and inclusion findings nevertheless prevent a confident recommendation: evidence of effective changes to those practices should be central to any decision to join.