Woodberry Day Nursery, Sholing

Two large gardens, four spacious rooms and a converted house give Woodberry Day Nursery, Sholing its character. The gardens combine artificial grass, decking, softer surfaces and a brick patio, with free-flow access between indoors and outdoors. For children who enjoy moving between active play and quieter pursuits, the physical layout is a substantial part of the appeal.

Care runs from three months to five years. At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), made good progress. That judgement belongs to that visit: it should be read alongside the nursery's current offer, rather than treated as a description of every aspect of care today.

Attendance includes morning, afternoon, full-day and school-day sessions, with all-year and term-time schedules. This gives families several ways to fit nursery around work and home life.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the expectations for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through play, with opportunities to talk, move, explore materials and develop relationships rather than a day built around formal lessons.

Alongside that framework, the group-wide commitments include Critical And Creative Thinkers, which centres on exploring ideas and solving problems, and Confident Communicators, which supports children to express themselves in ways that suit them. These are useful statements of direction; their value for an individual child rests in the activities and interactions that follow.

In December 2023, play dough areas gave children opportunities to investigate materials, while puzzles encouraged them to keep trying until pieces fitted. Toddlers shared picture books with their key persons. These examples connect learning with manageable, everyday experiences: conversation around pictures, persistence with a puzzle and hands-on exploration each have a place in the nursery day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The two gardens provide different surfaces for different kinds of play. Artificial grass supports active games, the patio gives space for group activities and decking adds another texture to explore. Children can move between the gardens and indoor spaces through free-flow access, making outdoor play part of the setting's layout rather than an entirely separate destination.

In December 2023, children used bikes and paintbrushes outdoors. The combination gave them opportunities for movement and making marks. Current facilities also include a Sensory Room, adding another indoor space alongside the main rooms.

Relationships and Communication

In December 2023, parents knew their child's key person, and staff helped children become comfortable away from their families. Shared books and close contact with familiar adults were part of that experience. For a younger child, those relationships matter as much as the equipment: the adult who knows them helps make the day understandable.

Communication was also an area needing attention. In December 2023, parents' evenings and information outside rooms were in use, but updates did not consistently explain what staff intended children to learn next. Planning systems also needed to become more precise about each child's next steps. The practical issue was specificity: a description of what a child enjoyed is useful, but families also need to understand how staff will build on it.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND were identified early and referrals were made promptly, with the manager also carrying the special educational needs coordinator role. This is a dated finding about how support worked then, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's current arrangements.

Hygiene routines in December 2023 included cleaning changing surfaces and encouraging children to wash their hands after wiping their noses. Staff also helped children manage occasions when sharing became difficult. These details show care and learning meeting in ordinary routines, rather than wellbeing being confined to a separate activity.

Meals are cooked at the nursery each day, using seasonal ingredients. For funded attendance, lunch includes a snack, a hot meal and fruit, while tea is a separate late-afternoon meal.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 229-231 Botley Road, Sholing, Southampton, SO19 0NL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. The opening window is longer than the full-day session, so the distinction matters when planning collection times.

All-year attendance covers 51 weeks; term-time attendance covers 38 weeks. In both schedules, private morning sessions run from 8am to 12.45pm, afternoons from 1pm to 5.45pm, full days from 8am to 5.45pm and school days from 8.30am to 2.30pm. For children aged two to five receiving Nursery Education Funding, the morning session in these schedules instead ends at 1pm.

The Funded Only Schedule covers 38 weeks. Its morning session is 8am to 12.45pm, its afternoon is 1pm to 5.45pm and its full day is 8am to 5.45pm. Families therefore need to distinguish the schedule as well as the session name when choosing attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Nursery Education Funding and additional private hours are offered. Under funded schedules, meals and daily consumables carry separate charges; the consumables category covers wipes, nappies, toiletries, sun cream and replenishable resources. Hours beyond the funded allocation are charged separately too, so funded attendance and the total bill are different considerations.

The term-time schedule for funded children includes a retainer that preserves the chosen days during holidays and allows extra holiday sessions to be booked. The Funded Only Schedule is a separate arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and session schedules explaining the charge categories.

Getting There

Onsite parking and a Buggy Store support the practicalities of bringing young children to nursery. Botley Road has access via the A3024, Bursledon Road, which may be useful for families combining nursery attendance with a commute.

Enquiries can be made by email to sholing@woodberrynursery.co.uk. In December 2023, staff had links with local schools to help prepare children for the next stage of learning.

• Individual learning plans. Planning and progress updates needed greater precision in December 2023. During a visit, ask to see how a child's interests become specific next steps and how those plans are shared with families.
• Morning session differences. Private mornings end at 12.45pm, while funded mornings within the all-year and term-time schedules end at 1pm. Match the exact schedule to your collection arrangements.
• Funded attendance costs. Funded schedules charge separately for meals and consumables, and the funded term-time schedule includes a holiday retainer. A written quotation should distinguish these items from additional private hours.

Woodberry suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day or school-day attendance, with a choice between all-year and term-time schedules. Its converted-house setting, textured gardens and additional indoor sensory space give children several kinds of space to use.

The December 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection reference, tempered by specific improvement points about planning and communication. The strongest decision will connect the physical appeal with clear individual learning plans and a fully itemised attendance quotation.