Abbotts Ann Nursery School

Real objects, open-ended play and a village hall setting give Abbotts Ann Nursery School its character. Based at Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall near Andover, it uses the Curiosity Approach, which gives children everyday objects to investigate and use in their own ways. The emphasis is on making choices and exploring possibilities, rather than following a toy's predetermined purpose.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The practical scale is modest: there are 30 places in total, for children aged 24 to 60 months. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of a daily group.

Parent involvement is another substantial part of the offer. A committee involving parents works with the management team, while families take part in fundraising, consultations and celebrations. Attendance is term-time, with flexible hours alongside morning and afternoon sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play and learning in communication, physical development, relationships, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. The Curiosity Approach sits alongside that framework: everyday materials become starting points for investigation, with children choosing what interests them and exploring how it works.

Cloth, leaves, rope and wooden objects feature in the approach's description. These give children materials whose uses are open to interpretation. The nursery's approach to learning also sets out an intention to adapt the curriculum to each cohort, while keeping independence, resilience and curiosity as its aims. The choice of materials matters more here than a long list of organised classes.

In January 2025, sensory play included herbs worked into dough, with flowers and citrus fruit added to water activities. Children manipulated the dough and invented food-making games. That brought hand movements, imaginative play and conversation into the same activity, rather than treating them as separate tasks.

Books and singing also featured in January 2025. Adults read to groups and used songs to demonstrate language; mathematical vocabulary entered play through counting a spider figure's legs and comparing containers during water activities. These are concrete examples of learning being woven into ordinary exploration. The improvement priorities, however, show that an interesting activity still needs a clear purpose for each child.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area offered a different kind of challenge in January 2025. Children balanced on planks and assembled obstacles from tyres and cardboard tubes, while staff positioned themselves to supervise. Those materials allowed children to help shape the activity, as well as attempt it. Preparing their own outdoor clothing was another opportunity to practise independence.

Community experiences extended beyond the hall. In January 2025, staff planned outings to a donkey sanctuary, the post office and events at a neighbouring school. Families were also invited to celebrations including Father's Day and Mother's Day. These experiences connected children's learning with people and places beyond their immediate play space.

An annual Yuletide Fayre formed part of the nursery's community calendar in 2024. Animals from Barefoot Barns and festive activities were advertised for the 2024 event. The plans brought a community element to the invitation, rather than making a promise about future events.

Relationships and Communication

A key person links each child's care, assessment and family communication. Parents receive both informal conversations and more formal contact, and the key person brings together observations from colleagues and other agencies. That gives families a consistent relationship through which to discuss their child's experiences and development.

In January 2025, practitioners knew children’s emotional and developmental needs, and children practised everyday tasks such as pouring drinks and helping with washing-up. Care and independence were connected through small, achievable responsibilities. For a child beginning nursery, these routines can be as significant as the more eye-catching activities.

Parents also have opportunities to influence the setting through committee involvement and consultation meetings. This is an active role in nursery life: it goes beyond receiving updates about what children have done.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The deputy manager is a trained SENCO. Staff undertake continuing professional development, and are qualified to, or working towards, at least Level 3 in early years care and education, alongside first-aid and food-hygiene training. These are details of the team's preparation, rather than a guarantee about any individual child's support.

A help-yourself snack bar supplies vegetables, fresh and dried fruit and a carbohydrate snack, with drinking water accessible during the day. Families can send a packed lunch when children stay beyond midday; the nursery's allergy policy is to work with families on suitable alternatives for allergies, intolerances and preferences.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall, Duck Street, Abbotts Ann, near Andover, Hampshire, SP11 7AZ. Morning and afternoon sessions run Monday to Friday during term time, and families can choose flexible attendance within the 9am to 3pm opening window. School holidays are outside the attendance calendar, so the term-time pattern is a central consideration for working arrangements.

Extra sessions may be accommodated where possible and carry a higher hourly rate. That is a conditional option, rather than a standing promise of additional care. The preferred enquiry route is EYLog, with email and telephone contact also offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Hampshire pre-school funding of 15 and 30 hours is accepted for children over three and eligible children over two. The nursery operates during term time. Paid childcare is also offered on an hourly basis, allowing the attendance discussion to cover both funded hours and additional private care.

Lunch for children staying beyond midday can come from home. Families should obtain a current written quotation from the nursery for their chosen attendance pattern, including any extra sessions at the higher rate.

• Individual learning and conversation. In January 2025, Ofsted asked for sharper planning around individual children's learning and more open questions with time for children to respond. At a visit, ask how staff now turn a child's interests into precise next steps and longer exchanges.
• The term-time timetable. Attendance sits within a weekday 9am to 3pm window, with school holidays excluded. Families needing holiday care or care beyond that window will need arrangements that fit around it.
• Food and allergies. Children staying beyond midday can bring a packed lunch, alongside the nursery's snack provision. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice for both snacks and food brought from home.

Abbotts Ann Nursery School suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, or flexible hours during term time, with everyday materials and child-led exploration central to learning. Its village hall base and opportunities for parents to help run the nursery give the offer a clear community dimension.

The January 2025 Good judgement supports that picture, while the priorities around individual planning and conversation deserve attention. This is a nursery to consider for its approach to children's choices and independence, with the term-time timetable an equally important part of the decision.