Bracken Place Day Nursery

Song-bag props for younger children and ice play for older ones give Bracken Place Day Nursery a recognisable emphasis: conversation grows out of something children can handle, choose and explore. These were features of daily life in January 2025, rather than abstract curriculum promises. At its 20 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall.

The nursery accepts children aged 3 to 48 months at 3 Bracken Place, Chilworth, Southampton, SO16 3NG. It has announced a rebrand to Fawn & Fern Woodland Nursery. That change of trading name matters when making contact, while this profile retains the registered name, Bracken Place Day Nursery.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its everyday meaning can be seen in the January 2025 activities: singing supported language, physical challenges developed movement, and shared play gave children opportunities to practise relationships. These are connected parts of a young child's day.

In January 2025, very young children chose objects from a song bag during singing. Older children explored ice while staff introduced vocabulary about changes in its state. The useful thread is the connection between an experience and the words that describe it: children had something concrete to discuss rather than simply being given vocabulary to repeat.

Stories, songs and rhymes also featured, alongside time for children to express their ideas. Staff allowed space for children to think before continuing a conversation. For parents, that is a useful picture of how language teaching worked: adult input accompanied opportunities for children to contribute.

Physical activities in January 2025 challenged children's balance, awareness of space and control of their movements. A curriculum shaped around children's interests and developmental stages was being put into practice, but still needed to become more firmly established and better matched to individual needs. The important distinction is between having a curriculum design and making it work consistently for each child.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2025, the setting occupied a converted house with a purpose-built extension. Children went outside daily, although the youngest children's outdoor learning needed more deliberate planning. Daily access was therefore one part of the picture; the educational purpose of that time was the improvement priority.

Mixed-age play offered another kind of learning. In January 2025, older children helped younger ones with handwashing, including using the taps and remembering soap. This gave kindness a practical expression and allowed children to experience both giving and receiving help.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2025, the key-person system gave children an adult relationship through which to seek comfort and support. Staff built familiarity with individual children and used their existing interests and skills when planning activities. For a family considering settling, the significant feature is that personal relationship.

Parents received feedback about learning and development in January 2025, with additional guidance on potty training and safer sleep. Communication therefore extended beyond an account of activities to practical matters families were managing at home. Staff also helped children recognise emotions and understand behavioural boundaries during play.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and that staff worked with parents and outside professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In January 2025, that collaboration involved seeking advice and using strategies tailored to individual children; staff deployment and risk assessment also supported supervision during play.

Food includes three meals and two snacks each day. The Summer Menu gives concrete examples such as sweet potato and butternut squash curry, fish pie and vegetarian cottage pie, giving parents a clearer picture of the food than a general promise of variety.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. This makes the closure calendar relevant alongside the daily opening window when arranging care around work.

An application form can be submitted electronically or downloaded and posted. Following the rebrand announcement, enquiries can be sent to info@fawnandfernnursery.co.uk. The nursery's address remains 3 Bracken Place, Chilworth, Southampton, SO16 3NG.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2025, the nursery offered free entitlement funding for children aged from 9 months to 4 years. That describes participation at that date, rather than establishing an individual family's eligibility or attendance arrangement.

• The rebrand. Bracken Place has announced the Fawn & Fern Woodland Nursery name. At a visit, ask what the change means for your child's room, key person and daily routine.
• The youngest children's outdoor learning. More purposeful outdoor experiences were an improvement priority in January 2025. Ask to see how outdoor activities now support babies and younger children.
• Curriculum in practice. In January 2025, the curriculum still needed to become more consistently established and precisely matched to children's needs. Ask how staff use your child's interests and development to choose the next activities.
• A written care quotation. Funding was offered in January 2025 and meals and snacks form part of the day. Request a current written quotation covering your attendance pattern, funded hours, food and non-food consumables.

Bracken Place suits families seeking care across the year who value language learning through concrete play and a key-person relationship. The January 2025 examples are useful: song-bag choices, ice exploration and older children helping younger ones show what those priorities looked like in practice.

The judgement was Good, with clear work still required on curriculum consistency and outdoor learning for the youngest children. Alongside the rebrand, those are the strongest points to explore before choosing the nursery.