My Little Explorers

In November 2023, tyre swings, woodland climbing and time to pursue an idea shaped children's experience at My Little Explorers. This is the Toothill Road setting at Hillside Cottage in Romsey, with capacity for 12 children in total. Its small whole-setting capacity is a useful starting point for families seeking a nursery on this scale, although it does not describe the number attending together.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 15 November 2023. Children attending then were aged two to four, and the day's strongest examples involved movement, imaginative play and independent choices. Two improvement priorities also matter to parents: more consistent support and development for staff, and clearer relationships between families and their child's key person.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: in parent language, learning through play sits alongside attention to how children communicate, move and relate to others. In November 2023, the nursery used a forest school approach, with the natural surroundings providing the setting for exploration and practical learning.

Children had sustained stretches of play rather than being continually moved to the next activity. They chose what to investigate and became absorbed in it. That matters for a child who needs time to develop an idea, repeat an experiment or finish an imaginative game.

Small-scale activities complemented the bigger woodland movements. In November 2023, children used pipettes to combine paint colours, practising careful hand movements while sharing materials. They connected this activity with potion making they remembered. Learning could therefore return to a familiar idea and take it further, rather than starting afresh each time.

Conversation accompanied play. Staff introduced vocabulary connected with a pretend veterinary visit and used questions to encourage children to think. The practical value is clear: imaginative games gave children something meaningful to talk about, with adults extending the language involved.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2023, ladders, tree trunks and heavy wooden planks featured in physical play. Children balanced, climbed and ran through the woods; making chalk marks on trees added a purpose to climbing. These were opportunities to practise coordination and strength through activities children wanted to do.

A climbing frame and tyre swings added further movement. Children jumped into leaves and invited adults to watch their achievements. Staff helped them judge risks for themselves, making outdoor play a setting for practising decisions as well as physical skills.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children confident in seeking help from staff, but identified weaknesses in staff supervision and in ensuring every parent knew their child's key person. These findings belong together: attentive interactions with children were a strength, while the systems supporting consistent teaching and parent relationships needed further work.

Daily routines also helped children understand what happened next in November 2023. An owl whistle signalled a pause to listen, and staff used clay squeezing as a way to respond to frustration. The emphasis was on giving children a practical response to a feeling, alongside helping them understand other people's emotions.

Parents then felt informed about children's learning, but the key-person gap limited the relationship through which home and nursery could work together. Staff also spoke regularly with other early years settings attended by the children, helping keep support consistent across those settings.

Story time was one example of uneven teaching in November 2023: it did not engage every child consistently. In November 2023, supervision needed strengthening to help staff identify and address minor teaching weaknesses promptly.

The address is Hillside Cottage, Toothill Road, Romsey, SO51 9LN. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 023 80740310 or through the nursery contact form.

Sessions and Attendance

In November 2023, opening hours were 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during school terms. This was a term-time opening window, an important distinction for parents matching childcare to their working week.

The nursery's 2026 waiting-list policy closes that list and directs registration forms requesting a 2026 start onto the 2027 waiting list. Families planning around that cycle need to take the stated routing rule into account.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2023, the setting received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. That describes participation at that date rather than an individual child's entitlement.

• Key-person relationships. In November 2023, some parents did not know their child's key person. A visit should explore how introductions and ongoing conversations now work.
• Teaching consistency. Staff supervision and development needed strengthening in November 2023, with story time an example. Ask how staff receive feedback and how activities engage children with different interests.
• Planning a start. Forms requesting a 2026 start are directed to the 2027 waiting list. What attendance pattern, funding arrangement and charges would apply to your proposed start?

My Little Explorers suits families drawn to woodland exploration and sustained play, with a small whole-setting capacity. The November 2023 examples make that appeal tangible: children tackled physical challenges, experimented with colour and developed imaginative games. The balance for parents is the November 2023 need for more consistent staff development and stronger key-person communication. Those relationships deserve as much attention as the outdoor setting.