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Early years · Report card

Poppins Preschool and Nursery

Inspected 27 Nov 2025 · URN 2745202

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Loretta Murphy

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Expected standard

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Strong standard

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Strong standard

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Expected standard

  • Inclusion verified

    Strong standard

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Expected standard

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Poppins Preschool And Nursery limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    27 Nov 2025

  • Inspectors verified

    Loretta Murphy

  • Name on report verified

    Poppins Preschool and Nursery

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    2745202

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementExpected
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesStrong
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingStrong
  • Curriculum and teachingExpected
  • InclusionStrong
  • Leadership and governanceExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+81Very positivemore positive than 67% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisestrongsecureexcellentpositiveconfidentlyeffectivelysafefeel safe
Criticismgapsconcernsnot alwayslimited

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1237w+80
  • Leadership218w+87
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve61w+33

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
9
Words of findings
1,567
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 43, typical 43
Average sentence
15 words
Next steps
2
typical 3
Hedged sentences
2%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 59%Leadership 10%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 25%

Full report text

Poppins Preschool and Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2745202 Address: The Scout Hut, Jubilee Park, Milton Road, WATERLOOVILLE, Hampshire, PO7 6AW Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 01/08/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Poppins Preschool And Nursery limited

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children behave extremely well. Staff are excellent role models and provide consistent positive reinforcement, which encourages children to make good choices. Children develop secure levels of confidence, self-esteem and independence. There is a solid focus on helping children treat others fairly and respectfully. Children demonstrate a clear understanding of how to be kind, considerate and inclusive towards others. During activities, they share resources, take turns and listen carefully to ideas expressed by others. Even the youngest children are learning to manage their feelings and resolve minor disagreements with gentle guidance from staff. Children show high levels of empathy and cooperation. This creates a calm and harmonious learning environment where everyone feels valued, accepted and safe.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children establish secure attachments with staff. This is particularly evident as younger children become tired. Staff act swiftly to help relax children, such as offering a cuddle to prepare them for sleep. Additionally, older children are encouraged to sit quietly and share a book.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff support children to gain a sense of responsibility. For instance, they encourage children to put toys back in their correct places after playing with them so that other children can easily access them. This helps children to be considerate and to be aware of the needs of others.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing is securely embedded. Staff consistently support children to develop a secure understanding of physical health and safety, which helps them to make appropriate choices and confidently manage risks. Home-cooked meals are freshly prepared on site, such as sausages, mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. Children's allergies and dietary needs are carefully monitored, ensuring safe and inclusive mealtimes. Staff proactively sit facing children during mealtimes, which promotes social interaction. Staff encourage children to cut their vegetables into small pieces to keep themselves safe, while promoting independence and self-care.

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Expected standard

Children are supported well to recognise, express and manage their emotions. Staff ask thoughtful questions and use visual cues to help children identify and recognise different facial expressions linked to emotions. Children are encouraged to talk about their feelings and seek support from trusted adults. As a result, children grow in confidence and are able to talk openly and appropriately about their emotions.

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Expected standard

Physical development is supported very well. Children climb, balance and run. They demonstrate their enjoyment of outdoor play, including jumping in puddles, which is closely monitored by staff. Individual routines are securely embedded. Feeding and sleeping are thoughtfully tailored to meet each child's needs, such as ensuring that younger children have milk before sleep. Children develop solid independence skills in self-care, learn hygiene practices and develop healthy habits. Children demonstrate they are consistently happy, confident and relaxed.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Staff know and support children very well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They quickly identify when children may need additional support and tailor strategies to meet their individual needs. Staff work effectively with other professionals. They swiftly seek guidance and make timely referrals to other professionals to secure the correct help. This means children receive the support they need to make progress, which helps to close any gaps in their learning.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children. They recognise the importance of ensuring that children of all ages and developmental stages access the best possible experiences. For example, targeted training on supporting babies has strengthened staff's knowledge and understanding, enabling them to include the youngest children in rich, high- quality learning opportunities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff work closely in partnership with parents. They ensure that parents receive daily updates about children's progress and development, keeping them well informed and actively involved in their child's learning. When required, staff signpost families to external professionals for additional support, such as health visitors. This helps to secure the best possible outcomes for children. Furthermore, leaders have established a strong culture of home learning. For instance, parents are encouraged to read regularly with their children at home. This means children develop a love of books, strengthen their early language skills and make continued progress in their learning beyond the setting.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children are achieving well, develop positive attitudes to learning and are well prepared for the next stage of learning, including school. They make good progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use assessments effectively to identify children's next steps and provide tailored support to help close gaps in their learning. As a result, children develop good communication and language skills. They confidently use new vocabulary, express their ideas and engage in meaningful conversations.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Staff support children to develop the skills required to look after themselves. Children show high levels of independence. Staff provide rich opportunities for them to look after their own needs, such as encouraging them to put on their hats, coats and wellington boots for outdoor play. They demonstrate good levels of curiosity and resilience as they explore their environment and persevere with challenges. For instance, they use critical thinking skills to make balancing structures safer to walk on. As a result, they develop a good understanding of managing their own risks.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, leaders plan a broad and varied curriculum that supports children's learning across all areas of development. Leaders and staff demonstrate a secure understanding of how young children learn. They have a clear vision of what they want children to know, understand and be able to do in most aspects of the curriculum. This is evident in terms of the curriculum for the prime areas of learning. There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language skills. Staff implement targeted plans to support children's speech and language development. For example, they model language effectively by breaking speech down into two- and three-word sentences. This helps children to build their vocabulary, develop confidence and make rapid progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff promote mathematical understanding and language through their interactions and incidental opportunities. For instance, children are introduced to counting in sequence while joining in with familiar songs, such as 'Five Little Monkeys'. Additionally, they encourage children to match numerals to quantities. However, their knowledge and understanding of how to sequence the curriculum for mathematics is not fully embedded. This means that children do not always understand specific concepts before moving on to learn something new.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision, which guides all aspects of practice and is understood by staff. Children benefit from consistently applied routines, robust policies and a safe environment. Leaders are open to new ideas to strengthen the curriculum and improve outcomes for children. For example, they intend to review the curriculum for mathematics to ensure that it is well sequenced, enabling children to develop a confident understanding of specific concepts, such as counting in sequence. Leaders identify when areas need strengthening to support children's learning and progression across all areas. Recent improvements also include enabling younger children to access outdoor play earlier in the day, ensuring that they benefit from fresh air and exercise before they become tired.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the importance of supporting staff, particularly in caring for babies, and ensure that they receive training to enhance their knowledge and understanding. Staff have completed baby training, and plans are in place for all staff to receive training in sign language to enhance children's communication and language development. Staff comment that they are well supported in their roles. Additionally, leaders involve them in planning and identifying resources needed to improve learning experiences for children.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Effective leadership, curriculum review and professional development ensure that children are safe, well supported and able to thrive in a stimulating and nurturing environment.

p.5

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children arrive happily at the welcoming setting. They are greeted by caring staff who know them well. This helps children to build strong attachments. These positive relationships help children to settle quickly into routines. Children feel safe, secure and ready to start their day.

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children behave well. They listen and respond to clear direction from staff to support their understanding of rules and procedures. Children form good relationships with their peers. For instance, they invite each other to join in with play. Children develop an understanding of different emotions through story time activities. For instance, they show their angry faces while mimicking a troll.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children develop a love of learning. They relish opportunities to lead their own play. They explore their ideas in the richly resourced and stimulating environment. For example, children learn about mixing colours and transportation while transferring different-coloured waters from bottles with pumps. They confidently recall what they have learned, such as, 'Red and white make pink.' Staff have a good understanding of how to promote children's fine motor skills and coordination during activities.

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children's communication and language is supported well. Staff provide opportunities for children to further develop their language skills. They weave questioning techniques into

p.5

Inspector:

Loretta Murphy stories, which helps children to develop critical thinking skills. They learn new words and phrases, such as 'trip trapping', through repetition. Staff seek guidance and make timely referrals to other professionals to support children and help close gaps in their development.

p.6

Inspector:

Children develop an understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, they wash their hands when they have finished activities. Staff provide a healthy range of food, such as cooked meals. Staff support children to develop skills in independence, such as using child-friendly knives to cut vegetables. Furthermore, children learn how to manage risks. They talk about mashing up food for babies 'in case they choke'.

p.6

Next steps

Leaders should review the curriculum for mathematics to ensure it is sequenced so that children are confident in their understanding of specific concepts before moving on to learn something new.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders and practitioners during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Address:

The Scout Hut, Jubilee Park Milton Road WATERLOOVILLE Hampshire PO7 6AW

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Poppins Preschool And Nursery limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 15:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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