Bright Horizons Southampton Day Nursery and Preschool

Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): EY492794 Address: 7-9 Roberts Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 5DF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 26/08/2015 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited

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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.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children's achievement varies across the nursery because experiences do not consistently capture their attention or sustain their engagement. While some children become absorbed in purposeful experiences and build new skills, others lose interest quickly or wander between activities. Consequently, some children, including those who face barriers to their learning, do not make the progress they are capable of.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children demonstrate a range of emerging skills as they explore and play. For example, younger children make connections with what they see, and use developing language to communicate their ideas, such as by describing a prickly ball as a 'pufferfish'. Older children show emerging creativity as they squeeze, pinch and make shapes with play dough. These experiences enable children to develop their fine motor skills, communication and creative imagination through purposeful play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders and staff do not consistently establish routines that help children to understand expectations and manage their behaviour. Transitions can become disorganised, and some children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, struggle to regulate their emotions when routines lack structure. At times, children become distressed and throw resources. Staff responses are often reactive and do not help children to understand appropriate boundaries. Although most children behave well, these inconsistencies can contribute to a busy environment and do not support all children to develop a positive attitude to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Generally, children benefit from positive relationships with staff, who typically support them to share and take turns. Staff offer praise and give encouragement when children show kindness towards each other. However, expectations are not consistently reinforced. For example, staff remind children to use 'kind hands', but do not always explain why their actions may affect others or help them understand what is expected instead. Leaders recognise the importance of regular attendance and follow up on children's absences, helping to promote continuity in children's learning and overall wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have established a broad curriculum that reflects what they want children to learn. However, this is not yet consistently embedded in practice, which has been acknowledged by leaders. Some staff are unsure how to build on what children already know and can do. At times, experiences and activities lack excitement and do not capture children's interests sufficiently to sustain their attention. Consequently, some children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, wander between activities rather than becoming deeply involved in their learning. As a result, the quality of teaching is variable, and children do not benefit from ambitious and inclusive learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

When teaching is more effective, staff engage children in purposeful conversations that build their communication and language skills. For example, children talk enthusiastically about what they may see through a telescope, naming the sky, stars and moon. Staff also introduce mathematical concepts through play, such as by encouraging children to consider whether items are 'long' or 'short'. However, the quality of interactions is inconsistent, and learning is not always matched to what children already know. This means that children do not always make the progress they are capable of.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have not ensured effective oversight of the nursery. Weaknesses in staff deployment, supervision and the organisation of routines mean that children are not always adequately supported. Staff are not consistently clear about their roles and responsibilities, including how to respond when children require additional support. Leaders have not ensured that agreed strategies for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are understood and implemented. This means that not all children receive safe, responsive and effective care.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Despite this, regional leaders recognise the weaknesses within the nursery and have plans in place to drive improvement. They are providing increased oversight and support to the leadership team, identifying priorities for staff development. However, these actions are in their early stages and have not yet resulted in improved practice. This means that children are not receiving a consistently effective quality of care and education.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and staff promote partnerships with parents through regular communication about children's care, learning and development. Staff generally feel well supported by leaders. However, some staff lack confidence when supporting children with more complex needs. This means that some children do not consistently receive the support they need in order to participate fully and make the best possible progress in their learning and development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

There are significant weaknesses in how staff promote children's welfare and wellbeing. Staff deployment and supervision are not consistently effective. At times, children are out of staff's sight, placing them at risk of injury. Staff do not always recognise when supervision is compromised or use available communication systems to request additional support. Furthermore, children are able to access and use resources that require close supervision, without staff recognising the potential risk. As a result, emerging risks are not always identified or responded to promptly to keep children safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Staff do not consistently follow appropriate hygiene practices. For example, children use wipes to clean mud off their shoes, before using the same wipe to clean their faces. This increases the risk of cross-contamination and does not promote appropriate hygiene practices. Consequently, children are not consistently supported to develop healthy habits or understand how to keep themselves safe and well.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that the key-person system works effectively for all children. Some staff are unclear about their responsibilities due to recent staffing changes. They do not have a sufficient understanding of children's individual needs. This is particularly significant for children who require additional support to regulate their emotions. As a result, children do not always benefit from consistent relationships with staff who know them well, limiting the reassurance and support they receive for their wellbeing.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders and staff do not ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning receive constantly effective support. Agreed strategies are not always implemented by staff, and some do not understand children's individual needs well enough. For example, staff do not recognise when children need support to regulate their emotions and behaviour. At times, children become upset and their behaviour escalates to communicate their needs. Consequently, children with SEND do not receive the targeted support they need in order to make progress, and their behaviour can disrupt other children's play and affect their safety and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders' oversight of the SEND provision is ineffective. They do not ensure that individual education plans are routinely implemented, monitored or reviewed. For example, behaviour- monitoring records are not completed, and staff are unclear about the purpose of these. Therefore, leaders cannot assure themselves that interventions are having the intended impact or that children are making progress. Furthermore, leaders have not used additional funding effectively to meet children's individual needs. These weaknesses are not identified and addressed quickly enough. As a result, children with SEND do not consistently receive the timely, coordinated and effective support they need.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

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

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary 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 do not benefit equally from their time at the nursery. For some children, particularly those who need additional support, barriers remain that affect how fully they can participate and flourish. Children's differing needs are not always considered well enough, which can affect their sense of security and ability to become involved in nursery life. Children's experiences can also lack predictability because expectations and daily routines are not firmly established. This can make it harder for some children to develop their self-regulation, confidence and independence. Children's safety and wellbeing are not promoted consistently enough across all aspects of the provision.

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

Children experience a broad range of opportunities. However, the quality of these experiences varies, and they do not always inspire children to become absorbed in what they are doing. At their best, children are inquisitive, communicate their ideas and enjoy finding things out. They develop language and physical skills through play and interactions. However, the curriculum and teaching do not yet enable every child to build securely on their existing knowledge and capabilities. As a result, some children are better prepared for their next stage of learning than others.

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

Most children generally appear settled and enjoy being with their friends. They learn alongside one another and sometimes show consideration for others. Most children manage their behaviour appropriately and respond positively to encouragement. However, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities find it more difficult to regulate their emotions when their individual needs are not understood or supported consistently. At times, this affects their ability to participate successfully. Leaders recognise the importance of attendance and monitor this closely, helping children to benefit from continuity in their learning experiences.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure that staffing arrangements consistently meet the needs of all children, and staff are deployed effectively, so that children are appropriately supervised at all times to keep them safe 31/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that effective arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including supporting staff to use agreed strategies to ensure that children's individual needs are met and their development is well supported 31/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure leaders have sufficient oversight of the provision to identify weaknesses in staff's practice, and provide coaching and mentoring to help them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities 31/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

strengthen the key-person system to ensure that staff understand and support all children's individual needs and next steps in learning 31/08/2026

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Address:

7-9 Roberts Road Southampton Hampshire SO15 5DF

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited

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Action Completion Date

ensure leaders and staff develop a clear and consistent understanding of how to support and manage children's behaviour, helping children gain a secure awareness of behaviour expectations and remain focused in learning 31/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that staff effectively support all children to promote their safety and consistently develop good hygiene practices 31/08/2026

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About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, children and parents during the inspection.

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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. Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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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

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Urgent improvement

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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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