Bishops Waltham Montessori
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Southampton for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2005, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours a week for 38 weeks a year – 570 hours. 30 hour funding is available for children over 3. 15 hours of 2 year funding is available for children who qualify and of course 30 hours SEND funding.
Worth knowing. Voluntary charge of £1 per hour for all funded children; extra curricular sessions charged at £2.50 per session; no extra charges for children whose parents are in receipt of universal credit and or SEN funding.
What childcare usually costs in Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SO32 1EDWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 10 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily separate from their parents as they enter this warm and welcoming nursery, where the ethos is to promote 'love and kindness'. They receive a warm welcome from staff, who check in with parents for any information they may need to know to support the day ahead. Children independently place their belongings down before seeking out their friends. They display a strong sense of belonging and show that they feel safe and secure. For example, children spontaneously run over to staff members and cuddle into them. Staff respond with big smiles, showing genuine warmth and kindness.
Children benefit from a curriculum that is fun and stimulating. Staff identify what children need to learn next and then plan a suitable range of learning experiences.
For example, children show high levels of enthusiasm as they use hammers to smash ice to free toy animals frozen inside. They hold the animals up and confidently name them, such as a 'praying mantis'. Staff praise children's efforts.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance teaching strategies to consistently refocus children's attention on learning.
- 10 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 11 December 2019Good
- 21 March 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bishops Waltham Montessori
- What it costs
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.