Doves Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Gosport for children from birth to 5, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 1996, with 54 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
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
PO12 1LTWhat 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, 26 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy their time at nursery and develop secure relationships with staff and their peers. For example, toddlers show compassion and care towards babies. They recognise when babies are new to walking and hold their hands to support them as they take steps. This builds trust between children, who find new ways to enjoy each other's company. Children form secure attachments with staff as they seek comfort when upset and regularly invite adults into their play. This demonstrates that children feel safe and secure.
Staff support children's developing communication skills well. For instance, they use simple words and communication aids, such as objects of reference, to help children communicate their needs and desires. Staff regularly introduce new words to help build children's vocabularies. For instance, toddlers learn the word
'delicious' as they sit with staff and look at recipe books. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, to develop the skills they will need to be effective communicators.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide young children with the support they need to make good choices, helping them to understand the impact their behaviour has on others.
- 26 February 2024Good
- 2 May 2018Good
- 26 June 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Doves Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.