Little Berries Pre-School
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Southampton for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:30 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 2010, with 32 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 and 30 hours funding per week for 3 & 4 year olds; up to 570 hours of early education per year over a minimum of 38 weeks for eligible 2 year olds.
Worth knowing. Any hours over the 15 or 30 hour entitlement that your child attends pre-school are charged at the rates listed to the right. You will be asked to complete a funding form once your child has been offered a place to receive the free entitlement and provide a copy of your child's birth certificate. These must be returned as soon as possible, otherwise your free entitlement could be delayed and you will be required to pay.
What childcare usually costs in Southampton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Southampton 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
SO16 6RLWhat 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, 3 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish in this outstanding pre-school. From the outset, the manager and her staff have extremely high expectations for children. Staff's focus on children's personal, social and emotional well-being is foremost in the vision and ethos of the setting. Children develop exceptional social skills. They behave well and are kind, caring and thoughtful. For instance, as they share the drawing board, children ask their friends if they can remove some of their artwork to make a little space for them. Children recognise the needs of their friends and make space for them, showing consideration and kindness as they reply, 'of course'. Children's behaviour is exemplary.
Staff plan and provide a sequenced curriculum that follows children's interests.
Staff focus on children's communication skills is exceptional. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make tremendous progress in all areas of education. Staff provide exciting activities that ignite children's curiosity. They help children to persevere when learning is more challenging and expertly adapt teaching to the individual needs and abilities of each child. Children engage extremely well and remain highly focused as staff expertly interact alongside them. For instance, as older children learn to count, staff teach them some written numbers. Children successfully learn to match numbers to quantities as they count out favourite coloured ponies confidently.
- 3 November 2023Outstanding
- 13 November 2017Outstanding
- 9 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Berries Pre-School
- 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.