Little Shipmates Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Southampton for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2024. Open since 2017, with 72 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
SO45 6ETWhat 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, 15 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are welcomed into the setting by staff who are friendly and nurturing.
They enjoy spending time with their friends and choosing activities that are engaging and exciting. For example, children mix their own paints and use the easels outside to make colourful pictures.
Children choose to play inside or outdoors, and staff carefully plan experiences to move children's learning on. For example, children use litter pickers to pick up leaves in the garden. This helps them develop the small muscles in their hands and wrists, which in turn supports them to use tongs to pick up their fruit at snack time.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on staff's understanding of the importance of providing opportunities to extend children's communication and language.
- 15 November 2024Good
- 26 March 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Shipmates Pre-School
- 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.