Paint Pots Preschool & Nursery
Outstanding★ 4.1 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2000, with 55 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 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
SO15 3ARWhat 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, 4 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed in by experienced staff and come in happy and ready to play with their friends. Staff know every child extremely well and have worked incredibly hard to ensure the environment is exciting and engaging for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
and those who speak English as an additional language. This makes children feel fully included, as staff expertly tailor the planning of activities to reflect their individual needs
Staff have developed a curriculum that is ambitious and skilfully meets the needs of all children in every room across the setting. They have an in-depth understanding of the intentions of each activity and use their knowledge of each individual child, to move their learning on to the next stage promptly. For example, staff engage children in a fruit cutting activity and use this opportunity to explore new vocabulary, discuss textures of the fruits and the seeds inside them. Staff provide an excellent range of activities across the setting to fully engage children in their learning. For example, children are engrossed in an activity exploring slime and using a range of tools to explore shape and texture. They concentrate for long periods of time, which means they become highly motivated learners.
- 4 July 2025Outstanding Safeguarding: Yes
- 21 November 2019Outstanding
- 1 August 2019Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Paint Pots Preschool & 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.