Paint Pots Preschool & Nursery
Good★ 5.0 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 Good by Ofsted in March 2024. Open since 2007, with 68 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
SO16 3AUWhat 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, 14 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish in this warm and welcoming nursery. Staff know children well and display secure, nurturing relationships with them. Babies have good bonds with their key person. They receive lots of cuddles and reassurance to help them to settle. Older children bounce into the nursery with happiness. They wave goodbye to their parents and hang up their belongings. They immediately run in and seek out friends to play with.
Children benefit from a fun and stimulating curriculum to support their individual needs. Staff identify what children need to learn next and then plan a suitable range of learning experiences. Children show high levels of enthusiasm as they make use of all the interesting resources. For example, children talk about how dinosaurs 'squish squash' on paint covered bubble wrap. They giggle with delight and invite friends over to join in with them.
Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They are good role models and set clear expectations for children. They support them to resolve any minor conflicts swiftly. Children display kindness towards their friends. For example, they pass one another different coloured chalk so they can make a caterpillar as colourful as possible. Staff praise children for their efforts, causing them to smile.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's skills in giving children enough time to think about and reflect on questions asked, to best support their learning n support staff to develop strategies to help children remain interested and involved during group activities.
- 14 March 2024Good
- 29 May 2018Good
- 29 May 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 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.