Sweethearts Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Hayling Island for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2024. Open since 2020, with 25 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
PO11 9EHWhat 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.
- 8 September 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 15 March 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 25 April 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at this pre-school enthusiastic and keen to start their day. Staff greet individual children as they independently find their own pegs and hang up their belongings. Staff thoughtfully plan a range of stimulating activities that support children's individual learning, incorporating their own interests. As such, children are quick to become absorbed into activities and play experiences. For instance, they delight in caring for their growing carrots they have planted and immerse themselves in bug hunts as they learn how to care for nature. This supports children to be motivated and engaged in their learning.
The manager and staff team have worked diligently to make the necessary improvements since the last inspection and have sustained previous improvements made. Together, they have fully embedded a new, well-thought-out curriculum which prioritises all children's individual learning needs. The manager has strengthened staff supervision sessions to identify gaps in staff's knowledge. She ensures that they receive the coaching and targeted training needed to improve their personal effectiveness in their roles. This greatly improves the learning outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Consequently, this enables all children to make the good progress they are capable of.
Staff understand the importance of children feeling safe and secure. They develop positive and caring bonds with children. They ensure that children's individual needs are consistently met throughout the day. Children enjoy staff interaction, and excitedly seek them out for play, praise and support when needed. This positively supports children's emotional well-being.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support all staff to consistently recognise opportunities that arise from children's interest during play and extend children's thinking skills to enhance their learning even further n make greater use of everyday opportunities to extend older children's understanding of mathematical concepts.
- 25 April 2024Good
- 29 November 2023Inadequate
- 14 July 2023Inadequate
- 23 January 2023Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sweethearts Preschool
- 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.