West Downs Day Nursery
Outstanding★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Hampshire for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in April 2025. Open since 1997, 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 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
SO22 5HTWhat 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, 11 April 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show very high levels of motivation as staff skilfully adapt activities to follow their interests. For instance, a love of trains is used to encourage toddlers to make tracks in paint, and babies pull themselves up to standing as they investigate baskets of intriguing resources. Pre-school children relish researching new topics because staff spark their imaginations with questions and exciting information. For example, staff stimulate children's minds with interesting facts about rainbows.
Children listen intently as they make their own rainbows by dipping paper with coloured ink into water.
Children of all ages consistently develop their social and emotional skills. Babies learn to imitate adults by watching the warm and encouraging facial expressions of staff. Young children feed and care for their dolls as staff teach them how to consider the needs of others. Pre-school children learn how to respect the personal space of their peers. Older children who need additional support make significant progress because they are taught how to self-regulate their emotions. The teaching of emotional literacy is embedded throughout the nursery and prepares children very well for their transition to school.
- 11 April 2025Outstanding Safeguarding: Yes
- 6 August 2019Good
- 2 April 2013Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for West Downs Day 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.