Little Peoples Nursery
Little Peoples Nursery is a day nursery in Portsmouth for children aged 1 to 4, with 60 registered places. Ofsted report card, 20 February 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met.
174 Havant Road, Drayton, Portsmouth, PO6 2EH
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 1 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 60 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 23 June 2010 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 20 February 2026
Who runs it
Little Peoples Nursery is run by Little Peoples Nursery (Portsmouth) Ltd (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
- Leadership and governance: Expected standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 20 February 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive at nursery happy, confident and ready to learn. They separate from their parents and carers with ease, supported by practitioners who warmly welcome their key children at the door. This consistent, nurturing greeting ensures that every child feels recognised, valued and secure from the moment they enter. Independence is encouraged straight away; children hang up their coats, change into their slippers and settle quickly into the routine. Strong attendance further supports their sense of belonging and emotional security.
Once inside, children engage immediately with the thoughtfully planned activities on offer. They chat enthusiastically with peers and practitioners as they explore learning opportunities that reflect their interests and build on what they already know. Children in the toddler and pre-school rooms enjoy meaningful, real life experiences, such as preparing healthy muffins for their afternoon snack. Through this process, they learn about quantity, weight, colour, size, mixing, mashing and safely using a grater. They take turns and contribute to each stage, developing practical skills, confidence and social cooperation.
In the baby room, younger children investigate farm animals to support early language development. Practitioners introduce animal sounds before modelling single words, helping children progress from early vocalisations to developing vocabulary. Learning is enriched through edible textures representing soil, crops and animal feed, supporting sensory exploration and regulation.
Practitioners use visual cues and sensory resources to support children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities. These thoughtful adaptations ensure that every child can access the curriculum, participate fully and make meaningful progress.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Regular assessment enables practitioners to identify any gaps in their key children's learning and development at an early stage. However, there are occasions where early intervention could be implemented more promptly to maximise children's progress and ensure that support is provided at the earliest opportunity.
Leaders use additional funding effectively to enhance children's development and remove barriers to learning. This includes reducing staff-to-child ratios and purchasing equipment for sensory circuits, as well as calming toys and resources for the sensory room. These enhancements help children regulate their emotions, develop attention skills and access learning more successfully throughout the day.
Leaders monitor staff's practice closely and identify where there may be gaps in practitioners' knowledge. They arrange targeted training, such as qualifications in working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to strengthen staff's confidence and expertise, ensuring that practice remains current and responsive to children's needs. Practitioners have also recently joined an online Makaton course to support children with speech and language delay and to promote inclusive communication across the setting.
This commitment to ongoing professional development ensures that children, including those with emerging or identified SEND, receive high-quality, well-informed support that enables them to make meaningful progress.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
A love of books is evident throughout the setting and underpins the curriculum's strong focus on language development. Children enjoy frequent opportunities to engage in high-quality interactions with practitioners and to share stories with their peers. They listen with enthusiasm and join in with familiar refrains, such as 'We're not scared', during 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', read expressively by a skilled practitioner. These experiences build children's vocabulary, comprehension and confidence as communicators.
Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and regularly observe practice to celebrate strengths and identify areas for improvement. Teaching is generally effective, although less-experienced staff are less consistent in extending children's learning, for example, by counting blocks during construction play or discussing healthy choices at snack time.
Skilled practitioners lead small-group mathematical sessions where older children explore shape, size and measure using scales. They compare shapes, discuss which are heavier or lighter and consider how to balance the scales, promoting deep mathematical thinking.
Practitioners have a secure knowledge of the early years foundation stage, and children make steady progress. The curriculum also places strong emphasis on children's personal, social and emotional development, supporting them to build friendships, develop resilience and manage their feelings. Staff know their key children well and use assessment effectively to plan next steps.
Achievement: Expected standard
Generally, children achieve well from their starting points. Gaps in all children's learning are closing consistently. Children gain the knowledge and skills they need across all areas of learning. They show increasing independence, curiosity and resilience and are well prepared for their next stage of development.
Children learn new concepts quickly. For example, during a cooking activity, children confidently used a grater and explained why they need to be careful not to grate their fingers, demonstrating secure understanding and the ability to apply new learning.
Children learn a wide vocabulary. For example they gain new words while playing with water, such as 'splash', 'pour', 'bubbles', 'foam', 'clean' and 'wet', supporting progress in communication and language. All children, including those needing additional support, generally make steady progress.
Children transition well between groups, ensuring smooth progression to their next stage of learning. All children gain skills that will prepare them for their move to school, and strong links with local schools supports their transition.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
Children understand what is expected of them and, as a result, demonstrate consistently positive behaviour. They listen well and show kindness towards their peers and practitioners, for example bringing a cushion to a practitioner who is kneeling on the floor. Children confidently share resources, take turns and wait patiently during games and activities, reflecting strong social skills and emotional maturity.
Practitioners model respectful, courteous behaviour, which supports children in developing equally good manners. This is evident when children say 'please' and 'thank you' and even offer a polite 'bless you', when a practitioner sneezes. These interactions contribute to a nurturing environment where children feel valued, respected and secure.
Leaders regularly evaluate practice to ensure that children gain the most from their time at nursery. For example, they identified that children were waiting too long while the whole group prepared to go outside. In response, practitioners now take smaller groups out, reducing waiting times and improving the flow of routines. This also creates smaller groups indoors, enabling children to engage more meaningfully in activities, such as board games, sensory play and other focused experiences that support their wellbeing.
Attendance is good, supported by an online learning journal that enables effective two-way communication with parents and allows leaders to follow up promptly on any unexplained absences. This strengthens safeguarding practice and ensures that children's welfare remains a priority through consistent, timely contact with families.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
Practitioners show consistent respect for children's dignity and autonomy, seeking permission before carrying out care routines, such as changing nappies or wiping noses. This sensitive approach helps children feel valued, secure and in control of their own bodies.
Children develop an understanding of how to look after their bodies. Practitioners typically support children to build positive attitudes towards health, hygiene and physical development. Before taking part in an obstacle course, children warm up their muscles and talk confidently about how exercise affects their bodies. In pre-school, practitioners extend this learning by discussing healthy eating and teach children to recognise which foods help them grow, feel strong and stay healthy.
Children learn about the importance of care routines that keep them safe and well. They wash their hands to remove germs before cooking activities, showing an early awareness of hygiene and self-care. During water play, children practise brushing dolls' teeth, helping them understand the importance of good dental hygiene in a meaningful, age-appropriate way.
Practitioners use stories effectively to help children recognise and regulate their emotions. Each day, children are encouraged to identify and express how they are feeling by linking their emotions to a familiar story and placing their chosen feeling into the corresponding jar. This simple, consistent routine supports children in building emotional literacy and developing early strategies for understanding and managing their own feelings.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
Parents and carers speak highly of the leaders and practitioners, particularly valuing the warm relationships and the meaningful home-learning activities that extend children's learning beyond the nursery.
Leaders are committed to improving outcomes for all children and have recently developed a staff development plan. Through regular observations, supervisions and reflective discussions, leaders identify where staff would benefit from additional training. This has led to targeted professional development, including special educational needs coordinator training and Makaton courses, ensuring that staff are better equipped to support children with emerging communication and learning needs.
Staff's wellbeing is prioritised and embedded within the culture of the nursery. Leaders maintain an open-door approach and are a visible, supportive presence throughout the day. Monthly supervisions and informal wellbeing checks enable leaders to notice when staff may need additional support, allowing timely intervention. Workload is reviewed regularly, with leaders actively seeking ways to reduce pressure and improve staff's experience.
A dedicated staff space provides a calm area for breaks and reflection, complemented by wellbeing baskets and vouchers when needed. Staff benefit from personalised development plans, including tailored support for team members who may feel less confident with digital systems. This inclusive approach builds confidence, strengthens practice and ensures that staff feel valued and supported.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should take further steps to ensure that early interventions for children with emerging speech and language delays are identified and implemented sooner, enabling timely support and improved long term outcomes.
- Leaders should create further opportunities for less-confident staff to develop their teaching skills, ensuring that they receive targeted support, coaching and modelling so that practice becomes consistently strong across the team.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 20 February 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- Drayton Daisychain Preschool - Day nursery, Portsmouth PO6 1PA, ages 1 to 4, 24 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 12 December 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Dysart Nursery Limited - Day nursery, Portsmouth PO6 2LY, ages 1 to 4, 42 places, 0.2 milesOfsted report card, 11 June 2026: Strong standard in 4 areas, Expected standard in 2 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Dream Catchers Play House - Day nursery, Portsmouth PO6 2LG, ages 0 to 5, 30 places, 0.3 milesOfsted, 25 March 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Dolls House Nursery - Day nursery, Portsmouth PO6 2JD, ages 1 to 4, 55 places, 0.4 milesOfsted, 18 April 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Castle Pre-School Ltd - Pre-school, Portsmouth PO6 2PP, ages 2 to 4, 16 places, 0.5 milesOfsted, 3 January 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Springfield School - Secondary, 0.3 miles
- Solent Junior School - Primary, 0.4 miles
- Court Lane Infant Academy - Primary, 0.4 miles
- Court Lane Junior Academy - Primary, 0.4 miles
- Solent Infant School - Primary, 0.5 miles