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Barn Owls Pre School

Ofsted: Good
(Sept 2023)
·
4.0(4 parent reviews) ·Pirrie Park Bowling Club, 78a Wilton Crescent, Southampton, SO15 7QE · Southampton
Number of places
40 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Sept 2023
Local authority
Southampton

About this day nursery

Barn Owls Pre School, located in Shirley, Southampton, provides a warm and welcoming environment where children aged two to four years happily engage in a rich variety of activities. 30 pm, was rated as 'Good' by Ofsted in September 2023 for overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Children demonstrate confidence and feel secure, understanding daily routines and eagerly participating in both indoor and outdoor play. Staff are friendly and supportive, fostering communication and language development through ongoing dialogue and engaging games.

The curriculum places a strong emphasis on physical development, with opportunities for balancing, exercising, and developing core muscles. Children also develop an interest in nature, learning about local wildlife through activities like bug hunts and planting herbs.

The pre-school effectively supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with the manager, who is also the SENCo, working closely with parents and other professionals to ensure positive outcomes. Parents are highly engaged through home-learning packs and social events, praising the kind and patient staff.

The leadership and management are effective, with a passionate manager who values staff development and ensures robust safeguarding arrangements are in place to promote children's safety and welfare.

What it's like

Children arrive happily at the warm and welcoming pre-school, greeted by friendly staff who provide cuddles and reassurance. They demonstrate understanding of daily routines and are confident, feeling safe and secure. Children have positive attitudes to learning and are eager to engage in a rich variety of activities both indoors and outdoors. Staff support communication and language development through ongoing dialogue and activities like "Guess the Sound", and encourage participation during story time to develop literacy skills.

Warm and welcomingGood physical developmentFocus on natureStrong SEND supportEngaged parentsEffective leadership

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, from 8.30am until 5.30pm

Term time / All Year

All Year

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Barn Owls Pre School

Last inspected 12 September 2023

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children arrive happily at the warm and welcoming pre-school, greeted by friendly staff who provide cuddles and reassurance. They demonstrate understanding of daily routines and are confident, feeling safe and secure. Children have positive attitudes to learning and are eager to engage in a rich variety of activities both indoors and outdoors. Staff support communication and language development through ongoing dialogue and activities like "Guess the Sound", and encourage participation during story time to develop literacy skills.

Inspector highlights

  • Children have positive attitudes to their learning and are eager to engage in a rich variety of activities.
  • Staff provide ongoing dialogue that supports children's communication and language development.
  • Children have access to fresh air and exercise and staff provide good opportunities for children to develop their gross motor movements.
  • The manager has implemented successful strategies to engage all parents in their children's learning.
  • The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good.

Areas to develop

  • 1support staff to recognise when to allow children more time to share their own knowledge, think their ideas through and respond to questions, to maximise their learning
  • 2strengthen staff's skills in setting clear expectations for children's behaviour during group activities, to help them to understand what is expected of them and to ensure that all children can fully engage in their learning.
Inspection #10305132 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents highly praise the 'kind and patient' staff.

They comment that they feel 'listened to' and that children are 'thriving'.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. The manager, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, works effectively with parents and other professionals to ensure the best outcomes for all children. The manager acts with integrity to ensure that children with SEND receive the highest level of support and works alongside the local authority to access additional funding for children who require individual support, which helps children to make the best possible progress in their development.

Outdoor space

Children have access to fresh air and exercise. Staff provide good opportunities for children to develop their gross motor movements, such as practicing balancing skills and developing core muscles while walking on beams, and burning energy during races. Children develop an interest in nature, with staff planning activities like enthusiastic bug hunts to support their understanding of local wildlife.

Parent Reviews of Barn Owls Pre School

4.0
(4)
Jose K. Ott
8 years ago

I was a bit worried about sending my 2 year daughter to nursery when starting back at work. Joanna and the staff at Barn Owls made her feel so welcome though, and now she is wanting to go every day! It really does help me knowing my daughter is in a great preschool. Every day she comes home with new stories and tales of what she did at Barn Owls, especially yoga! Barn Owls is the best kept preschool secret in Southampton.

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Timothy Gonzales
8 years ago

We are so thrilled with barn owls, the staffs are amazing and the setting is always new and exciting. Our son really looks forward to going to barn owls each day! Joanna and the staff have helped my son advance so much. I can’t thank them enough! We’ve tried other nurseries in Southampton and barn owls is definitely not like the others, it’s very welcoming and there’s always a new development for the children to explore and with extras like yoga, baking and music lessons. They even bake their own bread! I tell all my friends about barn owls, they really are that good.

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Ben Sisson
10 years ago

Our daughter thoroughly enjoyed her time at Barn Owls, learning far more from this pre-school setting than she could ever have achieved through nursery. A friendly environment with knowledgeable staff, helped to create an exceptional ethos in which she felt part of the ‘Barn Owls’ family. Not only did she develop and grow as an individual, but she has made friends for life which she takes with her into her early school years. It is for these reasons that we are delighted to hear that Barn Owls will be continuing with Mark and Jo, and we very much look forward to sending our youngest daughter here in September.

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Meryem Karakus
7 years ago

Cannot believe how this nursery has treated my niece and sister. Reading previous reviews I thought they were good. But talking with other parents that have already sent their kids here they seem to be really not proffessional. The manageress speaks to parents as though they are children. Please avoid luckily my niece had left this preschool and now has joined st denys riverside pre school and is much happier there.

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Inspection history

Most recent inspection

12 September 2023

Good

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more