Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

Squirrels Pre-School in Farnborough

Ofsted: Good
(Jul 2023)
·
4.0(11 parent reviews) ·Priory Park Pavillion, Priory Street, Farnborough, GU14 7HX · Hampshire
Number of places
26 places
Age range
2–5 yrs
Last inspected
Jul 2023
Local authority
Hampshire

About this day nursery

Squirrels Pre-School, located in Farnborough, Hampshire, operates from Priory Park Pavilion on Priory Street and has been providing childcare since its registration in 2000. This childcare setting offers a nurturing environment where children are happy, safe, and well-cared for.

The pre-school caters to children aged two to four years, as well as offering a holiday playscheme for children up to 11 years old. Staff at Squirrels Pre-School prioritise children's personal, social, and emotional well-being, fostering strong, trusting relationships between children and staff.

The curriculum is designed to excite and engage children, with a focus on individual learning priorities. Children benefit from a rich variety of activities, from making "potions" to engaging in physical play with ride-on bicycles and hula hoops.

The pre-school has a dedicated team of 10 staff members, 8 of whom are qualified from level 2 to level 6, ensuring a high standard of care and education. The setting also effectively supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with targeted plans in place to provide necessary assistance.

What it's like

Children are happy, safe and well cared for. They benefit from the staff’s focus on supporting their personal, social and emotional well-being. Children develop strong, trusting relationships with staff and their friends. Staff have high expectations for children’s learning and create a curriculum that focuses on their learning priorities.

Supportive environmentEngaging activitiesStrong relationshipsGood communicationPromotes healthy lifestyle

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

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

Key facts

Opening hours

Pre-school sessions run from 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. The holiday playscheme runs during school holidays from 8am to 4.30pm.

Term time / All Year

Mixed

Established

2000

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Squirrels Pre-School

Last inspected 18 July 2023

Overall effectiveness
Good

What it's like to attend

Children are happy, safe and well cared for. They benefit from the staff’s focus on supporting their personal, social and emotional well-being. Children develop strong, trusting relationships with staff and their friends. Staff have high expectations for children’s learning and create a curriculum that focuses on their learning priorities.

Inspector highlights

  • Children are happy, safe and well cared for.
  • Staff focus on supporting children's personal, social and emotional well-being.
  • Children develop strong, trusting relationships with staff and their friends.
  • Staff have high expectations for children's learning.
  • The curriculum is created to focus on priorities for children's learning.
  • Children benefit from activities which excite and engage them in learning.
  • All children, including those in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from their starting points.
  • Leaders and the staff team are passionate about providing children with the best start to their early education.
  • Staff teach children the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.
  • Children enjoy plentiful opportunities to be physically active.
  • Children benefit from good opportunities to develop their mathematical knowledge.
  • Staff work well with parents and other professionals involved in children's care.
  • Overall, children's communication and language skills are supported well.

Areas to develop

  • 1Target staff professional development opportunities to refine and enhance teaching skills more precisely.
  • 2Develop techniques to consistently support children in communicating their wants, needs and ideas more effectively.
Inspection #10303324 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff work well with parents and other professionals involved in children's care. They share a range of information regularly to reflect children's interests and unique needs. This helps to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from a shared and consistent approach to their care and development. Staff devise targeted plans of support for each child. This ensures that all children who need extra help receive the support they need.

Outdoor space

Children enjoy plentiful opportunities to be physically active. They push themselves along on ride-on bicycles and practise using hula hoops, developing their good coordination skills. Staff encourage children to take age-appropriate risks as they play. For example, children think about how they can cross low-level planks between the tepees as staff encourage and praise them.

Parent Reviews of Squirrels Pre-School

4.0
(11)
Kerri Hunt
6 months ago

We visited to have a look around for our daughter to potentially start here. The manager is very knowledagbel about the early years education and is up to date with recent changes in expectations and regulations. The setting is traditional with zoned areas but not overly labelled and doesnt look like an advert for twinkl! The garden had a range of set up activities and child led. The inside only had 2 areas that had any kind kf adult led expected outcome which was great! The rest was all curiosity approach led and open ended playbwhichbis refreshk g to see. Weve seen a few nurseries now and this one has made me change my mind on placing her in a nursery at all. Their approach to phonics and maths learning is holistic and comes from creative opportunities within play situations as well as circle times. We haven't decided officially but just wanted to write this so others can see there are still some Good old fashioned nurseries out there with the child's development at heart and the 'Prime areas' at the forefront of what they do! Well done 👏 1 star remaining due to some of the areas/ equipment needing updating- though I understand this is probably a funding issue, not neglect at all. It's an ideal- not an essential

Read on Google
James Sharp
a year ago

Absolutely love the way the staff set the preschool up! It is always bright and colourful! The garden is incredible now with its new layout making it adventurous,safe and secure for all who go there! The staff are amazing! You will be missing out big time going anywhere else!

Read on Google
Catalina Mihalescu
10 months ago

Long story short.. My little girl developed a trauma because of being bullied by one of the kids and all they said was that nothing is happening there and that my girl is lying when she is telling me she is hit by another girl, who actually hit her when I was holding her hand while waiting to get inside the preschool, with no reason, and not only once. I was asking for their support for 3 months in this situation and just got worse. Very unprofessional behaviour from the director, who was also lying to me saying that she didn’t see when that girl hit hard my girl in front of her, my girl starting to cry, but suddenly remembered the incident when I mentioned her about the ring bell camera to be checked. Parents, take care of your kids and trust them..

Read on Google
Liz Brown
a year ago

Brilliant pre school and summer club. The girls came home with beautiful items they have made each day . They were doing crafts each day on different topics. The staff are amazing . Will definitely recommend.

Read on Google
Jennifer Stevens
a year ago

I have utilised Squirrels holiday club for my daughter and she didn’t want to leave! Amazing staff, a wide range of activities, indoor and outdoor play, what more can you ask for? A brilliant setting and an amazing manager.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Squirrels Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: November 2011

  • July 2023Good
  • June 2014Good
  • November 2011Good

Frequently asked about Squirrels Pre-School

Nearby day nurseries in Farnborough

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Squirrels Pre-School.

Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.

Claim listing

Share this nursery

Send to a partner, friend or family member.

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