First Friends @ Wootey

First Friends @ Wootey
Unique reference number (URN): 2617108
Address: Wootey Infant School, Wooteys Way, Alton, GU34 2JA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 24/11/2020
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: First Friends Limited
Inspection report: 9 June 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children, including those with special educational needs/or disabilities or who face other
barriers to their learning achieve consistently well. They are very well prepared for the next
stage of learning and starting school, with many older children already making secure
progress towards the early learning goals at the end of the foundation stage.
Children have every opportunity during daily routines to become independent learners. They
are becoming confident communicators and express their needs and ideas well. For
example, they join the children's committee, where they can express what they would like to
see and do at nursery. Leaders and staff take children's feedback seriously. For example,
when children wanted to go to the skate park, they brought in their bikes and scooters and
staff took them to the local park. When they wanted a tractor to visit, staff arranged this.
Astute children recognise there is not enough dough rollers for the number of children at the
table. They raise this with staff and this was addressed. This helps children to feel valued
and have a voice.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders work effectively with families to ensure that they understand the importance of
regular attendance. They support families very well to ensure that children get the most from
their time at the nursery.
Leaders and staff consistently model high expectations of behaviour. They have created a
positive and happy environment and teach children how to manage their own feelings. For
example, some toddlers are learning to navigate some big emotions, but staff show them
how to take a deep breath and calm down. The same toddlers are also extremely kind and
caring towards their peers. For instance, they recognise when children with special
educational needs/or disabilities are not as physically able and like to help them without
being asked. They are willing to share when a friend shows interest in a flower they have
found, which results in a group of children going on a hunt for more flowers. Children thrive
on the encouragement and frequent praise they receive from staff and this also significantly
contributes to their confidence and self-esteem.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Staff fully understand and swiftly identify the unique needs of all children, including those
with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are nurturing, respectful, and show
genuine care towards the children. Staff follow babies' individual routines, such as for
sleeping and feeding, to nurture their development and wellbeing. They support babies to
develop strong attachments with key staff so that they feel secure and safe and this is
effectively replicated across all rooms in the nursery.
Staff encourage children to be independent and to manage their self-care from a young age.
For instance, children are encouraged to blow their own nose and they brush their teeth

every day. This also promotes children's good health. Staff encourage children to
understand why it is beneficial to be active and eat healthy foods. Children have easy
access to outdoors and during 'Movement and Mindfulness' sessions, staff teach children
about the importance of warming up and winding down. They encourage children to drink
after being physically active and feel their heartbeat, which helps them learn how their
bodies work.
Teaching is embedded well to support children to understand healthy habits and the natural
world around them. Children have regular forest school sessions and delight in learning
more about the minibeasts they find. They join in with gardening and looking after the
vegetable plants they are growing, such as potatoes and tomatoes.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
All children have an equal entitlement to the First Friends enhanced curriculum which has
been given careful thought by leaders. Staff are confident to deliver this through high-quality
teaching. Activities are thoughtfully prepared and beautifully set out, this encourages
children to be inquisitive and join in. Babies delight in the sensory experience of the mud
kitchen with a bee theme. They explore and mix different materials such as soil, oats,
flowers and coloured water in squeezy bottles, as staff encourage them to make 'nectar
soup' and 'honeycomb porridge'. Staff narrate the children's play and introduce words such
as 'squeeze', putting vocal emphasis on the word, which helps children to understand the
action. Children spend a considerable amount of time engrossed in their play.
Toddlers enjoy a 'Movement and Mindfulness' session. They learn to change into their PE
tops, which already helps them to become prepared for what might take place at school.
Staff challenge the children to throw balls into buckets, which develops their hand-eye
coordination. Children think about how to react differently to different-sized balls. Children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities are also challenged to aim and throw and
receive lots of praise for their achievements.
Pre-school children are extremely independent. They thrive in the outdoor space, running,
digging, jumping and using stilts with skill, closely supported by the skilled staff who are
constantly thinking of ways to enhance and extend children's learning. Staff ensure
mathematical learning is woven through all activities. They are highly successful at providing
children with a rich set of experiences that help them learn about people, families and
communities beyond their own. For example, they take children to the local care home to
take part in activities such as painting, planting and picnics.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders and staff are committed to the provision of inclusive practice. They make the most
of settling-in sessions, before children even start, to identify any possible barriers to
children's learning and/or wellbeing. Staff work closely with experienced in-house special
educational needs coordinators to put rapid support in place. They work successfully with
outside agencies and use the information and advice they are given to help close any gaps
in children's learning. Bank staff who do not work as often at the nursery are very well
informed about the needs of the children and are just as adept at supporting children with

special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children make very good progress,
including those who have only attended the nursery for a short period of time.
Staff are adept at prioritising children's needs as well as treating them all equally. For
example, staff are not unnecessarily cautious when caring for children with specific medical
needs; staff confidently allow children to challenge themselves and learn to take age-
appropriate risks, but supervise closely to keep them safe. A lot of thought goes in to
children's play to make it inclusive for all. For instance, non-walkers are given all-in-one
outfits so they can crawl outside and join in the fun without getting wet.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders are passionate about their provision. They ensure children are at the heart of all
decisions made that will have a positive impact on their outcomes. Self-reflection is highly
important and leaders do very well in identifying areas of strength and areas to develop
further. They are constantly seeking to develop the curriculum to make it even more
inspiring for the children attending.
Staff wellbeing is also a priority for the leadership team. They value their staff team and
place a consistent emphasis on staff development. Staff comment that they feel well
supported and have regular access to training, which supports the continuous development
of the provision and the quality of practice at the nursery.
Leaders have established positive relationships with the on-site school, which has enabled
staff to make use of some of their facilities, such as the library and school grounds. This in
turn supports children's confidence to transition to school as they have already experienced
a school environment. Staff establish strong partnerships with parents. They actively
encourage parents to be involved and learn more about what their children are doing at
nursery. For example, they put on Saturday 'Movement and Mindfulness' sessions to teach
parents yoga and organise stay-and-play 'Earth Explorers' sessions where parents can
experience foraging, sticking, planting, and painting in the woods using natural resources.
Parents value the relationships they have with the staff and comment very positively on the
care their children receive.

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children thrive at this nursery which is run by dedicated staff who are passionate about their
roles, and overseen by leaders who have a clear vision for high-quality education and care,
with clear objectives and goals. The unique curriculum that has been designed benefits
children greatly. For example, 'Earth Explorers' enables children to experience their local
community and learn how to look after the planet. 'Movement and Mindfulness' encourages
children to be active, become aware of their bodies and learn how to regulate their
emotions. 'Thoughtful Food' promotes learning about nutrition in fun ways, from enabling
children to grow their own vegetables, preparing and baking their own food and also helping
to tidy and wash up after themselves. This helps them to develop fundamental life skills.
Before children even start at the nursery, staff use settling-in sessions to understand
children's unique needs, their interests and identify any barriers to their learning. This
enables immediate support to be put in place, gives children an excellent start and helps
them to achieve and be well prepared for their next stage in learning. Leaders and staff
consciously work hard to develop close relationships with parents and carers. They share
important information, such as the significance of regular attendance and work together to
improve children's outcomes.
Children form positive, caring relationships with their key person and demonstrate they feel
safe and secure. Babies look to their key person for comfort and reassurance, which is
provided lovingly and constantly. They already show positive attitudes to learning,
concentrating for extended periods of time during the fun and exciting activities that are
provided for them. Toddlers develop positive social skills with consistent support from staff

Inspector:
Nicky Hill
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2617108
Address:
Wootey Infant School
Wooteys Way
Alton
GU34 2JA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 24/11/2020
Registered person: First Friends Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
and build firm friendships. Pre-school children are confident, independent and ready for their
transition to school. They work well together, often with minimal help from staff.
Next steps
Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work in
partnership with parents, to help realise a transformational impact on all children's
achievement and wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents
and children during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Local authority: Hampshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 9 June 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
50
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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