First Friends Day Nursery

First Friends Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2842542
Address: Denmead Junior School, Bere Road, Denmead, Waterlooville, PO7 6PH
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/05/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: First Friends Limited
Inspection report: 8 July 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 across the setting make excellent progress in their learning and development. They
demonstrate high levels of curiosity, confidence and independence as they eagerly engage
in a wide range of stimulating experiences. Children sustain their concentration, explore
resources creatively and build successfully on what they already know and can do. They
show resilience when faced with challenges, persevere with tasks and take great pride in
their achievements, enthusiastically sharing their successes with others.
Children develop exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They make thoughtful choices
about their play, confidently follow their interests and collaborate well with their peers. They
communicate their ideas, share resources and take turns, demonstrating strong social skills
and growing emotional maturity. Children show a deep sense of belonging and understand
that their views are valued, confidently contributing ideas about activities and resources.
They move independently between indoor and outdoor environments, making decisions
about their learning and becoming increasingly self-assured. As a result, children develop
the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for the next stage of their learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
A deeply respectful culture has been established where children and adults develop
exceptionally positive relationships and communicate calmly with one another, working
together to solve problems. Children's behaviour is excellent, and all children, including
babies, understand the setting's high expectations. For example, children remind their
friends about the importance of sharing toys and tidying away resources before transitions in
the routine.
Staff skilfully support children to understand what will happen next and help them manage
changes in the daily routine. They use their detailed knowledge of individual children to
provide additional support where needed, including visual prompts, pictures and clear,
simple language. As a result, children move confidently between activities and transitions
are managed successfully.
Children are highly motivated and excited to learn. They enthusiastically participate in
activities they have helped to choose, such as discussing a recent bus journey or reflecting
on a visit to a local care home to play games with residents. These experiences provide
valuable opportunities for children to collaborate, develop their communication skills and
build positive relationships.
Attendance is excellent. Leaders have worked exceptionally hard to promote the importance
of regular attendance, helping parents understand the positive impact it has on children's
learning and development. Parents value the personalised support provided by staff, who go
above and beyond to help children settle into the setting, build secure attachments and
establish positive routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Staff consistently place children's welfare and happiness at the heart of everything they do.
The environment is thoughtfully designed to ensure every child is valued as an individual
and feels fully included as an important member of the group.
Children demonstrate an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves and others
safe and healthy. For example, older children explain the importance of wearing sunscreen
and hats in sunny weather, showing that they understand how to protect themselves and
care for their friends. This contributes to a nurturing environment where everyone feels safe,
respected and well cared for.
Staff work seamlessly together to maintain routines that keep children highly engaged and
motivated to learn. Children develop healthy habits that positively support their physical
health and emotional wellbeing. For example, they enthusiastically join in with songs and
movement activities, talking about how their hearts beat faster after exercise and beginning
to understand the benefits of being active.
Children eagerly explore fresh vegetables through imaginative play, pretending to chop
leeks and stir kale in a cooking box. They confidently talk about what they are doing, while
skilled questioning encourages them to extend their vocabulary and thinking. As a result,
children remain deeply engaged in their learning and develop a positive understanding of
healthy foods in a meaningful, familiar context.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
The curriculum has been carefully designed to fully engage and interest every child in the
setting. Leaders have an extremely effective overview of what staff want children to learn
and staff use their expert knowledge of every child to set appropriate next steps to build on
what they already know. For example, staff use moving toys such as trains and cars to
engage children who have this as a particular interest. This means children are excited to
engage in their learning and are always keen to explore.
Staff are impressive at noticing every child's individual response during activities. They
skilfully and promptly change or adapt their approach to ensure every child is learning at the
right time and speed. Staff make specific targets that encourage all children to make
excellent progress. The robust review process means all children are securely embedding
each skill before moving onto the next.
Children respond exceptionally well to the carefully sequenced activities planned by staff.
They use their detailed knowledge of child development along with knowing every child as
an individual to ensure teaching is timely and appropriate. For example, during snack time
staff support some children to cut their own fruit and pour their own drink, while others find
their own names and clear their plates away.

Inclusion Strong standard
Practice across all areas of the setting is completely inclusive. Staff are extremely skilled at
identifying when children need extra support or may have a barrier to their learning. Parents
are fully included when staff notice a child who may need extra help and they share how
much they value staff's knowledgeable and consistently gentle approach.
Children are expertly supported to access all areas of the curriculum and respond really well
to the targeted intervention put in place. For example, staff consistently use their knowledge
of children's individual interests to introduce small achievable targets in order to develop
existing skills or introduce something new. This approach keeps children interested and
excited to move forward in their own learning.
Leaders of special educational needs and/or disabilities are excellent at working closely with
staff to enable them to remove any barriers that might prevent children reaching their full
potential. For example, they use their in depth knowledge to support children to take part in
weekly mindfulness and wellbeing sessions. Staff consistently teach children how to express
their emotions using large movements, which positively impacts on all aspects of their
learning. This means that every child is being empowered to focus, join in with others and
feel fully included in the experiences that are offered.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have an excellent overview of the setting and work closely with staff to ensure
practice remains consistently of a high standard. They have an accurate understanding of
the setting's strengths and are proactive in identifying areas for further development.
Leaders have created a culture in which staff feel highly valued and respected. For example,
thoughtful gestures such as sharing appreciation gifts help staff feel recognised, resulting in
a positive, supportive environment where everyone feels included and has a strong sense of
belonging.
Leaders have established a fully inclusive setting with strong links to the local community.
Children regularly visit places such as the local park and library and take part in activities
that help them understand the importance of kindness and contributing to their community,
including showing appreciation to local workers.
Strong professional partnerships with local schools and support services ensure children
receive timely and appropriate support. Staff work closely with receiving schools, attending
transition meetings to share relevant information and help children move confidently to the
next stage of their learning.
Leaders provide a comprehensive programme of professional development that equips staff
with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a high-quality, inclusive curriculum. Staff
value these opportunities and are committed to continually developing their practice to
achieve the best possible outcomes for children.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children at the setting benefit from a rich and varied curriculum that provides them with
carefully planned, highly engaging experiences. They confidently access a wide range of
opportunities that support their learning, development and individual interests. Children
demonstrate curiosity, enthusiasm and a willingness to explore, showing that they are
motivated and excited to learn. They develop increasing independence as they make
choices, follow their interests and become deeply involved in activities. For example, babies
show great excitement as they join in with movement and mindfulness sessions in the
garden. They confidently participate, respond to music and movement, and develop their
physical skills through exploration and play.
Children are continually encouraged to try new experiences while also building on their
existing knowledge and skills. They show resilience when faced with new challenges and
are supported to develop confidence in their own abilities. All children, including those with
special educational needs and/or disabilities or those experiencing barriers to learning, are
fully included and able to participate successfully. Children demonstrate that they feel
secure, valued and understood, allowing them to make strong progress from their individual
starting points. They are developing the skills, knowledge and confidence needed for their
future learning.
Children are encouraged to share their ideas and contribute to decisions within the setting.
They understand that their opinions are valued and confidently express their thoughts about
their experiences. For example, through the children's committee, children suggest
resources they would like to have available and share ideas about places they would like to
visit. This helps children develop confidence, independence and a strong sense of
belonging.
Children are becoming confident communicators who enjoy sharing their thoughts, ideas
and experiences with others. They take part enthusiastically in activities such as learning a
'sign of the week', which supports communication, inclusion and vocabulary development.
Children benefit from strong partnerships between the setting and their families. Parents
value the regular communication and feedback they receive, which helps create consistency
between home and the setting and supports children's continued progress, wellbeing and
development.
Next steps
Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove
barriers for children who need extra help to realise a transformational impact on all

Inspector:
Lucy Short
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2842542
Address:
Denmead Junior School
Bere Road, Denmead
Waterlooville
PO7 6PH
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/05/2025
Registered person: First Friends Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours:
Local authority: Hampshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
children's achievement and wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with senior leaders, the manager, the special educational needs
coordinator, children and parents 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 the provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years' foundation stage.

This data is from 8 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 5
Total number of places
35
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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