URN EY487983 · Inspected 2026-09-04 · Published 2026-10-01 · Inspector: Kirsty Stickley
Stubbington Lodge Unique reference number (URN): EY487983 Address: 45 Stubbington Avenue, PORTSMOUTH, PO2 0HP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 11/08/2015 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Good Manors Day Nurseries Limited Inspection report: 4 September 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 Babies and children enjoy a nurturing approach to support their achievement. Children make secure progress from their individual starting points across all areas of the curriculum, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who achieve highly because of the precise and targeted support they receive. Babies and children show kindness towards each other. They learn and develop skills such as expressing their thoughts and feelings. For example, babies share stories together, and older children are respectful when playing. Children confidently take care of their personal hygiene in an age- and stage-appropriate manner. They develop key skills, such as waiting their turn and participating in small group activities. These skills support children to become very well prepared for the next stage of learning. Babies and children form secure attachments with staff, which help them to feel safe, confident and emotionally secure. They show great enjoyment as they develop their vocabulary and communication skills, engaging positively with their peers and staff. Children demonstrate attention, listening skills, independence and competence in decision-making. For instance, they confidently select their own snack and make choices throughout their play. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Staff consistently provide a warm, nurturing and positive atmosphere, where children develop a secure sense of belonging. They skilfully adapt the environment and routines to ensure all children's needs are supported. For example, mealtimes are calm and more enjoyable due to recent, targeted changes. Staff are highly respectful and sensitive to children's individual needs. They get to know children very well and build close relationships with them. For example, children seek a cuddle from their trusted key person when feeling tired after lunch. Routines are mirrored and built on through all rooms to provide stability, familiarity and comfort, which support transitions. Recent enhancements to staff ratios and deployment ensure all children's needs are fully supported. Staff have high expectations for all children's behaviour and are positive role models. They successfully encourage children to be polite and learn how to share. Staff praise children for waiting patiently for their turn. Throughout the setting, children show respect, kindness and empathy. Staff support children to manage their emotions from an early age through embedded strategies, aiding their self-esteem and resilience. This consistent approach by staff supports children to behave well and show positive attitudes to learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders and staff consistently place children's welfare and wellbeing at the centre of their work. They maintain robust oversight of all children as individuals, and they tailor support, care and interventions to meet children's needs, within and beyond the setting. For example, leaders work closely with staff and other professionals working with children to share information and monitor progress. Leaders and staff advocate for children well, which has a significantly positive impact on their overall wellbeing. A sense of belonging is embedded throughout the nursery, as babies happily separate from their parents and carers to start their day. They thrive due to the secure relationships they enjoy with staff. For example, babies delight in seeing their reflection in the mirror and sharing this with their key staff. Staff consistently and skilfully extend learning during each interaction, supporting children's self-esteem and confidence. Staff encourage children very effectively to develop the skills they need to independently manage their personal hygiene. Babies confidently wash their faces at snack time. Older children know to wash their hands after being outside and before eating. Children's views are continually sought, heard and valued. They are encouraged to confidently express their preferences, such as requesting additional food at lunchtime. Staff respond promptly, valuing and respecting their decisions. All staff are aware of children's allergies, safe-eating procedures and individual stages of weaning for babies. Safe-sleep procedures are robustly followed and monitored closely. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard Leaders create a broad and inclusive curriculum, which staff implement to a consistently high standard. They make continuous improvements to ensure it fully meets the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning. Staff ensure children receive the education to which they are entitled across all areas of the curriculum. As a result, children's levels of engagement are high and they are confident and independent learners. The curriculum is planned and carefully sequenced to build on children's learning, ensuring that they are ready for the next stage of their education. For example, children beam with delight as they engage in movement activities, aiding their physical development. Mathematics is woven into every activity, as staff introduce numbers and positional language into children's learning. For example, staff help children to carefully count how many pieces of play dough are needed during an activity. Children listen carefully and engage enthusiastically when learning about keeping their brains healthy. Staff repeat language and instructions to ensure all children understand and benefit from the learning experiences. Babies excitedly share memorable moments with staff, such as when all the sensory tubes fall over. Language and communication are embedded across the setting, and staff introduce purposeful communication methods for all children. As a result, all children successfully communicate their needs. Children are highly sociable and have secure emotional understanding. Staff respond instinctively to children's curiosity, expertly adapting their discussions so children can learn from every interaction. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff are extremely proactive in identifying children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other barriers to their learning. They promptly assess children's needs, plan appropriate interventions and regularly monitor their effectiveness. Staff have developed positive partnerships with parents and carers, which help to ensure children have their needs met. Leaders and staff share information regularly and tailor support to suit families' circumstances. For example, staff develop and share strategies to use in the home environment to support consistency between home and the setting. Staff have excellent knowledge of their key children and work closely with leaders and parents to embed interventions. For example, they proactively meet with parents to explore children's attendance patterns and identify barriers families may be experiencing, enabling them to provide targeted support. These practices have a significant impact on how children settle, develop attachments and access a well thought out curriculum. This helps all children to make excellent progress from their starting points. Leaders and staff are passionate about identifying and removing barriers to children's learning effectively. For example, they use clear structure, visual aids and social stories to support children. These adaptations are used as part of everyday practice. As a result, children with SEND and/or other barriers to their learning access the same learning as their peers and take part fully and confidently. Staff liaise with shared-care providers and specialist teams, such as speech and language professionals, to ensure a consistent approach is followed and implemented when children start. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders and staff share a clear ambition to provide consistently high-quality care and experiences for children. They aim to prepare all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, for their next stage in education. Through effective self-evaluation, leaders accurately recognise areas for improvement. For example, recent changes to mealtimes have had a positive impact on children, creating more opportunities for learning during these key times of the day. Leaders ensure that changes to guidance and requirements are addressed in good time. Leaders work hard to identify how children will benefit from any changes, keeping them at the heart of everything they do. Staff feel valued and included in decisions made at the setting. Effective supervision processes and training for staff are focused on ensuring they can provide the best possible support for all children. Leaders and staff work successfully in partnership with parents, carers and external agencies to ensure they provide appropriate and high-quality care and education. For example, they have regular contact with local authority specialist teams and speech and language therapists. Parents speak highly of the setting and value the regular communication and support they receive, which enhances their children's learning. 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 Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Babies and children arrive happily with smiles on their faces and are greeted warmly by enthusiastic staff, who know them extremely well. This creates a highly nurturing and welcoming atmosphere where children are eager to start their day. Leaders and staff have high expectations of all children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well to play and learn alongside their peers. Staff have a thorough understanding of children's unique needs and meet these well, creating a sense of belonging in the setting. Children become confident communicators and enjoy a Inspector: Kirsty Stickley About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY487983 Address: 45 Stubbington Avenue wide range of stories, rhymes and songs. Babies engage in back-and-forth interactions with adults and repeat new words that staff model. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are well supported to develop their vocabulary and communication. Children make progress across all areas of the curriculum. They enjoy a varied, well- sequenced range of activities that reflect their interests and next steps in learning. Children develop mathematical skills as they use their imagination to create pretend pizzas, counting the number of pieces as they play, for instance. Staff encourage independence from an early age. For example, babies thrive on finding their own cups and those of their friends. Older children confidently lay the table ahead of mealtimes and take pride in having this responsibility. This helps to promote confidence and a sense of belonging. Leaders promote regular attendance, and children benefit from consistent routines that support their wellbeing. Children thrive here as they feel understood and valued. 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 children's achievement and wellbeing. About this inspection The inspector spoke with senior leaders, managers, staff, special educational needs coordinators, children, parents and carers 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. PORTSMOUTH PO2 0HP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 11/08/2015 Registered person: Good Manors Day Nurseries Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Portsmouth Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 4 September 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 46 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 services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2026 © Crown copyright