Squirrels Nursery

Squirrels Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): EY471265
Address: The Acorn Centre, 3 The Kestrels, Eagle Avenue, Waterlooville, PO8 9GX
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 16/12/2013
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Squirrels Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 22 April 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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Babies and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND) and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, make steady
progress from their starting points and typically develop the skills and knowledge they need
for their next stage of learning. Children build early mathematical understanding through
meaningful opportunities, such as filling and emptying water into containers and exploring
how quantities change as they pour.
Babies and children show increasing confidence and resilience as they explore the
environment. Babies are curious and enjoy engaging in sensory activities. Younger children
show strength in their emotional development, as they care for and play with dolls, cuddling
and comforting them. Older children show increasing concentration as they engage in
activities for long periods of time, happily sharing resources and helping their friends.
Children with SEND join small-group activities, developing their confidence and beginning to
sustain interactions with others.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders and staff have created an inclusive, sequenced curriculum. They provide a variety
of activities that generally support children's, including those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing,
development across all areas of learning well, although staff are not fully supporting children
to learn to make healthy food choices.
Staff provide babies with resources and the positive encouragement they need to learn to
crawl, walk and climb. Older children play well together and help each other as they learn to
climb and balance in the garden. All children enjoy taking part in daily 'music and movement'
activities. This supports children to develop their physical skills. Staff focus on developing
children's communication and language skills. They use a range of teaching strategies to
develop children's vocabulary and help them become confident communicators. All children
enjoy stories and develop a love of books. Staff model simple words during play and sing
familiar nursery rhymes throughout the day. They support older children to discuss subjects
and ask questions confidently during activities, such as about the world and recycling.
Mathematical language and knowledge are continually introduced through daily play.
Children explore size, shape and capacity when filling containers and using different-sized
measuring scoops. Staff support children of all ages to learn about numbers and colours.
Older children are supported to recognise how quantities change when they weigh items.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff understand children's individual needs and provide support that helps
them access learning and make progress. Staff adapt their interactions with children,
including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those that

Needs attention
face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, and the environment to help children
participate confidently alongside their peers. For example, they use picture symbols and
sign language to support children to communicate.
Leaders and staff are clear about how to identify emerging needs and work in partnership
with parents and professionals to provide support and interventions for children as needed.
Children with SEND and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are
generally supported well through targeted strategies, such as small-group activities and
personalised guidance during play. This enables them to participate and extend their
learning and development with targeted support.
Leaders provide training for staff and continue to develop their oversight and monitoring of
inclusive practice. They address barriers to learning, such as low attendance, swiftly.
Additional funding that children are entitled to is used effectively, for example, to provide
extra resources and enrichment opportunities, such as trips within the local community.
Leaders monitor the impact of this funding carefully. This ensures that interventions are
refined so that all children benefit fully from inclusive approaches.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and the aspects that
require further improvement. They have a clear understanding of safe eating requirements
and respond promptly to concerns in practice, while acknowledging that procedures for
mealtime routines are not consistent across the setting. Leaders now recognise that
mealtime routines for younger children, as well as healthy eating and drinking practices for
all children are not secure. They understand that greater consistency in these areas across
the setting is essential to improving children's welfare and wellbeing.
Partnership with parents is a priority for the setting. Leaders engage sensitively with parents
to ensure that transitions into the setting, and on to school, support children's individual
needs, especially children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that
face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. Leaders promote community engagement
and use funding to support children to have a variety of experiences, such as day trips and
trips on the bus.
Leaders consider staff's wellbeing and workload carefully when making decisions. They
provide staff with regular supervision, and staff report that they feel well supported. Staff
complete mandatory training, such as safeguarding and first aid. In addition, leaders provide
staff with ongoing professional development opportunities to strengthen both practice and
outcomes for children.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Leaders and staff support older children, including those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, to know

and understand their daily routine. For example, older children respectfully take part in
morning group time, listening to staff and their friends. Furthermore, they know and
understand routines for snack time, confidently sitting at the table, where they butter their
crackers and enjoy group discussions. However, routines for younger children are
inconsistent, especially at mealtimes. During these times, the room is sometimes chaotic
and support from staff for younger children is inconsistent. For example, staff do not notice
when children eat food that other children have dropped on the floor. This impacts children's
wellbeing and does not support them to learn how to behave at mealtimes.
Staff teach children how to share and take turns, and children collaborate successfully
during play. For example, younger children listen and patiently wait their turn when taking
part in small-group activities. Older children play well together; they are thoughtful and kind
to their friends. They discuss what they are doing and help their friends to learn new skills,
such as how to cut potatoes in the mud kitchen. Staff praise children for showing kindness.
Leaders promote the importance of attendance and punctuality, and they support families to
maintain regular routines.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Although staff generally keep children safe, they do not consistently follow safe eating
procedures. For example, younger children are not always suitably supervised at mealtimes.
At times, younger children eat food that is not theirs and wander around the room while
eating. This does not consistently support children to develop safe eating habits and, at
times, exposes them to unnecessary risks, including from allergens and choking.
Children learn about nutritious and less-nutritious foods through play. For example, they talk
about salad as a healthy option when playing with salad leaves in the mud kitchen. Children
learn about growing healthy food. However, leaders and staff do not consistently support
children to learn about making healthy choices. For example, children are not always
encouraged to eat healthy foods or drink water. This impacts negatively on children's welfare
and wellbeing as it does not support children to consistently learn about being healthy.
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that
face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, form warm, trusting relationships with staff.
They seek out staff for comfort and cuddles as needed. Children learn to describe their
feelings as they take part in activities where they talk about their emotions.

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. Staff offer an inclusive environment providing warm and
trusting relationships to all children, including children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. This supports
babies and children to feel settled, confident and valued in this welcoming setting.
Children across all age groups develop into confident communicators. Support for children
who learn English as additional language is effective. Staff use simple sign language and
provide rich opportunities for children to express their ideas in imaginative ways. The

environment and activities are carefully planned to motivate children to explore, show
curiosity and be creative in their play. For instance, younger children enjoy making dough
and discuss what they are creating. Older children play with water and problem-solve
together to make the water flow through various levels.
Most of the time children behave well. There are clear expectations, which most children
show that they know and understand. Older children independently take themselves to wash
their hands, prepare their own snack and pour their drinks. However, there are times when
younger children are not appropriately supervised while eating. For example, younger
children occasionally leave their table while they are still eating, and some children pick up
food from the floor. Furthermore, staff do not consistently support children to learn about
healthy eating or ensure that children have access to fresh drinking water throughout the
day. This does not promote children to learn about hygiene or being healthy and does not
support safer eating habits.
Children benefit from regular outings in the local community, such as to the local library.
Staff provide children with opportunities to access local outdoor green spaces where they
take part in activities to further support their physical development. These experiences
extend children's learning beyond the setting environment and broaden their awareness of
the wider world around them.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the
provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
ensure younger children are always within sight and
hearing of a member of staff while eating
14/05/2026
improve mealtime routines for younger children to
promote children's good health, including those with
allergies and intolerances
14/05/2026
ensure that healthy eating is consistently promoted and
that there is always fresh drinking water available and
accessible to all children.
14/05/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, special educational needs coordinators,
children and parents during the inspection.

Inspector:
Nicole Atkinson
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY471265
Address:
The Acorn Centre
3 The Kestrels
Eagle Avenue
Waterlooville
PO8 9GX
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 16/12/2013
Registered person: Squirrels Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00,Saturday :
08:00 - 16:00
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 22 April 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of 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.

0 to 8
Total number of places
68
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.
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