023 9282 2956
Community based nursery
About Us
Wind in the Willows is a home-from-home nursery in the heart of Milton, Portsmouth, opened in 2015 by two local professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience in childcare.
In 2019 we moved into a new building on Hester Road, which has allowed us to open our doors to even more children. Our opening hours are 7:15am til 6pm. We are closed bank holidays and a week over the Christmas period.
We are based in a lovely, bright and spacious building on Hester Road, that has a large garden area. We work closely with the nearby schools - including Milton Park, Meon, Wimborne and Moorings Way and other school's which children from the setting will be transitioning into - to ensure that children are ready for their transition to school.
At Wind in the Willows, we provide childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years and are able to cater to additional needs. We have a Baby Room (for ages 3 months - approx 15-18 month), a Toddler Room (for approximately 15-18 months - 2-2.5 years), a Two-Year Room and a Preschool Room (for 3 years and above). Each of our rooms have a dedicated team of staff who work closely with the children to support their individual needs, learning and development. Our rooms and outdoor space are all designed to suit the children within our care, catering for all ages and needs and to cover all areas of the EYFS, while supporting the children's inidividual learning development
We pride ourselves on our community involvement and regularly participate in fundraising for local, national and international charities. Wind in the Willows is twinned with the Mansa-Colley Bojang School in The Gambia where our Owner/Director Karen Potter visits annually to work in the school and surrounding community. Karen Potter has since then gone on to win Nursery Manager of the year award 2020.
Our mission at Wind in the Willows is to ensure a safe, secure and stimulating environment; focusing on the safeguarding and development of every individual child and their families within our care. We aim to do this by providing high quality care and education to children from 3 months to 5 years old. We provide a safe and nurturing home-from-home environment in which all children, their families and visitors feel welcome and comfortable within.
We offer day care within our local and surrounding community area, managed by two knowledgeable, experienced and caring professionals, who welcome parent’s involvement - we believe parents are their children’s first educators and have the most influence in a child’s life. We view parents as our partners in the education of their children, embracing their own choices of learning based on their individual interests within the setting and its inside and outside environment.
We utilise our surrounding community and its resources and we integrate this into our setting on a daily basis. We visit and explore the community around us and have made strong links with its members who come into our setting and who share their expertise and professions with the children and staff, therefore providing real and positive experiences for all to share.
Wind in the Willows offers care during school holidays for children up to 12 years of age - more information.
Wind in the Willows is twinned with The Mansa-Colley Bojang School in The Gambia - find out more here.
Take a look at our gallery of images.
Don't just take our word for it...
See what others have to say!
"Absolutely amazing preschool my daughter loves every minute of it! The staff are fantastic and she's made fantastic progress! Couldn't recommend this nursery enough" Shawny (Facebook)
"My daughter had her first settling in session there today - she loved it and didn't want to leave! Lovely nursery." Lisa (Facebook)
"Good value for money, caring and friendly staff. My 18 month old son's learning progression seems to have significantly increased since he started going here. His development has definitely been helped by the care and attention the preschool provides. Very happy with them. We're really happy with how quickly Sam seems to be picking things up now. It's helping us and him considerably. Keep up the good work!" Mike (Facebook)
"Excellent! Staff are incredibly helpful and accommodating. Excellent surrounding and very safe. Overall a great all-round service and setting." Harvey's mum
"Lovely atmosphere and great facilities. The setting is full of warmth and feels like one big home" Alfie's mum
"After my son left another nursery for one reason or another it was so hard moving him but these ladies went above and beyond to ensure he felt welcome. Now he even asks to go to nursery at the weekend. All the staff are very caring!" Kerry (Facebook)
"Lovely facilities in a beautiful setting. The staff are incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and supportive and my daughter is thriving here! We've seen such a huge change in her since starting here, especially with regards to her speech and socialising with both adults and children. I cannot thank them enough for all the hard work they put in, putting my mind at ease when leaving my daughter and providing an enjoyable and enriching environment for her; so much so that she wants to stay and play when we come to pick her up!" Zoey's mum