The Paint Pots Family
Paint Pots is a charitable social enterprise running a group of 13 early years settings (6 full-time nurseries and 7 term-time preschools) in and around Southampton mainly serving families in areas of social and economic disadvantage.
The organisation is values-led, community rooted, and committed to improving outcomes for children and families through high quality early education, care, and support in order to give children the very best start in life.
Ethos and Values
We seek in our nurseries and pre-schools to have a broad and inclusive Christian ethos similar to that found in Anglican church schools that respects and welcomes people of all faiths and none, and which exists for the benefit of the whole community. This aligns with the Church of England’s Vision for Education.
As a charity, Paint Pots is able to put children first and we want to have a positive, meaningful and lasting impact on their lives. This means promoting self-respect, and care for each other. We are driven by strong core values about bringing joy, care and friendship, in an environment which is full of love, laughter and learning.
Why the name Paint Pots?
From a pot of paint can come unlimited possibilities. We know that every child is unique and special, and all have the potential to produce their own masterpieces as they begin the task of painting in their own lives. With this in mind, we have high expectations of all children, and our dedicated staff work hard to achieve the best possible outcomes for them in partnership with parents and carers. We assess progress and plan activities to support each child at every stage of their development. In doing this, in an environment which we like to call a home-from-home, we aim to promote confidence, kindness, and resilience, preparing them not just for school but for the whole of their life.
Our History
Anna Wright pictured in 1993
How we started
Paint Pots was originally founded by David and Anna Wright in 1993. Their passion, energy and commitment to early years is legendary. They built up Paint Pots from a nursery in their house to a family of 9 settings.
In 2000, Paint Pots Pre-school & Nursery was established as it moved into separate premises in Waterloo Road, Freemantle, Southampton. New settings were gradually added across the Southampton area, all within easy travelling distance. As it grew, staff have worked hard to ensure all our settings, nurseries and pre-schools, retain the homely, caring atmosphere with which they started. In 2022, David and Anna retired but they remain involved and committed to early years and continue to make a valued contribution as Paint Pots Ambassadors.
A new era
In 2022, Paint Pots was taken over by the Anglican Diocese of Winchester, through its charity –Launchpad Social Enterprise, set up and led since 2015 by The Revd Canon Nick Ralph. Nick is passionate about the church’s engagement with local communities and about working through social enterprise approaches. Social enterprises put their social mission first – the work they do for people, in our case children, with a concern for working in an environmentally friendly way, ahead of the need to make a profit. It is sometimes referred to as the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit.
Nick has been working with local communities since he was 18, a long time ago! As well as working with Paint Pots, he also works across Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight on community development programmes with churches, the Good Neighbours Network, and regularly teaches the principles of strengths-based approaches to communities and social enterprise solutions to clergy and others.
As Executive Director for Paint Pots, his vision is for a thriving charitable social enterprise that puts children, families and staff first and works with them in ways which enhance their lives. Paint Pots aims for the highest standards for education in early years and also seeks to pay staff good salaries as well as supporting opportunities for them to undertake further training in early years. We work in partnership with others with aligned values to build and enhance the life of all the communities in which we work. All this is only possible because of a strong team of staff, to whom we are extremely grateful and without whom we would not be able to deliver the great work that goes on in our settings on a daily basis.
In October 2024, Paint Pots itself achieved charitable status making it even clearer to our parents, carers and staff that our primary commitment is to a set of values which support ‘the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and social development of children and young people. We offer a vision of human flourishing for all’.
Paint Pots is also part of a wider network – the Early Years Social Enterprise Collective which works across Great Britain and Ireland to promote social enterprise approaches across the sector.
The Revd Canon Nick Ralph
