Childcare in Southampton
Southampton has 49 day nurseries, 31 pre-schools, 18 school nursery classes, 27 childminders and 39 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 88 of them and rated 80 Good or better, 13 of them Outstanding. 76 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £39 to £79, typically £63. Across Southampton there are 32 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Southampton, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 19 school nursery classes across Southampton, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
164 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Jun 2026Opened St Francis Pre School Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Opened New Forest Child Care CIC Banister Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Opened Testlands Holiday Club - Banister Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened ActiveMe 360 CIC @ Valentine Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Let's Work Together Building Communities Limited After School Care Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Superstar Sports Redbridge Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened St. John's Wraparound Care Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Hayfield Forest School Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened 360 Degree Sports Coaching - Beechwood Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Tiny Toes (Warren Avenue) Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened 360 Degree Sports Coaching - Glenfield Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed St Francis Pre-School Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Southampton
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Southampton?
Of the 19 full-day rates published by settings in Southampton, the typical price is £63 a day, ranging from £39 to £79. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Southampton take funded hours?
35 of the 164 settings in Southampton are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Southampton rated Outstanding?
Yes. 13 of the 88 settings Ofsted has inspected in Southampton hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Southampton take babies?
125 settings in Southampton are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Southampton?
Southampton has 32 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Southampton
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.