Childcare in Southsea
Southsea has 10 day nurseries, 3 pre-schools, 5 school nursery classes, 17 childminders and 6 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 25 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 7 of them Outstanding. 16 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth, 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 22 school nursery classes across Portsmouth, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
17 settings match. 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 ActiveMe 360 CIC @ Moorings Way Infant School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed YMCA Portsmouth Daycamps Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Southsea
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Southsea take funded hours?
10 of the 41 settings in Southsea 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Southsea rated Outstanding?
Yes. 7 of the 25 settings Ofsted has inspected in Southsea hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Southsea take babies?
33 settings in Southsea 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 Southsea?
Portsmouth 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 Southsea
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.