NurseryWise Childcare in England
Portsmouth

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.

32places per 100 under-fives in Portsmouth, against 32 for England
100%of the 25 inspected here are Good or better, 7 Outstanding
10 of 41are recorded as taking the funded hours; the rest are unknown, not a no

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.

Everything 41Day nurseries 10Pre-schools 3School nurseries 5Childminders 17After-school clubs 6
No filterTakes under-twosTakes funded hoursOpen all dayPublishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapestA to Z

10 settings match. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.

The Play Academy

Day nursery · 37 Elm Grove, Southsea, PO5 1JF

OutstandingTakes funded hours£83.00 a dayBirth to 8+Babies from 3 months07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week★ 5.0 Google, 780 placesLong established
02393072805Their website

Canoe Lake Nursery

Day nursery · Nothern Pavilion and Bowling Green, Adjacent To Eastern Parade, Southsea, PO4 9RF

OutstandingBirth to 8+07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week★ 4.0 Google, 856 placesLong established
0239 307 2875Their website

Tick two or three to compare them.

Recently

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
Questions

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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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.

Nearby

Towns close to Southsea

Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.

Portsmouth114 settings · 2.3 milesGosport54 settings · 3.8 milesHayling Island9 settings · 4.1 milesLee-On-The-Solent4 settings · 5.5 milesHavant39 settings · 6.2 milesRyde15 settings · 6.2 miles
All townsPortsmouth