Bramble Infant School and Nursery (Early Years Childcare)
Good★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Portsmouth for children from birth to 5, open 07:45 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2005, with 46 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Portsmouth
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Portsmouth from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
PO4 0DTWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 11 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Babies and toddlers develop strong, trusting bonds with key staff, to help them feel happy, safe and secure. Opportunities for children to play alongside and with their friends, help them to build early relationships with their peers. For instance, as toddlers play outside, they take turns on the slide and wait patiently for their friends to have their turn. Children behave well and are polite, kind and courteous.
They listen to staff and follow some age-appropriate instructions. For instance, toddlers help to tidy away toys in readiness for snack time.
Staff provide a curriculum that supports children to make good progress in their learning and development. Children are excited to learn and take part in a wide range of activities that ignite their curiosity and exploration. For instance, staff provide feathers, pine cones and coloured paper as toddlers explore textures, colours and weight. Children develop good physical skills as staff recognise the importance this has for their ongoing development. Babies benefit from 'tummy time' to help develop their core strength as they develop their sitting, crawling and early walking skills. Toddlers use tools, such as tweezers, to help build their smallmuscle skills. They practise fastening zips, as they confidently master these new skills. Younger children's communication and language development is good.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance methods for gathering a full range of information about children's individual needs, when they first start and on an ongoing basis, to help staff consistently support their learning n help staff to further their understanding of the curriculum, to help them sharply focus on the identified learning intentions for each child.
- 11 May 2023Good
- 31 July 2017Good
- 17 July 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bramble Infant School and Nursery (Early Years Childcare)
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.