The Play Academy
OutstandingTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Southsea for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £83.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in January 2024. Open since 2015, with 80 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Full Day £83 7:45am-5:45pm
One published rate, dated 2026. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
Worth knowing. Meals and Consumables for Funded Days £13 per day; Minimum requirement of two full days attendance.
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
PO5 1JFWhat 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, 23 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure. They arrive confidently and are excited to start their day at the nursery. The friendly and nurturing staff know the children extremely well. They greet children warmly on arrival. Children are very familiar with routines. They independently put away their belongings. They hastily make their way to their rooms and explore the rich variety of exciting and inspiring activities, which staff have thoughtfully tailored to the needs and interests of children. Staff provide an excellent foundation for children's learning and all children flourish.
Children behave impeccably. Staff are excellent role models. Their interactions with each other and children are consistently respectful. They have high expectations for children's behaviour. As a result, children are well-mannered and kind. They have formed secure relationships with each other. They play harmoniously alongside each other and together.
Children receive excellent opportunities to learn about diversity. Staff encourage parents to visit the nursery to support children's understanding and tolerance of different cultures. For example, children enjoy learning new songs in different languages and trying foods from other countries. They develop respect for different faiths and beliefs, while learning about a variety of festivals, such as Eid and Diwali.
- 23 January 2024Outstanding
- 21 March 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Play Academy
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £83.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.