Southbourne, Bournemouth · Since 2005

Seaward NurseryA home from home for children aged one to five.

It feels like a home here because, in most ways, it is one. We keep our numbers small so we can give every child our whole attention. We cook our own meals, the little ones learn from the big ones, we are outside every day, and when the tide is out, so are we.

Come and see us Join the waiting list

Owner's photo

A note from the owner

[A few sentences in the owner's own words: why she started Seaward, what she believes children need, and why she still cooks the lunch herself.]

[Owner's name], owner

Meet the team.

There are seven of us. Every child has a key person, who you will see at the start and end of each day.

Name to comeManager
A line or two about them goes here.
Year started
Name to comeRole to come
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Year started
Name to comeRole to come
A line or two about them goes here.
Year started
Name to comeRole to come
A line or two about them goes here.
Year started
Name to comeRole to come
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Year started
Name to comeRole to come
A line or two about them goes here.
Year started

A day here

From drop-off to pick-up.

This is a typical day. The weather and the seasons change it, and so do the children, who are encouraged to. Younger and older children spend part of every day together.

8.30
Doors openA handover at the door. Tell us how the night went.
9.00
Free play and a snackFruit, toast, and the garden door already open.
10.00
OutThe garden, or a walk to the beach or the library. Boots and waterproofs live here.
11.45
Lunch, cooked hereEveryone eats together.
12.30
Sleep, or quiet timeEach child on their own rhythm.
14.00
Making thingsPainting, cooking, music, dancing, dressing up, stories, drama.
15.30
Tea and outside againA light tea, then back out until the light goes.
17.30
HomeA conversation about the day at the door.

Around the nursery

A room
The garden
The kitchen
Lunch at the table
Walking to the beach
Cooking Academy

[Photos to come. Any photo showing a child's face needs written permission from that child's parents.]

Food

Cooked in the nursery kitchen, eaten by staff and children together.

The meals are made for adults as much as for children, so they are not bland and they are not beige. Parents told Ofsted how much they love the meals.

Lunch is the middle of the day. The children lay the table, everyone eats together, there is a lot of conversation, and the children help clear up afterwards. Three-year-olds can do all of that.

The menus change with the seasons and with the weather. A hot week means salads, or a barbecue in the garden. We grow vegetables and fruit ourselves and cook with them. One of the children picked apples from the tree in the garden and made jam with us. The jar came in, and there were pancakes after lunch. We are always looking for ways to use less sugar.

Seaward Cooking Academy is the children's own kitchen time. They bake, make smoothies, cut their own fruit and help in the kitchen on Cooking Academy days. On walks they take a picnic. Now and then they go to a café for a babyccino, and learn how to behave in one.

Parents are welcome to come and have lunch with us. Ask, and we will set a place.

Spring menu, week three

One of four spring menus on rotation. Lunch comes with a selection of vegetables depending on what is in season: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, peas, sweetcorn, swede, parsnip, kale, spinach, sweet potato and more. Before your child starts, we ask about allergies, intolerances and any dietary needs, and plan their meals around them.

Day	Lunch	Supper
Mon	Libyan beef tagine with flatbread Cooking Academy	Toasty soldiers with beans
Tue	Cumin-spiced orzo garden salad	Cheesy bagel bites
Wed	Parisian chicken with baby roasts	Ham and cheese omelette popovers
Thu	Seaward garden vegetable risotto	Cod goujons with tomato spins
Fri	Sicilian tuna pasta shells	Summer picnic spread

Snack bar, morning and afternoon: milk and water, fruit and vegetables, grains and cereals, cheese and dips, pastries.

Outdoors

Outside every day, whatever the weather.

The garden is part of the nursery, and the beach and the library are a short walk away. Children go out every day.

The garden

An apple tree and vegetable beds the children help look after. What they grow goes into the kitchen. In hot weather, lunch is a barbecue out here.

The beach

At the end of the road. The children walk down with a picnic and spend the morning on the sand.

Walks and the café

The library, and now and then a café for a babyccino, where the children learn how to behave when they are out.

Starting with us

Settling in, at your child's pace.

Settling in is a plan we make with you, and change if it is not working.

A visit, with your childCome and look round while the nursery is running. Ask anything. See every room.
A conversation with your key personThe words your child uses, what comforts them, how they sleep, what they will and won't eat.
Short stays, with you nearbyShort sessions to begin with, first with you in the room and then with you close by.
Building upLonger sessions as your child is ready, half days before full days. As slow as it needs to be.

What if my child cries when I leave?

Some children do, and your child will not be left to it. Someone they already know will stay with them and comfort them until it passes. When you collect them you will hear how the morning went and how long it took them to settle. If it keeps happening we slow the settling-in down, and you can ring at any point in the day.

What parents say

Home from home, in Ofsted's words and in parents'.

Children are very comfortable entering this warm and inviting nursery.

Ofsted inspection report, November 2023

Parents and carers speak highly of this nursery. They say it feels like a 'home from home' for their children and that staff are friendly and always make time to talk at the end of the day.

Ofsted inspection report, November 2023

[Parent quote to come]

A Seaward parent

[Parent quote to come]

A Seaward parent

[Parent quote to come]

A Seaward parent

Fees and funding

What a day costs, with and without funded hours.

We offer the 15 and 30 funded hours for eligible children, term time or stretched across the year. Funded hours are free. Meals and consumables are charged separately, they are optional, and they are shown on their own line of every invoice.

A full day, paying yourself

8.30 to 5.30, all care and activities: £67.50
Lunch, tea and snacks, cooked here: included
Nappies, wipes and sun cream: included
Per day: £67.50

School day, 9 to 3, £54. Morning or afternoon session, £43.

A full day, using funded hours

Nine funded hours of care and activities: free
Meals, nappies, wipes and sun cream (optional): £14.00
Per day, if you take them: £14.00

Bring your own packed lunch or nappies and we take those lines off. Your child's place does not depend on it.

Notice to leave: [to confirm]. We accept Tax-Free Childcare. If any of this is unclear, ask before you join.

The basics

The things you would expect, in one place.

Extra handsThere is always someone free, for a cuddle, a question or a story.
Key personEvery child has one named adult who knows them best and talks to you daily.
Qualified staffMost of the team hold childcare qualifications, and someone trained in paediatric first aid is on site at all times.
SafeguardingA designated lead, enhanced DBS checks for everyone, and secure entry at the front door.
Daily updatesMeals, sleeps and nappies on the app, and a conversation at the door.
When your child is unwellWe follow UK Health Security Agency guidance, including 48 hours at home after sickness or diarrhoea. A cold on its own is not a reason to stay home if your child is well in themselves.
Potty trainingWe follow your lead and do the same here as you do at home.
Additional needsWe work with you and with local professionals. Ask us early and we will tell you what we can do.

Ready for school

By the time they leave, children can do what school will ask of them, and much more besides.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage. What you will see is a four-year-old who can:

Use the toilet on their own, wash their hands and put a coat on
Eat at a table with a knife and fork, and try new things
Say what they need, and listen when someone else does
Share, take turns, and lose a game
Recognise their name, hold a pencil, and love a story
Say goodbye to you at the door and get on with the day

Every child goes to school from Seaward potty trained.

Join the waiting list

We are currently full. Tell us about your child and we will tell you when a place is likely.

Or ring 01202 424655 and come and look round while we are open. No charge to join the list, no obligation.

Visits: [days and times to confirm]