Honeypot Nursery
Knowing how important the early years are, we aim to provide your child with a happy, caring and stimulating environment that will encourage learning through play and exploration of a variety of constructive, imaginative, creative and social events.
Choosing the right nursery for your child is an important decision.
We work in partnership with parents to ensure your and your child’s needs are met.
Children have opportunities to explore other cultures and values reflected in our variety of play equipment and books that portray all people as equal. This gives your child the chance to integrate with other children through play and active learning.
Honeypot Nursery offers care for children of students, staff and community users. It is situated at the Highbury Campus.
Your child will be treated as an equal individual regardless of culture, disability, ethnicity, religion or support needs. We have three separate, bright and child-friendly rooms catering for the different needs of each age group.
What is available?
The nursery has 54-places and caters for children from birth to school-age.
We open daily from 7:30am-6pm for 50 weeks of the year, and operate different sessions throughout the day. Please refer to our Fees & Funding section for full details.
Your child must be booked in for a minimum of 2 sessions per week, preferably over two separate days.
We have three separate, bright and child-friendly rooms catering for the different needs of each age group which you can read about below.
Parents are encouraged to work with staff to provide ideas for planned activities that the children will enjoy.
Baby Bees
2-20 months
Your baby will flourish in our loving home-from-home environment that encourages exploration and investigation through play. We include activities like painting, music sessions, treasure baskets, messy and sensory play; the children also have access to the outside play area.
The daily routine is very flexible, taking into account each child's individual needs and routine. Your child's key worker will work closely with you to ensure these routines and weaning patterns are kept consistent with what you are doing at home.
Honey Bees
20-33 months
We provide high quality care to ensure that you feel secure in the knowledge that your toddler is cared for in safe and enjoyable surroundings.
The room has been designed to provide areas for free and structured play, water and sand play, painting, arts and crafts, table top activities, construction activities and a quiet reading area. A role play area provides the children with additional opportunities for imaginative play.
The children have access to the outside play are which provides opportunities for them to dig, explore and grow things, throughout the year.
Busy Bees
33-47 months
The pre-school room provides ample opportunities for free and structured play. Independence is actively encouraged at this age and as every child develops at a different rate, staff will offer encouragement whenever needed.
At this age children are developing their skill and awareness of numbers, letters, colours and basic reading and writing. We will encourage these skills which will help prepare them for school.
At this important transition time your child’s key worker will liaise with you to ensure we help in any way possible.
We're Ofsted 'good'
The nursery is Ofsted registered and provides high quality childcare for babies and children up to 4 years of age covering all the learning and development requirements of The Early Years Foundation stage.
During our last inspection which was conducted in June 2024, the nursery was declared 'good' by Ofsted. Their report said "staff are warm and attentive in the care they provide for children. Older children excitedly greet their key person when they see them, and staff reciprocate their enthusiasm. This helps children to feel valued and part of the nursery family".
Fees & Funding
| All ages |
|---|---|
Morning session - 8-12pm or 9am-1pm | £28 |
Extended session - 7.30am-1pm | £38 |
Afternoon session - 12-4pm or 1-5pm | £28 |
School day - 8.30am-4pm | £62 |
Day - 8:00am-5pm | £56 |
Extended day - 7:30am-6pm | £66 |
Addition 1/2 hour - 7:30am-6pm (on full day rate only) | £4 |
Addition hour - 5pm-6pm (on full day rate only) | £8 |
A retainer fee will be charged to secure a place in the following academic year.
Enquires should be directed to the Nursery. Application forms can be obtained from the Nursery.
All fees are payable within 28 days of receiving an invoice. Students at the College may be eligible for assistance and should contact the Nursery Manager or the Student Finance Officer for more information. If you are a parent under the age of 20 who wants to study or train, you can get help with paying for childcare through 'Care to Learn' funding. For more information on Care to Learn please contact either 0800 121 8989 or visit the Care to Learn website.
Government funding is free; we do not charge any additional top up fee for your funded hours.
We accept the Nursery Education Grant, the Government funding for 3 and 4 year olds which entitles children up to 15 hours free education per week, 38 weeks of the year, or a total of 570 hours ‘stretched’ throughout the year.
We do not charge top up fees unless you are going over your allocated number of hours.
An additional 15 hours of funding may be claimed for eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds. Please go to the Childcare Choices website for more information and to apply.
From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds can claim 15 hours of childcare support.
Please go to Childcare Choices website for more information and to apply.
From September 2024, 15 hours childcare support will be extended to eligible working parents with a child from 9-months-old. Apply for your code from 12th May.
From September 2025, support will reach 30 hours for eligible working parents with a child from 9-months-old up to school age.
We accept Government Funding for 2 year old children who qualify. All two year-olds who meet any one of the following criteria will be eligible:
- if their families receive income based benefits that match the eligibility criteria also used for free school meals.
- if their families receive Working Tax credits and have annual gross earning of no more than £16,190 per year - a copy of your most recent Tax Credit Award Notice (TC602) is required with your completed application.
- if they have a current statement of special educational needs (SEN) or an education, health and care plan.
- if they attract Disability Living Allowance - a copy of the award notice is required which your completed application.
- if they are looked after by their local authority.
- if they have left care through special guardianship or through an adoption or residence order.
We are registered for several employee childcare voucher schemes including:
- Busy Bees Vouchers (Computershare)
- Accor Vouchers (Edenred)
- Sodexo (Saycare)
- Co-op
- Care-4
- RG Childcare
For working families, including the self employed, in the UK:
- earning under £100k and an average of £183 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage) each over three months
- who aren't receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
- with children aged 0-11 (or 0-16 if disabled)
- for every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year
- please go to the Childcare Choices website for more information and to apply.
Contact us
023 9232 8964 or 023 9232 8963
Highbury Campus, Tudor Crescent, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 2SA
The nursery is open Monday to Friday 7.30am-6pm for 50 weeks a year.
Apply for your child's place
Complete our application form and someone from the Honeypot team will be in touch!
Our curriculum
The nursery plans the learning environment and curriculum to support and extend children’s play, learning and development.
We assess children’s achievements and plan their next steps.
Honeypot follows the early year’s foundation stage, the statutory framework that sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five years.
The aim is to underpin all future learning by supporting children’s development using the four guiding Early Year’s Foundation Stage principals:
- a unique child
- positive relationships
- enabling environments
- children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.
The EYFS has seven areas of learning and development:
Prime areas
communication and language
personal, social and emotional development
physical development.
Specific areas
literacy
mathematics
understanding the world
expressive arts and design.
We understand that the environment plays a key role in children's learning and development and ensure that the nursery is always well equipped with age appropriate educational resources for children to access. To find more information on the Early Years Foundation Stage, visit their website.
Our fantastic staff
Cathy - Nursery Manager
(NNEB & BA) I have been managing the nursery since 2003. I enjoy evaluating and enhancing practice and striving for excellence. My favourite part of the job is sharing stories with the children and watching their imaginations blossom and develop through their formative years.
Sam - Nursery Deputy
(BTEC National diploma, BA (hons) & EYT) I have worked at the nursery since 1999 and have had the opportunity to work with all age groups. My favourite age is preschool: I love the conversations and preparing the children for school. I also enjoy planning trips to the forest, beach, farm and other places to enhance their learning and provide them with diverse experiences.
Kelly - Nursery Deputy
(NNEB) I have working been working at Honeypot for over 20 years. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch the children achieve important milestones and to help them along the way. I enjoy singing and sharing stories with the children, but my favourite activity is getting creative and messy.
Emma - Nursery Deputy
(NNEB) I have been working at the nursery since 2001. My favourite age group is the 2-year-olds, as I love watching them grow, become independent, and prepare for preschool. My favourite activities include loose parts play and exploring the outdoor environment.
Bonnie - Nursery Practitioner
(NVQ Level 3) I have been working in childcare since 2013 and joined Honeypot in 2022. Both of my children attend the nursery and love it, which inspired me to join the team. I enjoy being in the outdoor area and finding new ways to enhance it. I also love sensory and messy play – the messier, the better.
Lisa - Nursery Practitioner
(NVQ Level 3) I began working in the early years in 2006 and joined the nursery in 2008. I love taking the children on trips to explore their local environment and places of interest, as well as engaging in all art and craft activities.
Natalie - Nursery Practitioner
(BTEC National diploma) I have been a qualified nursery practitioner since 2008 and joined Honeypot in 2015. I enjoy reading and singing with children of all age groups and supporting their personal, social and emotional development.
Heather - Nursery Practitioner
(NVQ Level 3) I have worked in early childhood education since 1999 and have been at Honeypot since 2018. I love watching the children grow and progress as they move through the nursery and eventually transition to school.
Pauline - Nursery Practitioner
(NVQ Level 3 & CACHE Level 3 SEN) I have been at Honeypot since 2019, and prior to that I worked as a teaching assistant, supporting children with delayed development. I love reading books to the children, taking part in music sessions and all creative activities.
Emma - Nursery Practitioner
(BTEC National diploma & CACHE Level 3 SEN) While I was studying childcare in college, my son attended the nursery. I qualified in 2011 and have since been working with children aged 6 months to 11 years. I joined the Honeypot team in 2022. I love taking the children on trips to explore the wider community and enjoy being outdoors, developing new and exciting activities.
Chesca - Nursery Practitioner
(BTEC National diploma) I have been working in childcare since 2013 and joined the Honeypot team in 2020. I enjoy sharing stories and songs with the children, and my favourite thing is using my creative skills to plan creative and messy activities for the children to explore their imagination and watching them thrive.
Brooke - Nursery Practitioner
(BTEC National diploma & BA (hons)) I began my childcare career at Honeypot nursery in 2023. I love watching the children’s personalities develop in both indoor and outdoor environments. My favourite activities include loud music sessions and getting extremely messy.
Katie - Nursery Practitioner
(NVQ Level 3) I have been working in childcare since 2010 and joined Honeypot in 2012. I enjoy working with all age groups, especially sharing music and movement sessions and all art and craft activities, to increase the children’s learning experiences.
Ella - Nursery Practitioner
(NVQ Level 3) Since 2018, I have worked with children ranging in age from 6 months to 11 years old. I particularly enjoy sensory activities and singing with the children, as I see how much they gain from these experiences and how engaged they become.We pride ourselves on having a well-established team of qualified and experienced professionals. Staff qualifications range from NVQ 3 in children and young people’s workforce to Early Years Teacher Status.
In addition to childcare qualifications all staff are also qualified in paediatric first aid, safeguarding, food hygiene, manual handling & information sharing.
We have a rigorous training and development plan in place which supports staff to regularly attend additional training covering a variety of topics such as, working with children with additional needs, health & safety, EYFS principles and supporting early years development.
Staff members employed in the nursery have all completed a DBS disclosure check.
Downloads & Useful Resources
Our dedicated learning journal app
We have on-line learning journals for each child so that you are able to access your child’s profile any time you want, as long as you have an internet connection.
The journal gives you up to date information about your child’s development and progress, with observations and photos of your child learning through play. The on-line system makes it easier for you to contribute too!
