Seaward Day Nursery

A tree house with a sea view, woodland beside the playground and children running their own bakery give Seaward Day Nursery a character closely tied to Southbourne. Cooking and outdoor exploration are substantial parts of the offer. They give children practical things to make, places to explore and reasons to talk about what they are doing.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found that children were progressing well and judged safeguarding effective. The qualifications matter, too: staff did not consistently carry older children's intended next learning steps through into activities, and adults sometimes solved problems before children had time to work things out themselves.

Seaward accepts children aged one to five at 61 Seaward Avenue, Bournemouth. Morning, afternoon, School Day and Full Day bookings sit alongside term-time and all-year attendance options, giving families several ways to organise care.

Rooms and Ages

Sea Stars Playroom is arranged for younger children's curiosity and exploration, while Dolphins Classroom provides a more independent, challenging space; a move towards Dolphins follows an assessment of readiness around two and a half. That assessment makes the transition more than a birthday milestone. The next room needs to match what a child can manage and enjoy.

Children of different ages also spend time together through planned arrangements intended to help younger children play safely alongside older peers. For a family with siblings, this is a useful aspect of the day to explore, rather than assuming that room allocation means complete separation throughout nursery hours.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, play provides practical ways to explore those areas: hands-on maths, learning to recognise sounds in preparation for reading, and open-ended art give children things to investigate, discuss and create.

Drama, dance, cooking and art extend that everyday learning. Seaward Bakery is a concrete example: preschool children bake bread and sweet treats, including ciabattas and muffins. Shopping for ingredients and growing herbs connect the finished food with the work that comes before it. Children can take part in a process with a recognisable result, rather than only watching an adult demonstrate.

In November 2023, younger children explored the sounds made by instruments, including shakers and piano keys. Older children experimented with ramps and rolling balls, adjusting the angle to see what happened. These were useful examples of learning through trial and observation, although the next learning step for older children was not consistently carried through into teaching.

Outdoor and Community Life

Fisherman’s Walk provides woodland, a pond and opportunities for picnics beside the nursery's own outdoor space. Beach outings include books and sandcastle building, while local shops, the library and care homes extend children's experiences beyond the two playrooms. Visits to older people include performances, bringing a social purpose to activities children practise together.

The playground has secure gates and a safety surface, with a tree house deck overlooking the sea. Children can climb, slide, play with a ball, draw with chalk and paint, or use the space for messy play. This matters for children who benefit from switching between physical activity and quieter creative work during the day.

In November 2023, outdoor experiences included children drawing together on the ground and tackling a large climbing frame. The shared drawing gave children something to discuss with friends; climbing brought a different challenge. Adults' tendency to intervene too quickly was a limitation here, reducing some opportunities for children to practise judging a problem and trying their own solution.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts before the first regular nursery day. An All About Me questionnaire helps staff prepare familiar toys and equipment, followed by an initial play session with a parent and a sequence of gradually longer settling sessions. Everyday routines are introduced progressively. Parents remain nearby during the early sessions so they can return if their child needs them.

A favourite toy or a photograph from home can provide continuity, and a picture of the child's key person can go home in the other direction. These are small, specific ways to make an unfamiliar relationship more recognisable. The approach allows settling to be adjusted to the child rather than treating separation as a single event.

Families can receive email updates and The Seaward Times newsletters, and parents are invited to meetings to contribute ideas and help plan events. In November 2023, communication between staff and families included time for conversations before children went home, providing a direct opportunity to discuss how a child had managed.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a designated safeguarding lead, a deputy safeguarding lead and a special educational needs role. These identify responsibilities within the team. They are useful starting points for discussing a child's support, rather than a substitute for understanding the arrangements that child will actually need.

In November 2023, stories and singing helped create a quieter period before lunch, and staff responded to children who needed comfort when tired. Staff had also undertaken mental-health training to help them recognise emotional difficulties and respond to them. The emphasis was on noticing how children were coping as well as organising the next activity.

Meals are cooked on the premises, with provision for dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free diets. Family-style dining gives even two-year-olds opportunities to help set tables and serve themselves from shared bowls, making lunch a chance to practise independence and consideration for others.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 5.30pm, School Day bookings from 8.30am to 3.30pm, and Full Day bookings from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Term-time and all-year attendance options are offered. The nursery closes at weekends, on bank holidays and for one week between Christmas and New Year. The School Day option provides an earlier finish than Full Day care, while separate morning and afternoon sessions allow a shorter attendance pattern.

Getting There

The address is 61 Seaward Avenue, Bournemouth, BH6 3SJ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01202 424655 or by email at hello@seawarddaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Seaward participates in the Nursery Education Grant (NEG), accepts childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare payments, and offers privately paid care and additional non-funded hours. Consumables are charged separately, with the charge structured by Full Day, School Day or session attendance. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation.

Fees are due before the fifteenth of each month. Withdrawal requires four weeks' written notice, so changing a care arrangement needs advance planning.

• Older children's challenge. In November 2023, activities did not consistently develop the intended next learning step, and adults sometimes intervened before children could solve problems themselves. On a tour, ask how staff now extend an older child's investigation while leaving time for independent attempts.
• The move between rooms. Progression towards Dolphins involves a readiness assessment around two and a half. Discuss how that decision is made for your child and how time with older and younger children works in practice.
• Funding and the total bill. Consumables carry a separate attendance-based charge. Request a written breakdown covering the funded attendance pattern, meals and non-food items so the complete arrangement can be weighed against your schedule.
• Dietary needs. Meals cater for several dietary requirements, and cooking is also part of children's learning. Families affected by allergies should confirm current preparation and ingredient-handling arrangements for both meals and children's baking.

Seaward suits families who want cooking, creative work and outdoor exploration to be tangible parts of nursery life. Seaward Bakery and Fisherman’s Walk give that offer substance. The gradual settling arrangements also provide a clear starting point for a child who needs time to become comfortable with new people and routines.

Morning or afternoon sessions, School Day bookings and Full Day care serve different schedules, with term-time and all-year options adding another choice. The November 2023 Good judgement supports a positive assessment, balanced by specific questions about challenge and independence for older children. Those are useful priorities for a visit.