Sunshine Pre-School and Day Nursery

A detached house, a spacious garden and free music lessons twice a month give Sunshine Pre-School and Day Nursery a recognisable character. This Southampton setting cares for children from 4 months to 5 years and has 35 places in total. Its physical setting will appeal to families who prefer a house-based nursery, while the music sessions add a recurring activity for every age group.

At its 25 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Sunshine Good and judged safeguarding effective. That dated judgement sits alongside a current play-based approach and a key-person system that connects children's learning with updates for parents.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different working and family routines. The important distinction for budgeting is between private sessions, which include specified meals, and funded hours, for which food and care consumables attract separate charges.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the baseline for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills and relationships through play, with literacy, mathematics, creative activities and understanding the world also forming part of their learning. Sunshine uses a play-based curriculum and adapts teaching methods to individual children. The practical emphasis is on learning through activity rather than treating education as a separate part of the day.

Free music lessons take place twice a month and include all ages. Their regular place in the programme gives families a concrete addition to consider alongside everyday play, with no separate lesson charge.

In April 2022, children's interests shaped activities: holidays prompted postcard-making for relatives, while toy dinosaurs provided a reason to count and explore what made different dinosaurs recognisable. These examples show how an interest could become both a creative task and a mathematical conversation. Books also featured in that month's nursery life, with children listening to stories and choosing to look through books themselves.

Communication needed more consistent attention in April 2022. Some practitioners moved on before children had sufficient time to answer questions, and the introduction of new words was not always carefully adapted for children needing language support. The issue was how adults used everyday conversations, rather than a lack of activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The spacious garden extends the possibilities beyond indoor play. Waterproof clothing is essential here because outdoor activity continues in different weather conditions; families can plan clothing around active, potentially messy days.

In April 2022, children practised climbing over climbing frames and grew vegetables, watering their plants and using displays of the activity as reminders. Growing something gave them a reason to revisit an activity and remember what living plants needed. These are dated examples of how physical challenge and practical learning fitted into nursery life.

Southampton Common is just a few minutes’ walk away. That proximity is useful context for the address, while the nursery's own garden remains the concrete outdoor feature within the setting.

Relationships and Communication

A key person records each child's learning and development and shares it through an online parent portal. Sunshine uses parent zone for communication, accessible through a phone app or a computer, and completes a development record each term. This gives parents a way to follow learning beyond conversations at collection and to see how their child's interests and skills are developing.

In April 2022, children turned to their key person when they wanted comfort, and staff maintained regular contact with families about development. Home-learning bags offered practical support on topics including toilet training. The connection between nursery and home therefore included resources parents could use, as well as information about what their child had done.

A familiar toy or blanket can come from home if labelled. Spare clothes and indoor shoes are useful too, and easily managed clothing supports children who are learning to use the toilet. These small arrangements matter when a child is becoming comfortable with a new routine or practising independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND were progressing, but staff needed deeper knowledge of how to involve and support them so that their progress could be stronger. The manager had started a plan to address that weakness. It is a material qualification to the overall Good judgement, especially for families whose child needs individual support.

In April 2022, practitioners also brought familiar words from children's home languages into play. This provided a point of connection for children learning English as an additional language.

The manager holds the designated safeguarding lead role, with the deputy manager acting as deputy lead. Sunshine publishes a nut-free policy that asks families to avoid consuming nuts before attending; its sample-menu policy also allows adjustments for foods a child cannot have.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 36 Thornbury Avenue, Southampton, SO15 5BR. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. All-day bookings run from 8am to 6pm, mornings from 8am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Sunshine also provides preschool sessions for children aged 3 and 4.

The annual pattern spans 51 weeks, with Christmas and bank-holiday closures. The payment terms additionally provide for two staff-training closure days each year, with fees still payable. Families using year-round care need to account for those closures when arranging cover.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, which requests the child's date of birth and the intended sessions and start date, or by email at info@sunshinedaynursery.com. This ties the enquiry to the child's age and the attendance pattern being considered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Nursery Education Funding (NEF) from the term after a child's third birthday, alongside working parents’ entitlement for eligible children aged 2 and babies aged 9 months and over. Stretched funded hours are offered. Private hours beyond a child's funded allocation are billed separately, so entitlement and the full attendance bill need to be considered together.

For private bookings, the all-day fee includes all meals, the morning fee includes lunch and a snack, and the afternoon fee includes high tea. During funded hours, meals are charged separately, as are nappies, wipes and creams. Food provision includes breakfast, snacks, a cooked lunch and tea; the inclusion depends on the booking and funding arrangement.

Invoices spread charges into equal monthly payments across 51 weeks, allowing for the Christmas closure without a charge, while bank holidays remain chargeable. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Ending the contract requires a month's written notice, with fees payable throughout that period.

A deposit applies to permanent additional sessions, subject to availability, and is not refundable if those sessions are not taken up. The terms also state that deposits are credited against the first month's invoice and become non-refundable if the place is not taken up.

• Language teaching and SEND support. The April 2022 findings called for more consistent conversation techniques and stronger staff knowledge of SEND. During a visit, ask how practitioners now give children time to respond and adapt activities for individual support needs.
• Funded-hours budgeting. Meals, nappies, wipes and creams are separate charges during funded hours, and extra private hours are billed too. Request a written quotation for the exact morning, afternoon or all-day pattern you intend to use.
• Closure and notice terms. Bank holidays and two annual training days remain chargeable, while a month's notice carries continuing fees. These terms affect both backup childcare and the cost of changing arrangements.
• Nut-free expectations. The policy extends to avoiding nuts before attending, rather than simply keeping them out of packed belongings. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and discuss their child's dietary needs before joining.

Sunshine suits families seeking a house-based setting with a spacious garden, recurring music sessions and online communication through a key person. Its morning, afternoon and all-day bookings give it relevance to different family routines, rather than a single attendance pattern.

The April 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, with language teaching and SEND knowledge the clear qualifications. For parents weighing this nursery, the strongest practical combination is its varied sessions and parent communication; the main budgeting consideration is the separate food and consumables charges attached to funded hours.