Harestock Nursery

A garden pram trail for babies, sensory play across two toddler rooms and an outdoor classroom give Harestock Nursery a recognisable character. Play and social interaction take precedence over an early push towards school readiness. That philosophy has practical expression: children can explore plants outside, choose materials for imaginative play and keep familiar sleep routines as they grow through the nursery.

At its 5 November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found effective safeguarding, good progress and secure relationships between children and their key staff. The improvement points were specific: larger group activities needed better organisation, and parents needed clearer guidance about their child's next learning steps.

Harestock takes children from 6 months to 5 years and has 50 places in total. Its Winchester address is 65 Harestock Road, SO22 6NX. Full-day and half-day bookings sit alongside term-time attendance and attendance across 50 weeks, giving families several ways to arrange care.

Rooms and Ages

Four named rooms mark the progression through Harestock: Robins for 6–18 months, Kingfishers for 18–30 months, Woodpeckers for 30–36 months and Puffins for 3–5 years. These are age bands rather than fixed groups: rooms may close and children be redistributed according to the mix attending. The practical question is therefore how a child's day works within that arrangement, rather than simply which room name appears on their paperwork.

Robins has a staff-to-child ratio of 1:3. It follows familiar home routines, with a quiet sleeping space, a garden pram trail and opportunities for exploration and growing independence. Kingfishers uses a free-flow arrangement across two rooms for sensory exploration, painting, puzzles and pretend play, with soft play supporting balance and daily stories bringing children together. Woodpeckers has direct garden access and combines movement with communication, listening and creative materials such as finger paint and threading. Puffins provides spaces for making marks, messy activities, imaginative stories and pretend play, including a book corner where children can pause.

The physical progression makes sense for families following a child from babyhood towards school age. Younger children have sleeping arrangements that accommodate home habits, while older children have en-suite toilet access to support toilet training. Those details give everyday independence a place in the building's design.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care: at Harestock, this means learning through play that develops communication, movement, relationships, early literacy, number skills and creative expression. It is the shared foundation for nursery education, rather than an extra programme. Puffins combines adult-guided activity with children's choices, using weekly themes and changing pretend-play resources in response to their interests.

In November 2024, toddlers practised fruit vocabulary during story time and explored paint marks. Children also made dinosaurs using recycled materials brought from home. Preschool children worked on writing their names and connecting letters with their sounds. These examples show learning embedded in things children make, discuss and recognise, rather than confined to a formal lesson.

Small groups held children's attention well in November 2024. Larger gatherings were less consistently adapted to the different ages and abilities taking part, leaving some children distracted. That distinction matters: a varied activity list is useful only when its organisation allows each child to participate.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Large Garden has paths for pushing prams and plants that children can tend. Harestock aims to use it at least daily throughout the year, although summer brings more extensive use. The Outdoor Classroom provides another place for nature-related learning when the weather allows. Outdoor experience is therefore both physical and exploratory, with room to move as well as things to investigate.

For older children, the garden includes a grass area and equipment for developing larger movements. In November 2024, children used scooters and tricycles and practised manageable physical challenges with staff supervision. The combination gives families a clearer picture than a simple promise of outdoor play: movement, plant care and nature activities each have a setting of their own.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions introduce children to the team before their regular attendance begins. In Robins, a key worker liaises with parents and keeps personal diaries of daily milestones; Puffins also assigns each child a key person. The arrangement gives families an identified adult through whom they can share routines and understand their child's experience.

Movement from Robins to Kingfishers is gradual, using short visits accompanied by the key worker and familiar children. Information about individual needs passes to the next key worker, and parents are included in the change. This treats a room move as a relationship change as well as a change of space.

In November 2024, parents shared home routines, staff offered comfort when babies woke and updates came through conversations, newsletters and online communication. At the same visit, Ofsted found that information about individual next steps needed greater detail so parents could extend learning at home. Harestock's online daily journal provides a current communication channel; the important distinction is between hearing what happened and understanding what comes next.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Robins accommodates babies' own comfort items and home sleep patterns, while Kingfishers offers rest after lunch with familiar blankets or comforters. Woodpeckers also has a sleep room, with rest arranged according to parents' wishes. Sleep remains part of care as children grow, rather than disappearing automatically when they leave the baby room.

Woodpeckers supports toilet training and shares the findings of a developmental progress check for children aged between two and three. The admissions process gathers dietary needs, allergies and consent information before attendance. These are concrete ways of bringing individual requirements into daily care.

Meals are prepared on site in a commercial kitchen using fresh ingredients, and the catering arrangements cover allergies and intolerances. Food can be adapted for babies, including puréed or diced textures; parents supply their milk and formula.

For the move to school, Puffins works with local teachers to arrange meetings with children in familiar surroundings. This is transition support: the benefit is a chance for a child and teacher to meet before the next stage begins.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, with Breakfast Club beginning at 7.30am and offering an earlier start with breakfast for an additional charge. Contracted bookings are sold as a full day of 10 hours or a half-day of 5 hours, normally with a minimum commitment of 20 hours each week. An extra hour or two may supplement a half-day where circumstances warrant it.

Families can attend for the 38-week term-time year or across 50 weeks. The nursery closes on bank holidays and for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Contracted hours are billed in equal monthly invoices under either attendance arrangement; additional non-contracted hours are billed when used and cannot be guaranteed.

Enquiries go through the contact form or telephone number 01962 881870. Guided tours can take place in person or through Zoom. There is no registration charge, but reserving a place for a specific future date requires a non-refundable Guarantee Placement fee with the application.

Getting There

The nursery's own off-street car park accommodates approximately 20 vehicles at 65 Harestock Road, Winchester, SO22 6NX. That provides an on-site parking option for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Harestock accepts eligible funded childcare of 15 or 30 hours, with a 38-week term-time arrangement and a stretched arrangement across 50 weeks. The universal entitlement begins from the term after a child's third birthday; working-parent funding for younger children and extended hours depend on eligibility. The attendance model and funding model therefore need to be considered together.

For funded attendance, meals and snacks attract a separate charge. Parents can decline meal provision, but that choice restricts funded attendance to afternoon sessions; packed lunches are not permitted under the nursery's food policy. Harestock makes no consumables charge, while parents supply nappies, creams and wipes for toddlers, as well as babies' milk and formula. Current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation.

• Group participation and learning updates. The November 2024 improvement points concerned larger activities and specific next steps for parents. During a tour, ask how activities now accommodate different ages and how your child's next steps will be shared.
• Funded afternoons and food. Declining meal provision limits funded attendance to afternoons, and packed lunches are prohibited. This has a direct bearing on the timetable; allergy-affected families should also confirm current catering practice.
• Room organisation. Rooms can close and children be redistributed according to attendance. Ask how the Robins-to-Kingfishers transition and daily grouping would work for your child.
• Booking commitment. The usual minimum is 20 contracted hours weekly, and the Guarantee Placement fee is non-refundable when reserving a specific future start. Those terms deserve attention before choosing a pattern.

Harestock suits families seeking full-day or half-day care, with either term-time attendance or a pattern extending across 50 weeks. Its strongest practical features are the garden, age-related play spaces, continuity around sleep and gradual movement between rooms. The Good judgement from November 2024 supports that picture, while the two improvement points keep attention on participation and useful learning updates. For funded families, the meal choice and its effect on afternoon-only attendance are central to whether the arrangement fits.