About Us – Highwood Nursery

About Highwood

At Highwood we pride ourselves on providing quality childcare for children aged three months to five years. Each room, from Bunnies to Owls, has been carefully planned, giving children a choice of free-flow-play and opportunities to learn through exploration.

Our children are encouraged to develop their individuality and self-confidence through our Highwood curriculum as they explore a wide range of activities. Our ‘in the moment’ planning is a child-centred approach that enables children to grow, learn, explore and progress through play at their own pace.n

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Opening Times

We aim to be as flexible as possible in order to fit around busy lives. The facilities at Highwood Nursery are open from Monday to Friday 7:45am – 6:00pm. We are open 50 weeks of the year. We are closed on Bank Holidays and for two weeks over Christmas and the New Year usually linked with the Hampshire school holidays. We also close for two staff training days per year, dates are given to parents in advance.

Sessions at the Nursery are booked on an hourly or half hourly basis. We do require that you book a minimum session of 4 hours in either the morning or afternoon for your child to make the most of the opportunities available to them. Children must attend at least two sessions per week.

One month’s written notice is required if you no longer wish your child to attend the Nursery, or if you need to change your child’s hours. Occasional alterations can be made if staffing allows, but this must be confirmed in advance with a senior member of staff. Hours must be adhered to due to the required staffing ratios.

In the event of a late arrival to collect your child, you will be charged £5 for every five minutes beyond the scheduled collection time.

Settling

We aim to make settling as easy as possible, helping to ensure a stress-free experience for everyone involved.

We encourage you and your child to visit two or three times before starting at the Nursery. These settling sessions should be pre-booked with the Childcare Manager or one of her deputies. Please note that there is no charge for these sessions.

On your first visit, we suggest you stay with your child for one or two hours, depending on your child’s age and previous nursery experience. This will give you the chance to spend time with your child’s Key Carer and discuss issues such as weaning, sleep patterns and dietary requirements.

On your second visit we suggest you stay with your child until he or she is happy for you to leave. We may suggest you leave the Nursery for an hour or so. If after these two visits your child is still not settled, then we will suggest another settling session.

Settling always depends on the child. Some settle very quickly and others take longer. The idea of settling sessions is to ensure your child does not feel like he or she has been abandoned. That may sound a little extreme, but it might be exactly how he or she feels. Our experience tells us that time set aside for settling your child is time well spent.

Clothing

At Highwood we encourage children to explore their environment, which may mean getting their clothes dirty from time to time.

Although we provide protective clothing for activities such as painting and gluing, some children may still get substances on their clothes. Therefore, please ensure your child wears easily washable clothes that he or she does not have to worry about getting dirty.

We encourage all those who are capable of dressing and undressing themselves to do so when appropriate. The kind of clothes you give your child to wear will either help or hinder this. For example, toggles, large zips, or press studs are much easier to use than fiddly buttons. Therefore, particularly when toilet training, please consider your child’s clothing carefully and ensure it is easy to remove.

The weather does not usually keep us indoors, so it is essential that you send your child to us with suitable clothing. Warm and waterproof coats are needed during the cold months, and a sun hat and sun cream will be appropriate for the warmer months.

Please provide a named bag for your child’s personal belongings that can be placed on a peg in their room. All clothing must be marked with your child’s name.

Food

We work closely with Nursery Kitchen to supply our children with fresh, tasty, and nutritious meals and snacks.

We recognise the important role diet plays in supporting the development of a child’s physical and cognitive wellbeing. A variety of food is served at regular intervals throughout the day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Children’s individual dietary requirements are requested from the child’s parent/carer on registration and updated as necessary through regular communication.

Hear from our parents

“We find the Famly updates and photos a real joy, thank you”

“Very happy with the room activities and preparation put into these. Particularly happy to see the children enjoying the large green outdoor space at the college.”

“We are really pleased with Highwood. We particularly like that they are outside as much as possible and are imaginative with how they structure the day. We also love that the staff range in experience from very experienced to apprentices.”

“Our child loves the activities, and I can certainly appreciate the thought and imagination that goes into their creations”

“Our child is really enjoying nursery and we are really happy with his care from everyone in his room, thank you”

“Thank you to all, my child is enjoying her time at nursery just as much as her sister did a few years ago, you are all a huge part of our girl’s early years and they thrive on it”

Latest News

2 October 2025