Harbourside Nursery is situated in a unique location on Hill Head harbour, with the Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve, a national park with a rich natural habitat of rivers, marshlands, ponds, and extensive Solent coastline, literally right on our doorstep.
Our vision is simple; a learning environment that is the outside environment. Our children will spend their days immersed in nature, exploring not only the magnificent shoreline, but all that the Haven has to offer. This nature reserve and coastline will serve as their classroom, where they will learn and grow immersed in natural cycles—from daily tides to seasonal changes - nurtured both by an incredible team of passionate carers, and by the very world that they are part of. To paraphrase Margaret McMillan, CBE, and nursery pioneer, our children will flourish in an environment where education will be inevitable.
Our focus is clear; a curriculum centred around the care of nature, sustainable living, and environmental responsibilty, designed to deliver all of the Early Year Foundation Stages whilst going above and beyond in developing confidence, creativity, resilience, and well being, both physical, and mental.
And for those days when the weather outside is truly awful, a stunning indoor day-care facility incorporating the experience born of 20 years providing the highest standards of early years care will ensure that these children continue to benefit from their time at this one-of-a-kind day nursery.
We are sure that you have many questions.
Please read on...
Freya Derrick MBE
Founder & Managing Director
Hopscotch Day Nurseries
Our vision is simple; a learning environment that is the outside environment. Our children will spend their days immersed in nature, exploring not only the magnificent shoreline, but all that the Haven has to offer. This nature reserve and coastline will serve as their classroom, where they will learn and grow immersed in natural cycles—from daily tides to seasonal changes - nurtured both by an incredible team of passionate carers, and by the very world that they are part of. To paraphrase Margaret McMillan, CBE, and nursery pioneer, our children will flourish in an environment where education will be inevitable.
Our focus is clear; a curriculum centred around the care of nature, sustainable living, and environmental responsibilty, designed to deliver all of the Early Year Foundation Stages whilst going above and beyond in developing confidence, creativity, resilience, and well being, both physical, and mental.
And for those days when the weather outside is truly awful, a stunning indoor day-care facility incorporating the experience born of 20 years providing the highest standards of early years care will ensure that these children continue to benefit from their time at this one-of-a-kind day nursery.
We are sure that you have many questions.
Please read on...
Freya Derrick MBE
Founder & Managing Director
Hopscotch Day Nurseries
Our mission at Harbourside is to provide a day nursery with a dedicated ethos and commitment to an early years education centred around the outdoors. We will provide a holistic approach to childcare, recognising that high levels of wellbeing are essential for young minds to flourish and achieve their best possible outcomes. With a child-led approach, we will scaffold children’s learning through their own inquiry and interests, maximising the advantages of our location to provide awe-inspiring opportunities for children to explore the world. At the heart of our approach is the natural world, and we are committed to promoting connections with the spaces on our doorstep and beyond, and with them, a lifelong love of nature and wildlife, and an appreciation for natural phenomena. Between the comings and goings of the tide and the everchanging landscape of the seasons, we will create a culture of environmental stewardship, raising the next generation to look after the world within which we live, and to care for the creatures with whom we share it.
The benefits of outdoor learning are widely recognised and celebrated, and studies increasingly demonstrate the advantages of this approach. Research indicates that access to nature improves mental wellbeing, motivation, and overall health. From navigating uneven terrain to exploring ecosystems, being outdoors provides children with the space and time to develop movement freely, creates physical stamina, and satisfies curiosity. They are presented with ample opportunities to approach risk, make decisions, and persevere even when conditions aren’t ideal, building the vital problem-solving skills, resilience, and confidence crucial for life. Learning whilst immersed in the sound of the waves washing up the shore, the breeze ruffling through leaves, and birds calling as they fly overhead creates interest and fascination, inspires imaginations, introduces a vast and varied vocabulary, and enables children to experience the world through all of their senses. Most importantly, advocates of outside play attest to the far-reaching benefits nature has on happiness in childhood and beyond, and whilst we agree that learning and development are of great importance, joy and happiness will always be central to our approach.
The benefits of outdoor learning are widely recognised and celebrated, and studies increasingly demonstrate the advantages of this approach. Research indicates that access to nature improves mental wellbeing, motivation, and overall health. From navigating uneven terrain to exploring ecosystems, being outdoors provides children with the space and time to develop movement freely, creates physical stamina, and satisfies curiosity. They are presented with ample opportunities to approach risk, make decisions, and persevere even when conditions aren’t ideal, building the vital problem-solving skills, resilience, and confidence crucial for life. Learning whilst immersed in the sound of the waves washing up the shore, the breeze ruffling through leaves, and birds calling as they fly overhead creates interest and fascination, inspires imaginations, introduces a vast and varied vocabulary, and enables children to experience the world through all of their senses. Most importantly, advocates of outside play attest to the far-reaching benefits nature has on happiness in childhood and beyond, and whilst we agree that learning and development are of great importance, joy and happiness will always be central to our approach.
Our location on the harbour is ideally suited to this exciting and diverse outdoor provision. Behind the setting itself is the Titchfield Haven, a national nature reserve which we will have open access to. It is home to an abundance of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and plants for our children to explore and investigate. Additionally, we will access the Meon Shore with its pebbled and sandy beach spaces, and the harbour. These environments, the comings and goings of the tide, the changing seasons, creatures and their habitats, lend themselves to fantastic learning opportunities. The setting itself will also have its own garden space.
It takes a special kind of person to feel excited and motivated to be outside even on wet and gloomy days. We have already started to recruit a team with an authentic passion for our vision at Harbourside, and a genuine appreciation for the benefits of outdoor education. We are investing heavily in team training and beach school training will take place in the areas surrounding the nursery. This will provide our team with the tailored and expert knowledge of the beach school approach required to successfully deliver our ambitious curriculum, maximising the unique features of our location. Furthermore, in addition to Paediatric First Aid training, our team will receive accredited Forest/Beach School specific first aid training to ensure our knowledge is robust and appropriate for the environment.
We do anticipate that the children will spend time outdoors in almost all weathers between the hours of 0900 – 1600. We will provide an essential kit list to ensure that all children will have adequate clothing to keep warm and dry on cold and wet days, and cool and sun-safe when necessary. Each morning we will conduct a risk assessment built around weather forecasts, using this information to guide our plans each day. Using weather monitoring instruments in the setting, the children will actively participate in completing these assessments. We will also conduct dynamic assessments, making on the spot decisions based on any unexpected changes in the weather to ensure we continue to maintain the safety of our children. We have a clear understanding of the age-related needs of young children, and this will be a significant factor in our decision-making processes; for example, we know that less mobile babies are likely to feel the cold more and therefore we would plan our timings accordingly.
During extreme weather we will either stay at nursery, or significantly reduce the amount of time we spend outdoors as appropriate. On these occasions, and either side of the core day, we will make full use of the bespoke indoor space, and uniquely designed gardens to support our exciting curriculum. Our capacity, and therefore your child’s attendance will not be impacted in these times.
During extreme weather we will either stay at nursery, or significantly reduce the amount of time we spend outdoors as appropriate. On these occasions, and either side of the core day, we will make full use of the bespoke indoor space, and uniquely designed gardens to support our exciting curriculum. Our capacity, and therefore your child’s attendance will not be impacted in these times.
We will manage sun and heat in a similar way to inclement weather, ensuring that all children are appropriately equipped, and carrying out daily risk assessments to plan our activities around the weather. We have a beach hut in which will be appropriate equipment to create shade, and whilst we encourage children to drink plenty of water at all times of the year, during warmer weather we will increase the amount of static water breaks and provide regular prompts to take a drink and stay hydrated.
We want our children to get the most from access the vast outdoor provision available, and we recognise the importance of ensuring we are appropriately staffed for this to happen. Between our core hours of 0900 – 1600 we will ordinarily be running on enhanced ratios as follows:
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The safety of our children and team is always a top priority in all that we do. We will use Risk Benefit Analysis to enable children to explore the beach environment whilst considering the potential risks. A Risk Benefit Assessment (RBA) allows our team to identify not only the potential risks and hazards of activities, but also the benefits too, ensuring a proportionate and balanced response to risk mitigation. A key principle of Risk Benefit Analysis is that risk is an essential aspect of intellectual, emotional, and physical development.
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In preparation for opening the setting, our team will spend a vast amount of time in the locality to experience the environments in varied conditions and at different times of day, feeding information into the planning process and the completion of our assessments. Alongside this, we are conducting thorough interrogations of our current policies and procedures to ensure that amendments are made, and our processes are robust. Our enhanced ratios will facilitate close supervision of the children whilst they explore the outdoor spaces.
When sending your child to Harbourside it is important to understand that exposure to risk is embedded in our approach, as appropriate for the age, and stage of development. As your children progress, they will learn to address and manage risk with increasing independence and confidence, and this will be scaffolded and embedded in a stepwise fashion. For example children will be involved in carrying out our daily risk assessments, gradually developing the complexity of their decisions. Whilst children are developing these skills they will have the continued support of well-informed adults who will always maintain safe boundaries, promoting and prioritising the safety and welfare of the children. By confronting risks in a managed and safe environment, children gain the confidence and skills required to take on greater risks throughout their life.
When sending your child to Harbourside it is important to understand that exposure to risk is embedded in our approach, as appropriate for the age, and stage of development. As your children progress, they will learn to address and manage risk with increasing independence and confidence, and this will be scaffolded and embedded in a stepwise fashion. For example children will be involved in carrying out our daily risk assessments, gradually developing the complexity of their decisions. Whilst children are developing these skills they will have the continued support of well-informed adults who will always maintain safe boundaries, promoting and prioritising the safety and welfare of the children. By confronting risks in a managed and safe environment, children gain the confidence and skills required to take on greater risks throughout their life.
Yes – our indoor setting is being thoughtfully designed to inspire curiosity, creativity and a sense of calm throughout. We believe the environment acts as a “third teacher”, and each of our beautiful rooms will benefit from a selection of considerately curated resources for the specific developmental stages and needs of the children who attend Harbourside.
As a Beach and Nature Nursery, outdoor education is central to our ethos, however this does not supersede the safety and wellbeing of your children. Breakfast will be served within the nursery building, and we will have ample space for lunch and tea indoors too, although at times, lunch or tea be served on the Beach or Haven. The setting will have fully equipped sleep spaces, although we hope to be able to accommodate some outdoor sleeping too. Your children will be dropped off and collected from the setting itself, and we will have full use of the space as required to provide a balanced approach and ensure the comfort of our children and team. We have worked in partnership with our architects to bring to life our vision of ensuring that each age group benefits from a unique view looking out over the harbour. In framing this outside space, we will create language rich environments designed to promote wonder and inspiration.
As a Beach and Nature Nursery, outdoor education is central to our ethos, however this does not supersede the safety and wellbeing of your children. Breakfast will be served within the nursery building, and we will have ample space for lunch and tea indoors too, although at times, lunch or tea be served on the Beach or Haven. The setting will have fully equipped sleep spaces, although we hope to be able to accommodate some outdoor sleeping too. Your children will be dropped off and collected from the setting itself, and we will have full use of the space as required to provide a balanced approach and ensure the comfort of our children and team. We have worked in partnership with our architects to bring to life our vision of ensuring that each age group benefits from a unique view looking out over the harbour. In framing this outside space, we will create language rich environments designed to promote wonder and inspiration.
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Harbourside will open from Monday to Friday from May 2025, and we will offer two types of session. The fees are currently indicative, and will be determined by the setting’s operational costs, particularly the implications of running enhanced ratios.
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Many of your children are already settled within our existing Hopscotch settings, and we understand that you may not want to disrupt them and move them entirely. We are more than happy for you to continue attending your current setting in addition to Harbourside, providing minimum attendance is met.
There will be a minimum requirement for all children to attend at least two school days as we strongly believe that this is essential for children to establish secure relationships, and to benefit from our approach. We also plan to put restrictions in place around drop off and collection times - both to minimise the disruption to the day and maximise our time spent outdoors. We will ask that all children are dropped off by 0930 and are not collected before 1530, unless in exceptional circumstances such as an appointment, as the team will be unable to go between the nursery and their group for individual collections and drop offs.
In order to confirm your space at Harbourside we will require a £150.00 reservation deposit to be paid at the point of registration. We will be accepting the government’s 15- and 30-hour funding, and Hopscotch’s finance team will be on-hand to assist you with navigating these provisions. The additional service charge per funded hour will be £2.75.
There will be a minimum requirement for all children to attend at least two school days as we strongly believe that this is essential for children to establish secure relationships, and to benefit from our approach. We also plan to put restrictions in place around drop off and collection times - both to minimise the disruption to the day and maximise our time spent outdoors. We will ask that all children are dropped off by 0930 and are not collected before 1530, unless in exceptional circumstances such as an appointment, as the team will be unable to go between the nursery and their group for individual collections and drop offs.
In order to confirm your space at Harbourside we will require a £150.00 reservation deposit to be paid at the point of registration. We will be accepting the government’s 15- and 30-hour funding, and Hopscotch’s finance team will be on-hand to assist you with navigating these provisions. The additional service charge per funded hour will be £2.75.
Please select the appropriate button to take you to an enquiry form. Once submitted, our parent liaison team will be in touch to discuss getting you registered.
In the meantime, if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact the team:
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