A pioneering, child-centred ethos where emotional wellbeing, outdoor exploration, curiosity, community connection and home from home care, come together to create settings where children can truly be themselves and thrive.
Each and every child will thrive; secure in their emotional wellbeing and sense of self, empowered with the confidence to try, the curiosity to explore and the resilience to persevere – skills critical for lifelong success.
Families see The Nest as an extension of their support network: a place of trust, connection and practical partnership where parents feel connected, children feel rooted, and no one feels they are navigating the early years alone.
Our incredible team grows through shared purpose, professional development and everyday joy, becoming confident nurturers who raise sector standards and inspire those around them.
We support the holistic development of children, creating secure attachments whilst understanding the community surrounding them, laying the foundations for lifelong learning.
Being truly child-led is one of the golden threads running through everything we do. We tune into each child’s interests, emotions and natural rhythms, shaping the day around whatever they are ready to explore. With gentle guidance, secure relationships and open-ended opportunities, children build confidence, independence, resilience and curiosity at their own pace, feeling truly seen, heard and understood.
Emotional wellbeing and individual needs are woven into every part of our day in our Nests. When a child’s emotional wellbeing is met, the flood gates are opened for learning and development. We take time to understand each child’s cues, comforts and ways of communicating, creating secure relationships, with both the children and their families, to help them feel safe, regulated and ready to explore. By meeting children where they are, we nurture resilience, confidence and a strong sense of belonging from the very outset.
This is felt in the warmth and familiarity of our spaces. Children and adults share mealtimes, stories, quiet moments and everyday routines in environments that feel calm, familiar and deeply connected. This sense of comfort helps children settle, trust and flourish, knowing The Nest is a place where they belong. Children in our Nests join in and help with everyday activities as if they were at home. We adopt an intergenerational approach; our team spans from students to parents to grandparents, this cross section of ages adds to the familiarity and home from home feel to our settings.
Being outdoors is a living part of how we learn, play and grow. Fresh air, open space and natural materials invite children to move freely, take thoughtful and measured risks and notice the world around them. From muddy adventures to quiet observation, nature is proven to support confidence, boost immunity, increase creativity, language and communication and enhance one’s wellbeing, every day. Being ‘in’ nature also makes children ‘respect’ nature, a legacy our Nests seek to embed in the children we care for.
Children learn through lived experiences, strong relationships and purposeful play. Our approach nurtures the prime areas of physical development, language and communication and personal social and emotional development through child-led exploration. Our outdoor environments are enriched with sensory opportunities, natural invitations and open-ended resources that inspire curiosity, exploration and discovery.
At The Nest, we can care for your precious bundles from the age of just 3 months. We follow the statutory ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ and all ages play and interact together, with the ‘Family Groupings’ approach throughout The Nest
Our wraparound care offers school‑age children the same warm, nurturing environment families know at The Nest. Based at The Family Nest during term time, children can enjoy a calm start to the day at breakfast club before being accompanied to school by our team. After school, they return for a freshly prepared supper, time to unwind, socialise, and have fun in a safe, caring setting. We believe older children deserve the same high‑quality care and sense of belonging as our younger ones, and our experienced team ensures each session is enjoyable and rewarding.
During school holidays and INSET days, subject to availability, we offer full‑day childcare at The Family Nest or The Pheasant Nest. This gives older children a chance to enjoy a full day of activities and spend time with younger siblings in familiar surroundings. Our holiday provision is flexible and family‑friendly, helping parents balance work and home while knowing their children are happy and well cared for.
For the 2026/27 academic year, we will provide before‑ and after‑school care for children attending Western Primary School, Westgate School, and Weeke Primary School. Provision may vary each year, so families are encouraged to contact us for the latest availability.
We are based in Winchester, Hampshire. We have two fabulous settings, one in Winchester itself and the other located just 12 minutes outside of the City.
Absolutely! It is so important to us to get the children outside every day. The Family Nest in Winchester has a superb, secure and safe back garden, with an own oversized sand pit, terrace and plenty of lawn space. The Pheasant Nest is on a farm and has an outdoor bias. Here the children have over an acre of thoughtfully designed land, enough said… it’s truly wonderful!
Flexibility has been one of our founding principles, we’ve built care that adapts to your changing needs. Across both Nests we are open 7am–7pm Monday to Thursday (and until 6pm on Fridays). You choose the exact hours you need, with our 7 hour minimum, creating a fully tailored booking pattern where you pay for the care you require. For eligible families, we also accept Tax-Free Childcare and Government EYE Funding, making high quality care more affordable.
Yes, both of our Nests have been inspected on the new framework and both received some of the highest grading in Hampshire, with The Pheasant Nest even receiving an ‘Exceptional’ in inclusion, deeming it ‘worthy of National dissemination’. Our lovely Ofsted inspector even left our setting with a tear in their eye, in awe of what we had created for the children! Very proud! Our full reports can be found online:
Our ideal settling period for babies and children starts around two months before they are due to join The Nest, with the invitation to join our weekly ‘Little Nestlings’ sessions. These ‘introduction and integration’ sessions are for you (or any of your child’s care giver) to stay and play with your ‘Little Nestling’.
There is no typical day, everyday is different at The Nest. Our approach is child-led, reactive and flexible; promoting curiosity, independence, and emotional wellbeing.
We do have what we call ‘rhythms’ of the day, which are usually centred around eating; breakfast is served at 7:30am, the children prepare snack for mid-morning, lunch is at midday and supper around 4:15pm.
Food plays a critical role in our provision. All of our food is home-cooked; a conscious decision to ensure conscious consumption – it is because we cook ‘in-house’ that we know what’s in our food, ensuring it is nutritionally balanced, varied and appropriate for every age group. Mealtimes are treated as an event at The Nest rather than a simply a functional process; children serve themselves and each other, promoting independence; team members sit with the children modelling positive behaviours and above all ensuring a safe environment is maintained.
We don’t age segregate children at ‘The Nest’, we use ‘family grouping’ with all ages of babies and children sharing the same spaces, just like a real family home environment and it works beautifully! While our daily rhythm brings everyone together for meals and group play, our teams are knowledgeable to read the needs of all children in our care and they dynamically shape resources to ensure all ages receive the mix of peaceful, sensory stimulation as well as the big physical adventures as and when they require them.
