Bright Horizons Southampton Day Nursery & Preschool

I have a nursery near my house where I enrolled my daughter two years ago, but she never enjoyed it. This year, I applied for emergency cover at your Bright Horizons Robert Road nursery, and my daughter Ayra came here for a few days. All of the team members at your nursery are so helpful, kind, and friendly that I now send my daughter Ayra here from far away because she enjoys it so much and learns a lot from your team. Chloe, Alex, and the other team members have taken such good care of my daughter, and I thank you all and hope you continue to keep up this high quality.👏👏

Our family has known the team at Bright Horizons since our eldest started there in 2018. He spent three very happy years there and his development through the wide range of activities that the kids participate in daily was nothing short of astounding. Our second child is currently attending there and his development is progressing the same as his older brother's did. Our youngest starts after the summer. It was difficult back in 2018 to choose a nursery as there were a lot of choices and as new parents we were obviously apprehensive but within a very short space of time we realised we had made the right decision as each and every member of staff are very professional and hard working but also show a very genuine affection and interest in the children's wellbeing. We wouldn't hesitate in recommending Bright Horizons and will always be grateful to them for the peace of mind they gave us and the great care they took (and continue to take) of our children.

Truly appalling behaviour and experience overall. I had a viewing for my 3 year old daughter , completed nursery forms and returned. No word from nursery for weeks and chased severally, was told they will get back to me as staff sickness and I patiently waited. Eventually got a reply on 1 of the days I chased again, asking me if I still needed a nursery space. Mind you, I had spoken to the same person that morning,I replied the email saying that I had spoken to them that day and I still needed a space. Got email confirming space and asking me to pay £100 fees for registration. Explained that we were only going for 30 hours funded hours and we had previously been told that this does not apply. Manager apologised and confirmed by email that she would ask the finance team to remove said fees. This happened back in April and we were all signed up for September start or so we thought. Got an email from the head office team in June asking for additional £100 payment, signposted them to nursery manager who had previously confirmed that no other payments were due. Did not hear back again. Called a few days later to speak to nursery manager who said she never told me that no additional payments were needed and I must have misunderstood. Thankfully, I had this confirmed in writing- she must have clearly forgotten that she sent an email to confirm this and I forwarded this email to her and she said she would get back to me. Over 1 week, no contact - called again to confirm as this is now July. Got told that apparently their policies recently changed and I was now due to pay the additional £100 registration fees plus additional £1.19 per hour for the funded hours. She said that an email had been sent to me by Headoffice to explain this- I clearly advised that I had not received this email apart from the 1 email where I did not get a reply from Headoffice. I questioned said fees and was told by this nursery manager that she would discuss with her manager and get back to me. I called back when I didn’t hear back to chase this, then got told that their policy does not accomodate for families who are not on benefit to claim 30 hours funded hours only and I would need to pay additional fees advised. I have thought about this, they clearly knew it was late notice and left it till last minute so that I feel boxed in and have no choice to pay additional fees requested by them. I have never at any point told them that I was on benefit so I wonder why they misled me previously. Most families with 3 years olds in England are eligible for 30 hours government funded hours so this information given by this nursery is clearly ambiguous, wrong and exploitative. Thankfully, I have dodged the bullet by chasing this and getting confirmation in writing each time to enable me make the best decision for my 3 year old. I would advice other parents to be mindful when dealing with this nursery as it’s clearly a buisness for them. Just wasted months of my time! Thankfully this happened before we started , who knows what other surprises we would have met!

Both my children have attended Bright Horizons Southampton and I've been so happy with the setting. The staff are patient, informative and nuturing and I have no idea where they get the fantastic and creative ideas for play that they set up but there is always something fresh and fun going on. I love getting photos of what my son has been up to. My son especially loved the ducklings which were hatched recently in the preschool. They're always accommodating when there are life changes or if a child is going through a new phase, and are great at finding solutions. The setting itself always feels organised and well laid out, with a lot of attention to detail and security. I lovethe spacious shady garden and my son regularly comes home with a healthy covering of dirt and dust from playing out there in the shade for hours on warm days and with a huge smile on his face - just how it should be! Would absolutely recommend them!

Very clean and cosy.Well equipped and the staff is always welcoming and helpful. My son loves going to this nursery.

Our experience here has been great from day one. Staff is amazing, incredibly kind and understanding and super LGBTQ+ friendly (no issues accommodating our needs as a family with a non-binary member). My child is simply so happy to go, which is such a great feeling. Communication is always easy, and we really feel supported as parents. The nursery is also lovely. They do so much in terms of different activities and events, the staff is so creative and gives the children so many creative inputs :) I would recommend Bright horizons to anyone.

Only positive experiences of Bright Horizons since my child joined in 2021. He looks forward to going and I know he will be well cared for.

Absolutely amazing and dedicated staff! They are so caring towards the children of all age and they help beautifully with their transitions from each room to next. They even provided us with a transition bag for our daughter when we were expecting our second baby, to prepare her with the new baby. They keep the children busy with age appropriate activities. The food provided is really good. Would highly recommend them.