Little Stars

Loose parts, recycled materials and trips beyond Rustington give Little Stars a character that extends beyond its three age-based rooms. Its curiosity approach ethos uses resources with several possible uses, encouraging children to decide what to make and how to play. Relationships carry equal weight: the 3H’s approach connects knowledge of each family with close relationships and the practical skills staff bring to children’s care.

At its 22 April 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, inclusion, and leadership and governance to be Strong standard, with achievement and curriculum and teaching at Expected standard, and safeguarding standards met. That is a differentiated assessment, rather than a single overall grade. Care and routines were the stronger areas; consistent teaching remained the development priority.

Little Stars has capacity for 97 children, with a current age range from birth to five. The room structure runs from babies through toddlers to preschool, while flexible hourly attendance and early and late extensions provide different ways to organise the nursery day.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby room takes children from two weeks to two years, the Toddler Room from two to three, and the Preschool Room from three to four or primary-school entry. These stages give families a clear outline of how children move through the setting. They are age bands, rather than descriptions of the number of children sharing a room.

In April 2026, babies explored foam with their hands, while older children experimented with paint, foam and play dough. The activities gave children different ways to investigate texture and colour. Some mixed colours; others explored how foam moved when they clapped their hands at different speeds. These activities let children investigate texture, colour and movement.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, its areas of learning are approached through play, conversation, physical activity and exploration. Alongside that framework, the curiosity approach ethos brings natural colours, loose parts, recycled materials and authentic objects into calm spaces. Materials that can be rearranged or used in different ways leave room for children’s own ideas.

Planning follows children’s interests, with individual development plans created in partnership with parents. The practical value is a connection between what catches a child’s attention and what they are working towards next. A fascination can become the starting point for an experience, rather than an interruption to it.

In April 2026, language activities included clear words for babies, songs and conversations with older children. Staff introduced vocabulary in context, including explaining what reversing meant. Mathematics also appeared within ordinary play: babies heard numbers in songs, younger children investigated containers being empty or full, and older children compared height. These were opportunities to attach words and ideas to something children were doing.

Physical learning had both large and small movements. In April 2026, children balanced and climbed, handled books and construction pieces, and practised cutting flower stems with scissors. That combination brought whole-body activity together with tasks requiring more precise hand movements.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play spaces were accessible to children, including babies, in April 2026. Movement outside formed part of the day, alongside indoor activity. Trips also followed children’s interests, with outings to farms, green spaces and London recorded that month.

The current trip choices include Peppa pig world and the Natural history museum, alongside visits to the beach, library and fire station. Public transport and nursery vehicles are used for outings. This gives experiences beyond the nursery rooms a practical place in the offer, from familiar local destinations to larger excursions. Some trips carry a charge, while others are free; the choice of outing therefore has a budget implication as well as a learning purpose.

Relationships and Communication

The 3H’s approach links family knowledge, relationships and staff skills with daily care.

In April 2026, key persons learned about children’s backgrounds, personalities and home routines. Babies’ sleep, milk and weaning arrangements were adjusted to their individual cues. For a family managing changes in feeding or sleep, the relevant feature is that these routines were personalised, rather than organised solely around a room timetable.

Staff also exchanged information with parents about anything that could affect a child’s day. In April 2026, children sought familiar adults for comfort, play and encouragement. Established routines helped children anticipate what would happen next, with reminders for those who needed them. Predictability and individual attention worked together.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children made secure progress from their starting points, that the key-person arrangements supported emotional security, and that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received highly effective support. The mechanisms beneath that assessment matter more than a general promise of inclusion.

In April 2026, staff with inclusion responsibilities worked with parents and external professionals, using specialist equipment and advice to inform individual plans. They sought additional funding and arranged assessments before children moved to school. Transition planning therefore included practical preparation for children needing extra support, as well as support for their parents.

Additional staff working as base boss helped with changes between activities in April 2026, allowing the adults already with children to maintain their attention. This was a deployment arrangement observed at that time, rather than a claim about today’s staffing numbers or ratios.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Stars is on Ascot Way, Rustington, Littlehampton, BN16 3SB. Attendance is term-time, with school holidays closed, and the nursery calendar also includes inset days. Families can make enquiries by telephone or email.

Flexible hours are offered, with hourly charging between 9am and 4pm. Early sessions run from 7.15am to 7.30am, 7.30am to 8am, and 8am to 9am; late sessions run from 4pm to 5pm and 5pm to 5.15pm. Ad hoc attendance uses the usual hourly charging structure. These short extensions offer a different arrangement from booking only within the daytime hourly window.

Funding and Paid Extras

The charge structure includes 15 hours and 30 hours childcare arrangements, alongside privately paid hours, with consumables charged separately. Funded attendance follows the term-time model. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the childcare charges page sets out the charging categories.

Breakfast for children attending before 8.30am, snacks and afternoon tea for children attending after 4.30pm carry no added fee under the meal arrangements, while freshly cooked hot lunches are charged separately and follow a two-week menu. For the 15 hours and 30 hours arrangements, consumable charges distinguish attendance with and without tea, with the tea-inclusive charge applying when tea is taken at least three times a week; the nursery’s policy is to adapt meals and snacks for allergies and dietary needs.

• Teaching consistency. In April 2026, teaching was not yet equally well established across the staff team, and leaders were coaching less experienced practitioners. During a visit, ask how that support translates into consistent learning experiences across the rooms.
• Early and late attendance. The 7.15am and 5.15pm session boundaries differ from the contact information’s business hours of 7.30am to 5pm. Confirm the hours attached to your proposed booking before organising work or collection arrangements.
• Food and funded extras. Hot lunches and consumables have separate charges, and the tea-inclusive consumable charge has an attendance condition. Families managing an allergy should confirm current meal adaptations with management; compare the written quotation with the meals and tea your child will actually use.
• Term-time commitments. School holidays and inset days interrupt the weekly pattern. The calendar includes a school leaver graduation inset day, so factor both the holiday periods and additional closure days into family care plans.

Little Stars suits families seeking flexible daytime hours or early and late session extensions within a term-time arrangement. Its curiosity approach ethos gives children materials to investigate and reuse, while trips introduce experiences beyond the nursery. The 3H’s approach gives the care offer a clear emphasis on knowing families and building relationships.

The April 2026 assessment places care, inclusion and routines ahead of the consistency of teaching. That balance is useful for parents: there is substantial evidence of attentive care, alongside a specific development priority to discuss. Families comfortable with term-time closures and separate lunch and consumable charges have a clear basis for considering it.