Roundabout Playgroup

An enclosed outdoor area, a sandpit and a morning built around play give Roundabout Playgroup its character. Based at Wick Church Hall in Littlehampton, it has 24 places in total. Its offer is for children aged two to five, with an enclosed outdoor area used throughout the year. The scale is small; the activities include construction, pretend play, drawing and puzzles.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged Roundabout Good overall, found safeguarding effective and reported steady progress, including for children with special educational needs or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Morning places run during term time, with opening hours of 9am to noon on weekdays.

Learning and Activities

EYFS, the Early Years Foundation Stage, provides the framework for learning and care: here, children practise language, movement, making things and playing alongside others through the morning's activities. The timetable gives them choices rather than a single activity for the whole group. They can work on a puzzle, build with construction toys, draw, dress up or use dough. Books offer a quieter option, while the home corner gives pretend play a physical space.

Finding their own name is part of the daily routine. Children use it to register themselves and again when they are ready for snack. That makes recognising written names useful in ordinary activities, rather than something confined to a separate lesson. Later, small-group time brings songs, a story or discussion of what children have been doing.

In June 2024, early literacy included exploring letter shapes and connecting familiar letters with the first sounds in children's names. Number learning also had a practical setting: children counted those present and noticed numerals around them. These examples give parents a clearer picture of preparation for reading and mathematics than a general claim about school readiness.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed outdoor area is used across the seasons. Bikes, balls, climbing equipment and a sandpit give children different ways to move and play, while water play adds another material to explore. The timetable changes the activities from day to day. Outdoor play is part of the morning, rather than a separate attendance option.

In June 2024, children built a bug hotel in the garden and considered what its inhabitants needed to survive. Watching tadpoles and caterpillars change introduced life cycles through direct observation. Physical activities included digging, running and climbing, alongside large drawing movements on chalk boards and carrying sand or play bricks in containers. Small discoveries and substantial movement sat alongside one another.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2024, staff made time for children's conversations and listened to the news they wanted to share. When a child was distressed, adults stayed alongside them, acknowledged the feeling and helped them return to play. Consistent expectations gave children a clear sense of how to behave; emotional support accompanied those expectations.

Communication with families included updates about children's development and ways to continue activities at home. Children took their seedlings home, giving parents something concrete to discuss and care for together. There was a limitation: exchanges with some other settings children attended began too slowly. That matters most to families combining Roundabout with another provider, because the adults need to share an understanding of the child's learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO, a deputy SENCO and a safeguarding lead role. In June 2024, communication support used signs, pictures and objects to help children at different stages of language development. Books connected unfamiliar vocabulary with actions, such as planting seeds, so children had something tangible to attach a new word to.

Snack runs on a rolling basis from 10am: children wash their hands, join an adult in a small group and help prepare food, with water or milk to drink. The routine gives them a part in preparation as well as a break from play.

Sessions and Attendance

Roundabout offers morning places and opens Monday to Friday, 9am to noon, during term time. This is a short morning commitment rather than an attendance pattern stretching into the afternoon. Families need to fit the noon finish into their working day or other care arrangements.

The morning includes time to choose activities, outdoor play, snack and a closing small-group gathering. Its structure combines choices with recognisable shared moments. The contact form, email and telephone provide routes for an enquiry.

Getting There

The address is Wick Church Hall, Wick Street, Littlehampton, BN17 7JS. Littlehampton train station is a 15 minute walk from the setting.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is accepted for 15 hours a week from the term following a child's third birthday; some two-year-olds may qualify for 15 hours from the term following their second birthday. Roundabout also accepts working families funding and tax free childcare payments, and attendance is term-time only.

Paid sessions are offered for children who are not receiving government funding. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funding and private payment are separate routes into the same morning-based offer; the relevant entitlement and its age conditions matter when planning how to pay.

• Combining settings. In June 2024, information exchange with some other providers began too slowly. Families using more than one setting should give this improvement point weight when considering continuity of learning.
• The noon finish. Weekday opening ends at noon and attendance is term-time only. This suits a morning routine, but families need a workable arrangement for afternoons and school holidays.
• Snack and everyday supplies. Children help prepare a rolling snack and receive milk or water. During a visit, ask how snack and non-food consumables are covered for funded and privately paid attendance.

Roundabout suits families seeking term-time morning playgroup attendance for a child aged two to five. Its enclosed outdoor area, practical play choices and small-group routines give that short day substance. The June 2024 findings provide a positive quality judgement, while the information-sharing improvement point deserves attention from families combining providers. The strongest fit is with parents who value a morning of shared play and early learning and can accommodate the noon finish.