Wonderland Day Nursery

Beach outings gave even the youngest children something substantial to explore at Wonderland Day Nursery in Felpham: movement, conversation and comparisons between stones became part of learning. The setting has capacity for 9 children and is based at St Mary's Centre, Grassmere Close, PO22 7NU.

Ofsted's April 2026 inspection awarded Strong standard in achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance, with safeguarding standards met. These are separate judgements rather than an overall grade.

In April 2026, babies investigated bottles containing stones, experimenting with lids and sounds, while a low tray gave them something to climb into. This combined physical exploration with opportunities to concentrate and make choices. Resources were accessible for children to select for themselves.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its practical expression in April 2026 included songs, stories, movement and counting woven into play, rather than learning separated from everyday experiences.

Communication had several routes. In April 2026, staff used signs alongside speech, introduced musical instruments and talked with children during activities. Babies watched coloured scarves floating down and joined familiar songs with maracas. These concrete experiences gave staff something to name and children something to respond to.

Outdoor experiences extended beyond the nursery. In April 2026, children went outside in different weather conditions and walked to the beach, where they touched the sea with their toes and watched waves. Comparing stones by size brought mathematical language into an outing. The local area became a resource for learning as well as movement.

At the April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that individualised care, timely professional involvement and adaptations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities supported their participation and progress. The practical mechanisms mattered: staff reviewed measurable learning targets and used picture cards to help communication.

In April 2026, home visits and individually arranged settling sessions helped relationships begin before attendance. Key persons worked with families on care routines, with sleep, feeding and weaning adjusted to each child. This made continuity between home and nursery a concrete part of care.

Parent workshops in April 2026 addressed ways to support learning, while a transition document helped coordinate with other settings children attended. Staff also followed up unexplained absences promptly. Training had covered safer sleeping and safer eating, connecting professional development to everyday care.

The address is St Mary's Centre, Grassmere Close, Felpham, PO22 7NU. Its 9 places describe whole-setting capacity, not the number of children sharing an activity or a room.

In April 2026, the children attending were aged 0 to 1. That is a dated picture of attendance, rather than a statement of today's accepted age range.

• Attendance arrangements. How do the current opening hours, booking patterns and accepted ages fit your child's needs and your working week?
• Settling into care. In April 2026, home visits and tailored settling sessions were part of the approach. Discuss how that starting process would work for your family.
• Continued development. The April 2026 next steps called for leaders to sustain high standards and make further improvements to children's experiences and outcomes. This was a development priority rather than a specified shortcoming.

Wonderland suits families who value individual care routines and learning through hands-on exploration. The April 2026 picture combines close work with parents, communication through music and signs, and beach outings with a learning purpose. Its strongest decision value lies in those concrete practices and the consistent Strong standard area judgements.