Active Kids Nursery

Story cards, self-service meals and early independence give Active Kids Nursery in Hove its character. Children have practised putting story pictures in order and taking responsibility for everyday tasks, making learning part of both play and care routines.

At its 11 April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, although staff interactions needed greater consistency. Later regulatory action makes that dated judgement only part of the picture.

The nursery has capacity for 62 children aged three months to five years. Its address is Hangleton Dental Practice, 8 West Way, Hove, BN3 8LD.

In April 2025, children extended their interest in books by matching picture cards to stories and arranging them in sequence. This gave them a practical way to explore how a story develops. Cutting shapes with scissors offered another opportunity to build skills through an existing interest.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the April 2025 examples connected those purposes: constructing with toy bricks and shaving foam introduced talk about height, while everyday routines gave children opportunities to practise independence.

Younger children practised washing their hands before eating; older children served food and cleared leftovers. These were small, useful steps towards doing things for themselves.

In April 2025, practitioners knew their key children’s development and worked with parents and other agencies. Progress tracking helped them identify developmental delays, while signing and visual cues gave children additional ways to communicate. Parent queries received prompt responses, keeping information moving between home and nursery.

Group routines also used visual reminders and a tambourine to draw children's attention. Discussions and stories introduced online safety, with information shared for parents to use at home.

Care was less consistent in some interactions: conversational exchanges were sometimes insufficiently supported, and younger children were sometimes moved before staff explained what was happening. These details matter because responsive care includes listening and preparing a child for what comes next.

In April 2026, Ofsted issued a welfare requirements notice covering dietary safety, risk assessment, key-person care and supervision; at its 11 May 2026 visit it confirmed that the required actions had been met. Dietary management had also been the subject of earlier action that year, so the later notice warrants attention despite its completed outcome.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. That closure needs a place in a family's childcare calendar.

In April 2025, the nursery received funding for children's early education. Families considering funded childcare should distinguish that dated participation from the arrangements for their intended start date.

• Dietary safety. Dietary arrangements featured in repeated regulatory action during 2026, with the later actions met in May. At a visit, discuss how your child's allergies or intolerances would be recorded and communicated to staff.
• Responsive care. In April 2025, some conversations and handling of younger children needed improvement. Ask how practitioners explain physical care and support back-and-forth exchanges now.
• Your attendance plan. The weekday opening window extends from 7.30am to 6.30pm, with a Christmas closure. Ask which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your intended attendance.

Active Kids Nursery suits families seeking weekday care across the year who value practical independence and learning built around children's interests. The April 2025 examples make those priorities tangible. The repeated dietary action and subsequent welfare notice deserve equal weight: the actions were met in May 2026, but families should examine how those care arrangements work for their own child.