Fiveways Playcentre

A large playground, a playing field and weekly Forest School give Fiveways Playcentre a clear outdoor character. Behind the houses on Florence Road in Brighton, its purpose-built premises accommodate a preschool whose daily learning centres on play, practical independence and relationships. Forest School adds outdoor learning to that mix; its weekly sessions are included alongside singing and snacks.

Fiveways has capacity for 52 children, with the current age range running from two to five. Its preschool groups are organised for two-year-olds and children aged three and four. This is a setting for children beyond the baby stage, with younger children settling into group life and older children working towards greater independence before school.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged Fiveways Good overall, found safeguarding effective and recognised excellent progress among children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That judgement needs to be read alongside the later regulatory position: on 16 April 2026, Ofsted found requirements were not being met and recorded corrective action involving safeguarding procedures, staff training and supervision. The practical appeal is substantial, but that more recent finding deserves parents’ attention.

Care is term-time, with funded morning and afternoon core sessions and paid extensions around them.

Rooms and Ages

Buttercups serves two-year-olds; Tulips serves children aged three and four. Grouping takes account of needs too: generally, Tulips children start school that September, while Buttercups children have another preschool year ahead.

Both playrooms have access to the large playground in all weathers and throughout the year, plus a playing field.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care, translated here into play, language, physical activity and increasing independence. Children choose some activities themselves; practitioners guide others, introduce ideas and help children take their thinking further. The balance leaves room for children’s interests while giving adults an active teaching role.

Fiveways’ eight Curriculum Goals include managing shoes and coats, recognising name letters, creating stories, baking a biscuit and constructing models from recycled materials. Language, coordination and problem-solving enter practical play.

Smaller steps and differing amounts of support make the goals accessible. Group Time develops communication and social skills at each session’s beginning and end; smaller adult-led activities address individual interests and needs.

In February 2023, mathematical play included throwing beanbags onto familiar numbers and experimenting with how numbers could be combined. Books, songs and rhymes supported language, while children recalled details from favourite stories. These examples give substance to the play-based approach: children were using words and numbers for a purpose, rather than simply encountering them as displays.

There was also a clear weakness in February 2023. Some collective activities needed better organisation and adaptation so that every child could participate fully. Singing near a story activity distracted children who were trying to listen. For families weighing the group-based parts of the day, the important issue is how staff now protect attention and adjust activities for different children.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weekly Forest School complements playground and field access. Environmental care takes practical forms: walking or cycling, recycling and looking after the plants, insects and animals sharing the grounds.

In February 2023, outdoor play included balancing, cycling, climbing and running. Children persisted with a balance beam, while a wooden train prompted shared pretend journeys and taking turns with different roles. Physical challenge and cooperative play were closely connected in those examples.

The Summer Fair and Fireworks night bring families together while raising funds. Parents can also contribute gardening, repairs, baking or professional skills. Community involvement has several routes, so taking part need not mean joining a committee.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person to support settling and provide a consistent family contact. An open-door arrangement also gives parents access to staff.

In February 2023, collection-time conversations kept parents informed about the day, and children had close relationships with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Individual support can include an additional adult. Plans are developed with families, speech and language therapists and Brighton and Hove Inclusion Services, linking daily support with specialist advice.

The team includes SENCO roles, a Head of Forest School, a Forest School practitioner and a chef.

In February 2023, children learning English alongside another home language received support using familiar words and visual prompts, with specialist help sought where needed. Everyday health routines included practising independent handwashing. Both examples connect care with skills children can gradually manage themselves.

The April 2026 regulatory account records revised procedures for escalating concerns or complaints, training sought for the whole staff team and work to make supervision more frequent. These are the latest published measures in that account, rather than a new inspection judgement on overall quality.

Sessions and Attendance

Fiveways is at the rear of 8–10 Florence Road, Brighton, BN1 6DJ, and opens on weekdays from 8am to 6pm during term time. The preschool’s core morning runs from 9am to noon; its afternoon runs from noon to 3pm. Flexible paid additions cover 8am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm, allowing families to build care around the core sessions.

Funded attendance is organised across 38 weeks. The preschool closes for school holidays and inset days that mirror Downs Schools. Holiday playschemes are a separate service, dependent on staff availability and parental demand, so they should not be treated as a year-round extension of the preschool timetable.

The office handles enquiries by telephone or email. Breakfast and afterschool care serves Downs Infant School and Downs Junior School, with staff accompanying schoolchildren to school and collecting them afterwards.

Funding and Paid Extras

Fiveways accepts 15 and 30 hours of EYFE funding, subject to eligibility, against its core morning and afternoon sessions. Funding is delivered during term time across 38 weeks, with additional hours charged privately. The fees and funding information explains how these arrangements fit together; current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Snacks are included and consumables carry no separate charge, including alongside funded core hours. For lunch, families can supply a packed lunch or pay separately for the lunchbox service; cooked tea is included in the paid teatime session. Singing and weekly Forest School are included rather than presented as separately charged additions.

Charges are not reduced when a child misses attendance through sickness, holidays or other reasons, although bank holidays are not charged. Reducing sessions or leaving normally requires one month’s notice, with withdrawal notice given by email; either party can end the agreement during the first settling month without notice. These terms matter when choosing a pattern that the family can sustain.

• April 2026 safeguarding action. The regulatory visit on 16 April 2026 identified unmet requirements; the outcome dated 17 April describes revised escalation procedures, training sought and supervision changes being embedded. At a visit, ask how those measures now work in practice and how parents can raise a concern.
• Term-time planning. Core funding covers 38 weeks, and preschool closures include holidays and inset days. Families needing continuous childcare should weigh that pattern alongside the conditional holiday playscheme.
• Group activities. In February 2023, competing singing and story activities affected concentration. Ask how Group Time is now organised and adapted for children who need quieter surroundings or additional support.
• Lunch and extended care. A packed lunch or separately charged lunchbox service sits alongside included snacks and cooked tea in paid teatime care. Choose attendance with those meal arrangements in mind, especially when combining core sessions with extensions.

Fiveways suits families seeking funded morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those combining core hours with paid breakfast or later care during term time. Its playground, field, weekly Forest School and practical Curriculum Goals give the offer substance. Key-person relationships and individual support planning add useful structure around the play.

The April 2026 safeguarding-related action deserves careful attention alongside Fiveways’ outdoor space, attendance choices and community life.