Fizzy Fish Pre-School, Nevill Avenue

A classroom beside a large garden gives Fizzy Fish Pre-School, Nevill Avenue its character: children have space for outdoor exploration while practising the everyday independence that starting school demands. This Hove setting occupies a self-contained room at Hounsom Memorial Church Hall, rather than sharing the younger children's nursery building. Its capacity is 20 children, with an age range of 30 to 60 months; most children attending are three or four, with younger children accepted especially when approaching three.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest practical attraction is the combination of a preschool classroom, substantial outdoor space and a clear emphasis on children managing more for themselves. There are half-day, school-day and full-day options, under either all-year or term-time contracts.

In March 2024, the provider had failed to notify Ofsted of company changes as required; children's safety and welfare were unaffected, and the provider recognised that future changes must be reported. The inspection also left two clear priorities: activities needed a closer connection to each child's next learning step, and parents needed more useful information for continuing learning at home. These matter alongside the grade. A busy, enjoyable day should also move each child forward, with families able to understand what they are working towards.

Rooms and Ages

Two child-sized toilet cubicles support the preschool's emphasis on self-care. The self-contained classroom mainly serves three- and four-year-olds preparing for school.

A hard-floor area accommodates meals and messy play, alongside carpeted play space and books. A low drawing bench, accessible materials and picture-and-word storage labels help children choose activities independently.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills and social understanding through play and everyday experiences. Fizzy Fish adds a concrete preschool emphasis on managing belongings, dressing, using cutlery and asking for help. School preparation begins with useful habits. It is more than practising sitting at a table.

Children can choose their play, alongside activities led by adults. In March 2024, fruit exploration prompted children to describe textures and flavours, while books and conversation gave them opportunities to practise language throughout the day. Other activities involved developing hand strength and investigating plant growth. These examples show how familiar materials can become opportunities to talk, investigate and practise physical skills.

In March 2024, some activities needed closer tailoring to each child's existing knowledge and abilities, so that enjoyable experiences also advanced their learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School offers hands-on play and supported exploration in natural surroundings. Children visit Parkwood weekly for around two hours over at least six weeks, extending outdoor learning beyond the garden.

Back at the pre-school, the large garden includes a treehouse with an upper level and slide, a wooden pirate ship and a wooded area containing a bug hotel. A den in the forest area provides another setting for outdoor play. There is also a dedicated practitioner for outdoor and Forest School work. For children who enjoy movement and investigating their surroundings, the outdoor space is a substantial part of the appeal.

In March 2024, children joined guttering to send balls along it, with time to test their ideas. Encouragement on larger equipment supported physical practice alongside problem-solving.

Warm relationships were a clear part of daily life in March 2024: staff responded when children became tired or distressed, and helped them handle difficult feelings. Familiar routines included putting resources away before snacks and outdoor play. Children also took responsibility for small jobs, giving them a role in the day rather than keeping every task with adults.

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff adapted activities for children with SEND and used additional funding effectively for individual or small-group work. This is useful evidence of support in practice at that time: participation was adjusted around children's needs, rather than expecting every child to manage the same activity in the same way.

In March 2024, staff responded in children's home languages, while food and stories introduced friends' countries. Children's backgrounds became part of shared activities.

In March 2024, children managed coats and boots, used the toilet and obtained their own drinking water. These routines gave them practical independence for starting school.

In March 2024, families received updates about activities and development, but needed clearer explanations of children's next learning steps and how to support them at home.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hounsom Memorial Church Hall, Nevill Avenue, Hove, BN3 7NG. The Hove pre-school opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with a Christmas closure. Term-time contracts cover 38 weeks. Choosing between the two changes the pattern of care across holidays as well as the way funded hours are used.

Half-day sessions start at 7.30am, 7.45am, 8am or 1pm. Full days run from 8am to 6pm, and seven-hour school days have start-time choices from 7.30am through to 9am. The minimum booking is two sessions across two days each week. That makes this a regular attendance arrangement, even for families choosing shorter sessions.

Standalone funded care follows a separate afternoon pattern on an all-year contract. For the 30-hour entitlement, sessions run Monday to Friday from 1.30pm to 5.54pm; for the 15-hour entitlement, they run from 1.30pm to 5.06pm on Monday, Friday and one other day. Tea is provided. These precise windows matter if families want funded hours alone rather than the more flexible sessions with additional charges.

Session requests use the contracted-session enquiry route. Attendance is limited to one setting: Fizzy Fish does not accept children who also attend another setting. Contracted sessions missed through illness or family holidays remain payable, and contracted bank holidays are chargeable. A bank-holiday swap can be used within 28 days afterwards, subject to space.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and additional paid hours are offered. The enquiry options include 15 hours for two-year-olds with the council's E code, 30 hours for eligible working families with two-year-olds, 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and 30 hours for eligible working families with three- and four-year-olds. Funding can be used term-time or stretched across an all-year contract; eligibility remains conditional.

Fully paid sessions include meals. Flexible funded sessions carry a separate Consumables and Extras charge covering food preparation and meals, sun cream, Calpol and activities delivered by outside companies; the standalone funded afternoon pattern is exempt from that charge. Parents supply nappies and any formula milk, so those items need to be considered separately from the included or charged extras.

A non-refundable registration charge applies when a place is booked. Ending a contract or changing sessions requires at least four weeks' notice, with the contract ending on a Friday; periods when fees are not being paid cannot form part of the notice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and fees page explains the different attendance and charging arrangements.

• Matching activities to the child. March 2024 brought a priority to connect activities more closely with individual learning needs. At a visit, ask how staff choose the next step for your child and turn it into an activity.
• Learning at home. Sharing practical guidance with parents needed strengthening in March 2024. Ask for an example of how a child's next learning step is explained to families, beyond an update about the day's activities.
• Afternoon funding pattern. Standalone funded care uses fixed afternoon windows, while flexible funded sessions carry extras charges. Compare the actual collection times and charge structure with your working day before choosing a contract.
• One-setting attendance. The booking rules exclude children attending another setting and require two sessions over two days. Families planning to combine providers need to weigh that restriction before committing.

Fizzy Fish suits families seeking half-day sessions or full days, with school-day options and a choice between term-time and all-year attendance. Its preschool classroom, large garden and recurring Forest School visits make a clear case for children who enjoy outdoor exploration while developing practical independence.

The Good judgement from March 2024 provides a positive inspection position, but the learning and parent-information priorities deserve attention when choosing it. The decisive practical questions are whether its single-setting rule fits the family and whether the funded afternoon pattern or flexible paid sessions match the hours they need.