Growing Up Green Nursery

A former family home opposite Preston Park train station gives Growing Up Green Nursery a practical Brighton address. The Preston Road setting has capacity for 59 children aged 5 to 60 months. Its position combines rail connections with bus stops directly outside, making the journey an important part of its appeal.

At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children made good progress, while identifying improvements needed in emotional support, teaching plans, SEND support plans and recruitment checks. That judgement needs to be read alongside later regulatory findings: supervision during transitions was a repeated issue in September and December 2025.

For families, the decision therefore has two parts. The inspection describes worthwhile learning experiences and attentive baby care, but the later findings make everyday supervision a central consideration. The attractive transport position does not answer that care question.

In February 2024, babies explored mirrors and a step and slide unit, with care adapted to their individual needs. Staff placed importance on close relationships before encouraging exploration. These are useful details for parents of younger children: physical play and familiarity with adults were both part of the inspection-time experience.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday language, it connects play and interaction with adults to the skills children are developing, rather than treating an activity as an end in itself. The February 2024 findings show both how that could work and where teaching needed greater precision.

Pretend shopping during a singing activity gave children a reason to count, exchange play money and work out what remained. Building a toy helicopter prompted an explanation of how a propeller works; conversation during a story explored the job of an illustrator. Those examples linked vocabulary and mathematical thinking to what children were already doing. However, some staff planned the activity before deciding exactly what children should learn from it.

Beyond the playroom, February 2024 experiences included visits from dentists and firefighters, community outings involving road safety, and exploration of the natural world. Children also encountered music, food and customs connected with their families' cultural backgrounds. The practical value was breadth: learning extended beyond toys and books to people, places and family experience.

In February 2024, stories and conversations helped children recognise feelings, but adults sometimes responded too slowly when children became distressed. Management recognised the need to make that response more consistent. For a parent, the distinction matters: having emotional resources is only part of the job; an adult also needs to respond at the right moment.

SEND support plans were in use in February 2024, with a SENCo working alongside management and staff and referrals being made to external professionals. The weakness was the detail of implementation: plans did not consistently explain how practitioners should carry out the strategies. Families whose children need additional support should give that practical detail weight, rather than relying solely on the existence of a plan.

The staffing snapshot in February 2024 comprised 16 staff, including 12 with relevant early years qualifications. Recruitment checks also needed stronger follow-up, although new employees were kept from starting until their suitability had been established. These are dated findings, rather than a description of today's staffing team.

Ofsted's regulatory outcomes dated 2 September and 23 December 2025 recorded requirements not being met, followed by corrective action, with repeated concerns about supervision and children's wellbeing when moving between activities or indoor and outdoor spaces. The September action addressed safeguarding reporting and keeping children accounted for; December brought further work on staff responsibilities and support during indoor and outdoor transitions.

Both outcomes recorded action to put matters right. The recurrence remains relevant to choosing this nursery, because transitions are ordinary parts of a child's day. A careful discussion of how staff now organise them is more useful than a broad assurance about safety.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 208 Preston Road, Brighton, BN1 6RA. Weekday hours extend to 6pm, with early drop-off from 7.15am available on request, year-round operation and closures for bank holidays and the Christmas period. That calendar is useful for families arranging childcare across the working year, while the closures still need to fit their own arrangements.

The Preston Road enquiry contact is 01273 542888 or info@growingupgreen.co.uk. Visits can be arranged through that contact. The nursery occupies a building that was previously a family home, a physical detail that helps distinguish this branch from the other Growing Up Green address.

Getting There

Preston Park train station stands opposite, with direct services to London and Brighton main station; buses stop outside in both directions. The main-road position also connects with routes towards the A23 and A27, giving families several transport options to weigh against their usual journey.

• Repeated transition concerns. September and December 2025 outcomes both required changes around transitions, despite recording corrective action. On a visit, ask staff to explain who checks children between indoor and outdoor spaces and how responsibilities are handed over.
• Support that staff can carry out. February 2024 SEND plans needed clearer instructions, and emotional support was not always prompt. Ask how an individual child's strategies are shared with practitioners and reviewed with their family.
• The working-day fit. Weekday hours extend to 6pm, with early drop-off from 7.15am available on request and bank holiday and Christmas closures. When visiting, establish which attendance arrangement fits your working week and how the early start operates.

Growing Up Green Nursery merits consideration for families who value a Preston Road address with straightforward rail and bus connections and year-round weekday opening. The February 2024 account contains concrete strengths in babies' exploration, language teaching and learning through play, rather than just a positive overall grade.

The balance is cautious. Teaching intent, emotional responses and SEND plans needed improvement, and later transition findings were repeated. This setting suits families prepared to weigh its practical location against a detailed conversation about supervision and individual support. Those everyday arrangements should carry as much weight as the Good judgement.