Hilltop Nursery

Water, mud and children choosing their own tools give Hilltop Nursery a practical character. In September 2023, children experimented outdoors with buckets, a hose and watering cans, while older children took responsibility for serving food and pouring drinks. These are small tasks with real purpose: children have opportunities to make decisions and practise doing things for themselves.

Hilltop has capacity for 22 children aged nine months to five years, at Brighton General Hospital on Elm Grove. At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, with individual activity planning and the time allowed for children to answer in conversation identified as areas needing attention. Those qualifications matter alongside the positive picture of relationships, independence and outdoor exploration.

Flexible hours and term-time attendance form part of the offer, with funded attendance restricted to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The practical choice is therefore about both the child's day and how the funded pattern fits family life.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and everyday experiences together rather than treating learning as a separate lesson. In September 2023, staff followed children's interests into hands-on activities: a request to make pink play dough cakes became an opportunity to prepare the dough, while an interest in seaside holidays led to learning about camping and making a campfire. Children helped shape the activity rather than simply receiving a fixed task.

Songs and stories were daily experiences in September 2023, and staff introduced vocabulary through conversations. The limitation was the pace of some exchanges: children were not consistently given enough thinking time before responding. For parents, the useful distinction is between hearing plenty of language and having enough space to use it themselves.

Activity planning also needed greater precision. In September 2023, staff knew children's interests but sometimes planned around what the group might learn, rather than the next step for each individual. An engaging activity can hold attention; its educational value also depends on whether it extends what that particular child already understands.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play is part of the group-wide nursery offer every day, whatever the weather. The shared garden provision includes mud kitchens, digging areas and sensory flower gardens, alongside play equipment and soft flooring. That gives outdoor time several purposes: movement, investigation and practical play.

At Hilltop in September 2023, outdoor resources were arranged so children could choose what to use. They explored water and mud, fetched containers and refilled buckets themselves. The physical setting supported independence as well as activity: choosing the equipment was part of the experience, rather than something managed entirely by adults.

In September 2023, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well planned, with progress monitoring helping staff identify learning gaps. Those are dated findings, rather than a promise about every child's experience today.

Everyday relationships had a calm character in September 2023. Children knew staff well, older children understood the routine, and adults helped children express difficult feelings. Shared games involved negotiating rules and cooperating, so social learning happened through ordinary play as well as adult guidance.

Communication support included picture cards and simple signs in September 2023. The current group-wide offer also includes managers trained to teach staff Makaton, used to support children's communication and inclusion. The practical point is that spoken language is accompanied by other ways to help children understand and express themselves.

Parents received day-to-day updates about activities and care routines in September 2023. A lending library, activity packs and outing ideas extended learning into home life. Current group-wide arrangements likewise include daily information and progress updates, giving families a connection between what happens at nursery and what happens at home.

The group-wide food offer is vegetarian: Little Tums supplies the hot lunch, alongside breakfast and snacks, with water and milk to drink. During funded hours, these food and drink items fall within a consumables charge for families who can afford it.

Sessions and Attendance

Hilltop Nursery's address is Brighton General Hospital, Elm Grove, Brighton, BN2 3EW. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, and flexible hours are offered alongside term-time attendance. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas.

Applications have a Hilltop-specific route, and enquiries can be made by email to sc-tr.nursery@nhs.net. Families considering holiday attendance alongside a funded pattern can book and pay eight weeks ahead. This is a booking rule, rather than an indication of how many places are free.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can receive 15 or 30 hours of Early Years Free Entitlement, with term-time and stretched delivery options. The 30-hour arrangement can run across 38 term-time weeks, or as 25 hours a week over 45 weeks. Funded hours are used on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so this pattern deserves close attention if the working week depends on Monday or Friday care.

Hours beyond the funded allocation are charged separately. Food and drink are charged during funded hours to families who can afford them; the items covered include the vegetarian lunch, breakfast, snacks, milk and water. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Individual next steps. September 2023 activity planning sometimes addressed the group more clearly than each child's learning needs. At a visit, ask how a chosen activity is adapted for your child's next step.
• Time to talk. In September 2023, some conversations moved on before children had enough time to respond. Ask how practitioners give quieter children time to think and contribute.
• A three-day funding pattern. Funded attendance is restricted to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with additional hours charged. Families needing care elsewhere in the week should weigh the whole attendance pattern alongside the funded entitlement.

Hilltop suits families considering flexible hours or term-time attendance, especially where Tuesday-to-Thursday funding matches their working arrangements. Its modest overall capacity and practical outdoor experiences give it a clear character, while the vegetarian food offer and communication support add useful everyday detail.

The September 2023 picture combines children's independence and calm relationships with two clear teaching priorities: more individual planning and more patient conversation. For parents, the decisive question is how those priorities shape their own child's day, alongside whether the attendance and charging structure fits the family week.