Hollingbury Park Pre-School

A sheltered balcony, a sensory garden and an open-plan play space give Hollingbury Park Pre-School a clear character: children have room for active outdoor play, imaginative exploration and quieter moments. Based at Hollingbury Park Pavilion in Brighton, it has capacity for 40 children in total. Its Main Room serves children aged 2 to 4, with a separate Back Room for calmer activities and additional support.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement belongs to that visit. The practical attractions today are the outdoor spaces, an individual key worker for each child and term-time attendance that can combine morning, afternoon or full-day sessions.

Families need a separate childcare plan for school holidays.

Rooms and Ages

Main Room is an open-plan space for children aged 2 to 4, with areas for pretend domestic play, construction and reading. Art materials, small-world play and soft play add different ways to explore, while changing table activities give children fresh choices in the morning and afternoon. Books remain accessible through the day. Reading can be something a child chooses, rather than an activity reserved for a scheduled group.

Back Room provides a quieter setting for music, reading and calm activities after lunch, alongside sessions for children needing additional support. The two spaces have different purposes. One accommodates the bustle of shared play; the other makes room for a slower pace and more targeted work.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children learn through play, with activities shaped around their development and individual interests. This is the foundation rather than an extra programme. Here, key workers use their observations to plan experiences for the child they know, connecting day-to-day play with the next steps in their learning.

Sustained shared thinking adds a concrete teaching practice. Adults and children work through ideas together, discussing problems, clarifying concepts and extending understanding. The useful distinction is that adults do more than supply an answer: the conversation itself becomes part of the learning. Independence also receives deliberate attention, with children encouraged to do more for themselves before moving on to school.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that an emphasis on language, including stories and adults discussing children's play, helped children communicate confidently. The examples from that month make the teaching tangible: children experimented with melting ice to uncover dinosaurs, while adults introduced counting and comparisons of weight and length into play. These were activities in which conversation and early mathematics had an immediate purpose.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines an open grass area with climbing frames, swings, play houses and space for riding bikes. A sheltered balcony and covered sand pit give outdoor activity a practical wet-weather dimension. The sensory garden and mud kitchen offer another kind of exploration, alongside the more energetic equipment. Children can move between physical play and investigating materials rather than using the garden for exercise alone.

In September 2022, children built structures to climb and jump from, and explored vegetables through imaginary digging, washing and cooking in the mud kitchen. Adults discussed risks with them, making safety part of the activity. Outings that month included local shops and bus journeys to collect resources for play. These are dated examples of learning extending beyond the setting, rather than a promise of a fixed trip schedule.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key worker who keeps observations, plans around individual interests and leads meetings with parents about development and next steps. Families receive spoken updates as well as written summaries. This gives parents both everyday contact and a more considered account of how their child is developing.

Knowledge of children is also shared across the staff team through meetings during the year. The key worker remains the main relationship, but colleagues contribute their observations too. That can help build a fuller picture of a child's interests and needs across different activities. The team includes staff with Level 3 and Level 5 childcare qualifications.

In September 2022, children practised everyday tasks such as putting on coats, and nurture group sessions helped children needing support with confidence to explore feelings and self-esteem. This was targeted work with a clear purpose, rather than simply a general statement about emotional wellbeing.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

BHISS (Brighton and Hove inclusion support service) is a named external connection. Within the building, Back Room also serves as a space for additional-support sessions. For a family whose child needs help beyond everyday group activities, these are practical mechanisms to discuss: an external support relationship and a quieter place where sessions can happen.

Lunch comes from home, while a healthy snack and drink are supplied free of charge. Parents also provide nappies and wipes in their child's changing bag, so these everyday supplies remain part of the family's preparation for attendance.

Moving on to school involves more than practising independence. In September 2022, staff arranged school visits for children and invited teachers into the pre-school, helping children become familiar with the adults involved in their next stage. The same visit identified a separate weakness: information-sharing links with other early years settings that children also attended needed development. That matters most for children dividing their week between providers.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Hollingbury Park Pavilion, Ditchling Road, Brighton, BN1 7HS. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, during term time. This is a term-time service even when a child attends for the whole day.

Morning sessions run from either 8am or 9am until 1pm. Full-day sessions start at either 8am or 9am and finish at 4pm, while the afternoon session runs from noon to 4pm. Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am as a separately charged attendance option. Hourly paid attendance is also offered, adding another way to arrange a child's time.

Parents can contact the pre-school by telephone or email, or submit its application form. The form asks for a child's birthday, whether they have special needs and any further information the family wishes to provide. Visits are by appointment. This gives families a route to introduce their child's circumstances before attending a meeting.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both funded childcare and privately paid hours are offered. The pre-school accepts 15-hour and 30-hour funding for children aged 2, 3 and 4 where applicable, delivered during term time. Eligibility conditions still apply; acceptance of funding does not mean every child qualifies for either entitlement.

Standard sessions carry no additional session fee on top of funded hours or paid places. For funded attendance, families still supply packed lunches, nappies and wipes, while snacks and drinks are free. Breakfast Club is excluded from funded hours and charged separately, and a late fee can apply. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; its session and funding terms explain the charge structure.

• Term-time calendar and early starts. Attendance ends at 4pm and follows term time. Breakfast Club from 8am to 9am is excluded from funding, while morning and full-day sessions can also start at 8am; clarify how an early start is booked and charged for your chosen pattern.
• Two development priorities. In September 2022, broader learning about different families and communities, and information-sharing with other early years providers, both needed further work. At a visit, ask how these operate now, especially if your child attends another setting.
• A personal start. Each child receives a key worker, and Back Room hosts additional-support sessions. Use the appointment to discuss how your child's first sessions would be organised and how any individual support would fit into the day.
• Food and changing supplies. Packed lunches, nappies and wipes come from home, while snacks and drinks are free. Families managing a food allergy should confirm current snack arrangements and how their child's requirements will be handled.

Hollingbury Park Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those wanting a full day ending at 4pm. Its physical offer is persuasive: open-plan play, a quieter support space and a garden with both sheltered and active areas give children different ways to spend their time.

The September 2022 judgement provides a dated quality reference, with clear development priorities to discuss. For parents who value an individual key worker, outdoor exploration and shorter-session choices, this is a useful fit.