Hopscotch Children's Nurseries, Brighton

Large foam blocks, daily opportunities for soft play and outings to Preston Park give this Brighton nursery a clear emphasis on movement and exploration. Children can build something together, test their physical skills indoors and carry their curiosity into the park.

At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, with learning characterised by purposeful conversations, sustained play and activities that built on children's existing understanding. That judgement belongs to that visit. The current offer includes the Imagination Playground, where children construct with large foam blocks, and a separate outdoor space for preschool children.

Hopscotch Children's Nurseries, Brighton has capacity for 98 children, accepting ages from 3 to 60 months. The setting at 14 Bavant Road is known as Preston Park Nursery.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage brings children's learning, development and care into one framework: here, its practical expression includes conversation, stories, movement and play. In May 2023, staff used activities to revisit earlier learning, including planting sunflowers and discussing what seeds needed. Children contributed their own ideas about the soil. The learning came through doing and talking together.

Vocabulary received close attention in May 2023. Staff extended children's descriptions of size by introducing more precise words and explaining their meanings. This made ordinary conversation a learning opportunity. Children were encouraged to think about language, rather than simply repeat an answer.

Books also led into investigation in May 2023. Babies chose books for themselves, while older children explored a live snail in an activity connected to a story. Their discussion about its tentacles linked reading with observation of the natural world. For parents, that is a useful picture of how a familiar story can become something children examine and debate.

The Imagination Playground adds a different kind of challenge. Its large foam blocks let children plan and assemble their own creations, with collaboration and problem-solving built into the activity. A dedicated soft play room supports daily climbing, sliding and movement, giving physical play a place inside the building as well as outside.

Outdoor and Community Life

Preschool Garden gives the oldest children their own outdoor area, with construction space, a mud kitchen, a sand pit and places to make marks. Balance bikes and a gentle slope add movement to the mix. These features offer different ways to participate: a child can build, experiment with materials or practise coordination.

Regular Preston Park outings include storytelling, games and nature hunts. The park becomes part of the learning environment, with experiences that extend beyond the nursery's own outdoor space. The emphasis is on repeated exploration of somewhere local, rather than a list of occasional destinations.

The group-wide Hopscotch Explorers programme also operates here, taking children on regular visits to parks, beaches and other natural places. It adds outdoor exploration alongside the early years foundation stage.

Personal routines mattered in May 2023. Staff adapted care to children's personalities and patterns at home, while making time to respond to their choices and ideas. For a young child, that connects the practical details of care with being listened to. It also gives parents a useful starting point for discussing the habits their child brings from home.

In May 2023, babies received support with crawling, pulling themselves upright and moving their bodies. Older children practised climbing and moving around others in soft play. Physical development was therefore expressed differently across ages, rather than reduced to one activity for the whole nursery.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and assessed SEND provision as exemplary, with individual support plans coordinated by the SENCo and work involving parents and local agencies. The same assessment linked early recognition of additional needs with excellent progress for children receiving support. These are dated findings, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's experience today.

Families using more than one language had their home languages and cultures included in nursery life in May 2023. This sat alongside the attention staff gave to children's contributions in conversation. The practical value was participation: children's backgrounds and ideas had a place in their day.

Little Tums supplies meals, with vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free options among the dietary arrangements. Families can add hot lunch and tea or send a packed lunch, so the food arrangement can accommodate different preferences.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm on weekdays, with earlier or later hours potentially offered on request. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. The usual opening window is the useful starting point for working out whether collection fits around work.

The address is 14 Bavant Road, Brighton, BN1 6RD. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01273 566673 or by email to prestonpark@hopscotchmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15 and 30 hours government-funded childcare. Private childcare is also offered, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funding and any additional paid care need to be considered separately when planning the family budget.

Breakfast, snacks and organic milk are included in the fee; hot lunches and teas are additions that families can choose, with a packed lunch as the alternative. Non-food consumables included in the fee comprise nappies, wipes and creams, while baby formula is included too.

• Indoor and outdoor activity. Daily soft play, foam-block construction and regular park outings create several routes into active play. During a visit, ask how your child's age group uses these spaces and how quieter moments fit around them.
• The opening window. The usual weekday hours are 8am to 5.30pm; earlier and later hours may be available on request. If your working day depends on an extension, make that part of the joining discussion before committing.
• Funding and the complete cost. Both 15 and 30 funded hours are accepted, while hot meals are additions and several everyday supplies are included in the fee. Ask for a written breakdown showing how funded hours, meals and consumables apply to your proposed attendance.

Hopscotch suits families who value active play, construction and regular exploration of local outdoor spaces. The strongest current details are practical ones: daily soft play, large building blocks, a preschool garden with several kinds of activity, and recurring outings to Preston Park.

The May 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight to that offer, while remaining a dated assessment. For parents whose routine fits the weekday opening window, the combination merits close consideration. The key decisions are how the hours fit family life and how the funded and paid elements work together.