Little Stars Childcare

Real tools, a fire pit and a Forest School Log Cabin give Little Stars Childcare an outdoor character that goes beyond bikes and garden play. The Brighton nursery combines this practical exploration with baby care shaped around individual routines and Star School, its programme for children preparing to leave for primary school. There is room for both adventure and familiarity.

Based in an adapted Edwardian building on the corner of Bear Road and Riley Road, Little Stars cares for children from birth to five. Its two rooms are Shining Stars for babies and Shooting Stars for children aged two to five, with separate outdoor spaces for younger and older children. That age split matters: the baby garden has sensory play equipment, while the main garden offers more physical challenges.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Little Stars Good overall, found safeguarding effective and judged that adapted learning supported good progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Opportunities for greater independence and the organisation of older children's routines needed improvement. Those points deserve attention alongside the outdoor provision. Full days, morning and afternoon sessions, and flexible hourly bookings give families several ways to use the nursery.

Rooms and Ages

Shining Stars, for children from birth to two, has a published room maximum of 18 babies, with reachable resources, space for crawling and cots within the room, alongside painting, playdough and sensory exploration. Babies can explore resources themselves; care follows their feeding, sleeping and comfort preferences.

Shooting Stars accommodates up to 40 children aged two to five, combining imaginative play and construction with music, messy activities, Star School and Forest School experiences. Its home corner and book area give quieter alternatives to active play. These are room maxima, rather than a promise about the number of children present together on a particular day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, communication, physical development and growing social skills. Little Stars adds practical outdoor learning and school preparation.

Star School uses practical tasks, discussion, stories and songs to help school-leaving children practise communicating, making friends and managing personal care. Weekly sessions are part of the older room's provision.

In July 2025, staff used repeated simple words, gestures and expressive faces with younger children, while older children practised conversation and encountered unfamiliar vocabulary during play. Activities were adapted to children's interests and stages of development, with chances to return to skills they had begun to learn.

In July 2025, physical activities developed larger-muscle movement and hand coordination, supporting later writing.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Forest School Log Cabin supports practical learning with supervised tools, fire-making and cooking lunch over the fire pit. Forest School here means hands-on exploration of nature and outdoor skills. Building shelters and working together on practical tasks give children something tangible to plan, attempt and discuss.

For under-twos, the garden contains a water station, small playhouse and sandpit. High walls provide summer shade. The main garden serves children aged two and above, with a climbing wall, slide, balance bikes and building materials such as ramps and loose parts. Free-flow access allows children to choose between indoor activity and outdoor play across the day.

Outdoor activity continues through different seasons, with spare wellies and waterproofs supporting participation. Experiences also extend beyond the nursery: outings include woods, shops, the library and park, alongside museum visits, public transport trips, pizza-making at a local restaurant and activities at a residential home. These give children experiences of everyday places and people beyond their room.

Relationships and Communication

Individual routines are central to baby care. Staff work with parents on sleep, feeding and comfort preferences, and offer support during weaning. Cots are in Shining Stars itself, so babies can rest within the baby room. For families choosing care for a baby, that is a useful distinction in the physical setup.

Communication combines face-to-face relationships with several ways to contribute from home. Tapestry is the online learning journal through which parents can see learning records and add their own contributions. Communication books, weekend boards and parents' evenings sit alongside the key-person system, giving families different routes to share information that can shape activities.

In July 2025, children approached familiar staff when they wanted encouragement, help or comfort. Adults also helped children handle disagreements and understand feelings, while explaining the reasons behind safety instructions. Older children reminded one another to put toys away to prevent trips.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

There was also a practical limitation in July 2025: adults sometimes carried out tasks children could have attempted themselves, and some routines kept older children seated for too long, affecting their engagement.

Menus run on a three-week cycle, with dietary assessments carried out weekly.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Stars opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 5.30pm. The full-day session runs from 7.30am to 5.30pm, the morning session from 7.30am to 12.30pm, and the afternoon session from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. Parents can also choose flexible hours to suit their arrangements, charged by the hour.

Late collection until 6pm is a separately charged option that must be booked beforehand. The nursery operates for 50 weeks each year, closing for bank holidays and over Christmas and New Year; term-time attendance is also supported.

Enquiries use the Little Stars Enquiry Form, after which a manager makes contact. For a pattern outside the form's choices, parents select the alternative option and follow up by email with their requested sessions.

Getting There

The address is Bear Road, Brighton, BN2 4DA, at the junction with Riley Road. Bus services stop at Lewes Road bus garage, an approximate 2 minute walk away, while Moulsecoomb train station is a 20 minute walk away.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE) is offered to eligible children from nine months to five years. The funding arrangements include 15 universal hours for eligible three-year-olds and 30 Hours (extended) Funding for eligible working families. Funding can be used during term time or spread across the nursery's 50-week year, with the weekly allocation changing under the stretched arrangement.

Paid session fees include the meals and snacks associated with the chosen session. Nappies, sun cream, sensitive wipes, toothpaste and a toothbrush are included in those fees; parents may be asked to supply nappy rash cream when it is needed. Funded attendance has two voluntary options for parents, and the nursery's current written quotation should set out the chosen funding arrangement, additional paid hours and any extras.

A non-refundable deposit applies when sessions are offered for a non-funded space. Ending a place requires one month's notice in writing by email. For children due to start school, the place ends automatically on 31 August, or at the end of the summer term for term-time attendance, unless parents give a different instruction in writing; attendance after that point is charged as extra sessions. The sessions and fees information explains these booking terms.

• Independence in practice. July 2025 findings highlighted adults doing some tasks for children and extended sitting during older children's routines. On a visit, ask how everyday care now gives children more chances to act for themselves and stay engaged.
• Baby-room arrangements. Shining Stars has a maximum of 18 babies and cots within the playroom. Ask how sleeping babies and active play are managed together, and how the room's day accommodates your baby's routine.
• Outdoor expectations. Forest School includes supervised tools and fires, and garden play continues across the seasons. Families should be comfortable with those experiences and provide suitable outdoor clothing.
• The funded booking. Two voluntary options apply to funded attendance. Request a written breakdown for your chosen hours covering meals, toiletries and other extras, so the arrangement is clear before accepting it.

Little Stars suits families wanting morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days or individually chosen hours. Its strongest practical attractions are the Forest School Log Cabin, gardens differentiated by age, individual baby routines and a school-readiness programme with concrete activities.

The balance to weigh is between those experiences and the July 2025 concerns about independence and seated routines. Its outdoor learning and flexible attendance are strong attractions; everyday independence remains the point to weigh.