Nanny's House

A park, woods and a dedicated soft play room give Nanny's House a clear identity: outdoor exploration and physical play have substantial space in its offer. Based at Easthill House in Easthill Park, Portslade, the setting has capacity for 22 children, with nursery provision alongside a holiday club for schoolchildren up to eight. The park setting matters here. Preschool children have weekly Forest School sessions, using outdoor exploration, problem-solving and supported risk-taking as opportunities to learn.

At its June 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged all six assessed areas to meet the Expected standard and found safeguarding standards met. That gives families a clear inspection position, with specific improvements still needed in children's independence, teaching methods and staff development. There is no overall inspection grade to substitute for those area judgements.

Full-day, half-day and School day bookings give families several attendance patterns to consider. Funded-only attendance and combinations of funded and privately paid hours are both offered, with different arrangements for extras.

Rooms and Ages

Three rooms organise the nursery day. Baby Room activities include sensory play and Baby Sign, using signing as a communication activity; the preschool room emphasises storytelling, creative art and physical activities; and the Toddler Room includes messy play as a way to encourage exploration and creativity. These are useful differences for parents considering how their child's interests fit the next stage of nursery life.

The soft play room provides another space for movement. Easthill House also offers a light interior, while the surrounding park contains woods, a play area, memorial gardens and a farm. Those physical features make the outdoor setting a substantial part of the nursery's character, although their presence should not be read as a promise of a particular trip or activity.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: here, children encounter it through planned group activities, free play and opportunities to follow their own interests. Toys sit within children's reach, supporting their choices, and planned small-group activities take place in both parts of the day. Adult-led activities sit alongside child-led play, giving families a concrete picture of how the day is organised.

In June 2026, themes included sea life and different countries. Pretend travel involved making passports and recognising names on tickets; books about sea creatures prompted counting and comparisons. These examples connect imaginative play with early literacy and mathematical ideas. Staff also repeated babies' attempts at words and demonstrated Makaton signs, a signing method used here to help children communicate.

Teaching needed greater consistency at that visit. Staff frequently directed play, and some children lost interest while waiting during whole-group activities. The next step was to develop staff's teaching methods so activities did more to extend children's learning. This is a useful distinction for families: an interesting theme matters, but so does how each child participates in it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weekly Forest School sessions give preschool children time in the park and woods to explore, solve problems and practise assessing appropriate risks with support. This addition sits alongside the EYFS activities, extending learning into the outdoor surroundings. It also makes suitable clothing and footwear a practical consideration for families.

In June 2026, children used a garden mud kitchen and grew plants and vegetables. Library outings and a visit to a local pizza van during learning about Italy connected activities with places beyond the nursery. These were inspection-time examples, rather than a fixed timetable of current outings. Leaders were also looking to improve the outdoor provision and staff's knowledge of outdoor learning, so the park setting and the development of its use should be considered together.

Relationships and Communication

Free settling sessions are arranged around the family's needs two weeks before a child's start date, reflecting the attendance pattern they will follow. That makes settling a practical introduction to the child's actual routine. Families supply a change of clothes and suitable footwear; comforters can also come from home when needed.

In June 2026, key-person support included showing babies family photographs and comforting children who needed longer to settle. Staff responded to tired children by adjusting routines. Development was monitored and discussed with parents, including gaps in learning and ideas for activities at home. These details show how familiarity, observation and communication worked together at the time of the visit.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that leaders worked with families and other professionals to support children with SEND and other barriers to learning, including referrals for speech and language support and help completing referral paperwork. A SENCO role and safeguarding lead role form part of the current team structure. These are specific support mechanisms for families to discuss in relation to their child's needs.

In June 2026, staff were starting to use visual cards and timetables to help children understand routines, and parents were invited to join relevant training. This work was developing. Leadership responsibilities and the support needed to embed staff's skills were not yet fully established, making staff development another clear priority.

Independence was uneven at that visit. Preschool children could lay tables, serve food and pour drinks at lunch, but opportunities to practise these skills were less consistent elsewhere in the day, and younger children did not always get opportunities suited to their abilities. The improvement required was about routines, rather than simply adding more activities.

Meals come from Zebedees, a catering company, with a hot meal, pudding and two snacks provided during the day. Catering covers dietary requirements, making the food arrangements a useful subject for families whose child needs a particular diet.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Easthill House, Easthill Park, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2FA. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm from Monday to Thursday, with a 5.30pm finish on Friday. The nursery opens for 50 weeks each year, closing over Christmas for one week, during the first week of the summer holidays and on bank holidays; closure periods are not charged.

Full Day bookings run from 8am to 6pm. Half Day bookings have two windows, 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm, while School day attendance runs from 9am to 3pm. The Friday closing time needs particular attention when considering a booking that otherwise ends at 6pm. Holiday club attendance for schoolchildren up to eight is ad hoc, giving it a different booking pattern from the nursery sessions.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. Paid attendance carries a deposit and registration charge, with both waived for funded-only places. The free settling arrangements provide the next practical step before attendance begins.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers the Universal or 15 hours entitlement for three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, and the 30 hours offer for eligible children from nine months whose parents are working. Stretched funding provides a maximum of 11.4 funded hours weekly across 50 weeks for the former, or 22.8 for the latter; a term-time contract is an alternative for children aged three and over. Working-parent funding requires an eligibility code, applied for in advance of each term. Entitlement does not guarantee a place with a particular provider.

Families can book funded hours alone or combine them with privately paid attendance. Hours beyond the funded entitlement are charged at the usual rate. Siblings of children already attending receive priority, and funded bookings have a four-week notice period for ending attendance or changing the booking. Monthly invoices identify funded hours, additional paid attendance and relevant extras, helping families separate childcare entitlement from their other costs.

For funded-only attendance, families may supply extras such as a packed lunch, nappies and wipes, or choose to pay for the nursery to provide them. Food and drink appear as extras on combined funded-and-paid invoices; the funded terms separately price activities and trips, and Forest School for children aged three and over. These costs should be considered alongside the hours a family intends to book.

For ordinary paid attendance, nappies and wipes are included in the price, while families provide summer sun cream and a hat. That distinction matters when comparing a funded-only arrangement with paid care. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Friday attendance. The nursery closes at 5.30pm on Fridays, while Full Day and afternoon Half Day bookings otherwise end at 6pm. Clarify how the Friday finish applies to your intended pattern before booking.
• Independence and teaching. June 2026 priorities included more consistent opportunities for children to manage tasks themselves and stronger teaching methods. During a visit, ask how routines and activities now address these points.
• Staff development. In June 2026, leadership responsibilities and support for staff's developing skills were not fully embedded. Ask how responsibilities are now organised across the rooms.
• Food and funded extras. Zebedees supplies the meals, while funded arrangements distinguish childcare hours from extras. Families needing dietary adjustments should confirm current catering practice and how their chosen attendance arrangement handles food and consumables.

Nanny's House suits families who value a park setting and want a choice between full days, half days and shorter School day attendance. The soft play room and weekly preschool Forest School sessions give that choice a recognisable setting and a concrete outdoor element. Funded-only and combined attendance also offer different ways to organise childcare costs.

The June 2026 inspection position is balanced: every assessed area met the Expected standard and safeguarding standards were met, with improvements required in independence, teaching and staff development. Families should weigh those priorities alongside the room activities, settling arrangements and practical fit of their chosen sessions.