Roundabout Nursery

A garden hill, wooden logs and a sensory room give Roundabout Nursery's January 2024 daily life a recognisable shape: physical play outdoors, sensory exploration indoors and children choosing where to spend their time. This Brighton setting has capacity for 86 children aged 3 to 60 months.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 23 January 2024 inspection. The practical questions concern how staff extend older children's learning and how parents are prepared for the move between rooms.

In January 2024, babies explored songs through objects taken from a bag, matching an item with a rhyme and copying actions. Toddlers tackled puzzles together and chose a friend to join them in the sensory room. These examples put language, shared problem-solving and companionship into everyday play.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play supports learning alongside attention to children's everyday needs. In January 2024, planning combined children's interests with what they needed to learn next. Older children acted out restaurant roles, taking orders and serving pretend meals, giving them a practical reason to cooperate.

Outside that January, children balanced on wooden logs, rolled down a hill and steered ride-on toys around others. Toddlers also explored paint through touch. The physical surroundings supported movement and sensory exploration rather than confining learning to seated activities.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities good, with individual care and learning plans and help for families to communicate in their home language.

In January 2024, staff gathered information from parents about their key children's needs and responded to babies' gestures and other nonverbal signals. Babies received cuddles during bottle feeds and when feeling unwell. Sand timers helped children finish playing before a change of activity, making transitions more understandable.

There were weaknesses too. In January 2024, some staff did not position themselves effectively to support colleagues or understand older children's next learning steps. Parents also needed fuller explanations of the differences between toddler and preschool provision. Those issues matter both for everyday interaction and for continuity as children grow.

The address is 178 Whitehawk Road, Brighton, BN2 5FL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays, a week at Christmas and training days.

In January 2024, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position, rather than a promise of a funded place today.

• Older children's learning. January 2024 identified gaps in staff deployment and understanding of next learning steps. During a visit, ask how the team now shares planning and organises support during play.
• Moving between rooms. Parents needed more information about the toddler-to-preschool change in January 2024. Ask how that transition is explained and how care information follows the child.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window spans 8am to 6pm. Ask which booking patterns fit your routine and request a written quotation covering funded hours, meals and consumables.

Roundabout merits consideration for families seeking year-round weekday childcare, with its January 2024 examples of garden play, sensory exploration and responsive baby care giving substance to the choice. The balance is clear: attractive everyday experiences sit alongside specific questions about team coordination and communication when children change rooms.