Shirley Street Day Nursery

Six babies at most in the Starfish Room, with a dedicated sensory room alongside: Shirley Street Day Nursery gives its youngest children a clearly defined setting within this Hove nursery. Following routines from home is part of the baby-room offer. For parents weighing their child's first experience of childcare, those practical details matter more than broad promises.

At its 14 October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. The main improvement concerned staff working with younger children, whose activities and expectations needed more careful adjustment to their stage of development. That deserves attention alongside the positive findings.

Children are accepted from three months to five years. The nursery combines baby, toddler and preschool provision, with all-year and term-time attendance options as well as flexible childcare and funded-only sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Starfish Room accommodates a maximum of six babies each day and follows home routines, with sensory exploration supported by a sensory room containing moving coloured lights, mirrors, a sequin wall, soft play and a ball pit. These are concrete resources for looking, touching and moving, rather than an abstract promise of stimulation.

Toddler Room emphasises learning through repetition and developing language through stories and unfamiliar words, giving children opportunities to revisit skills as their confidence grows. Pre-School Room puts emphasis on physical development, communication and relationships, including practising patience and respect as preparation for school.

The baby provision also includes a role-play kitchen, a story area, a sand pit and space for messy activities. That gives babies different ways to explore, with quieter books and pretend play alongside activities involving movement and materials.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play, conversation and exploration become opportunities to build skills. Shirley Street's sensory play, stories and social learning sit within that framework. The toddler emphasis on repetition is useful here: a new word or skill can be revisited rather than encountered only once.

In October 2022, older children discussed buying and selling during pretend farm-shop play and negotiated with one another while constructing a train track. These examples show how familiar play can involve language, cooperation and solving problems. Adults also talked through children's activities and introduced vocabulary, while familiar stories encouraged children to join in with words and actions.

The younger children's experience was less consistent in October 2022. Some activities needed more precise planning and better-chosen resources, and expectations sometimes exceeded what those children could manage. In October 2022, staff working with the youngest children were also sometimes less successful in helping them play together. The improvement was about adult practice, not adding more activities to the timetable.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor play area provides another setting for exploration beyond the rooms. In October 2022, garden activity and organised outings were part of the children's experience. Younger children also had opportunities to play with older children, helping them become familiar with life beyond their own room before moving on within the nursery.

Relationships and Communication

Home routines shape the current baby-room offer, which gives parents a practical starting point for discussing their child's day. Familiar patterns can carry over into nursery care instead of requiring a wholly different routine from the outset.

In October 2022, key persons offered comfort to babies and responded to individual needs. Communication with families combined an online application with individual handovers at the end of sessions, bringing together information about care and learning. Song bags were also sent home to extend language activities, making a connection between what children did at nursery and what families could share afterwards.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND effective, with individual plans and cooperation between staff, families and external agencies. Those are dated judgements, supported by specific mechanisms rather than a general assurance about inclusion.

All staff have paediatric first-aid training and DBS checks.

In October 2022, adults ate with children, discussed food and gently encouraged them to try unfamiliar foods. That made eating part of the social day as well as a care routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm and full days from 8am to 6pm. Funding can be used within these patterns. Ad hoc bookings also cater for changing shift patterns, subject to availability, so flexibility is an explicit arrangement rather than an assumption drawn from opening hours.

Attendance can be term-time or across the year, and the nursery opens for 51 weeks. Opening begins at 7.30am, Monday to Friday. Four weeks' notice applies to changing sessions or leaving, whether the sessions are funded or paid; that is relevant if a family's work pattern changes suddenly.

Getting There

The address is 43 Shirley Street, Hove, BN3 3WJ, by Hove Station. Enquiries can be made using the contact form or by telephone, with a show-round booking route also offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded-only attendance is offered without a top-up for the funded session itself, either term-time or stretched across 51 weeks. The entitlements include universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, working-family funding and Early Learning funding for eligible two-year-olds; eligibility conditions still apply.

Breakfast and snacks are included, and nappies, wipes and sun cream are supplied within funded-only and paid sessions. Families can provide lunch and tea themselves or choose separately charged hot meals; funded-only attendance does not require purchasing those meals.

Hours beyond a child's funded sessions are charged, while curriculum activities within funded-only sessions carry no additional charge. A registration charge applies when enrolling for paying hours; funded-only enrolment has no registration charge and requires registration and funding forms. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the childcare funding and charges page explains the structure.

• Practice with younger children. The October 2022 improvement concerned activity planning and behavioural expectations for this age group. During a visit, ask how staff now adapt activities and support babies and toddlers playing together.
• Collection time. Opening information gives both 6pm and 7pm as the closing time, while afternoon and full-day sessions finish at 6pm. Agree the collection deadline for your booking before relying on later care.
• Funding for younger children. Funding information mentions eligibility from nine months but also refers to the term after a child turns two. Ask which entitlement and start date apply to your child's circumstances before planning attendance around it.

Shirley Street suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, with term-time, all-year and changing-shift arrangements adding useful choice. The six-baby limit and sensory room give parents of the youngest children concrete reasons to consider it. Funded-only attendance, including breakfast, snacks and consumables, is another practical strength. The balance is the October 2022 concern about younger children's activities and expectations: present practice in those rooms deserves close attention when choosing.