Wonder Years Nursery School

Free movement between rooms, a garden used through most weather and woodland opposite give Wonder Years Nursery School a day that extends beyond a single playroom. This Brighton nursery combines space to explore with individual learning plans and an online journal that parents can contribute to. The practical appeal is clear: children can follow their interests, while families have a way to connect nursery learning with life at home.

At its 20 May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Children are accepted from three months to five years, with Turtles, Dolphins and Sharks organising provision by stage. Full days, mornings, afternoons and School Day sessions serve different attendance needs.

Rooms and Ages

Turtles, for under-twos, combines messy exploration, singing and movement with free access around the first floor, a separate cot room and quiet spaces, giving babies room both to practise emerging skills and to rest.

Dolphins, for children aged two to three, uses the ground floor and garden freely, with an emphasis on social relationships, creativity, independent choices and potty training as children become more capable of doing things themselves.

Sharks, for over-threes, develops language, imaginative play, physical skills, maths and literacy alongside independence, bringing school preparation into everyday activities rather than treating it only as a final transition task.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS combines learning through play with activities guided by adults, with observation helping staff decide each child’s next steps. At Wonder Years, those observations feed individual plans, and keyworkers use them to shape activities and the learning spaces. Parents can contribute ideas from home through the online journal. An interest discovered outside nursery can therefore inform what happens during the nursery day.

In May 2024, a dinosaur interest became an opportunity to introduce reptiles and extend children’s understanding of living things. Children also helped decide the following week’s activities on Fridays and selected books connected to their learning. These examples give substance to the idea of following children’s interests: adults extended a topic, while children had choices about what came next.

The same month, everyday responsibilities included tidying with child-sized brushes and caring for Dolly, the tortoise, through feeding and bathing. Responsibility had a concrete task attached to it. Children could practise looking after their surroundings and a living creature, rather than only hearing instructions about being considerate.

Outdoor and Community Life

Surrenden field and nearby woodland supplement the nursery’s own large garden. Outside, children can build, climb, ride and grow plants; chickens add feeding and egg collection to the day. Garden time continues except in extreme weather, so outdoor activity is part of the usual routine rather than an occasional extra.

Regular outings include parks, markets and pet shops, with train journeys between Preston Park and Brighton among the experiences. The combination gives children different things to observe: animals, transport and activity beyond the nursery. Train and bus fares for regular outings are included in fees, keeping those journeys within the childcare offer.

Relationships and Communication

Baby care starts with familiar routines. Turtles follows home patterns as far as possible, and the keyworker gives parents a daily handover covering feeds, sleep, nappy changes and activities. Those details are also recorded online. For a family balancing nursery and home care, that means practical information about a baby’s day accompanies the learning record.

Settling allows parents time to stay, talk to staff and watch their child play, and they can telephone during the day as often as they wish. The approach gives parents room to take part in the adjustment rather than making separation the only measure of a successful start.

Secure online access lets parents see observations, pictures and videos, comment on progress and share activities from home. Parents also take part in nursery life by reading, baking, painting or playing instruments. Communication is therefore both about receiving updates and contributing something that staff can use with the children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and strong support for children with special educational needs, with the coordinator working alongside families and other professionals on support plans. This is a dated judgement about practice, supported by the observation that children receiving that help explored and learned confidently.

In May 2024, staff knew children’s cultural backgrounds and welcomed those learning English as an additional language, but did not consistently help children examine their own identities or learn about one another’s backgrounds. Welcoming a family and developing this part of children’s learning were separate issues. The latter remained the improvement priority.

Staff development includes continuing courses, two inset days each year and team meetings every six weeks; more than 80% of staff hold qualifications at level 3 or above. These are concrete arrangements for maintaining and developing staff knowledge, rather than a general claim about experience.

For older children, a school-leavers group begins at the start of the year, working with a senior keyworker on the independent skills needed for primary education. That puts preparation into practical habits as well as learning activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Surrenden Crescent, Brighton, BN1 6WF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round operation and a Christmas closure.

Four booking windows are offered: Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning from 7.30am to 1pm; Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm; and School Day from 8am to 4pm. The distinction matters for families whose work or other commitments require a shorter day or a particular half of the day, rather than the whole opening window.

Term-time attendance requires a booking of at least three days. That condition belongs alongside the attraction of avoiding attendance during school holidays: it is a defined booking option, rather than unrestricted occasional use. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes an annual entitlement of up to 570 hours for children after their third birthday and 570 hours for eligible children after their second birthday. The allowance is spread across the year and deducted from monthly bills. Eligibility remains a condition of the two-year-old offer; the annual allowance is not a promise of a particular attendance pattern.

Fees include meals and snacks, nappies, creams and sun lotion. Regular outings, their train and bus fares, visiting organisations, entertainers and yoga lessons are included too. This structure brings routine care supplies and those activities into the fee rather than separating them into individual extras.

Healthy Roots caters lunch, while breakfast, snacks and afternoon tea are included in fees. Children sometimes help prepare afternoon tea, using garden-grown ingredients when possible.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. The fees and funding page sets out the attendance choices and inclusive charge structure.

• Culture and identity. In May 2024, children’s learning about their own backgrounds and differences needed strengthening. Ask how staff now address this in books, activities and conversations, rather than only in special occasions.
• Term-time commitment. Term-time bookings require three days or more. Families seeking a shorter weekly pattern should weigh this condition against the separate morning, afternoon and School Day options.
• Free-flow baby care. Turtles uses the first floor alongside a separate cot room and quiet areas. During a visit, explore how your baby’s home routine fits the movement between play and rest.
• Food requirements. Healthy Roots supplies lunch, while children can help prepare afternoon tea. Families managing allergies should discuss current meal handling and participation in food preparation before joining.

Wonder Years suits families who want outdoor exploration, movement between spaces and an active role in their child’s learning record. It serves parents seeking full days as well as those needing mornings, afternoons or a School Day, with a defined minimum commitment for term-time attendance.

The separate cot room and detailed baby updates make Turtles a substantial part of the offer, while Sharks gives older children practical preparation for school. The balance to assess is how individual care works within the free-flow layout and how the May 2024 improvement priority now shapes everyday learning.