Chantry House Nursery

Pooh Bear has a separate room for sleep; Tigger has twice-daily group learning and whole-class movement activities. That progression gives Chantry House Nursery a clear character: care begins with babies’ routines and gradually moves towards shared learning, independence and preparation for Reception. The purpose-built premises in Chichester add naturally light classrooms, a garden used daily and an outdoor classroom.

The nursery has capacity for 60 children, with children starting from 3 months and staying until they begin Reception. Its three classrooms are Pooh Bear, Roo and Tigger, and children progress together through the stages rather than simply sharing an age-banded space.

At its 1 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying counting and younger children’s emotional support at transitions as areas needing improvement. That is a dated judgement, and later regulatory action on premises safety and agency-staff induction also matters to the assessment below.

Morning, afternoon, school day and full day attendance patterns give families several ways to use the nursery.

Rooms and Ages

Pooh Bear, for children aged 3–24 months, combines a bright room for creative exploration with a separate sleep room containing cots, including an individual cot for each child before the move towards sleep mats.

Roo, for 24–36 months, introduces a shared rhythm of meals, naps and group discussion, alongside activities led by adults individually or in small groups and resources children choose for themselves.

Tigger, the preschool classroom labelled 36–59 months, takes children from the term after their third birthday and brings together early phonics, mathematical ideas and practice in managing feelings and solving problems independently.

These stages have practical consequences. Roo’s shared meals give children opportunities to talk with one another, while the preschool routine asks them to take a more active part in group learning. Uniform is optional in Roo; children in Tigger wear it. Families should therefore expect a change in both the daily rhythm and the classroom expectations as their child moves through the nursery.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the required framework for children’s learning, development and care, covering seven areas of learning through play and planned experiences. Each child’s key person develops individual planning across those areas. Children can choose their own play, while adults introduce activities intended to extend their interests rather than replace them with a wholly adult-directed day.

The nursery’s approach adds concrete practices rather than relying on a single branded method. Practitioners build on what a child already knows, listen to children’s ideas and offer choices indoors and outside. Risky play involves thinking through strategies and solving problems. The Golden rules support behaviour and the development of self-regulation: learning to manage responses and feelings with progressively less adult help.

Tigger’s group learning happens twice daily, including phonics, maths and personal, social and emotional development. Yoga, dance, ballet, workout time and musical mindfulness also feature as whole-class activities. This gives preschool children movement alongside early literacy and number work. The emphasis on moving from adult-supported regulation towards managing themselves makes the preparation for school broader than practising letters alone.

In December 2022, stories, rhymes and singing were accompanied by props and instruments, and children borrowed nursery books to share at home. Number teaching was less consistent: children needed more help to use numbers, recognise their relationships and explore patterns during play. That distinction matters. A busy programme of activities is useful, but families also need to understand how adults turn an activity into a next step in learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is part of the daily offer, with resources supporting learning across the age groups, and the outdoor classroom extends activity beyond the indoor rooms. These are substantial physical features for families weighing how much of the day children can spend outside.

In December 2022, outdoor play included storytelling in a garden tent, balancing on beams and climbing equipment. Older children put on their own coats, and siblings played together outdoors. The combination gave opportunities for movement, imaginative play and small acts of independence.

Community experiences at that time included regular visits to shops and the library, feeding ducks and group outings such as a farm trip. A dentist had also visited to talk about oral health. These examples connected nursery learning with ordinary experiences beyond the classroom, although they belong to that inspection period rather than a current trips timetable.

A key person is assigned within each classroom, linking a child’s planning with the adults who know them day to day. In Pooh Bear, the transition from home is explicitly part of the room’s work, including support for children who have not previously spent time away from their parents. The separate sleep space is especially relevant here: rest has its own room rather than sharing the main play space.

The whole-class progression model also gives relationships a longer timescale. Children move through the learning stages with their peers and reach school age within the same academic year. For a family who values continuity, that is a meaningful part of the nursery’s organisation, alongside the individual key-person relationship.

In December 2022, staff comforted tired children, supported them as they settled to sleep and allowed naps to end naturally. Parents met with their child’s key person to discuss development and received ideas for learning at home. Staff also worked with parents and external professionals when children needed additional support, with additional funding considered around the individual child’s needs.

The same period brought a more qualified picture of emotional support. Older children practised sharing and taking turns, but younger children needed more consistent help with feelings, behaviour and changes between activities. For parents of toddlers, the important question is how an adult helps during those less predictable parts of the day, not merely whether the timetable contains group activities.

Food is prepared by the nursery’s own chef, with the sample menu covering snacks, lunch, pudding and tea; the nursery caters for allergies and dietary requirements. It publishes a nut-free policy, which allergy-affected families should discuss against their child’s current needs.

In its July 2025 regulatory outcome, Ofsted confirmed that safeguarding and welfare actions had been met following changes to agency-staff induction, premises risk assessments and procedures for children’s collection and drop-off. Entrance security had also required action in October 2023, so the later outcome is relevant even though the July 2025 actions were completed. This is separate from the December 2022 grade.

Sessions and Attendance

Chantry House Nursery is at Chichester Gate, Terminus Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EL. Morning, afternoon, school day and full day sessions are offered, with minimum attendance of two days each week, or 15 hours each week for fully funded places. The nursery operates for 51 weeks annually and closes from Christmas Eve until the New Year.

The range of attendance patterns means families can consider part-day care as well as a school day or full day. The minimum attendance requirement also shapes that choice.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01243 788727 or by email at hello@chantryhousenursery.co.uk. Parking is provided at the premises.

Funding and Paid Extras

The 15 and 30 funded-hour entitlements are offered subject to eligibility. Funding allocated over 38 weeks is stretched across the nursery’s 51-week operating year, and additional unfunded hours are charged separately. For parents, the important distinction is between the entitlement and the attendance pattern it supports across the year.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. The funding information explains the stretched arrangement, while the session and fees information gives the minimum attendance requirement.

• Opening time and session fit. Opening hours differ between the home-page information, which gives 8am–6pm, and the nursery’s description of its offer, which gives 7:30am–6pm, both Monday to Friday. Confirm the start time and the boundaries of your chosen session before arranging work or travel around it.
• Learning through transitions. December 2022 recommendations covered counting during play and support for younger children’s feelings and behaviour when activities change. During a visit, ask how these areas are handled in your child’s classroom now.
• Security procedures. Entrance security required action in October 2023, and the July 2025 outcome confirmed completed actions involving safe collection, drop-off, risk assessment and agency-staff induction. Discuss how those procedures operate during busy periods.
• The funded booking package. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks, with a 15-hour weekly minimum for fully funded places. Ask for a written breakdown of the proposed attendance pattern, food and non-food consumables, and discuss individual allergy requirements where relevant.

Chantry House Nursery suits families wanting morning or afternoon attendance as well as school day or full day care, provided its minimum weekly commitment fits their plans. The strongest practical features are the baby room’s separate sleep space, the daily garden offer and a preschool routine combining group learning with movement and growing independence.

The December 2022 Good judgement sits alongside specific learning recommendations and later, completed safety actions. Those details deserve attention when choosing care. For families comfortable with the classroom progression model, Chantry House offers a clearly structured route from babies’ individual routines towards the shared expectations of preschool.