Scribbles Day Nursery, Seashore

A large garden, preschool rooms opening straight outdoors and a travelling bear with his own diary give Scribbles Day Nursery, Seashore a recognisable character. This Lowestoft nursery combines age-based rooms with practical opportunities to explore, communicate and become more independent. Outdoor play has a clear place in the day.

At its April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The improvement priorities were equally concrete: make adult-directed learning more stretching, and organise some care routines more closely around individual children.

There are 90 places in total. The room bands run from Jelly Babies for ages 0–2, through Jelly Tots for ages 2–3, to Jelly Beans for ages 3–5; these describe the progression between rooms rather than the number of children together in any one group.

Rooms and Ages

Jelly Babies combines music and messy activities with treasure baskets, sensory exploration and access to a garden, giving babies different ways to investigate objects and practise emerging skills.

For children aged 2–3, Jelly Tots has an open layout leading directly into the garden, with a home corner, books, construction resources and a carpeted space equipped with blankets and sleep mats, alongside an emphasis on creative play and movement.

Jelly Beans pairs an open-plan preschool space and direct garden access with natural resources and a mixture of child-chosen and organised activities intended to develop language, confidence and independence.

These environments make the differences between stages tangible. Toddlers have spaces for pretend play and construction as well as rest, while preschool children can investigate materials and move between indoor activities and the garden. The progression is about changing experiences, rather than simply changing the room name.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: here, children explore through play, conversation, practical investigation and activities with adults. In Jelly Beans, that includes asking questions, trying ideas and returning to an activity to understand it more deeply. Natural materials sit alongside areas organised for different kinds of learning and play.

In April 2025, staff supported communication by talking alongside children's activities, modelling words and adding signs, pictures and songs. Familiar group activities brought together letter sounds, weather and the calendar. That gave children several ways to participate, including those still developing spoken language.

The same month's improvement priorities give parents a useful distinction between an appealing activity and a well-developed learning opportunity. Adult-directed sessions needed to take children's understanding further with greater consistency. The question is how practitioners build on what a child already knows, rather than how many activities fill the timetable.

Outdoor and Community Life

Seashore's large garden includes activities for movement, exploration and imaginative play. Direct access from the toddler and preschool rooms connects that space to their indoor experiences, rather than making outdoors a separate subject.

Jofli the Bear is a group-wide activity offered at Seashore: children can take the bear on family outings or holidays, recording his adventures through a backpack diary and an online journal and map. It gives a familiar nursery character a role in experiences beyond the setting, with something children can share afterwards.

Relationships and Communication

Moving between rooms includes a settling routine for each stage, with parents involved in the process. That matters because becoming ready for a different room involves adjusting to its people and routines as well as its activities.

Tapestry and Nursery in a Box provide access to children's daily experiences through a parent administration page. For families, this creates a connection between the nursery day and conversations at home.

In April 2025, parents also received observations through an online application and could attend sharing sessions to spend time with their child's key person. Staff offered practical guidance about behaviour, toilet learning and external family services. Communication therefore extended beyond a brief account of activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received effective support, with individual plans, parental and professional involvement, and additional funding used for work with a key person or in smaller groups. These are useful mechanisms for families to understand: support was organised around an identified need, with adults coordinating their response.

In April 2025, staff used stories and other resources to help children talk about emotions, and intervened when sharing or taking turns became difficult. Babies received comfort when tired. However, meals and rest for the youngest children, together with preschool nappy-changing arrangements, needed more careful organisation to meet the needs of those attending.

Professional development was part of staff practice in April 2025, combining internal learning with external training and supervision. Feedback gave practitioners opportunities to examine their work and develop it.

Meals are supplied by Nutribom, a local service preparing food from fresh ingredients. This gives families a named food supplier to discuss when considering their child's dietary needs.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm. It operates for 51 weeks each year, with a week-long closure around Christmas and New Year. That annual break is a practical consideration for families arranging care across the working year.

Seashore also runs Holiday Club for children aged 4–9. Each week has a theme, with activities adjusted where appropriate for different ages; play and time to relax are part of the offer.

Getting There

The address is Seashore Nursery, Crown Score, Lowestoft, NR32 1JH, and the setting sits on a busy industrial estate. Bus access includes Manor Court, which gives families a named stop to consider when planning their usual journey.

For enquiries, contact Seashore on 01502 580017 or seashore@scribblesdaynurserygroup.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2025, the nursery offered government-funded childcare for children aged nine months to four years and received additional funding for disadvantaged children.

• Learning beyond the activity. In April 2025, adult-directed sessions needed to stretch understanding more consistently. During a showaround, ask how practitioners extend an activity for children ready for the next step.
• Care routines by age. The April 2025 priorities included meals and rest for younger children and preschool nappy changes. Ask how these routines now accommodate individual needs, especially if your child has a particular sleep pattern.
• Your attendance and costs. Opening hours span 7.30am to 6pm, while the nursery closes for a week around Christmas and New Year. Ask which booking pattern fits your family and request a written breakdown of funded hours, food, consumables and any additional charges.

Seashore suits families who value age-based progression, garden access and practical communication about their child's day. Jelly Tots and Jelly Beans connect indoor play directly with outdoors, while Jofli the Bear adds a shared activity linking nursery and family experiences. Holiday Club also gives older children a separate holiday offer.

The April 2025 Good judgement is a useful starting point, with specific strengths in support and communication. The decision should also take account of the two improvement priorities: extending adult-directed learning and making everyday care routines work better for individual children.