Copperfields Day Nursery

Logs, balancing beams and animal habitats made outdoor play a practical learning experience at Copperfields Day Nursery in April 2022. Children tested their movements, handled natural materials and explored what living things need. These concrete experiences give the nursery's inspection-era character more substance than a curriculum label alone.

Copperfields has capacity for 66 children aged six months to five years, at 22 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne, BN21 1DU. At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall, with effective safeguarding, good progress and effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, the April 2022 examples included stories, sounds, mark-making and physical play. Babies practised handling books; older children anticipated story events and recalled their order. Sound games developed from recognising animal noises to suggesting words with a particular opening sound.

In April 2022, children explored mud, straw and sand outdoors, then used leaves and twigs to build habitats for toy animals. Drawing stick insects, printing with potatoes and colouring shapes connected observation, early writing and mathematical ideas. Children also practised safer movement on a slide and balanced on logs and beams. Learning involved both hands and bodies.

There were two weaknesses. Adults sometimes answered too quickly, cutting short children's thinking, and resources did not always extend their interests. Magnifying glasses, for example, could have helped children examine seedlings and stick insects more closely.

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator collaborated effectively with families and outside professionals, while safeguarding included daily premises checks and staff awareness of how to raise welfare concerns.

In April 2022, key persons discussed learning priorities with parents, and an online system carried care and development updates with space for family contributions. That made communication a two-way exchange. Before children changed rooms, parents and key persons discussed their next steps.

School preparation also had a practical side in April 2022: children used cutlery independently, and staff exchanged learning information with schools and other settings. These arrangements supported continuity between adults caring for the same child.

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. Its address is 22 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne, BN21 1DU.

In April 2022, session times ran from 8am to 6pm, and funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four. These are dated arrangements, separate from the current opening window.

• Time to think. The April 2022 improvement action concerned giving children longer to form and share answers. During a visit, ask how practitioners now make space for children's own ideas.
• Resources that extend interests. In April 2022, close observation of insects and seedlings lacked suitable magnifying equipment. Ask how resources now develop children's investigations.
• Your attendance plan. The nursery's opening window spans 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Ask which booking pattern and current funding terms fit your family's intended attendance.

Copperfields suits families seeking weekday, year-round childcare and interested in practical play, communication with parents and preparation for greater independence. The April 2022 account gives those priorities concrete expression, alongside clear improvements needed in questioning and learning resources. Its inspection judgement is dated, so that distinction matters when weighing the nursery today.