Little Acorns Day Nursery

An allotment, accessible play resources and a baby room that changes into a sleep space give Little Acorns Day Nursery a practical, recognisable character. Based at The Elim Family Centre on Hartfield Road in Eastbourne, it cares for children from birth to five and has 70 places in total. Its purpose-built, open-plan accommodation lets children reach labelled resources themselves. Independence starts with choosing what to play with.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, judged behaviour and attitudes Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical details include individual baby routines, an allocated key person and the Famly App, which connects daily care updates with each child's learning journal. Flexible hourly attendance and term-time places offer different ways to use the nursery, rather than a single fixed attendance pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Little Oaks, for children aged birth to two, uses adjoining rooms for play with toys, singing and interaction, with a space adapted for sleep using blackout blinds and subdued lighting. Parents help plan an individual routine for their baby.

Squirrels, for two- to three-year-olds, has a stated capacity of 16 and dedicated areas for construction, cooking, sand, water and mouldable materials, supporting practical exploration and increasingly independent play. That limit applies to Squirrels, rather than the whole nursery.

Acorns, for three- to five-year-olds, emphasises confidence and independence before school, with open-ended resources and activity areas for construction, cooking and creative exploration. Planning draws on what staff notice children enjoying. Across the rooms, accessible resources let children help themselves, while natural materials form part of the surroundings.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, including communication, movement, relationships, early literacy and mathematics. Observations and previous learning shape activities, combining adult-led experiences with children's choices.

The Learning Journey, an individual record held in the Famly App, brings together observations, photographs, examples of work and parents' contributions. Staff use it to decide what support or resources a child needs next. These observations guide activity planning, and families receive a copy when their child leaves.

In February 2023, toddlers followed a shark story with a search using homemade telescopes, while adults brought counting and positional language into the game. Babies explored water and differently textured objects. Older children used books to investigate animals and practised connecting letters with sounds. Stories and conversation made play a learning opportunity.

Outdoor and Community Life

The allotment gives children regular opportunities to grow plants and care for them. An outdoor area is accessible to all children, with free-flow access for those over two.

Outings are organised around children's interests and require parental consent. Examples include Seven sisters country park, the seafront and an art gallery; visits also take children to two local care homes for activities with residents. Police, fire-service representatives and vets are among the recurring visitors. These contacts broaden the people and places children encounter, while the nursery can seek extra staffing or resources to support participation in outings when needed.

Relationships and Communication

Settling visits begin roughly a week before attendance. Parents stay initially, then separation develops gradually until parent and child are comfortable.

Each family's key person maintains learning records and assesses development, with other staff contributing observations. Famly also reports babies' sleep, feeds, nappy changes and activities.

Families can message staff through Famly, contribute observations and update health or dietary information. Parents' evenings, newsletters and daily conversations offer other communication routes.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Setting Based Support Plan sets out strategies and targets for a child who needs additional help, with the key person and SENCO working together and parents involved in reviews every six weeks. Outside professionals can contribute advice, and the nursery can seek additional funding or equipment. Visual timetables and portable symbols help explain routines to children who need that support.

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found children with SEND fully included and described staff working with families and outside professionals to identify needs and support progress. Staff understood individual support plans and used targeted resources at that time.

Security arrangements include intercom access, key-code locks and CCTV. Staff references and enhanced DBS checks form part of recruitment, and a designated safeguarding lead is present during opening hours. Medication is administered only when prescribed by a doctor, with parental forms and dosage sign-off.

Sleep planning takes account of individual wishes, and the baby room's lighting can be altered for rest. Seasonal menus rotate over three weeks; snacks include fruit and raw vegetables, with milk and water also offered. Dietary requirements are discussed with families, making food arrangements a practical part of care planning.

Sessions and Attendance

Hourly bookings can be arranged within the Monday-to-Friday opening window of 7.30am to 5.30pm. Term-time-only attendance follows the ESCC primary school timetable. Parents can organise attendance around work hours or school terms.

The nursery opens for 51 weeks annually, closing for bank and public holidays, staff-training days and the period between Christmas and New Year. Those closures are not charged. Unexpected absences are not refunded or exchanged for other sessions, so a booked pattern remains a financial commitment even when a child misses a day.

Attendance changes and changes between nursery meals and packed meals require one month's notice. Leaving also requires one month, with six weeks specified for EYEE-funded children.

Getting There

The address is The Elim Family Centre, Hartfield Road, Eastbourne, BN21 2ET. A basement car park provides drop-off spaces and lift access; there is also a ramp, wheelchair-accessible doors and a ground-floor accessible toilet.

Telephone and email enquiries provide the joining route, and visits can be arranged through either. School transition includes inviting the receiving teacher to meet the key person and discuss the child's development, with development information and support plans passed on to the school. The key person may also visit the school to discuss the next stage.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 Hours Free Childcare and 30 Hours Free Childcare for eligible families, with stretched funding across 51 weeks for year-round attendance. Term-time provision and stretched entitlement serve different calendar needs. Tax-Free Childcare and childcare vouchers are also accepted; private hourly care is offered alongside funded hours.

Morning and afternoon snacks, milk and water are included without an extra charge. Breakfast, lunch and tea are charged separately, and families may supply a packed lunch instead. Parents are required to bring nappy cream and a spare set of clothes. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the hourly structure and meal choices.

• Baby communication. In February 2023, some adults used language too lengthy for babies, and questions were not always followed by a check of children's understanding. The improvement priorities were clearer support for emerging speech and better questioning; ask how these now shape interactions in Little Oaks.
• Care costs and staffing detail. Parents provide nappy cream; one set of fee terms includes nappies and wipes, while another requires parents to bring nappies. Other conflicting terms concern whether lunches are cooked in-house or supplied by The Professional Nursery Kitchen, the toddler staffing ratio and the scope of the registration charge. Resolve these together in the written joining terms before making a commitment.
• Planning changes. The notice rules distinguish ordinary attendance from EYEE-funded attendance, and missed sessions cannot be swapped or refunded. Families with changing work patterns should weigh the hourly booking flexibility against those commitments.
• The youngest room in practice. Little Oaks combines adjoining play spaces with an adapted sleep space. During a visit, discuss the baby's routine, how rest works alongside play and the usual number of babies sharing those spaces; families managing allergies should also confirm current food arrangements.

Little Acorns suits families seeking flexible hourly care or term-time attendance, with year-round provision and stretched funding adding another calendar option. Its most useful features are tangible: accessible play resources, allotment visits, an individual baby routine and a learning journal that parents can contribute to. The February 2023 Good judgement is balanced by specific communication priorities, especially for babies. Clear written agreement on the conflicting care and charging terms is an important part of the choice. For parents who value interest-led play and a structured link between home and nursery, there is a substantial offer to weigh.