St Thomas-a-Becket Nursery

An allotment with raised beds, room ends called Caterpillar and Butterfly, and a building on one level give St Thomas-a-Becket Nursery a recognisable character. Outdoor discovery and practical accessibility sit alongside a clear system for individual support. This Eastbourne nursery has capacity for 50 children aged two to five.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 4 September 2024 and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: children investigated nature, experimented with construction and used art materials to develop their own ideas. Emotional security received serious attention too.

Morning, afternoon and daytime sessions run during term time. The nursery operates independently within the grounds of St Thomas a Becket Primary School.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar serves children aged two to three, while Butterfly is for three- and four-year-olds. Practitioners stay with these room ends for continuity, moving when cover or a child's needs require it.

The purpose-built premises have a single-level layout extending to the outdoor area. Accessible child toilets and a designated disabled changing and adult toilet facility make the physical arrangements relevant to families whose children need help with mobility or personal care. The allotment also accommodates mobility aids, with raised beds intended to make participation easier.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the shared early-years framework: it connects children's learning with their development and care, including communication, movement, relationships and creative exploration. Here, individual next steps are planned with parents, so the framework translates into decisions about what a particular child needs to practise next.

In September 2024, staff chose vocabulary for activities and used it consistently, helping children connect new words with what they were doing. Books also represented the languages children heard at home. For a child learning English alongside another language, that combination brings spoken English and family language into the same learning space.

Art was hands-on in September 2024. Children mixed paint, investigated glue and experimented with tools for making marks, while adults introduced techniques and allowed children to develop their own ideas. Construction brought a different kind of thinking: younger children persisted when attempts failed, and children collaborated on obstacle courses. These examples show learning through testing, revising and explaining, rather than simply completing an adult's task.

Outdoor and Community Life

The allotment adds something concrete beyond the nursery's outdoor play space. In September 2024, older children showed newer friends how to fill containers with seeds for birds and explained how the birds reached the food. Children also investigated beneath rhubarb leaves and discovered a caterpillar. The experience combined observation with conversation and responsibility for living things.

Health education has similarly tangible resources. Dentist role play, dolls and a giant set of teeth are used to explore toothbrushing, with toothbrush and toothpaste packs offered to take home. The nursery also invites dentists to speak with children. These are practical ways to connect a nursery activity with a routine families continue at home.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person gets to know the family and plans next steps with the parent. Other team members are available for conversations when that practitioner is away.

Tapestry, an online learning journal with written observations and pictures, lets parents follow learning and contribute experiences from home. Parents also meet the key person to discuss developmental concerns.

Staff development includes termly supervision and access to Noodle Now, an online training service. Supervision covers children's needs, safeguarding, staff wellbeing and further training. The nursery also organises paediatric first-aid training for the whole team, with a central First Aid Station providing a practical point for equipment and response.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found SEND support highly effective, with staff consistently recognising individual needs and adjusting their responses, while close work with families supported children's emotional security.

The manager acts as SENDCO, coordinating support with parents and relevant professionals. A Specific Support Plan or Setting-Based Support Plan sets out a child's needs and the help agreed. Meetings involving parents, the key person and early-years support services take place at least every six weeks for children receiving this additional support. Permission is sought before specialist referrals.

Visual communication aids support children who are non-verbal. Activities, resources and the physical environment can be adjusted, and additional help may include individual assistance or small-group work where needed. These mechanisms give families something concrete to discuss about how support will work for their child.

Rest is accommodated within the playrooms. Cosy Corners contain books, cushions and soft toys; the rooms also have carpeted areas with soft seating. Children can take a break, and a practitioner can sit with a sleepy child. Resting children remain visible to staff and are checked frequently, with parents told when their child has slept.

The manager leads safeguarding day to day, supported by a deputy lead, and the whole staff team receives safeguarding training annually. For children with SEND moving to school, transition planning can include sharing information, meetings and preparation tailored to the child's needs, with parents and the receiving teacher involved.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 3 Tutts Barn Lane, Eastbourne, BN22 8XT. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during East Sussex school terms. The nursery operates across 39 term-time weeks, with three staff-training days within that calendar. School holidays therefore require a separate care arrangement.

Regular sessions must be booked ahead. Choices are 9am to noon, 9am to 1pm, noon to 3pm, and 9am to 3pm, covering shorter mornings, mornings including lunch, afternoons and a daytime option. Funded hours run between 9am and 3pm. Private sessions have a three-hour minimum, with a lunch session also able to follow a morning booking.

Early Bird Club is a paid 8.30am to 9am option that does not require advance booking. It extends the start of the day, but collection still needs to happen by 3pm. Late collection attracts a charge.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 weekly hours for disadvantaged two-year-olds, the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged two, three or four. Delivery is term time, with the annual funded entitlement covering up to 38 weeks. The operating calendar and funded allowance are therefore different measures.

Families using funding codes must provide them for validation before the following term, and working-family codes need reconfirming at least every three months. Additional private hours can be purchased. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Families supply packed lunches and snacks, alongside nappies, wipes and suncream, including for funded attendance; hot meals are not offered. There are currently no additional charges for these items or a contribution towards the allotment tenancy.

No registration charge is currently payable with the enquiry and booking form, although this is under review for families purchasing private hours. Paid childcare is invoiced monthly in advance, absence does not attract a refund, and cancelling or reducing attendance requires one month's written notice with fees continuing during that period.

The nursery describes close work with the reception team at St Thomas a Becket Primary School, including sharing facilities and services where possible. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time care and a 3pm finish. The nursery closes during school holidays and has staff-training days within its term calendar. Match both the afternoon collection deadline and those closures to your family's working arrangements.
• Individual support in practice. Written support plans, visual aids and six-weekly review meetings give a clear structure for SEND provision. During a visit, discuss how these would apply to your child's communication, mobility or transition needs.
• Food from home. Packed lunches, snacks and care consumables are the family's responsibility. Families managing allergies should discuss food handling and their child's requirements during the visit.
• Changing attendance. Reducing sessions requires a month's written notice, with charges continuing through that period. Build that commitment into plans that may change during a term.

St Thomas-a-Becket suits families seeking term-time mornings, afternoons or the 9am to 3pm daytime pattern. Its allotment, accessible premises and detailed support arrangements carry weight alongside the September 2024 Outstanding judgement. The early finish and parent-supplied food are the practical considerations.