The Meadows Nursery School, Hampden Park

Garden bug hunts, a family book swap and children preparing their own snacks give this Eastbourne nursery a practical, hands-on character in its February 2023 account. The Meadows Nursery School, Hampden Park has capacity for 36 children aged 12 to 60 months, at 9 Brand Road.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest examples concerned independence and exploration; the two improvement points concerned sharing learning plans with parents and reducing waits between activities.

In February 2023, children investigated insects in the garden and planted vegetables and flowers, connecting their play with living things. Crates and beams added opportunities for physical activity outdoors. Indoors, experimenting with objects in water introduced the question of what floats and what sinks.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the February 2023 examples included learning through investigation, conversation and everyday tasks. Children peeled bananas and added cracker toppings themselves. Older children practised putting on coats, making preparation for school a matter of useful personal skills.

Visits from the police and fire service introduced people who help others, while stories about other countries opened conversations about cultures beyond children's immediate surroundings. These were experiences recorded in February 2023, rather than a timetable of current activities.

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that picture cards and visual timetables supported communication for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. These visual prompts helped children express needs and understand the next activity.

In February 2023, staff used observations of play to plan further learning, including small-group opportunities to build friendships. A book swap helped parents share reading with their children, but learning targets and individual plans did not consistently reach families. That limited parents' ability to extend the same learning at home.

Starting nursery and preparing for school were supported in February 2023. Everyday changes of activity were less smooth: getting ready for lunch or outdoor play sometimes involved waits that left children restless. Health learning included brushing laminated tooth pictures, alongside older children managing toileting and wiping their noses.

The address is 9 Brand Road, Eastbourne, BN22 9PX. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year.

In February 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four and received early years pupil premium. That is a dated account of funding participation, rather than a promise of a funded place today.

• Learning shared with home. In February 2023, individual learning targets were not consistently shared with parents. Discuss how those plans now reach families and how progress is communicated.
• Waiting between activities. The February 2023 improvement action concerned lengthy daily transitions. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how lunch preparation and outdoor routines now work.
• Attendance and funding. The nursery opens across the year, and its February 2023 account included funded early education. Which booking patterns and funded arrangements would fit your child's attendance?

This suits families seeking an all-year opening schedule and an emphasis on practical independence. The February 2023 examples give substance to that appeal: snack preparation, growing plants and investigative play all connect learning with things children can do for themselves. Communication about individual targets and the pace of daily routines deserve attention alongside those strengths.