Clive Vale Nursery School St Clement Hall

A role-play café, train-track problems and family photographs give the November 2023 picture of this Hastings nursery its character. At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall. The useful detail lies in the children's experiences: counting through play, tackling practical problems and building independence through small responsibilities.

Clive Vale Nursery School St Clement Hall's address is 29 Clive Avenue, Hastings, TN35 5LN. It accepts children from birth to five and has 36 places in total. That whole-setting capacity is separate from the number of children attending on different days, and should not be read as the size of a baby's group.

In November 2023, the early years foundation stage took concrete form through stories, number play and practical tasks: children counted snacks, explored menus and considered how to extend a train track. These examples explain what learning involved here. Familiar activities gave children something to discuss, count and solve, with adults helping them develop their ideas.

The café play sustained older children's interest as they selected food and discussed prices. Younger children practised counting with their snacks. Both examples made mathematics part of an activity children could understand, giving parents a clearer picture of the learning than a curriculum label alone would provide.

Stories had a comfortable physical setting. In November 2023, children shared books with adults on sofas, while younger children began singing familiar rhymes spontaneously. Books, conversation and songs gave language several routes into the day. The account also described adults celebrating babies' first words, making those early attempts at communication a shared occasion.

Outdoor learning had practical content too. In November 2023, new play equipment supported physical activity, and children reminded one another to wear coats in cold weather. Wildlife visitors introduced animal care and recycling. These experiences connected movement, looking after themselves and learning about the wider world; they were concrete parts of the nursery day at that time.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported, while identifying uneven staff knowledge of children's home languages and disruption to learning around meals. The positive judgements need to be read alongside those two improvement points.

For babies, the November 2023 account described familiar adults offering comfort and displaying photographs of their families to help them settle. Staff joined babies as they explored lunch. That combination of familiar people and recognisable family images gave settling an individual dimension, with care built around knowing the child.

Communication support included signing and picture cards in November 2023. However, some practitioners did not know every language a child encountered at home, limiting how they could use that knowledge in conversation and play. For multilingual families, the important issue is how information shared with one adult reaches everyone caring for their child.

Parent communication had practical value in November 2023: staff shared guidance on behaviour and toilet training, alongside information supporting learning at home. Leaders sought local-authority advice to develop staff knowledge. The account also described staff supervision and additional learning about adult mental health, showing attention to the adults supporting families as well as to children's activities.

The nursery is at 29 Clive Avenue, Hastings, TN35 5LN. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and it operates across the year. The Clive Avenue contact number is 01424 714 661.

In November 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise of entitlement for an individual family.

• The Clive Avenue address. The address for this profile is 29 Clive Avenue. Use that address when arranging a visit so the conversation concerns the right nursery within the group.
• Home-language information. In November 2023, knowledge of children's home languages varied between staff. Multilingual families should ask how that information is shared with everyone supporting their child.
• Mealtime routines. In November 2023, domestic tasks interrupted children's engagement around lunch and affected behaviour. Ask how the routine now keeps children involved while staff manage those tasks.
• Attendance arrangements. Opening hours run from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Which booking pattern would accommodate your family's working hours and your child's settling needs?

This nursery merits consideration from families seeking care from birth to five, especially those who value familiar adults, practical independence and learning through recognisable activities. The November 2023 examples make that appeal tangible: family photographs for babies, stories on sofas and number play through a café.

The balance is equally clear. Home-language communication and lunch routines deserve a focused conversation, because both affect ordinary daily experience. For families whose commitments fall within its weekday opening hours, the address and age range provide a practical starting point, with the dated inspection detail helping shape a purposeful visit.