Bluecoat Nursery

A garden with a mud kitchen, access to the grounds of Christ’s Hospital School and weekly PE give Bluecoat Nursery a clear outdoor and physical thread. This Horsham preschool combines its own fenced play space with opportunities beyond the nursery building. The practical appeal is concrete: children can move between indoor activities and the garden, rather than having outdoor play confined to a separate part of the day.

There are 26 places in total, for children aged 30 to 60 months. Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its inspection on 13 July 2021. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of current daily practice.

Attendance centres on weekday mornings during term time, with lunch club and additional early and afternoon sessions extending the options.

Learning and Activities

Indoor resources give children several ways to learn and play. Children have spaces for construction and maths, a role play corner, creative and messy activities, and a quiet book corner. These give different ways to take part, whether a child wants to build, pretend, explore materials or spend time with a book.

Cooking also forms part of the nursery day. A kitchen accommodates activities with the children as well as their daily snack, bringing practical tasks into the mix alongside play. The appeal is the variety of things children can actually do, rather than a named curriculum brand.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fenced garden includes a climbing frame, a mud kitchen, an area for growing vegetables and opportunities for sand and water play. Movement, messy exploration and growing things each have a physical place. The connection between garden and building allows children to move between those experiences and the indoor resources.

Beyond that garden, children have access to the pond, library and tennis courts within Christ’s Hospital School’s grounds. Weekly PE takes place at Bluecoat Sports Health & Fitness Club, giving physical activity a recurring place in the timetable.

Outings include Warnham Nature Reserve and Southwater Country Park, alongside visits into Horsham and to a farm shop. There are annual outings too, plus a trip to a show for children leaving nursery. These extend the setting beyond its own grounds; the local visits are recurring opportunities rather than a fixed weekly itinerary.

Sports Day takes place at the end of the summer term. A Christmas show and party add another shared occasion, while celebrations through the year include multicultural events relevant to the children attending.

Parents have several ways to participate. Two parents’ evenings each year provide time to discuss progress, while a stay and play session each half term lets families join nursery activities. A reading rota offers another practical role: parents can read to the children.

Informal conversations are also welcomed when parents have concerns. Together, these arrangements give communication both scheduled occasions and a less formal route between them. The reading rota and stay and play sessions make involvement more active than simply receiving updates.

Children have a daily snack in the kitchen. For lunch club, families supply a packed lunch, so the midday meal remains a task to plan at home.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Bluecoat Nursery, Christs Hospital, Horsham, RH13 0LJ. It operates during term time and closes for school holidays, an important distinction for families organising childcare across the year.

Morning sessions run from 9.10am to 12.10pm, Monday to Friday. Lunch club follows from 12.10pm to 1.05pm on Monday to Thursday. Afternoon sessions run from 1.05pm to 2.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday, with afternoon provision dependent on demand.

An early session runs from 8.30am to 9.10am, currently Monday to Friday and generally according to demand. Early and afternoon sessions incur an additional charge where funded hours have already been used. Changes to sessions are notified to families.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers Free entitlement (15 or 30 hours), claimable from the term after a child turns three, and administers the claim for families. Funding for 2 Year Olds is also accepted for qualifying parents, within the nursery’s entry age. Attendance is term time; private charges apply to hours beyond the allocated funded entitlement.

Parents provide the packed lunch for lunch club. Withdrawal requires four weeks’ notice, and refunds are not made during that notice period.

The nursery occupies Christ’s Hospital School’s grounds. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

• Term-time planning. School holidays are closure periods. Families needing childcare throughout the year will need to plan around those breaks.
• Different options on different days. Mornings run throughout the working week, but lunch club ends on Thursday and afternoons run on Wednesday and Thursday, subject to demand. Discuss the intended combination when arranging a visit with the nursery manager.
• Garden and wider grounds. Children use both the fenced garden and spaces beyond it. During a visit, ask how supervision works as children move between these areas.
• Leaving arrangements. Four weeks’ notice is required, with no refunds during that period. This matters when coordinating a move or the start of school.

Bluecoat Nursery suits families seeking term-time morning attendance, as well as those wanting mornings with lunch club or afternoon provision on the relevant days. Its strongest practical attractions are the garden, weekly PE and access to the school grounds. Parent participation has substance too, through reading, stay and play sessions and progress meetings. The attendance pattern needs to fit family routines: the additional options vary by day and demand.