The Southwater Day Nursery & Pre-School

The Baby Snug, The Toddler Den and The Pre-school Study give Southwater's provision a clear progression: sensory experiences for babies, movement for toddlers and learning through play as children approach school age. A sensory room adds a practical resource for children with differing needs. Southwater has 32 places in total across the whole setting.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children were progressing well, while identifying improvements needed in physical play, teaching techniques and uninterrupted story time. That is a positive judgement with specific qualifications. The nursery is on Worthing Road in Southwater, and its named rooms cover ages from three months to five years.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Snug, for three months to two years, combines sensory play with baby massage, mindfulness activities and baby yoga, giving the youngest children experiences centred on sensation and movement.

The Toddler Den, for two to three years, uses music, movement and yoga alongside activities developing hand control and larger body movements, making physical learning an explicit part of this stage.

The Pre-school Study, for three to five years, brings science and maths together with early writing and reading through play, alongside attention to independence and managing emotions.

These are age bands for the named rooms, rather than promises about how many children share each space. The total capacity belongs to the setting as a whole.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: play and everyday experiences support development across its areas of learning. It is the common foundation for nursery education. Here, the toddler activities connect that framework to concrete experiences such as moving to music and practising physical skills.

In October 2023, planting provided a useful example of learning built around children's interests. Children explored seasonal change, filled pots using trowels and encountered vocabulary associated with plants developing. The activity joined practical handling, observation and language in one experience. It made an abstract idea, change over time, something children could investigate.

Music offered a different route into learning at that date. Very young children explored instruments and moved scarves to Latin music, practising different movements as they responded to sound. Singing and shared stories also supported communication. Together, these examples show how language and physical development were woven into familiar nursery activities rather than confined to separate lessons.

The qualifications matter too. In October 2023, some adults occasionally needed to demonstrate tool use more clearly and leave children longer to think before answering questions. Older children also needed more frequent opportunities for large movements. These were practical improvements to the delivery of activities, not merely changes to a written plan.

Relationships and Communication

Relationships extend to parents as well as children: establishing attachments between families and staff is part of the joining approach. That gives the relationship a two-way purpose, with parents involved in how their child becomes familiar with nursery life.

In October 2023, each child had a key person who used their interests and existing abilities to shape subsequent experiences. Staff also helped children work through disagreements about toys using calm, simple guidance. Those details matter because care includes both knowing an individual child and helping them manage relationships with others.

Communication at that date gave parents information about their children's experiences and developing skills. This complemented the key-person arrangement: the adult planning a child's learning had a basis for discussing it with the family.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A sensory room and specialist resources form part of the current provision, alongside support for children learning English as an additional language. These are concrete arrangements for differing needs, rather than a blanket promise about any child's experience.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the manager's SENCO role supported work with parents and external professionals, with advice translated into individual targets and regular interventions that helped children with developmental delays catch up. The useful detail is the mechanism: professional advice became support within the nursery day.

In October 2023, routine tasks sometimes interrupted stories, including clothing changes and toilet visits. Protecting children's concentration was therefore another improvement priority. For families, this is a reminder that the organisation of care routines affects learning as well as comfort.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The day nursery operates throughout the year. These hours describe the opening window.

Visits can be booked, and telephone enquiries can be made on 01403 334870. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The address is The Southwater Children & Family Centre, Worthing Road, Southwater, Horsham, RH13 9HA. The day nursery occupies the former Children and Family Centre beside Southwater Infants Academy, while preschool provision is within the local infant school's grounds.

Off-road parking and wheelchair access support the practicalities of using the setting. The nursery and preschool relationship includes sharing information with infant-school teachers when children move on; attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Physical play for older children. In October 2023, older children needed more opportunities to develop larger movements. On a visit, ask how their current day provides space and time for active play.
• Teaching and concentration. The October 2023 priorities included clearer demonstrations, more thinking time after questions and fewer interruptions during stories. Ask how these changes now work in everyday activities.
• Buildings and booking. Day nursery and preschool provision involve the former Children and Family Centre and the infant-school grounds. Ask which building your child would use and what attendance pattern can be agreed for that stage.

Southwater suits families interested in a progression from sensory and movement experiences for babies towards play-based preparation for school. The sensory room, support for additional-language learners and information sharing at transition give that progression practical substance.

The October 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with clear reservations about physical opportunities, adult teaching techniques and story-time organisation. For parents weighing this nursery, those details are more useful than the grade alone: they identify the everyday practice that deserves attention alongside the room offer.