Pebbles Day Care

A dedicated baby sleep room, indoor soft play and a private outdoor area give Pebbles Day Care a practical mix of spaces for rest and movement. The Newhaven setting separates its youngest children’s provision from the toddler and preschool stages, rather than treating the early years as one undifferentiated group.

Ofsted rated Pebbles Good at its 19 October 2022 inspection. That judgement is a dated assessment, and the detail behind it matters: children explored physical play equipment, used signs and visual prompts during communication activities, and revisited community outings through photographs. The improvement point concerned giving children longer to think before answering questions.

Babies, toddlers and preschool children have their own age-group descriptions. Funded hours are accepted, while a parent-accompanied Baby and Toddler Group adds a separate way for younger children and their carers to use the facilities.

Rooms and Ages

Babies covers six months to two years and has a sleep room and changing area, giving naps and personal care dedicated spaces within the youngest children’s provision. Toddlers, for two- to three-year-olds, combines activities initiated by children with those organised by adults, using both indoor and outdoor environments. Preschool, for three- to four-year-olds, emphasises preparation for school during children’s final nursery year.

The fully equipped soft play room and private outdoor area provide contrasting settings for active play. A sensory room is another facility. These are concrete spaces for families to weigh alongside the age-group arrangements, especially when deciding how well the setting fits a child who enjoys movement or needs time to rest.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences are part of their education. Planning in the Moment is the nursery’s named approach to planning within that framework.

In October 2022, sessions combined activities directed by adults with play led by children. Foam discovery and searching for bugs during messy play gave children opportunities to explore materials and express their ideas. Adults introduced vocabulary during play and used signs and visual prompts to help children understand. The questioning improvement point is relevant here: an engaging activity still needs enough thinking time for a child to contribute.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2022, outings included a local lifeboat station, shops and parks. Children used photographs afterwards to remember what they had experienced, connecting an outing with conversation back at nursery. Fish and chips at the beach was one remembered experience, rather than evidence of a recurring timetable.

The Baby and Toddler Group runs on Thursdays from 9.30 to 11, with children accompanied by a parent or carer. It uses soft play and the gym. This is a shared activity for adults and children, distinct from leaving a child in nursery care.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities that drew on professional advice and information sharing. Those findings relate to the care assessed at that visit.

In October 2022, children formed close relationships with adults, took turns with resources and showed consideration for younger children. Staff reinforced expectations through their own behaviour. For a parent, these examples make the social side of nursery tangible: learning included sharing space and responding to other children, alongside organised activities.

Feedback to families in October 2022 covered children’s learning and development and included ideas for activities at home. Staff also used information from local teachers when preparing older children for their next educational stage. This was transition work, rather than an admissions advantage.

Six staff were employed in October 2022. Team meetings and individual support sessions were used to discuss professional development. The dated staffing picture should be kept separate from the current baby, toddler and preschool arrangements.

Meals are prepared on site. For babies, the dedicated sleep room is the clearest practical care feature: rest has its own space rather than relying solely on the main activity area.

Shakespeare Hall, Fort Road, Newhaven, BN9 9DL is the address associated with Pebbles Day Care’s inspected provision. The contact arrangements need particular attention because two Newhaven locations are given; the decision point below sets out that conflict.

Funded hours are accepted. Families obtain current prices through a written quotation from the nursery, keeping the cost decision tied to their proposed attendance rather than assuming that accepting funding determines the whole bill.

The Baby and Toddler Group requires a parent or carer to remain with the child. Its Thursday morning timetable therefore serves a different purpose from childcare booked while an adult works. Viewing appointments can be arranged, and enquiries can be submitted through the contact form.

• Location and closing time. Contact details give both Shakespeare Hall, Fort Road, Newhaven, BN9 9DL and Newhaven FC, Court Farm Road, Newhaven, BN9 9DA; weekday closing times also differ between 5pm and 6pm. Confirm the location and hours for the provision you intend to use before arranging childcare.
• Time to answer. The October 2022 improvement point was to allow children longer to process questions and formulate their ideas. A useful viewing question is how Planning in the Moment makes room for a quieter child’s response.
• Baby care and costs. Babies have a dedicated sleep room and changing area. When discussing a baby place, ask what the written quotation includes for meals and non-food supplies, alongside how the nursery accommodates individual sleep routines.
• Accompanied group. The Thursday Baby and Toddler Group uses soft play and the gym, but children attend with their parent or carer. It suits shared play rather than a morning of childcare while an adult is elsewhere.

Pebbles suits families who value indoor physical play, outdoor space and a separate sleep room for babies. Its October 2022 assessment gives a positive, dated quality reference, with a specific improvement point about children’s thinking time. The Thursday accompanied group also suits parents seeking play together with their younger child. For nursery care, resolving the location and closing-time conflict is the essential practical step before making a booking decision.