Kiddie Capers Childcare, Ardingly

The Showground gives Kiddie Capers Childcare, Ardingly an unusual backdrop: in October 2022, children watched events taking shape around them and explored beyond the nursery on outings. Everyday experiences became starting points for learning.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 14 October 2022 inspection. It accepts babies and children up to 60 months old, at The Heathfield Suite in Ardingly.

In October 2022, younger children initiated hide-and-seek games that adults and other children joined. Older children used laminated teeth, toothbrushes and water to explore dental care, linking the activity to routines at home. These were practical starting points for conversation, rather than lessons detached from children's lives. Healthy food was part of the discussion too, connecting looking after teeth with choices children recognised from everyday life.

During the dental activity, adults gave children space to explain their ideas, and encouraged them as they shared equipment. The value lay in more than practising a familiar routine: children could talk about what they knew, listen to others and use resources together. The younger children's game offered a different kind of participation. Children started the play themselves, with adults joining their idea, giving them a role in shaping what happened next.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the October 2022 day included play chosen by children alongside activities planned around their interests, with staff assessing learning and deciding what to work on next.

In October 2022, children of different ages played together outside, choosing drawing, sand play or ride-on toys. These resources gave children different ways to take part: making marks, digging and moving around on wheeled toys. Outings included shopping visits, duck feeding and picnics, extending experience beyond activities inside the nursery.

Writing letters to themselves, posting them and collecting the post gave early writing a concrete purpose. Children could see their own writing return through the office post, connecting making marks with receiving a message. This was an accessible example of literacy within an everyday process, rather than writing as an isolated task.

Books also travelled home. In October 2022, children exchanged library books weekly and took notebooks alongside them, giving families a way to combine reading with drawing and early writing.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff training for specialist care plans and additional funding used to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, but identified inconsistent care when a child's usual key person was absent and delays in gathering information about new children.

In October 2022, parent communication combined an app, noticeboards and conversations with staff. Adults helped children work through disagreements and feelings, while everyday tasks encouraged independence: finding their own water bottles and putting shoes on correctly. Children also took part in registering themselves. These small routines gave them opportunities to do things for themselves with adult support, alongside help with the emotional demands of playing together.

Feedback from parents and staff informed the manager's planning in October 2022. Alongside day-to-day communication, this gave families a route to contribute views about what worked and what could be better. Safety arrangements at that date included risk assessments, staff deployment and notices for members of the public, relevant details for a nursery operating on a showground.

The care concerns matter alongside these useful routines. A familiar relationship needs dependable cover, and support for a new child needs to begin promptly.

The address is The Heathfield Suite, South Of England Agricultural Society, Selsfield Road, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, RH17 6TL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In October 2022, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position.

• Key-person cover. The October 2022 finding concerned children's needs when their usual key person was absent. On a visit, ask how another practitioner takes responsibility and keeps care consistent.
• Support from the start. In October 2022, information about new children was sometimes collected too slowly, delaying support. Ask how your child's routines and individual needs are gathered before they begin.

For families seeking childcare in Ardingly with an emphasis on practical play and experiences beyond the nursery, the October 2022 account offers appealing examples. The book exchange and purposeful writing stand out. The balance rests on care continuity and prompt planning for new children, both important parts of that same dated assessment.