Wendy House Nursery

Ambulance visits gave Wendy House Nursery’s hospital setting a practical role in children’s learning: in January 2024, children visited ambulances while talking about people who help others. The Princess Royal Hospital address gives this Haywards Heath nursery a recognisable setting, rather than simply a backdrop.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The judgement came with three clear priorities: more carefully ordered teaching, broader outdoor learning and more precise support plans for children with learning delays.

Wendy House has capacity for 51 children and accepts children aged 6 to 60 months. Those are whole-nursery figures, rather than the size of an individual group.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Under this framework, children develop language, physical and social skills through play and daily routines, including stories, songs, balancing and playing together.

In January 2024, preschool children used tools to shape play dough, concentrating on the effects they could create. Regular stories and songs supported language activities; pauses during familiar books gave children opportunities to supply words themselves. These were concrete ways for children to participate, rather than simply listen.

That January, staff used their knowledge of each child’s existing abilities to decide what to teach next. The weakness lay in translating those intentions into activities: practice varied, and staff sometimes lacked a clear way to deliver the intended learning. For parents, the teaching priority therefore concerns the connection between knowing a child well, choosing their next step and making that step happen through play.

Outdoor play that January included balancing across rubber tyres and playing What's the time, Mr Wolf? together. The tyres provided a physical challenge, while the game involved playing together. Outdoor learning nevertheless needed further development across the framework’s seven areas of learning.

The hospital connection also extended beyond ambulance visits. In January 2024, bus journeys to the sister nursery prompted conversations about what children noticed along the way. Staff drew on information about families’ cultural backgrounds when planning activities, connecting nursery learning with children’s own lives.

For babies, January 2024 care included cuddles, sensory books and looking at family photographs with staff. Familiar pictures and close contact gave settling a personal element. These examples matter more than a general promise of attentive care.

Family information also shaped care in January 2024. Staff used what parents told them to adapt their responses to individual children. This gave conversations with families a practical purpose: information about a child could influence the care they received, alongside the familiar photographs and shared books used with babies.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children made steady developmental progress and that parent partnerships were effective, while identifying support plans for learning delays as too general in places.

That January, the special educational needs coordinator worked within the leadership team, alongside the manager, to arrange referrals to external professionals. Staff also used support plans while children waited for that input. The improvement needed was practical: plans had to give key persons clearer instructions about the strategies to use.

The address is The Princess Royal Hospital, Lewes Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 4EX. Opening hours are 7am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In January 2024, the nursery accepted funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated participation fact, rather than a promise of a particular funded booking today.

• Teaching sequence. In January 2024, staff needed clearer ways to put planned learning into practice. At a visit, ask how activities now build on what a child already understands.
• Outdoor learning. The January 2024 improvement priority went beyond physical play to broader learning outdoors. Look for how outdoor activities connect with the rest of the day.
• Individual support. Support plans needed more precise strategies in January 2024. Families whose children need additional help should explore how those strategies are explained to their key person.
• Attendance arrangements. The opening window runs from 7am to 5.30pm. Which booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would fit your working week?

Wendy House merits consideration for families seeking childcare at the Princess Royal Hospital site and an early weekday opening. Its January 2024 account contains useful examples of personal care, language activities and learning beyond the nursery. The decision rests on how its teaching, outdoor provision and individual support have developed against those specific improvement priorities.