Claverham Day Nursery

A six-place baby room and a large garden give Claverham Day Nursery a clear practical identity: a small youngest room within a setting that takes children from three months to five years. The nursery occupies part of the Claverham Community College grounds in Battle. The outdoor space includes decking, giving children another setting for play alongside the indoor rooms.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The detail is useful, too. In January 2023, children investigated why toy cars could pass through some tubes but became stuck in others, and used pictures and expressions to tell stories. Learning involved testing ideas and explaining them to other people.

There were clear improvement points. In January 2023, staff sometimes relied on written observations instead of their own understanding of children's learning, reducing interaction during play; opportunities to stretch children through experiences in the next room were also missed. These matter alongside the strengths.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room takes children from three months to two years, Toddler Room covers two to three, and Family Room covers three to five. The room caps are six, twelve and twenty-four respectively. These are room limits, rather than a promise about how many children attend together on a particular day.

For families choosing baby care, the six-place cap deserves attention. It gives a concrete measure of the scale of the youngest room, while the separate age bands show how children move through the nursery. Resources in the indoor rooms are accessible to children, and spaces can be rearranged for different activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, covering children's communication, physical and social development alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. Activities respond to children's interests and developmental needs. This makes the child's starting point central to planning, rather than expecting everyone to undertake the same task in the same way.

In January 2023, sensory exploration included mixing flour, water and salt to make dough, with children talking about how the mixture changed. Younger children experimented with flour and glitter, including making footprints. These were hands-on opportunities to investigate materials and put sensations into words.

Storytelling had a similarly active character in January 2023. Children used illustrations to retell a story and conveyed its emotions through facial expressions. Babies joined in with repeated words, rhymes and songs, while older children heard more complex vocabulary modelled during conversation. Makaton supported communication by giving children another way to express their needs.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden and decking extend the places where children can play. In January 2023, outdoor exploration included puddles, leaves and a mud kitchen, alongside diggers used in sand. The examples show children handling natural materials and experimenting outdoors, rather than outdoor time serving only as a break between indoor activities.

Each child has a key worker, providing a consistent person to support their development. Settling includes preliminary visits with a parent, giving families time to discuss their child with that key worker before regular attendance begins. The approach recognises that some children need more reassurance than others. The What I did at the weekend sheet invites parents and children to share weekend experiences, connecting home life with nursery learning.

In January 2023, children sought comfort from staff and built friendships with other children. Staff responded to children who could not yet explain that they were hungry, and encouraged independent eating. Children also helped friends after falls and negotiated during play. These observations describe relationships and everyday care at that time.

The December 2016 SEND offer sets out a structured partnership between parents, the key worker and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). It describes a Setting Support Plan (SSP), with targets reviewed every six weeks, or an Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), depending on the child's needs. The practical value is the connection between agreed targets, work with the child and a discussion of progress with parents.

That December 2016 offer also describes daily conversations, a parent contact book and termly progress consultations. Its accessibility arrangements include child-height picture labels and visual timetables, helping children communicate choices as well as understand the day's sequence. The whole nursery is described there as wheelchair accessible, with a dedicated disabled parking space.

The December 2016 SEND offer describes a transition document and discussion of the child's needs with the receiving school. The December 2016 arrangements include school staff visiting the child at nursery and meetings involving parents and relevant support staff. This is preparation and information sharing. Attending nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Claverham Community College, North Trade Road, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0HT. Opening hours are 8.15am to 5.45pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year, with bank holidays and one Christmas week excluded. Telephone and email provide the enquiry route.

The April 2022 timetable offered mornings from 9am to noon or 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 4pm or 5pm, and a Short Day from 9am to 4pm. Its All Day options ran from 9am to 5pm or 5.30pm, or from 8.15am to those same finishing times. Breakfast, lunchtime and a late session were also separate options. These are dated booking arrangements, distinct from the nursery's opening window.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2023, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. That establishes participation at the inspection date, rather than an entitlement or attendance guarantee for an individual family.

The April 2022 fee structure included nappies and incorporated the relevant food charge into each session price. Breakfast, hot lunch and light tea depended on the session selected; the shorter morning and afternoon sessions were marked as having no food included. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation.

• Dated session choices. The April 2022 timetable covered mornings, afternoons and longer days, while opening hours extend to 5.45pm. At a visit, establish which booking pattern and finishing time would apply to your child.
• Interaction and challenge. In January 2023, reliance on written observations rather than staff's understanding of children's learning reduced interaction during play, and movement into the next room was not used consistently to extend learning. Ask how practitioners now use their knowledge of each child during play and introduce greater challenge.
• Support planning. The December 2016 SEND offer describes six-week SSP reviews and meetings with parents. Families needing additional support should discuss how that planning would work for their child today.

Claverham has useful concrete strengths for families comparing baby care and the progression towards preschool: a six-place youngest room, separate age bands and a garden with decking. The January 2023 examples add substance, showing sensory investigation, storytelling and everyday communication, alongside improvement needs around staff interaction and extending learning.

It suits families weighing morning or afternoon attendance as well as longer days, with the current booking agreement an essential part of the decision. For a child needing additional support, the structured planning arrangements offer a useful starting point for a detailed discussion.