Step By Step Children's Nursery Polegate

A garden with climbing equipment, digging and planting space gives Step By Step Children's Nursery Polegate a practical, hands-on character. Shared-age play is also part of the day, so children spend some time alongside children at different stages rather than remaining in age-separated groups throughout.

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised good learning progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The strongest examples were concrete: conversations supported by visual prompts, growing independence at mealtimes and outings beyond the nursery.

The current age range is 7 to 60 months. Families can choose morning, afternoon or longer daytime sessions, with term-time and year-round attendance both offered. That choice is useful for parents whose childcare needs follow different working or family routines.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, play, conversation, movement and everyday tasks give children opportunities to practise skills rather than separating learning from the rest of their day.

Two group-wide activities are Art Lessons, which use creative activities to develop skills and self-expression, and Sensory Play, which gives younger children opportunities to explore through their senses. Art materials include paint and water alongside dough and cornflour. Children can investigate textures and make their own choices, with both adult-guided and child-chosen activity forming part of the offer.

A baby area with sensory equipment is provided at both branches. Alongside the mixed-age periods, this gives the youngest children resources intended for their stage of development. It is a useful distinction: shared-age play does not mean that every activity is designed around older children.

In May 2025, language learning ran through stories, rhymes and conversations. Staff used visual prompts with children who were not yet talking; younger children experimented with animal noises, while older children shared ideas during stories. These examples show how the same broad activity could invite participation at different developmental stages.

In May 2025, staff needed to make learning intentions more precise and organise teaching so that activities consistently extended children's existing skills. Painting and sensory activities were enjoyable, but the next learning step was not always clear. For parents, the useful distinction is between having appealing materials and using them purposefully to teach something new.

Outdoor and Community Life

Both branches have large gardens with climbing equipment and mud kitchens, plus space for digging and planting. These features give outdoor play several purposes: physical challenge, handling natural materials and exploring how things grow. They make the garden more than a place to run around.

In May 2025, children practised climbing and jumping in the garden, and learnt to move ride-on toys using their feet. Finding worms prompted discussion about small creatures and how to treat them gently. The learning grew from something children had noticed themselves.

At that time, frequent minibus outings broadened children's experiences beyond the setting. Visits to older residents at a local care home introduced children to people with different needs, while watching chicks hatch brought changes in the natural world into their experience. These were practical encounters, rather than lessons confined to pictures or books.

Emotional security was a clear priority in May 2025. Staff responded gently when children needed extra help, listened to their ideas and allowed younger children time to understand instructions before answering. Giving children that pause matters: it makes participation possible for those who need longer to process language.

Support involved families as well as staff. In May 2025, parents and practitioners worked together on targeted programmes for children needing additional help. The group also has a SENCO role and a designated safeguarding lead role. Those roles provide identified responsibilities for additional needs and safeguarding.

Independence was built into ordinary routines in May 2025. Older children collected food and plates with a tray and poured drinks, while younger children practised managing shoes and coats with help. These small tasks let children take increasing responsibility and prepare for the practical demands of their next stage of learning.

Home-cooked meals are prepared on site. In May 2025, children also took part in activities about oral health, connecting care with everyday habits.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery operates at Polegate SDA Church, 7 Hailsham Road, Polegate, BN26 6NJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays, throughout the year apart from bank holidays and a week at Christmas.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon or from 9am to 1pm. An afternoon session runs from noon to 4pm, and a longer daytime session runs from 9am to 4pm. Additional hours can be attached within the opening window, giving families scope to extend a core booking.

Attendance can follow school terms or continue across the year. Families choosing term-time attendance can also book additional holiday days. The enquiry form asks for the child's age, preferred days and hours, intended start date and branch selection, so a Polegate enquiry can be made with the intended pattern clearly set out.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15 hours per week of government funding for children aged 2, 3 and 4, and 30 hours per week for children from 9 months to 4 years. Funding can be used term-time or stretched: the 30-hour entitlement becomes 22.5 hours weekly over 50 weeks, while the 15-hour entitlement becomes 11 hours weekly over 50 weeks.

Hours beyond the stretched allocation are charged privately. Breakfast, lunch and tea are charged separately, with monthly invoicing for food. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the important budgeting distinction is between funded hours, additional childcare hours and food charges.

• Teaching beyond the activity. The May 2025 improvement priority concerned clearer learning intentions and progression. On a visit, ask how staff now use painting or sensory play to extend what an individual child can already do.
• Mixed-age periods. Children spend some of the day in mixed-age groups, alongside provision of a baby area. Ask how your child's routine and activities would work during those shared periods.
• Term-time or stretched funding. The funded weekly allocation changes when spread over 50 weeks, and extra hours and meals attract separate charges. Compare the written quotation with the attendance pattern you intend to use.

Step By Step Children's Nursery Polegate suits families seeking hands-on creative play and a garden with opportunities to climb, dig and plant. Its Good judgement in May 2025 provides a positive inspection position, balanced by a specific improvement priority around the precision of teaching.

The practical appeal reaches beyond one attendance model. Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and a longer daytime booking serve different routines, while term-time and year-round options offer further choice. Parents who value that flexibility have a clear set of patterns to weigh against their child's needs.