Tiddlers Nursery

Bug-hunting on a welly walk and turning large boxes into a castle give Tiddlers Nursery its character: play supplies the starting point, while a key person plans around each child's interests. Based on the Beacon Academy campus in Crowborough, it has 34 places for children aged 3 to 60 months. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of a room or group.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Tiddlers Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on children's relationships and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The judgement also came with two clear priorities: greater confidence in adapting learning to individual children, and more scope for children to create freely with different materials.

Term-time attendance and attendance across the year sit alongside shorter and longer booked sessions. The choice matters for families balancing childcare with work or school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, learning through play means staff use children's interests to plan experiences, rather than expecting every child to approach an activity in the same way. A key person combines observations with information from home to decide what to introduce next.

Wooden bricks illustrate that approach. Building and balancing can lead into counting, sorting or exploring shapes; adding small-world figures changes the possibilities again. Children can share an activity originally planned around somebody else's needs, giving familiar resources several uses rather than a single prescribed task.

A welly walk brings bug discovery into the day, while painting large boxes to make a castle connects making with imaginative play. Children's ideas can also change an activity's direction: playdough worms may lead to den-building in the garden. For families, the useful distinction is between having an activity ready and allowing children to develop it themselves.

In January 2023, children experimented with cars and large tubes, investigating where the cars travelled and which went furthest. Adults also used songs, repeated sounds, stories and rhymes to encourage communication. These examples give a concrete picture of learning at that time: investigation and language were built into ordinary play.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2023, children used both indoor and outdoor play spaces and carried equipment between them to extend their activities. Younger children joined older ones outdoors and during group activities, rather than meeting the next stage only when it was time to move rooms.

The same month's improvement priorities are relevant to the play-based approach. Staff needed to use their knowledge of individual children more confidently when extending learning, and children needed greater freedom to design and make with paint and other media. A castle-making activity is useful detail, but the broader question is how much control children have over what they create.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who follows their development, notices preferences and draws on information from parents. This gives families a clear link between what happens at home and the activities planned at nursery. Learning journeys go home regularly, combining photographs, observations, children's work and contributions from home; parents can add to them too.

In January 2023, babies and toddlers joined older children for songs while sitting with their key person, and shared lunches helped them become familiar with the larger playroom. Moving between stages was therefore supported through relationships and shared experiences. It was not simply a change of room.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked effectively with other professionals supporting children with SEND and adjusted the environment using information about their needs. That is a dated finding about practical support, rather than a blanket assurance about every child's experience today.

For a severe allergy or medical condition, management arranges a discussion and the relevant paperwork before the child starts. A nominated role covers safeguarding, equality and diversity, and health and safety. These arrangements give families a route for discussing individual needs.

The nursery recommends a healthy packed lunch, and food cooked at home can be reheated; a light snack tea is separately charged, with food from home an alternative. For under-twos, parents provide lunch or tea and bring formula in a named container, so both food planning and formula provision involve the family.

School preparation includes recognising a child's own name, listening and using the toilet independently. The rising five group, introduced as the year progresses, supports children approaching school and others who are ready. The emphasis is on everyday skills that children can use for themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery address is Beacon Academy, Green Lane, Crowborough, TN6 2DY. Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Families can choose a 38-week term-time arrangement or a 50-week arrangement across the year, with closures for Christmas and bank holidays.

Bookings use set session windows. Morning options include 8am to 1pm, 9am to noon and 9am to 1pm; the afternoon option runs from 1pm to 5pm. Longer choices include 8am to 4pm or 5pm, 8.30am to 3.30pm or 4.30pm, and 9am to 3pm, 4pm or 5pm. There are also 9.30am starts ending at 1.30pm or 2.30pm. This offers several ways to fit attendance around a family's day, but the booked start and finish remain important: departures from them require agreement.

Pre-registration expresses interest; nursery bookings require written confirmation. Contact is by telephone on 01892 611887 or email at info@tiddlersnursery.co.uk. Booked sessions are billed monthly in advance, and a month's written notice is required for changes or leaving. Missed sessions through illness, appointments or holidays remain payable, with no refunds, credits or replacement days for those absences.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can access EYEE Funded sessions, including the 15-hour entitlement and the 30 hours working parent entitlement, from the term after the relevant birthday or after they turn nine months. Funding can be used term-time or stretched across more weeks, and funded hours fall within the 8am to 5pm opening window. Eligibility and the chosen arrangement matter; participation does not guarantee a funded booking.

Funded-session declarations are organised around September, January and April. Once a declaration is completed, changes to funded sessions wait until the next funding period; increased or changed hours are charged privately. That makes planning ahead more important than the number of session choices alone might imply.

A non-refundable registration charge applies, and a refundable deposit may be requested when a place is accepted; neither applies when a child accesses only EYEE Funded sessions. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fee structure sets out the attendance and payment terms.

• Creative freedom. January 2023 priorities covered staff confidence in extending individual learning and children's access to open-ended making. On a visit, ask how activities now respond to individual interests and how children choose materials and designs.
• Green Lane directions. The nursery address is TN6 2DY, while its contact and finding-us details use TN6 2XB. Confirm the campus entrance and postcode to use before travelling.
• Food and medical needs. A healthy packed lunch is recommended, snack tea carries a separate charge, and parents of under-twos are asked to provide lunch and/or tea and formula. Families managing allergies should discuss current food handling and the pre-start medical meeting.
• Booking commitments. Nursery bookings require written confirmation, booked absences remain payable and session changes need a month's notice. Discuss the intended start date and attendance pattern together, including when funded-session changes can take effect.

Tiddlers suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those choosing longer days, with term-time and across-year attendance options. Key-person planning, learning journeys and practical school preparation give its play-based offer substance.

The January 2023 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, while its improvement priorities keep the assessment balanced. The decision turns on how individual learning and creative choice work now, alongside a timetable and food arrangement the family can sustain.