Abracadabra

A baby room with its own garden access, a separate place to sleep and a preschool divided into Butterflies and Caterpillars give Abracadabra a clear progression from early care towards school preparation. This Worthing nursery combines spaces for different stages with opportunities for children to mix as they become ready. The youngest room has a maximum of 12 babies, a useful starting point for families weighing the scale of baby care.

At its 14 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Abracadabra Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement belongs to that visit. The practical attractions today include a wraparound garden, a sensory room and settling arrangements that can extend beyond the initial sessions.

Abracadabra is at 5 Tennyson Road, Worthing, BN11 4BY, with 60 places in total. Its Baby Room starts from six weeks, and its older groups extend to five years. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different family routines.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room caters for babies from six weeks to 18 months, with a maximum of 12; its emphasis is on early communication, movement and exploring textures, with direct garden access and an adjoining sleep room containing five cots. Keeping sleep in a separate room gives resting babies a different space from active play. Care follows the baby's home routine through communication with parents.

Toddlers & Two’s covers 18 to 36 months, combining monthly topics with movement between play spaces and daily time in the garden. Four rooms are used by this age group, with two accessible during free-flow play. Children can make choices within an organised routine rather than spending the whole session in one activity space.

Within Pre-School, Butterflies are the older children preparing for school, while Caterpillars are the younger preschool children; the emphasis is on independence and indoor and outdoor learning, with a weekly PE lesson for the Butterfly group. These are stages within preschool, rather than a promise that every child moves on the same timetable. Older two-year-olds also spend time with preschool children to become familiar with its routines before joining.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes the nursery day through play that develops communication, physical skills, relationships, early reading and number understanding. Activities are planned around children's interests. Games involving shapes and measurements sit alongside books, drawing tools, imaginative play and creative materials, so learning is spread through familiar experiences rather than confined to a formal lesson.

In April 2022, children drew treasure maps and used them in imaginary hunts. Another activity involved balancing cereal on scales while adults introduced language about weight and quantity. These examples connect making marks and experimenting with objects to a purpose children can understand.

The same visit identified a teaching limitation: activities sometimes offered too little challenge or did not sufficiently address what an individual child needed to learn next. More precise planning and better use of professional development were improvement priorities. Enjoyable activity and carefully targeted learning are separate tests, and both matter.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large garden wraps around the nursery, giving outdoor play a substantial physical place in the day. For Toddlers & Two’s, garden time happens daily in wet weather as well as dry. Indoors, the sensory room includes a bubble wall, light board and sensory den, adding different ways to explore light, materials and sensation.

Regular outings take children to places including the museum, library and beach; other destinations include the market, park and a pet shop. These trips connect nursery experiences with the surrounding town. Parents give permission for outings, children wear high-visibility jackets, and babies travel in triple buggies.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker who observes their development and plans for individual needs. Learning Journal records bring together photographs, observations and assessments, and parents can access their child's journal whenever they wish. This gives families something more lasting than a brief account of the day's activities.

Communication also changes with age. Children under three have a daily sheet covering eating, sleep and toileting, alongside a spoken handover; preschool families receive a verbal account. Monthly preschool planning goes to parents by email, allowing home activities to connect with the nursery's current learning. An annual parents' evening provides another opportunity to discuss development.

Settling starts with two sessions: roughly half an hour with a parent present, followed by an hour when the child stays with staff. Both are free, and further settling visits can be arranged according to the child's needs. This allows separation to be tried before ordinary attendance begins, with room to adjust the process.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO works with the key worker, management and parents on individual education plans, reviewing strategies when they need to change. With parental permission, referrals can bring in other professionals. Speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and sensory support are among the services the nursery works with.

Support can include smaller activity groups, additional adults for particular activities or a task made simpler or more challenging. These are concrete adjustments to participation, rather than a single approach applied to every child. At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that cooperation with families and professionals helped children with identified learning delays receive timely support and make good progress.

Room changes are prepared for through occasional sessions in the next age group, beginning six months before the move and increasing gradually. In the final nursery year, weekly PE encourages children to manage dressing for themselves, while teachers visit in summer to meet children due to attend their schools. This is preparation for a new routine and new relationships.

Meals and snacks are made each day by the nursery chef, with a four-week rotating menu. Dietary requirements and preferences, including vegetarian and vegan diets, are accommodated under the nursery's food arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year, with Bank Holidays closed. The main booking timetable has an All Day Session from 8am to 6pm, a Morning Session from 8am to 1pm and an Afternoon Session from 1pm to 6pm. An earlier start between 7.30am and 8am carries an additional charge.

The minimum booking is two sessions. This can be one full day, two mornings, two afternoons, or a morning combined with an afternoon. The rule gives families several ways to establish regular attendance without requiring several full days.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01903 201824 or by email at abracadabradn05@aol.com. The nursery's address is 5 Tennyson Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 4BY.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered through the Nursery Education Grant, alongside privately paid childcare. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the booking and payment structure.

Meals, drinks and snacks are included in the childcare fee. Nappies, wipes, formula, bottles and sun cream are supplied within that provision, while parents bring their child's labelled nappy cream, so the position differs by item. Families also bring spare clothes and any comforter their child uses.

Fees continue through Bank Holidays, illness and family holidays, and payment is due in advance during the month's first week. Securing a booking requires a refundable deposit and a non-refundable registration charge. Those terms matter when comparing the overall arrangement with a family's likely attendance, rather than considering only the hours used.

• Morning start times. The main fee timetable starts full days and mornings at 8am, with a separately charged earlier start, while room timetables start those bookings at 7.30am. Confirm the contracted start and early-start charge before booking.
• Challenge as children develop. In April 2022, planning did not consistently give children enough challenge or address their next learning steps. On a visit, ask how activities now build on what your child can already do.
• Baby care in practice. The Baby Room has a maximum of 12 and a separate sleep room with five cots. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how sleeping, feeding and active play fit your baby's existing routine.
• Individual food requirements. The kitchen accommodates dietary needs and preferences. Families managing allergies should discuss current preparation and serving arrangements before their child starts.

Abracadabra suits families seeking either full-day attendance or a regular pattern of mornings and afternoons, with a staged route from baby care towards preschool independence. Separate baby sleep space, the wraparound garden and gradual introductions to older groups give that progression practical substance.

The balance is between an established care structure and the need for sufficiently demanding, individualised learning. Daily communication and Learning Journals help parents follow that balance over time. The strongest fit is for families who value regular contact with staff, flexible combinations of the stated sessions and preparation for each change of stage.