Dolphins Day Nursery

In March 2025, Dolphins Day Nursery combined practical learning with room for physical play: counting fish in songs, tackling simple sums and chasing friends around a spacious garden. At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Based in Worthing, it has 54 places in total and accepts children aged 3 to 60 months. The strongest examples from March 2025 centre on mathematical play, conversation and children learning to manage everyday tasks themselves.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the March 2025 examples show how learning through play connects numbers, language, movement and practical independence.

During that month, staff brought counting into number songs, while older children worked on addition and subtraction. Puzzle conversations encouraged children to think through possible solutions rather than simply finish an activity. Younger children experimented with painted marks; older children investigated how objects fitted inside plastic Easter eggs.

The spacious garden gave children somewhere to run and play chasing games in March 2025. Staff linked exercise with conversations about drinking water and how bodies work. Oral-health activities also introduced vocabulary connected with teeth, giving health education a concrete place in the day.

In March 2025, a key person helped new children settle with sensitive attention. Staff worked with families and professionals to understand individual needs, and multilingual practitioners supported children learning English alongside another language. These are useful examples of care shaped around the child.

Everyday independence received practical attention that month. Younger children served food and wiped their faces after eating; older children attempted to dress themselves. Children fetched and returned their own water bottles. Small tasks gave them opportunities to practise doing things independently.

Staff also helped children discuss feelings after disagreements and encouraged sharing and turn-taking in March 2025. Conversations with parents included ideas for continuing learning at home, connecting nursery activities with family life.

The address is 73 Chesswood Road, Worthing, BN11 2AB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year, with bank holidays closed. That opening window matters for families fitting childcare around work.

In March 2025, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four.

• Individual learning. In March 2025, planning did not consistently pinpoint what each child needed to learn next. More precise support was an improvement priority, relevant to families wanting clear next steps for their child.
• Sustaining attention. During March 2025, staff sometimes missed opportunities to bring children back into purposeful play when their interest faded. Maintaining engagement was the other improvement priority.
• Care for the youngest children. The accepted age range begins at 3 months, while children attending in March 2025 were aged two to four. At a visit, ask how care, settling and the daily environment are organised for babies.

Dolphins suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare, with mathematical play, conversation and practical independence prominent in its March 2025 account. At that inspection, the garden provided space for movement. Its Good judgement sits alongside two clear priorities: sharper individual planning and more consistent support when children's attention drifts.