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Nursery at Harbour Primary and Nursery School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A mud kitchen, daily stories and early number games give Harbour’s nursery its character: play sits alongside deliberately planned teaching. This is the school’s own provision in Newhaven. Its nursery admissions policy for September 2024 to August 2025 described capacity for up to 52 children aged two to four, with no more than eight two-year-olds in a session.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning that children initiate with activities adults organise. At Harbour, that means time to revisit activities, follow an interest and practise a new skill, indoors and outside. Songs, rhymes and stories feature daily, giving children repeated opportunities to hear and use language.
Teaching starts early. Sounds Write introduces phonics from nursery, while Number Sense and Ark Maths Mastery support early mathematics. These sit alongside play rather than replacing it: the curriculum plans both independent exploration and adult involvement. Art includes experimenting with materials, colour and marks; technology can begin with pretend phones in role play.
The Term 4 nursery letter for 2026 makes that approach concrete. Jack and the Beanstalk, Easter and growth supplied the themes. Children were to investigate spring in the garden, observe plants growing and use Numicon for patterns and counting. The letter also requested utensils for the mud kitchen. These connect stories, number and practical exploration through familiar activities.
In March 2025, Ofsted described early-years children creating imaginative games together and agreeing their rules. That gives a useful picture of learning through play: children practise negotiating with friends as well as developing their own ideas.
Settling begins before the first regular session. The 2024–2025 nursery policy set out two introductory visits, with a parent staying for the first and discussing whether to remain for the second. It also provided for a home visit by the nursery manager and a support colleague, so families could discuss interests, strengths and concerns before their child started.
Communication has a practical rhythm. Brief messages can be passed to staff at the nursery gate; the office arranges appointments for longer conversations. Helping Hands activities teach children to identify an adult they trust, alongside daily discussion about safe play, equipment and asking for help.
Food has a place in the timetable: nursery lunch runs from noon to 1pm, and early-years children can choose free fruit. For additional needs, the school’s SEND system uses Support Plans or SEND Passports with three reviews each year. All nursery staff have received EYFS Therapeutic Thinking training. The EYFS Village also has lift access, a concrete consideration for families discussing mobility needs.
Attending Harbour’s nursery does not guarantee a Harbour Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through East Sussex County Council, following its timetable and criteria. Treat that application as a distinct step, even when your child already attends nursery.
Preparation for the next classroom is separate from allocation of a place. Children moving from nursery to Reception have transition visits, and staff visit their preschool settings. For children with additional needs, the school describes extra visits or small-group sessions during Term 6, plus social narratives to use at home over the summer. These help children become familiar with the change.
The nursery’s 2024–2025 policy described term-time provision with a fixed attendance pattern. Its 15-hour offer required five mornings, Monday to Friday, from 8.45am to 11.45am. The 30-hour pattern included 8.45am to 3.15pm Monday to Thursday; a full Friday afternoon was chargeable and depended on agreement and space.
That policy placed three-year-old funding from the term after the third birthday and made two-year-old funding conditional on eligibility. It also explained that the 30-hour funding did not cover meals, consumables, additional hours or activities. Ask the school for current charges.
Toasties Breakfast Club and Beanies After School club were listed as chargeable options for nursery children, booked through Arbor with advance payment. For nursery enquiries and application forms, contact the school office on 01273 514532 or email office@harbour.e-sussex.sch.uk. Label clothing and lunchboxes clearly.
The nursery policy for September 2024 to August 2025 covered children aged two to four, with capacity for up to 52 children and a maximum of eight two-year-olds in any session.
The EYFS curriculum balances adult-organised activities with independent play. Daily stories, songs and rhymes sit alongside early phonics through Sounds Write and mathematics using Number Sense and Ark Maths Mastery.
The 2024–2025 policy described two settling visits and a home visit. Parents stayed for the first settling session and discussed with the nursery manager whether to stay for the second.
No. You must apply separately through East Sussex County Council, and a nursery place does not guarantee admission to Harbour’s Reception.
Call the school office on 01273 514532 or email office@harbour.e-sussex.sch.uk. Nursery application forms can be obtained through the office or the nursery application page.
