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Nursery at Telscombe Cliffs Academy
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Pinecone class combines a home corner and messy play with short lessons in early number, sounds and literacy. This is a nursery with a clear teaching rhythm, as well as time for children to choose their own activities. It belongs to Telscombe Cliffs Academy in Peacehaven and takes children from age 2 until they start school.
Capacity for two-year-olds is 2 children per session. From age 3, children can attend a full day, subject to capacity. Those age-dependent patterns matter when planning childcare. Ofsted judged the academy’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 14 and 15 January 2025; that judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately graded nursery.
Play and short teaching sessions alternate throughout the day. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) takes practical form here through indoor and outdoor exploration, songs, movement and early counting. Continuous provision means children can return to different play areas and practise skills, while brief lessons address mathematics, literacy and phonics. The literacy-based approach gives learning a context beyond individual activities.
Inside the large classroom, construction and small-world play sit alongside spaces for reading, creative work and mark-making. Children can move between indoor and outdoor learning during free flow. Some also work individually or in groups with a teacher or key person, so choosing an activity is only one part of the session.
Snack and carpet sessions punctuate that play. Children tidy together, sing nursery rhymes and add movements to music. Afternoon counting songs lead into counting objects and saying their number. These are concrete ways to connect language, movement and early mathematics.
In January 2025, early years routines were well established, with children understanding expectations and taking responsibility for putting resources away. The same inspection identified school-wide weaknesses in consistent phonics teaching and the challenge given to some most-able pupils. Those concerns provide useful context for the nursery’s structured teaching, without establishing a nursery-specific weakness.
Lunch is a shared social part of the day. Children eat together, talk with friends and receive help from staff aimed at building independence. Packed lunches go on a trolley, and families bring a water bottle each day. Handwashing comes before eating, giving care routines a predictable place in the session.
Teachers and key persons take part in individual and group learning. In January 2025, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and children at risk of falling behind, received tailored early years interventions from specialist staff. This gives additional support a direct place in learning.
Across the academy, a Support Plan records help needed to access the curriculum, with the class teacher and SENDCo working alongside parents. Communication also includes fortnightly academy updates covering dates, local services and SEND news.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through East Sussex County Council’s primary school admissions route, meeting the deadline for their application year.
Day-to-day familiarity is a separate benefit. Nursery children mix with Reception children during the day and join the wider school for assemblies and curriculum events. That contact offers experience of school life and older peers; it should not be treated as an admissions advantage.
Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 12.15pm, including lunch at 11.45am. Afternoon sessions run from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. An all-day place runs from 8.30am to 3.15pm, with collection between 3pm and 3.15pm so families can collect nursery children before older siblings.
Children should be dropped off by 8.45am. For enquiries, contact the academy office on 01273 583113 or office@telscombecliffsacademy.org. Prospective parents can also arrange an academy tour through the office.
Children can start from age 2 and remain until they begin school. There are 2 places for two-year-olds per session.
From age 3, full-day sessions are offered subject to capacity. They run from 8.30am to 3.15pm.
Children explore indoors and outdoors, use classroom play areas, sing and practise counting. Short lessons in mathematics, phonics and literacy sit alongside play.
Children eat together, with staff helping them develop independence. Morning and all-day children have lunch at 11.45am; families bring packed lunches and a daily water bottle.
No. Families need a separate Reception application through East Sussex County Council’s primary school admissions route.
