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Nursery at Holmbush Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A mud kitchen, a huge sandpit and room to choose between indoor and outdoor play give Little Learners its character. This is Holmbush Primary Academy’s own nursery in Shoreham-by-Sea, welcoming children from age two and operating in term time. It sits within the school’s early years area, with space for up to 16 children in each session. The scale keeps the group small while giving children access to parts of the wider school.
Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions make this a nursery with distinct booking options. Its connection to the academy also brings opportunities to join Christmas performances, sports days and charity events: school life starts with participation, rather than simply sharing an address.
Choice shapes the morning. Children start at 8.30am, and from 8.50am the garden opens so they can decide where to play. Climbing equipment and wooden play structures add physical challenges; the enclosed garden’s sandpit and mud kitchen provide different materials to explore. Indoors, the nursery describes its space as bright and spacious.
Staff combine activities children choose with tasks led by adults, taking children’s interests into account. Learning covers the seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). For children, this means developing speech and vocabulary, joining stories and shared activities, and building strength and physical control: learning involves both language and movement. Access to the school hall, library, woodland and beach broadens the places available for nursery activities.
The morning closes with tidying at 11am, followed by a group activity and story at 11.05am. Morning-only children leave at 11.30am, when lunch begins for those staying. Afternoon children join at 12.30pm; later, another tidy-up, group activity and story bring the session towards its 3.30pm finish. Stories and shared activities punctuate the periods of choice.
In November 2023, inspectors praised the support for speech and vocabulary beginning in Nursery and found the nursery’s care and learning environment effective. Their schoolwide improvement request concerned making classroom tasks match the intended learning more precisely, so children retain essential knowledge; this was not identified as a nursery-specific weakness.
Settling starts before the first session. A home visit gives staff time to discuss a child’s interests, dislikes, medical needs and allergies with their family. Settling sessions are then arranged to suit the individual child. A photograph on the coat peg and family pictures on a shared board make familiar faces part of the nursery space.
Each child has both an achievement book and a journal, bringing progress records and artwork together. These give families a record of their child’s time at Little Learners. Across the academy, SEND support includes individual learning plans, therapeutic interventions and work with families and outside professionals.
For lunch, families can send a healthy packed meal, excluding nuts and nut products because the school is nut free. Alternatively, Chartwell’s supplies hot meals booked through ParentPay. That gives parents a choice between food from home and a booked school meal.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority in the academy’s oversubscription criteria. Families must make a separate application to West Sussex County Council using its common application form. For the past 2026–27 admissions cycle, the closing date was 15 January 2026.
Familiarity is a separate benefit. At 12.35pm, nursery children use the Reception classroom’s interactive whiteboard. Spending time in that room helps make the eventual move into school less unfamiliar; it does not change the admissions process.
Morning sessions run from 08:30 to 11:30, afternoons from 12:30 to 15:30, and full days from 08:30 to 15:30. Families can add the 11:30–12:30 lunch period to either shorter session. Provision follows term time, making the holiday calendar relevant to childcare planning.
The nursery offers the universal 15-hour entitlement from the term following a child’s third birthday, alongside 30 funded hours for eligible working parents. Contact the academy for current charges. For nursery enquiries, call 01273 592471; the academy office operates from 8am to 4pm.
Children are welcomed from age two. The nursery can accommodate up to 16 children per session.
Yes. Morning sessions are 08:30–11:30 and afternoons are 12:30–15:30. Full days run from 08:30 to 15:30, and lunch can be added to a shorter session.
Staff offer a home visit before starting, discuss the child’s needs with the family and agree individually tailored settling sessions.
Children staying for lunch can bring a healthy packed lunch containing no nuts or nut products. Hot meals from Chartwell’s can be booked through ParentPay.
No. Nursery attendance gives no Reception admissions priority or guarantee. Parents must apply separately through West Sussex County Council’s common application form.
